A Survey of Supplications, Entreaties and Consecrations
by Tryston Tymersen in Dark Ages
The pantheon of Temuair is rich in its diversity, and the gifts the gods bestow upon Aislings are equally diverse, from Supplications and Entreaties they grant to their worshippers, to the benefits granted wearing their Consecrated items.
The gods grant their benefits through prayer, which can be performed either at a god's temple, or through the use of a prayer necklace. When admitted into a religious Fellowship, an Aisling receives a prayer necklace consecrated by their god, allowing them to pray nearly anywhere; to pray to other gods within their god's trinity, an Aisling must go directly to the associate god's temple.
To pray within a temple, merely speak to the attendant, and they will guide you through the process. To pray with a necklace, the Aisling must use the appropriate Secret, then drop and immediately pick up their necklace.
An Aisling can pray alone, but the gods are more likely to take notice when one Aisling prays in Fellowship with another. The Aislings need not be worshippers of the same god, but to pray to the same god, both must be well-liked by the god, by worshipping within that god's trinity. Thus, both a Deoch worshipper and a Cail worshipper could pray together to Glioca, since both gods are within Glioca's trinity; but the two worshippers could not pray together to Deoch or to Cail, since the two gods are not memebers of the same trinity.
Whether or not the Aisling receives the notice of a god, and what form that notice takes, is dependent upon that Aisling's faith. Faith is built up through Giving Thanks, by attending a mass, or by performing a religious geas. While most of the prayers affect only the worshipper, in some cases, if one's faith is great enough, the beneficial effects can "spill over" to other Aislings grouped with the supplicant.
Another factor affecting the gift bestowed upon the worshipper is whether the gift is a Supplication or an Entreaty. To Supplicate a god is to merely ask for his favor; it requires less faith, but the rewards are not as powerful, either. To Entreat a god is to beg for his attention, and should probably be reserved for those situations when the worshipper is most in need; it requires more faith than a Supplication, but the rewards are more powerful, as well.
All gods offer two gifts that are common to all of the Pantheon: Summoning and Songs of the Shrine. Songs of the Shrine bestow upon the supplicant a number of Arcane scrolls scribed with the Song of Home for that particular shrine. For instance, Deoch's shrine is in Suomi, so he grants Suomi Songs to supplicants who request Songs of the Shrine. It is wise to remember that these are gifts of the gods, and should not be used for mere travel from one location to another; if saved for emergencies, they can instantly transport an Aisling out of danger and to the town where their god's shrine lies.
Summoning varies widely from god to god, and even more widely by the level of the supplicant's faith. I've seen beginning worshippers with little faith summon simple mice, while extremely faithful priests of Sgrios have summoned Succubi and Gargoyle Fiends. Generally, the summoned creatures will protect the summoner, and attack his enemies; if the summoner attacks his creatures, though, they will turn on him. And Sgrios summoners must beware that their summoned creatures may be hostile immediately after being summoned.
Gods also bestow gifts through their Consecrated items, a gift which reflect's that god's sphere of influence. As far as I know, you need not worship a particular god to receive the benefits of that god's Consecrated item. Thus a Deoch worshipper may wear an item consecrated by Sgrios; although why he would want to is beyond me.
To determine what gifts are besotwed by the gods, I did a great deal of research, both experimenting with items, and questioning various priests and other worshippers of the various gods about what Supplications and Entreaties their god had bestowed upon them. At this point, I would like to extend my thanks to those priests and followers who so patiently answered my questions, and sometimes even experimented with me to see what their god could provide.
Finally, it is my wish that readers of this humble treatise will use it to explore the benefits their god has to offer, as well as the other gods of their Trinity. It is most distinctly not my wish that any Aisling would use this guide to determine which god to follow: such a decision should be based on one's personal beliefs, not on what gifts a god can bestow upon them.
Cail is the Father of all Monks, so it is not surprising that his Consecrated items bestow greater constitution to its wearer, as this is an important attribute for Monks.
This prayer will wrap the worshipper in a protective spell, dependent on their level of faith. At it's lowest levels, the worshipper will be protected by naomh aite deur, a simple shielding spell. At higher levels of faith, the worshipper will be protected by more intense spells, the best of which I've seen is the equivalent to the Monk skill Dior, granting the supplicant protection from all forms of physical attack.
Upon requesting this gift, the worshipper will receive jars of honey, the amount and variety determined by his faith, ranging from Bee's Honey, which restore 500 health per jar, to Royal Honey, which restores 2000 health per jar.
With this prayer, Cail himself wraps a protective hand around the Aisling, granting him both increased defense, and greater regenerative powers. The duration of the protection is determined by the worshipper's faith.
Similar to the Monk skill Mist, this prayer will grant the worshipper enhanced speed and agility, allowing him to dodge attacks more easily.
Similar to the spell Ao Puinsein, this prayer will remove poison from the worshipper's bloodstream, and if his faith is great enough, from the bodies of other Aislings grouped with him, as well.
With this spell, a worshipper may remove one of the dreaded Scars from another Aisling; the worshipper cannot use this prayer to remove his own Scars. Faith does not determine the effects of this prayer, only its success: either the worshipper has enough faith for the prayer, or he doesn't; more faith does not increase the prayer's effect, although it does allow it to be called more often.
As the God of War, it is fitting to learn that Ceannlaidir's Consecrated items grant the wearer increased strength, allowing them to do more damage in battle.
From what I've gathered, this spell will restore the health and mana of the supplicant and his compnions, but I've received so many different responses in my queries that I believe the effects of this prayer are greatly dependent on one's faith.
This prayer will temporarily enchant the weapons of the supplicant and his allies, allowing them to more easily strike at their enemies.
When this prayer is cast, Ceannlaidir will raise the strength of the supplicant and his allies temporarily.
The God of War is strongly associated with fire, and this prayer increases the heat of the battle, allowing the supplicant and his allies to do more damage to their enemies.
While under the influence of this prayer, the supplicant will find himself channeling the strength of a Draco. But Aislings were not designed to contain the Dragon's Fire, and thus the supplicant can expect to lose health steadily as the flames sear his flesh.
This deadly prayer will instantly kill any creature that does not successfully deflect its effects ... including the supplicant and his allies! This is a dangerous Entreaty that should be used with caution, lest it do more harm than help.
Deoch's flame touches all Aislings, and his Consecrated items put them in touch with that flame, granting them enhanced regenerative abilities.
Perhaps because of his connection with the Dubhaim, Deoch's followers are able to remove the Scars of the Dark One.
As the name of this prayer implies, it will free the supplicant and his allies from these harmful conditions.
As a last resort if one is out of beothaich deum, this prayer can revive an Aisling that has fallen in battle.
This prayer will restore the health of the supplicant ... and his allies, if the worshipper has enough faith in Deoch.
Bringing about the full fury of the flamed one, this one curses all enemies within sight of the supplicant.
Unlike the previous prayer, I believe this one is targeted to a specific creature, and brings about a curse even more deadly than ard cradh, or so I'm told.
Fiosachd is the patron of Rogues, so of course his Consecrated items enhance one's dexterity.
By using this prayer, the supplicant can temporarily remove the sight of one or more of his enemies.
A very useful prayer for those desiring stealth, this Supplication will temporarily make the worshipper and his allies invisible. Be forewarned, however, that any provacative action, such as attacking or spellcasting, will make you visible again.
Depending on the supplicant's faith, this prayer will allow the worshipper to confuse one or more of his enemies into attacking one another, rather than the supplicant and his allies.
This prayer allows the supplicant to turn his enemies into allies, with its strength and duration again being dependent on the worshipper's faith.
By requesting wealth from Fiosachd, the supplicant may have his coins split, doubling his purse, or better.
Wisdom brings compassion, and the Consecrated items of the Goddes of Compassion bring wisdom to the wearer.
With this prayer, a worshipper will be granted varying levels of protection, dependening on his faith. Weak faith brings weak protection, while strong faith grants near invulnerability.
This prayer will cast beothaich deur on the Aisling standing before the supplicant, saving them a visit to Sgrios.
With this prayer Glioca shows compassion for the supplicant and his allies by restoring their health.
As the name of this prayer implies, Glioca will turn the supplicant's enemy into an ally ... for awhile. The duration, of course, is dependent on the worshipper's faith.
With this prayer, Glioca will transport the supplicant to his hometown. It may work on one's allies, as well, depending on one's faith in the Goddess.
Ah, Beothaich Deum! Someday, I shall compose an epic poem singing the praises of this ambrosia that has saved me, and so many others, so many times. With this prayer, Glioca will bestow the supplicant with a supply of the nectar.
As the Law is intended to shield all Aislings from harm, so Gramail's Consecrated items shield its wearers from the effects of harmful magicks.
Whether blinded, frozen, poisoned, or otherwise cursed, this prayer will remove the effects of harmful enchantments cast upon the supplicant.
While under the effects of this prayer, the supplicant will have a chance to deflect harmful enchanments cast upon him.
This prayer will instantly transport the supplicant to his hometown, an excellent way to escape dangerous situations.
This prayer grants the supplicant a single Arcane Scroll, a Song of Home. I believe it will also grant a single scroll to the worshipper's allies, allowing them to escape, as well.
With this prayer, the supplicant is granted a number of random Arcane Scrolls, each one usually for a different location.
The search for Knowledge requires great intelligence, and the Consecrated items of Luathas will enhance the intelligence of their wearers.
While it doesn't Identify an item, this useful prayer will reveal any item's attributes, uses, and value.
With this spell, Luathas grants the supplicant arcane knowledge of ancient magicks, and looses those magicks on the worshipper's enemies.
Lightning has long been a symbol of enlightenment, and with this prayer, Luathas rains enlightenment down upon the heads of all the supllcant's nearby enemies.
With this prayer, Luathas awakens the supplicant's sleeping allies, removes all visual impairments, and actually grants them superhuman visual acuity. It is said that under the influence of this prayer, a worshipper can even see White Bat Monks and Hidden Rogues.
A useful prayer for desperate mages, this supplication allows the worshipper to trade his health for a restoration of his mana.
Before I begin this section, I must point out that the followers of the Dark One are a secretive lot, and obtaining information about their god and his gifts was difficult, to say the least; and what information I did get may have been falsehoods fed to me to keep me from divining their secrets. Thus, some of the following information may be innaccurate.
Sgrios is the Lord of Destruction, but he does not claim his Consecrated items when an Ailsing visits him.
As any Monk knows, "puinsein" means "poison"; we use the spell ao puinsein to cure it. Followers of Sgrios can use this prayer to inflict it upon their enemies.
With this prayer, a Sgrios supplicant can curse his enemies, how powerfully determined by the worshipper's faith.
Another one that should be familiar to Monks: "dall" means "blindness". Thus, the supplicant can use this spell to remove the sight of his enemies.
This dark prayer was one of the most difficult to divine. From what I've gathered, it attacks the supplicant's enemeis in some way.
Unlike other Fellowships, Sgrios followers have two Summoning options. One of these prayers will summon non-aggressive creatures that will protect and fight for the supplicant. The other will summon dark demons that will be hostile to any living creature in their sight, including the supplicant. Which prayer does which I was unable to divine. Use at your own risk.
This dark prayer allows a Sgrios follower to strike another Aisling with their god's Scar. I was unable to learn whether or not the other penalties for visiting Sgrios accompany this supplication.
From what I could tell, this diabolical prayer was only whispered about, even among followers of Sgrios. From what I was able to learn, a supplicant can use this prayer to lay claim to the soul of any Aisling of at least twenty Insights for a single moon. If, during that time, that Aisling should visit the Dark One, the supplicant receives a boon of some sort. To be honest, the darkness created by this prayer made it difficult for me to even investigate it further.
It is my sincerest hope that all who read this will find it somewhat useful.
Monk of Cail, Citizen of Mileth