Name Magic

Name magic comes directly from the Bound Ones the ancient powers bound beneath earth during the naming and binding war centuries ago. This Form of sorcery has virtually died out in the known civilised lands and is now mainly possessed only by the few surviving officers of the defeated Army of the Red Gryphon and by priests of the Empire of the Unbound far to the West beyond the Great Forest. Anyone openly admitting to worshipping one of the Bound Ones or being a Name sorceror is likely to be ostracised at best in most civilised societies, and may well be hunted down and executed. This is unfortunate for practitioners for the very first time they invoke their magic their irises turn a distinctive luminous shade of purple, forever marking them as a Name Sorcerer.

Little is known about the Bound Ones any more outside the highest echelons of the Cloistered Brethren of Chains and those adventurers unlucky enough to have encountered them. Most of them have names which seem almost nonsensical, the few scraps of lore from the days of the Binding War which remain in common circulation mention such names as “The Eater Of Wings”, “The Walker In The Hollow Places”, “He Who Walks Wilderness”, “Tears As Fire” and “Opal”.

The power of the Makers & Namers is shackled in many chains. To access this power Name sorcerors must take those chains upon themselves. This process often takes time and the creation of an object with Name Magic is never instantaneous, requiring the caster to concentrate for a time to bring their desire into existence as they mutter its name over and over. The time required depends on both the complexity and size of the thing to be made. Creating a simple sword takes around ten seconds of intoning its name over and over, creating a sword made of gold and jewels might take hours of carefully describing that which is to be named into being. Equally naming a plank of wood into being would take only a few moments, whereas naming a bridge into existence over a fast flowing river could take several hours.

When a spell includes a cost which lasts for an entire encounter, this penalty lasts for the whole of the encounter during which the spell is cast and also for the whole of the next encounter, so spells can't be cast near the end of an encounter for minimum penalty. Most of these penalties can be undone by a Shatter Chains spell of the appropriate level, and some of them can also be undone by other means (e.g. Shackles Of Iron can be Commended To Ash, or if the penalty is an encounter long an anti-chain potion may be taken), but undoing the penalty will also undo the effect of the spell which resulted in the penalty. While a penalty remains in effect the spell that caused it cannot be used again.

Being both illegal and virtually extinct in and around the White City Name magic cannot be learnt at character creation and can only be picked up during adventures.

With this spell any object can be fixed as new. Such objects include; a single body or armour location, a shattered weapon or shield, a broken door or a fractured mirror.

When cast the caster then spends an encounter with their arms bound in iron shackles as per the Chain Magic spell Shackles Of Iron.

Whenever you meet anyone you automatically know the name by which they are generally addressed. NOT their True Name but the name they normally use.

The caster can make simple items of little value that they have previously encountered. Such things include; crude swords, torches, rope, rocks, clothes etc. Nothing of better than standard quality may be created in this manner.

After casting this spell the caster then loses their sight for an encounter a per the Chain Magic spell Bind the Eyes.

During one downtime action it's possible to create goods with a total saleable value of 30 Hexa.

The caster can discover the True Name of anybody they meet. A True Name is the name that a individual uses to name them self and includes all additional names bestowed by Name Magic. Where the target has a Name that affects their nature the use of the spell can give the caster insight into that nature.

After casting this spell the caster loses their voice for an encounter as per the Chain Magic spell Bind the Tongue.

The caster can make specific individual things of greater complexity including mundane living things. Examples include; a fancy sword, a suit of armour, a potion, a cat, a flower etc. It is possible to create valuable and superior quality goods with this spell.

After casting this spell the caster's will is bound for an encounter as per the Chain Magic spell Bind the Will. During this time they will obey any order or imperative that they hear. As this loss of will is taken on voluntarily the caster will even obey orders which go against their essential nature, but will refuse to do anything that is clearly suicidal. The caster doesn't have the will to order themselves around, so having trusted friends around to order them constantly to do as they will is probably a good idea.

The caster gives someone a Name and that name will stick, though it is in addition to the target's existing names and does not replace them. A Given Name does not change the nature of the target but appends itself to their True Name. Such a Given Name is difficult to conceal and people will always seem to hear about it and will give it credence. For example someone named ‘Betrayer’ is likely to meet with greater suspicion and mistrust, whereas someone named the ‘the Just’ is likely to be considered wise council. The target will gradually become aware that they have been given a name but won't necessarily know its source.

Additionally Given Name may be used to remove names previously bestowed by the spell.

When this spell is cast the caster has their will bound as above.

The caster can make new things, even things which have never been seen before, though such an act of creation requires considerable time and concentration. It is possible to create items of mastercrafted quality with this spell. Living things can be created if being alive is part of their essential nature. The things created cannot differ from the essential nature of their names; for example, a giant troll will still be essentially troll-like.

After casting this spell the caster has their Name Magic bound, as per the Chain magic spell Bind the Power, for the rest of the adventure.

The caster can permanently change somebody's name, and thereby their nature. Such a renaming never has an instantaneous effect but gradually changes the target’s nature over the course of several weeks. For example a honourable Knight renamed ‘Ignoble One’ would likely be able to complete his heroic quest but afterwards would find himself gradually slipping into cruelty and depravity as his name shaped his nature. The exact effect of renaming must always be decided in conjunction by the caster, GM and LARPO.

Renamed may also be used to undo the effects of a previous casting of the Spell.

After casting this spell the caster has their Name Magic bound, as per the Chain magic spell Bind the Power, for the rest of the adventure.

The caster speaks its name and brings an entirely new concept into existence. They are then sucked down into the depths of the earth and shackled there for all time in great chains in the same manner as the Bound Ones are bound. This spell may not be used without the prior approval of the LARPO.