An Arcadian Ceremony - Magnitude 12 - The Ardent Mind
Performing the Ceremony
Performing this Ceremony takes at least 5 minutes of roleplaying. This Ceremony targets a Naval Investment owned by a character who must be present throughout, but need not be one of the priests performing the Ceremony.
This Ceremony is an Enchantment. An Investment may only be under one Enchantment effect at a time.
Effects
The target Naval investment is treated as being one tier higher during the next season. It must take Support the Fleet as its action, but in addition it counts as having taken the Profitable Work action.
For the duration of the event, the owner of the Investment experiences a roleplaying effect: You feel unrestrained, and unconcerned about the consequences of your actions, combined with a strong desire to simply take what you want - damn the consequences.
Description
While they may be the scourge of the seas, and criminals many times over, there are certain times where the skill and numbers of a pirate crew can be a huge boon, particularly if the ships they are supporting are participating in a slightly more legal version of the same thing. This Ceremony draws a crew of pirates to support the movement of a Naval Investment, providing military support but more importantly providing instruction and leadership when given opportunity to profit while otherwise acting in support of a larger fleet.
For the duration of the Ceremony, which is barely any time at all in the scheme of things, any outstanding warrants or orders of execution are Spherically stayed for the crew, and the ships are glamoured in a way such that they look like the ships of the Investment’s fleet from a distance, so that they can pass unhindered through Concordian waters. There is a truce enforced between members of the impromptu fleet created, so that they can be confident that all are working for the betterment of the group, and as the period ends, any legal-minded captains looking to apprehend their benefactors find themselves distracted and befuddled, allowing the pirates who came to their aid to escape with their share of the booty.
Performing the Ceremony
Drawn from The Ardent Mind, as this increase in power of the fleet really comes down to a sharing of information and skills, this Ceremony leans heavily on nautical themes in most circumstances, as can be expected. There may be stories told about the dangers of the high seas, tales of glorious prizes won and treasure found, or cautionary tales about overreaching and trying to defy an enraged sea. People participating in the ritual have sometimes found themselves to be missing some small trinket of value they had on their person, only for it to be found again in a pocket they swore they checked already.
Other things that occasionally get used in this Ceremony are sea shanties, games of chance, sword duels, and drinking - all things of essence that appeal to the pirates that are being called. The pirates themselves need not have been contacted beforehand - their minds are filled with dreams of glory and plunder, and they know the Sphere will protect them. As such, they actually turn out to be surprisingly enthusiastic allies for the season. Some of their passionate individualism certainly rubs off on the owner of the Investment through the bond that is created though, and sometimes when they meet it can be hard to distinguish which is the damned pirate and which is the previously-law-abiding citizen.