A Stallian Ceremony - Magnitude 8 - The Star Serpent
Performing the Ceremony
Performing this Ceremony takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This Ceremony targets a Band, all of whom must be present throughout, but need not be one of the priests performing the Ceremony.
This Ceremony is an Enchantment. A target may only be under one Enchantment effect at a time. The target for the Ceremony is the Band, not the individuals in it.
Effects
The target Band selects a spell that one of its members knows. All other members know that spell, regardless of whether or not they have any skills that would allow them to use it. If the warband has 10 or more members who learn a spell in this way, they all gain 1 additional mana.
Any characters who join the target Band after the conclusion of the Ceremony do not gain the benefit of this Enchantment, nor do they count to the number of members for the purposes of giving the Band members additional mana.
As long as the Band remains enchanted, all its members experience a roleplaying effect: You hear flitting snippets of thought shared across your mystical bond that ping and bounce around, shaping your subconscious thoughts. You are more likely to agree and act in accordance with those of your Band, rather than striking out on your own.
The roleplaying and mechanical effect lasts until the end of the event.
Description
To the otherworldly eminence of the Star Serpent, the human mind is simply another book in the great library of knowledge and understanding, and to reach out to allow others to read it is a blessing that transcends our ability to truly understand. The one who Gives of themselves forms a locus that the whole band is drawn into, granting them memories that are not their own - experienced in sepia, like looking through a filter at life. Memories change as we remember them, and so experiencing someone else's memory can be strange and disconcerting, and our mind rejects the knowledge the moment the Star Serpent's blessing ends.
Nonetheless, memories are the foundation of skill, and through this bond, the skill to perform magic is granted to all those who tie their minds to the one who Gives. An unintended side effect of this is that thoughts can sometimes flow both ways through this bond if they are strong enough, and seem to be true and original to each who receives them if they are not thoroughly examined; as such, the affected Band tend to agree with whoever is first to voice their opinion, acting in conspicuous unity if they are not careful to examine their own thoughts.
Performing the Ceremony
Whilst the powers of the Star Serpent alone are what cause this to be possible, and our minds are thus far incapable of understanding the divine nature of this bond, clarity of intent and good preparation make it easier for the mind to accept what is happening to it. As such, most priests tend to have the one who is to Give of themselves to describe the experiences and teachings that they believe will be shared as part of the Ceremony, weaving their intent into the prayers beseeching Grace.
Sometimes this might be actively describing how they were taught the specific spell that they will be sharing, but sometimes it might be instances where they have used it, or impactful moments in their lives when they experienced the effects of it instead. By sharing these contexts as their own, it helps those who Recieve to accept that these are not their own experiences, as they can sometimes be difficult to deal with, or even traumatic if these experiences were had in the heat of battle.