Before i do anymore on this, i think i'll briefly outline something a fairly significant but rarely used ritual from goblin sorcery that i thought of. BTW, this of course relates to the Kaeirean disaster in the Tana/Videssia region. In terms of magical theory - it looks like it would involve a greater spirit (a Goblin god such as Garr or Ertoslator) granting authority over a lesser demon to the human participant (through either direct authority or its true name). Ultimately, the human will probably succumb to the influence of the demon, evil being subtly seductive. Still working out a few more details. comments are welcome! (as are criticisms) ibrahim --- Demonic Bonding Demonic Bonding is an advanced form of magic practiced by Goblin sorcerers, more specifically, shamans of the Demon Gods. Essentially, a demon is willingly bound to a human or goblin magic user already in the service of the demon's Demon God master for the general purpose of extending Demonic influence in Celandra. It is said amongst practicioners of dark magicks that the ritual of demonic bonding was developed after the banishment of the demon gods, and the effective prohibition on entering Celandra, as a loophole of sorts. A high-level demon or demon god grants authority for the binding of the lesser demon (usually a a minor demon god) to the human participant. Often this also involves granting the human participant, the bonded human, the knowledge of the bonded demon's true name. However, the Authority relationship is far more complicated then simple possession of the true name. The demon is physically bound to the mortal participant through a series of complicated magic tattoos on the mortal participant. Through this, the mortal participant allows the demon to share his body to a degree. Demonic bondings are generally carried out by shamans of Ertoslator, who are able to disguise the bonding tattoos as protective warding tattoos (a common magic amongst certain barbarian tribes in Qaiyore). In recent centuries though, this technique has spread amongst goblin sorcerers of other traditions. The shamans of Ertoslator remain the most skilled in this type of magic. However, it is the ink of the demonic bonding tattoos that is unique. For a bonding to be successful, the ink contain both the blood from a large quantity of sacrificial victims, a certain amount of blood from the demon to be bound, and a small amount from the sponsoring deity. It is the rarity of demon blood that limits the use of this specialised sorcery (such blood predating the human era). The main benefits are immense power to the human, and direct influence in Celandra, on the part of the Demon God(s). The Benefits of Bonding The human participant immediately benefits from the binding, being able to draw on the power of the bound demon, and it is for this reason that magic users are exclusively used for the willing mortal participant. It is thought that such participants also gain some demonic abilities, such as the ability to consume the essence of defeated sorcerous opponents or sacrificial victims. For all appearances though, the human participant appears (from a physical and magical perspective) to be slowly becoming a more powerful and skilled magic user. Physically and magically stronger, the human participant also begins to enjoy an extend life-span, thanks to the energies coursing through his body. It is thought by those rare (and largely ill-fated) few who have had any chance to study this phenomenon that the nature of the relationship between the mortal and the demon is doomed. Over time, the human participant becomes more adept at drawing on the powers of the bound-demon. However, it is at this point that the demon begins to play a stronger role in the relationship. Whilst the magic requires a long degree of inaction on the part of the demon, often purely just to avoid detection, at some point after one to two centuries, the presence of a demon spirit in a human body starts to make an impact. Size and strength begins to push the outer limits of what is normal for humans as the True Nature of the demon begins to manifest. The Struggle for Domination: The personal relationship between the human participant and the bonded demon can be summarised as - struggle. The initial century or two is one of of dormancy for the demon, though after this initial period the demon quickly seeks to dominate its human partner absolutely, to the point where the mind and soul of the human is consumed, turning its partner into merely a well disguised host. Herein lies the attractiveness of the bond to mortals. Should they be able to dominate their demon partner, then they would reap the benefits of possessing all that the demon possesses, and would "transcend" their mortal existence, eventually becoming a demigod upon their physical death. The attractiveness of the bond to a major demon is far more simple, the bond is another tool used by the demon pantheon to extend their influence in Celandra. Many demons see the bond also as a way to gain greater power and authority within the demon hierarchy. The End of the Bond: Should the human partner be killed before the final stage of the partnership, then the demon returns to its own nightmare world, though with a massive loss of power and essence. However, in theory, should such a bonded demon be banished by powerful enough magic users at the same time its human partner is killed, then the demon's escape can be temporarily blocked and caused even more spiritual damage. The lifespan of a bonded human is unknown - certainly three or more centuries longer than the normal human lifetime. Should the bonded human remain the dominant partner, then that lifespan is potentially unlimited. Most worrying is the fact that such bonded humans, as extremely rare as they are, cannot be readily detected magically. The complex disguises inherent in the bonding tattoos cause a casual or determined magical observer to confuse the bonding tattoos with more convential warding tattoos. The Tattoo of Disguise: The Tattoo of Bonding serves two purposes - to make the bond between the human sorcerer and the demon possible, and to conceal the bond from casual or determined magical observers. As the origin of the tattoo lies in the dark magicks of Ertoslator, the tattooing possesses layers of secrets and disguises. At first appearance (magically speaking), the ornate body tattoo is a typical barbarian tattoo of warding (common in the various wild tribes of the SE, W and far N of Qaiyore). Beneath this first deception is a secondary disguise - that the tattoo is also a powerful imbedded spell of some kind, possibly offensive or shapechanging - thereby subtly misdirecting the observer. Beneath this is a final disguise - that the tattoo is a tattoo of binding, but of a mere minor spirit (dark, neutral or otherwise). Whilst the subterfuge may seem simplistic, it is important not to forget that this magick was developed by Ertoslator, the Lord of Mistruth and Illusion. Powers gained by the human master through the bonding: 1. The human master gradually gains the powers of the demon, and keeps them thereafter providing he does not succumb to the demon's influence (if the demon tries to undermine the human master). 2. As a magic user, both the human master's potential and ability increases thanks to the power gained from the demon. 3. Elemental magic. The human master, as a servant of a particular Goblin deity, and having control over one of the deity's minions, has authority over any beings in Celandra that receive authority from the Goblin deity concerned. ================================ Confidentiality Statement and Disclaimer ================================ This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and contains information that is privileged and confidential. If you, the reader of this message, are not the intended recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete the original message. 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