Chain magic is unlike most other forms of magic in that the Powers with which it is associated are subservient to its power rather than being the sources of it. The Bound Ones were trapped beneath the earth a thousand years ago during the Binding Wars by the most powerful Sorcerors of that age. There are now few Ordained Chain Sorcerors, since the Bound Ones have little power left in the world. There are some worshippers out there, and being Ordained by the Bound Ones has some small benefits for a Chain Sorceror, but anyone openly admitting to worshipping one of the Bound Ones is likely to be ostracised at best in most civilised societies.
Very, very, very little is known about the Bound Ones any more outside the highest echelons of the Cloistered Brethren of Chains. 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" and "Tears As Fire".
A Chain Sorceror is strongly limited by the fact that they need to use physical chains in all but the most powerful of their spells. Every level of spellcasting is associated with a Chain, the five Chains in order of increasing power being the Chain of Iron, the Chain of Silk, the Chain of Silver, the Chain of Gold and the Chain of Thought. A Chain used for Chain Magic must be carefully crafted in an intricate pattern that is immediately recognisable to anyone with any knowledge of Chain magic, and a Chain Sorceror may only possess one Chain of each type at any one time. Once one of a Chain Sorceror's Chains is binding something, that Chain is spoken for, and that binding must be broken before the Sorceror can cast another spell utilising that Chain (with the exception of the Shatter Chains spell). Casting a Chain magic spell requires the Sorceror to touch the Chain they are using. Generally speaking, a Chain Sorceror cannot bind anything they cannot either see or touch.
Shackles Of Iron - Using the First Chain, the Chain of Iron, the caster may bind a single individual in iron chains. These chains can bind either the arms or the legs of the target (creatures with more than two legs will only have one pair of legs bound), but it requires two Chain Sorcerors working in concert to bind both. Either the target's hands and forearms or their feet and lower legs are tightly bound together and weighted with heavy iron chains. This means that a target will either be immobilised (the chains are so heavy that they make even hopping difficult) or prevented from effectively defending themselves. The chains can be shattered by anyone with four Ranks of the Strong skill.
Shatter Chains - This spell breaks chains. Not locks, not ropes, not spiderwebs. Chains. This spell can also be used to break any Chain magic spell that the Sorceror is able to cast. When this spell is cast it unleashes anything in the vicinity of the caster held in physical chains, in the Iron Chain, and in the Chain appropriate to the level of spell being broken. This may have unforeseen consequences, if there were things bound within the area which the caster was not aware of.
Bind The Tongue - Using the Second Chain, the Chain of Silk, the caster may bind the tongue of one being. This can prevent somebody from speaking at all, or from voicing any particular view, phrase or idea, or render them silent under certain circumstances of the caster's choosing. Whilst the target's tongue is bound the caster may speak with their voice, both from the caster's throat and from the target's. The target is aware of the binding.
Bind The Eyes - Alternatively, using the Second Chain the caster may bind someone's eyes. This can prevent somebody from seeing at all, prevent them from seeing things which the caster does not wish them to see or prevent them from seeing under certain circumstances of the caster's choosing. While the target's sight is bound, the caster may see through their eyes. The target is aware of the binding.
Bind The Will - With the Third Chain, the Silver Chain, the caster may bind the will of the target. The target will follow orders that do not violate their essential nature until such a time as they are released. What constitutes a target's "essential nature" is up to the GM, but as an example a notorious miser will not give away all his worldly goods, a faithful hound will not attack its master, a bird will not stop flying, and so on.
Bind The Dead - The caster may bind the spirit of a dead person to the physical world. This spell must be cast within one minute of the time of death and the caster must touch the corpse. The spirit may either be bound to either this realm in general or a specific location as an incorporeal spectre, bound to its former body or bound to another physical object. While the spirit is so bound it is under the command of the caster. See the Monsters page for stats.
Bind The Power - With the Fourth Chain, the Golden Chain, the caster may bind the power of another Sorceror. This spell may only be cast on a Sorceror when the caster is the subject of one of their spells, which still takes full effect. Once a Sorceror's power is bound that Sorceror can work no magic until this spell is broken.
Bind The Wind - Despite the name, this spell can bind any natural phenomenon, the wind, the rain, earthquakes, volcanoes, et cetera. The caster must be within sight of the phenomenon to be bound, and when bound the phenomenon immediately ceases, often leaving an eerie unnatural calm behind in the case of bound weather. The bound phenomenon is held in the Golden Chain and carried with the caster until they choose to release it. The caster may release the phenomenon at will, in which case it begins to take effect at a place of their choosing within sight of them. If the phenomenon is released involuntarily, however, (for example by a Shatter Chains spell,) then the caster finds themselves at ground zero.
Bind The God - With the Final Chain, the Chain of Thought, the caster may bind any supernatural being. Once the being has had its Psyche hits reduced to 15 through psychic combat it can be bound in the earth in many chains, as the Bound Ones are. Multiple Chain Sorcerors can co-operate to bind more powerful entities.
Unleash The Bound Ones - Up to now, nobody has been mad enough to try this, but it is possible. The Bound Ones are widely held to be insanely dangerous, utterly malicious and really not good things to call up.
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This page last updated: 3rd November 2003
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