Gathering his bearings, Lum faces to the north and presses a length of chalk against
the floor. In one deliberate movement, he traces a clockwise circle until it is
complete, and stands up again.
Solemnly undoing the clasps and buckles of his armour, Lum takes a few moments to
remove it entirely and places it in the centre of the circle, the gebu and gebo runes
on the breast facing upwards.
He continues to draw his rapiers, and places them besides his armour in the centre of
the circle, the left pointing towards the north, the right towards the south.
Lum retrieves a sturdy runing stick strapped to his thigh by two loops and takes a
firm grip.
Lum says with a faint Theran accent, "Warlocks, thank you for joining me in my ritual.
My purpose and process are simple, but no less meaningful: On this day, I wish to
herald winter, and request the blessing of Whiirh."
As he talks, Lum traces the circle clockwise, applying a good measure of gold ink to
his stick. He sketches a continuous chain over the chalk circle, the gebo rune.
Lum says with a faint Theran accent, "Winter denotes the death of some, and beginnings
for others. It creeps, stalks across the land, as a silent predator, encompassing all."
Dipping his runing stick in more gold ink, he sketches four shields between each of
the cardinal points of the cricle.
Lum says with a faint Theran accent, "However, it can also be explosive, instant and
violent, a raucous blizzard tearing through the lands."
Stepping towards the north of the circle, Lum sketches a flurry of lightning bolts
within it, the isaz rune. "The storm is coming," he says, causing the air to crackle
faintly. "I call upon thee, Air, to cleanse this place."
Continuing clockwise to the east of the circle, Lum sketches a volcano within it, the
thurisaz rune. "The flames breathe and devour," he says, and the etched lines slowly
fill with vibrant lava. "I call upon thee, Fire, to cleanse this place."
Continuing clockwise to the south of the circle, Lum sketches a rising sun within it,
the dagaz rune. "The seas reflect our souls," he says, making the rune glow warmly.
"I call upon thee, Water, to cleanse this place."
Finally stepping towards the west of the circle, Lum sketches a mountain range within
it, the othala rune. "Yet the world endures," he says, and the ground rumbles softly.
"I call upon thee, Earth, to cleanse this place."
Lum says with a faint Theran accent, "As Winter dawns, with subterfuge or violence,
so must we all adapt. Animals, trees, our private rituals, Winter does not give way
to us- we give way to it."
Applying blue ink to his runing stick, Lum sketches a large ball of ice around his
arms and armour, the hugalaz rune, and finishes it with a flourish. The air grows
crisp and sharp, a frosty wind emanating from it.
Lum swiftly connects the chain and shield of his armour to the hugalaz on the ground,
mingling the inks, containing the power of the latter rune.
Lum watches as ice crystals catalyse and spread over his armour and weapons, giving
it a dull, frosty sheen. After a moment, he grasps the hilts of his rapiers and lifts
them from the floor, seemingly requiring some effort and causing the chain of the
gebo rune to glow slightly.
He agilely twists the blades in upright circles besides him, completing the circle
with a violent double-slash towards the ground. A keening scrape denotes that just the
very tips of his weapons raked across his armour, breaking the chain and shield
symbols on it.
Lum watches as the runes seem to glow in a vibrant sheen before flashing out, now
simple drawings on his armour. The hugalaz rune, now uncontained, explodes in a
flurry of snow, ice and hail but recoils when it meets the unbroken chain that
denotes the circle within which this all happens, mists coiling back inwards, making
the circle somewhat reminiscent of the inside of a snowglobe.
Lum says in a faint Theran accent, "As winter slowly creeps, so can it expand
violently. What it takes and what it leaves standing depends on our ability to adapt."
Lum says in a faint Theran accent, "As the gates are opened, I would like to invite
those within the circle to chant after me."
Lum chants in a deliberate voice, "Hail the Guardian of the East, Whiirh, I summon the
powers of the Air!"
<chant>
Lum chants in a deliberate voice, "Windswept meadow, breath of life, fantastic torrent
removing strife!"
<chant>
Lum chants in a deliberate voice, "With clarity, the power to Know, we invoke you!"
<chant>

*missing*

Lum says in a faint Theran accent, "I offer this suit of full plate armour, a
culmination my knowledge of forging, my effort in forging it, and my pride in having
made it, resembling my intellect, my physical prowess and my ego."
Lum puts a shimmering suit of fullplate on an altar.