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lVhen Cerilia’s true children freely roamed her forests and plains, we could use our magic any where. Our
ancestors regarded mebhaighl as no less important than air; it flowed through them and around them, bonding
them to the earth and yielding the land’s arcane secrets. The greatest Sidhelien wizards studied the poetly of
mountains and meadows to determine the courses of ancient streams and washes of mebhaighl. Tley recognized
these paths as channels of magic—the mebhaighl that rushed through them thundered with arcane power. These
were the first ley lines, that stretched from Cerilia’s oldest forests to her farthest shores.
Then the humans brought destruction to our beautiful world with their ugly war. The cataclysm that
obliterated Deismaar so distressed the land that many ley lines collapsed. Our wizards tried to reforge the lines,
but the land had changed too much. We had to reattune ourselves to the music of the rivers, wind, rocks, and
trees. Meanwhile, human wizards discovered for themselves the secret of forging ley lines.
Now we compete with humans for land and the “right” to forge ley lines through it. But we know truths tley
do not. We know that when a ley line zs easy to create, mebhaighl has always flowed strongly in that place. And
we know that when ley lines defy forging, the Deismaar cataclysm so disrupted the mebhaighl that it has not yet
fully settled.
Human wizards think tley understand mebhaighl. Tley think their gods give them the power to command
magic, and that ley lines can be forged in places where their gods once walked the earth. But as human lives are
ephemeral, so their understanding of the world is superficial. Only the Sidhelien, whose memories outlast
human existence, know the truths behind the ancient paths.
—story told by elven taelinri to their pupils
Wizards who control sources of mebhaighl can command realm magic, the most powerful spells known to
human and elvenkind. But to cast realm spells, a wizard must be in a province where he holds a source of the
appropriate level—unless he has a means of accessing mebhaighl from afar.
Ley lines provide that means. These mystical conduits allow a wizard to tap a source from outside its
province—to import mebhaighl from the place where it collects to a province where he needs it.
For example, perhaps the Lord-Prince of Ariya finally grows weary of Aftane’s threats against his state. He
asks his court wizard, Rahil the Falcon, to cast demagogue in Adaba to incite unrest in Aftane and distract the
Red Kings. Demagogue requires its caster to hold a source (3); Rahil controls no sources in Adaba. He does,
however, hold a source (3) in the Ariyan province of Kouzir. If Rahil forges a ley line from Kouzir to Adaba,
he can tap the Kouzir source from Adaba to cast the spell.
The ley line creates a magical link between two provinces. A wizard can forge lines from a province in
which he holds a high-level source to one in which he holds a low-level source, or to a province in which he
holds no sources. He can also attach ley lines to other ley lines. Each line provides him with another place
where he can access his source’s mebhaighl, thereby making realm magic more “portable.”
Most regents consider ley lines an essential element of their domains and incorporate them into long-term
strategic planning. Even nonwizard regents, who cannot themselves forge ley lines, often guide their court
wizards’ development of ley line networks.
Hook-ups
Recall Rogr Agiondier’s Abbatuor—Alamier ley line. Right now the line passes through Braeme and Then, but
Rogr cannot tap his source (2) from either of those provinces. If Rogr forges another (very short) ley line—from
Ilien to the existing line—he can “hook up” Ilien to the line and tap the Abbatuor source from there. In a
subsequent action round he can forge a third ley line—from Braeme to the main line. At the end of three action
rounds, Rogr can access his Abbatuor source from three other provinces: Alamier, Braeme, and Ilien. (Refer to
Map 2, page 28.)
Because hook-up lines don’t cross province boundaries, tley cost 0 GB and 0 RP to forge. The wizard’s only
cost is the use of an action to create them. Further, because these lines merely grant access to a ley line already
passing through the province, the success roll receives a +3 modifier.
Extentions
If Rogr wants the ability to tap the Abbatuor source from all of Medoere, he can forge yet another ley line—this
one connecting Caerwil to the Abbatuor—Alamier line (see Map 2). This line crosses one province boundary
and would therefore cost Rogr 1 GB, 1 RP, and one action to forge. It receives no modifier to the success roll.
Note that an extension is a separate ley line unto itself; it does not become part of the original line.
Book Keeping
Any player of a wizard character will need to carefully track ley lines and hook-ups. This might be most easily
accomplished by laminating a map or slipping it into a plastic sheet protector and using dry erase or water erase
markers. Using different colors to designate separate ley lines or hook-ups is recommended. In any case, ley
lines are likely to change throughout the course of a campaign, so players will want a method that allows for
flexibility.
Maintenance
Every domain turn, wizards must pay 1 RP per ley line (regardless of length) to maintain their lines. This cost
represents mental energy the wizard must expend to keep the Ley lines in place. Each hook-up or extension
counts as a separate ley line.
If a wizard fails to pay, the line fades back into the earth. However, he can attempt to reforge it within one
year with a + 1 bonus to his success roll.
Rogr Aglondier’s network comprises four ley lines and therefore would cost him 4 RP to maintain: 1 RP for
the main ley line from Abbatuor to Aiamier, 1 RP each for the two hook-ups in Braeme and Ihien, and 1 RP for
the extension to Caerwil.
line, and protect ley line. Some of the rings of ley can also aid in the protection of ley lines. These measures are
more fully described in the “Realm Spells” and “Magical Items and Artifacts” chapters of this book.
Sabotage
In Cerihia, magic is power. When wizards wage war on each other, tley most often battle not for land but for the
ability to control its mebhaighl. One of the best ways to weaken a rival is to disable his ley lines. If a wiz ard
limits the number of provinces in which his rival can cast realm magic, he can reduce the chances of undead
legions—or some other atrocity—marching to his front door.
Deactivation
A wizard can render a ley line temporarily inactive through the realm spell deactivate ley line. Ideally the wizard
should know the location of the line he intends to disable. He can, however, deactivate a line he merely suspects
exists—with lower chances of success. (See the “Realm Spells” chapter for the details of deactivate ley line.)
No wizard can use a deactivated line— including the person who forged it and the person who deactivated it.
Any ley lines connected to the affected line that are not powered by sources of their own also cannot be used
during the period of deactivation. Hook-ups become insignificant. Ley lines connected to the deactivated line
but originating in a province in which the wizard controls a source can draw mebhaighl from that source to
power realm spells.
For example, if the High Mage Aches deactivated Roger Aglondier’s Abbatuor—Alamier ley line (see Map
3, page 29), his attack would have the following effects:
*Rogr could cast realm spells requiring a source (2) in Abbatuor only, because he could not access that source
from any other province.
*He could cast spells requiring a source (1) in Caerwil, because he has a source (1) in Alamier and a separate ley
line between the two provinces.
*He could cast no realm spells in Braeme.
*He could cast realm spells in Abbatuor, Ihien, and Alamier because he has sources in those provinces.
However, his selection of spells would be limited by the level of the source in each province.
These effects would last until the end of the spell’s duration. At that time the deactivated ley line (and any other
lines subsequently affected) would be restored to its original power and accessibility.
Sundering
Sundering a Ley line permanently cuts it in two. To sunder a line, the wizard must know its location. After
choosing a specific point in which to sever the line, the wizard casts sunder ley line.The spell cleanly slices the
line in half. The breach widens in both directions until it reaches a hook-up, connecting line, or terminus (the
point where the line originally began or ended). those two points the breach stops. Depending on where the line
is sundered d whether it had any hook-ups or connecting lines, a sunder ley line spell could result in o smaller
lines with a gap between them, e smaller line comprising only part of the original line, or the destruction of the
whole e. Any remaining lines must still be powered at least one source or tley dissipate.
To repair a sundered line, the regent forges new ley line in the place where the breach curred. This new line
counts as a separate ley line, regardless of whether it replaces only a section of what was once a longer line.
For example, if Aches sunders Rogr’s Abbatuor—Alamier line at the border between Alamier and Braemc
(see Map 4, page 29), his attack achieves the following results:
*The breach stops at the hook-up in Braeme and the terminus in Alamier.
*The original line now extends from Abbatuor (source province) to Braeme (terminal province), with a hook-up
in Lhien.
*The Alamier—Caerwil line remains intact, but is no longer connected to the rest of the network. Rogr can now
cast only spells requiring a source (1) in Caerwil.
*If Rogr wants to repair the breach, he must forge a new line between Braeme and Alamier. His network would
then comprise five individual lines (Abbatuor—Braeme, Braeme—Alamier, Alamier—Caerwii, and the
Braeme and Ihien hook-ups).
Even if their rivals repair breaches immediately after wizards create them, sundering a ley line can still cause
long-term damage:
Depending on the location of the cut, replacing the lost section with a new ley line could increase the total
number of lines in the network, in turn increasing maintenance costs. In such a case, a wizard might choose to
let remaining pieces of a sundered ley line dissipate, then reforge a new, full-length line.
Transfering power
When a regent bequeaths or loses his sources, any ley lines he forged dissipate unless he transfers control of
them to the new regent. Additionally, circumstances may warrant the need for one wizard to use another’s ley
lines on a temporary or permanent basis.
When a regent dies, or when he permanently transfers control of a source through a ceremony of investiture, any
ley lines stemming from that source immediately dissipate. If the divesting regent wishes to prevent this, he can
perform the ley link action—transfering control to his heir—prior to the investiture ceremony.
This method allows a wizard to extend exist ing ley lines without incurring additional maintenance costs. This
results in a new domain action: extend ley line. The cost is 1 RP and 1 GB per province crossed, just like
forging. The wizard adds provinces to one end of a ley line but pays no additional maintenance costs for them;
tley become part of a single line. The wizard gains the ability to cast realm spells from the line’s new terminal
province, in addition to the previous terminal province.
For example, Rogr’s original ley line ran from Abbatuor to Alamier. Under the standard rules, when he
added a line from Alamier to Caerwil it counted as a second line. Under this method, the Alamier—Caerwil line
becomes part of the first line; in other words, he now has just one line, which runs from Abbatuor to Caerwil.
He can cast realm spells in a total of three provinces, but he’ll have to pay maintenance costs for only one ley
line. As a bonus, Alamier acts as a terminus in the event the line is severed. If a rival severs the line, the breach
would spread only as far as Alamier (regardless of where the line was cut).
Additionally, this method grants wizards a discount when adding hook-ups to their lines. Wizards can create
up to five hookups with a single forge ley line action, at a cost of 1 GB, plus 1 RP per hook-up. The
maintenance cost for hook-ups is 1 RP per five hook-ups.
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