Curse-Eaters

Grim heritors of ancient theotechnic disaster recovery methods, “curse-eaters” are an informal brotherhood of initiates trained in the lifting and banishing of hostile magical effects. While they are hon- ored for their utility in dispelling dangerous magic, the wise also understand that they can lay down the same blights they lift up. Most are glad to receive them and glad to see them go once the work is done. A loose fraternity of these practitioners is found in the Raktine Con- federacy, some in service to the Black Academies while others serve as freelance defenders of the peasants. A few curse-eaters are also found in Ancalia, where their secrets formed the basis for the Invocatant order of Ancalian knighthood. Their special expertise is sometimes requested when the Invocatants can't deal with a problem alone. The blights of curse-eaters can take many forms: unluck, sickness, or even death in the case of the mightiest banes. These curses will usually last for a month, if strong or overt, or a year for more subtle afflictions. The very mightiest curses can last generations, though these are usually only enough to afflict a victim rather than kill them. Lesser curses can either affect a specific type of action and force a -4 penalty on d20 rolls for it, or be general ill-luck that applies a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls. Greater curses can force automatic failure of specific actions for a few times before they unravel, or simply cause the automatic failure of the first attempt at the action each scene before applying a -4 penalty to further attempts. Greater curses can also inflict severe, lasting sicknesses, or result in the almost-certain eventual deaths of lesser foes. Curse-eaters can prepare their spells beforehand in small tokens which they crush or break to release the effect. When they turn a curse back on its caster or detect a blight’s enactor, they can reach any distance to the sorcerer responsible for it; the magic itself gives them a connection which defies normal limits of range.

Structure

Apprentice Apprentice curse-eaters can detect the presence of magic, sense and identify curses and their effects, or dispel low magic effects on their own person. Adept Adepts can dispel low magic on a target, receive a vision of the person who laid a curse on someone, or lay a curse on someone that can last as much as a year and inflict subtle but significant hindrance. Master Those who have mastered the curse-eater's arts can dispel low magic on a building or structure and everyone in it, create a shield that negates the next hostile low magic spell, place a greater curse on someone that will probably get them killed within a month or debil- itated indefinitely, or place a lesser curse on an entire group of people in your presence. Archmage The rare curse-eater who lives long enough to become an archmage can create a shield that reflects the next hostile low magic spell back at the caster, place a greater curse on a lesser foe that will kill them in moments, place a lesser curse that will dilute as it travels down to their heirs for seven generations, or lift a curse from someone and send it back at its caster.

Type

Social, Brotherhood