The Excision of Days

Effect

A sorcery dearly desired by the more ruthless among the theurges, the rite of the Excision of Days steals life from a person to prolong the life of the caster. The subject must be human, restrained and helpless, and the ritual is too complex to be cast instantly or in a few rounds. The sick and elderly add but a day to the sorcerer’s lifespan. The young and healthy add a month, while infants and children are the richest in life force and add two months apiece to the wizard’s longevity. The victims invariably perish during the ritual, and their souls are dragged down to Hell by the arcane forces involved in the rite. More than one victim can be sacrificed at once if they are all properly prepared. The renewed vitality granted by this ritual is permanent, but pro- longed use invariably has a price. After the first century, the theurge usually begins to mutate in ways related to the life force they have stolen, becoming progressively more inhuman and monstrous as less and less of their original life force remains. Many theurges welcome this change, as their new bodies are often gifted with uncanny abilities.