Well, that was.... No. Nevermind. At least it's over with. I head down the stairs to my lab. The last little bit of Karmic feedback is still making me a bit jittery, but it's nothing I can't handle, and this is the best place I've got for preparations by far. I strip down, get everything I'm going to need from the various cabinets and closets, enter and activate my largest permanent circle, and get ready to cleanse myself. First, of course, is Fire. It's best that way, even if it is most painful. There's a fair amount of that in ritual spiritmastery, actually. I center myself, grasp the torch, and try to think of other things.
The Primal Covenant itself isn't complex at all. All you really need is an intelligent spirit, an intelligent creature that uses blood in the usual way, and the latter willingly giving their blood to the former to drink. It *is* important, though - it's the original basis of all spiritmagic, really - and it's accumulated certain customs and courtesies, for use when time permits. It's good to follow the customs when you can. They reinforce the Laws, and that helps keep the more civilised spirits satasfied, and helps keep the wilder ones restrained. Some days I'm not quite sure which kind Kiura *is*, but I figure it's a good thing either way.
Well, fire's done, as unpleasant as it was, but that's okay. The worst is yet to come. Much as I might like to do this in some other order - *any* other order, really - the next step for best effect is the cleansing with sand. Oh, my poor seared skin.
Of course, the Covenant's not the only thing we're going to do tonight or I'd have done it already. The Contract *is* a complicated ritual, and one of its influences is time. Kiura's of the Metal Court. Midnight, and just after, are focal times for her. It's best to bind metal spirits ad midnight on general principles, if you can manage it, and since she'll be working with me rather than against me, it's no more dangerous.
Okay. Sand's done. That's a blessing. Next come water. Icemelt, to be precise. I grit my teeth and raise the first of three buckets over my head.
Ahhhh....
That was cold. Yeah. Definately Cold.
I shiver violently, and reach for the second.
The Covenant, in turn, is waiting on the Contract. Doing the Contract first, and then the Covenant helps to keep things clear for the Courts and Kings (if it ever comes to that). Beyond that, though, it's worthwhile to perform the Covenant as soon as you possibly can after the Contract. It is by its nature the most significant portion of the caller's role in any Contract that contains it, and getting it done immediately helps show good faith, and build goodwill.
And... and water's done. I've only got wind left now. Spirit isn't strictly necessary, and I got a good dose of it earlier today anyway. Having it out of order won't hurt anything. Just wind left. I just have to go through this and it'll be done. I could... I could call for a lesser wind, or a warmer one. I could... but that would not be Right. Sometimes I worry that my sense of the Right doesn't like me very much. I close my eyes and open up my minor spiritgate of the Winter Court. They do so enjoy these little breezes out of season.
Goodwill is important when dealing with spirits. It makes them less likely to turn on you when you slip up. I think of it this way. There are three kinds of spiritcallers. There are the ones who do everything precisely in accordance with the literal laws every time. They're safe because the spirits never get a chance to harm them. There are the ones who go the extra mile to keep the spirits from getting too unhappy, so that when they do mess up, they don't get hurt as badly. Then there are the dead ones. I'm not good enough to get it right every single time, and I'm smart enough to know it. I go the extra mile.
I close the gate. Closed. Finally. I tap it a couple of times Just To Be Sure. My teeth are chattering, and my poor scorched skin is rimed with little patches of ice, but nothing seems damaged, and I'm about as clean as the Rituals of the Earth can make me. I break the circle, and put on my Robe - cleansed, purified, blessed, and standing by for the occasion. Also warm. That's a very nice thing, sometimes. I arrange my Instruments about my person and place the Substances in the pockets set by for them. I have the complete set - even of the Substances I never use. Even the Primal Obsidian, that *nobody* ever uses. It was horribly expensive, and I had to wait while they ran a background investigation on me, but it's worth having, just for the completeness. I sit in meditation for the burning of one candle. Then I rise, and I go to the garage.
The Primal Covenant itself isn't complex at all. All you really need is an intelligent spirit, an intelligent creature that uses blood in the usual way, and the latter willingly giving their blood to the former to drink. It *is* important, though - it's the original basis of all spiritmagic, really - and it's accumulated certain customs and courtesies, for use when time permits. It's good to follow the customs when you can. They reinforce the Laws, and that helps keep the more civilised spirits satasfied, and helps keep the wilder ones restrained. Some days I'm not quite sure which kind Kiura *is*, but I figure it's a good thing either way.
Well, fire's done, as unpleasant as it was, but that's okay. The worst is yet to come. Much as I might like to do this in some other order - *any* other order, really - the next step for best effect is the cleansing with sand. Oh, my poor seared skin.
Of course, the Covenant's not the only thing we're going to do tonight or I'd have done it already. The Contract *is* a complicated ritual, and one of its influences is time. Kiura's of the Metal Court. Midnight, and just after, are focal times for her. It's best to bind metal spirits ad midnight on general principles, if you can manage it, and since she'll be working with me rather than against me, it's no more dangerous.
Okay. Sand's done. That's a blessing. Next come water. Icemelt, to be precise. I grit my teeth and raise the first of three buckets over my head.
Ahhhh....
That was cold. Yeah. Definately Cold.
I shiver violently, and reach for the second.
The Covenant, in turn, is waiting on the Contract. Doing the Contract first, and then the Covenant helps to keep things clear for the Courts and Kings (if it ever comes to that). Beyond that, though, it's worthwhile to perform the Covenant as soon as you possibly can after the Contract. It is by its nature the most significant portion of the caller's role in any Contract that contains it, and getting it done immediately helps show good faith, and build goodwill.
And... and water's done. I've only got wind left now. Spirit isn't strictly necessary, and I got a good dose of it earlier today anyway. Having it out of order won't hurt anything. Just wind left. I just have to go through this and it'll be done. I could... I could call for a lesser wind, or a warmer one. I could... but that would not be Right. Sometimes I worry that my sense of the Right doesn't like me very much. I close my eyes and open up my minor spiritgate of the Winter Court. They do so enjoy these little breezes out of season.
Goodwill is important when dealing with spirits. It makes them less likely to turn on you when you slip up. I think of it this way. There are three kinds of spiritcallers. There are the ones who do everything precisely in accordance with the literal laws every time. They're safe because the spirits never get a chance to harm them. There are the ones who go the extra mile to keep the spirits from getting too unhappy, so that when they do mess up, they don't get hurt as badly. Then there are the dead ones. I'm not good enough to get it right every single time, and I'm smart enough to know it. I go the extra mile.
I close the gate. Closed. Finally. I tap it a couple of times Just To Be Sure. My teeth are chattering, and my poor scorched skin is rimed with little patches of ice, but nothing seems damaged, and I'm about as clean as the Rituals of the Earth can make me. I break the circle, and put on my Robe - cleansed, purified, blessed, and standing by for the occasion. Also warm. That's a very nice thing, sometimes. I arrange my Instruments about my person and place the Substances in the pockets set by for them. I have the complete set - even of the Substances I never use. Even the Primal Obsidian, that *nobody* ever uses. It was horribly expensive, and I had to wait while they ran a background investigation on me, but it's worth having, just for the completeness. I sit in meditation for the burning of one candle. Then I rise, and I go to the garage.