Queen Bavmorda from Willow

Some people might be surprised to learn that there is a ritual within the pages of Legends of Windemere: Ritual of the Lost Lamb.  Before people start hurling bibles at me, it isn’t a real one because our world doesn’t have auras or the necessary type of magic.  You would be surprised how necessary that disclaimer is.  Anyway, I should probably explain what this ritual is, which means some spoilers might be gleaned from below.  Nothing too shocking, but you might get an idea of who ISN’T being sliced, diced, and healed by the Baron.

The Ritual of the Lost Lamb is a forbidden spell that requires the allows the caster to summon a person to their location.  It doesn’t matter if the target is behind wards, thousands of miles away, unaware of the ritual, or willing to go.  The spell is completed and the person appears along with anyone who is touching them at the time.  This ritual wasn’t sealed away to prevent embarrassing summons, but because the gods feared it could be used on them.  Imagine the power you would have over such beings if you could call them to your side without their permission.  This also could have been a stepping stone to mass summons, which could lead to mass death and most of the gods have a hang up about that.

So, how does the Ritual of the Lost Lamb work?  Today, a powerful caster starts the spell by getting permission from Gabriel to use it.  This clears up all the red tape and avoids the gods getting angry.  It can also prevent someone from doing something stupid.  Can’t use the ritual if it isn’t on the shelf.  Anyway, the caster becomes attuned to the target’s aura and is able to absorb it.  To complete the ritual, the caster must gather enough of the target’s magic to power the summons.  This entails finding the people, places, and things that are important to the target.  People in Windemere tend to leave aural traces on everything, but these typically fade within a few minutes.  Some don’t because it is a close bond.  Parent to child, lovers, best friends, wedding site, first battle, and anything else that the target is connected to will hold some aura.  It’s the strong memory that retains the trace even if it isn’t a conscious act.

You might be wondering if this has any side-effects.  Well, the traces don’t disappear completely and will gradually return as long as the target is alive.  The only negatives happen to the caster who begins to develop physical and mental traits of the target.  The longer the ritual takes and the more aura gathered, the more traits the caster develops.  So there is a risk that they can go too far and transform into their target instead of summoning them.  This would be a failure and then they would have to find someone to reverse the effects.  Only certain beings can pull off this ritual without this risk since their bodies are able to handle immense levels of aura.  They still transform, but they can complete the ritual.  They also have a good sense of when they are reaching the necessary levels.

I’m probably writing more about the ritual here than in the book.  The reason is because the champions aren’t really concerned with the side-effects and seeing this spell as an act of desperation.  Maybe I’ll revive it for another story where it goes wrong, but most people don’t even know it exists any more.  The chances of the Ritual of the Lost Lamb reappearing is slim, but I wouldn’t rule it out.