Spell of Eternal Confinement
Spell, High Magic, level 7
Imprisons a spirit, demon or devil in a prepared brass vessel inscribed with its true name, forcing three services before release.
From the book
The caster can trap an undead spirit, demon or devil (but not an arch demon or arch devil) inside a brass vessel. First a brass lamp or other finely made vessel costing at least 1,000 gold pieces must be acquired, and the caster must spend 1 full week preparing it by inscribing the true name of the entity to be imprisoned. The caster then confronts the being, produces the vessel and states their purpose. Facing capture, the creature always offers a service in return for the vessel; the caster may accept, take its oath and give the vessel up, or cast the spell to imprison it.
If the creature makes 3 saves vs Will in a row, the vessel loses its power and the being leaves at once, cursing the caster and swearing future revenge. Failing even one save traps it inside. The caster can seal the vessel with a personal sigil and later open it to summon the prisoner and command it.
The captive must perform 3 services before it can go free, so it obeys at once, but it will always try to twist the wording and intent of each order, and it is freed after the third. A creature released from confinement stays the caster's sworn enemy for life. Anyone who finds a sealed brass vessel may also try to force the creature inside to serve them, if they have the nerve.
At a glance
- Components
- Brass lamp or vessel costing at least 1,000 gold pieces
- Preparation
- 1 full week, inscribing the entity's true name
- Excludes
- Arch demons and arch devils
- Save
- vs Will; 3 successive saves to escape
- Spell type
- Non-variable
- Services
- 3, after which the entity goes free as the caster's lifelong enemy
- Targets
- Undead spirits, demons and devils
A scene
For a full week the wizard Esarhaddon had worked by lamplight, engraving the demon's true name around the belly of a brass lamp that had cost him a fortune. Now he faced the thing in the ruins of Melka Kontaurea and held up the lamp. The demon saw it and understood. It offered him a service: gold, secrets, the death of an enemy. He refused and spoke the spell. It fought, and fought again, and failed on the third attempt, and was sucked into the lamp with a shriek. He sealed it with his sigil.