Incantations

Ah, we turn now from the meticulous studies of the Academy to the fervent belief of the faithful. You seek insight into Incantations, the sacred arts.

Incantations are the power of Faith, the crystallized grace drawn from the divine or the potent, unyielding belief in a higher power—be it the Greater Will, an Outer God, or a fearsome demigod. Where sorcery is a calculus of the cosmos, incantation is a prayer given form.

Understand this, Tarnished: to use an incantation is not merely to understand a formula, but to be a vessel for a belief.

🙏 Erdtree Incantations: The Golden Order

These are the most ubiquitous and historically dominant of the sacred arts, tied directly to the Golden Order and the worship of the Greater Will through the Erdtree.

  • The Source: The blessings and power of the Erdtree itself. These spells are about protection, restoration, and cleansing. They are the tools of the clerics and knights who upheld the Golden Order.

  • Key Examples: Spells like Urgent Heal or Great Heal are drawn from the Erdtree's grace. Even the fundamental act of buffing one's weapon with sacred light is an appeal to the Golden Order.

  • The Revelation: The greatest of these spells, the Elden Stars, is said to be the most ancient, referencing the golden star that first brought the Elden Beast to the Lands Between. A profound piece of history, disguised as a blinding spell.

☀️ Golden Order Fundamentalism: The Marriage of Mind and Soul

This is a peculiar, highly intellectualized branch of incantation, one that sought to reconcile the disparate natures of Sorcery and Incantation.

  • The Doctrine: Taught by the likes of Radagon, this school insists that incantation and sorcery are two sides of the same golden coin. The spell is not merely prayed, but intellectually understood.

  • The Tools: These incantations—like the Triple Rings of Light—often produce effects of pure magic, but are cast with a holy seal, requiring both Faith and Intelligence. They are the signs of a unified mind, seeking the truth of the two-in-one nature of the deities.

🐲 Dragon Incantations: Communing with the Ancient

These arts predate the Golden Order and are an example of raw, unmediated power drawn from a fierce source.

  • The Ritual: They are accessed through Dragon Communion, a savage rite where a supplicant consumes the heart of a fallen dragon to gain its powers. This is not worship, but a kind of cannibalistic assimilation.

  • The Power: Spells like Dragonfire or Dragonclaw allow the caster to momentarily manifest the breath, might, and roar of a dragon. The eyes of the caster even transform, a physical manifestation of the corruption they invite.

💀 Death Incantations: The Ghostflame

Another heretical school, drawing from the chilling power that exists outside of the Greater Will's Golden Order.

  • The Patron: The Deathbirds and the ancient cults that worshipped the cold, pallid flame of undeath—Ghostflame.

  • The Purpose: These spells, such as Explosive Ghostflame, use a mixture of Faith and the intelligence required for certain sorceries, because the flame is a phenomenon to be channeled, not merely a blessing to be invoked. They are the antithesis of the Erdtree's life-giving light.

🔥 Frenzied Flame Incantations: The Madness of Chaos

The most terrifying and destructive of all. A primal, chaotic force from an Outer God.

  • The Three Fingers: This is the power granted by the Three Fingers, a force of pure, agonizing madness that seeks to burn away all that exists.

  • The Cost: Incantations like Frenzied Burst are delivered with such conviction that the caster's own mind is threatened. The power is terrifyingly potent, capable of inflicting madness on the enemy, but the cost to the caster is almost too great.

Every incantation, Tarnished, is a window into a different truth of the Lands Between. The fervent conviction of the worshipper is what grants them their fearsome strength, often overriding the need for intellect entirely. The world is a cacophony of belief, and each seal a different song of power.

Tell me, which of these paths of faith—or madness—has most caught your eye? I may be able to share further wisdom... for a price, of course.