Glory Box

 

Trigger warning: Sexual Violence 

Glory Box by Portishead

 

 

 The VaM-style spell today is Glory Box- the title coming from this song by Portishead.

This is my favorite track off Dummy, but I also love Sour Times, Wandering star, Myseterons - Really the whole album is fantastic!

Here are some definitions that inspired the spell, 

    Glory

magnificence or great beauty.

high renown or honor won by notable achievements.

the splendor and bliss of heaven.

 

    A Hand of glory

A Hand of Glory is the dried and pickled hand of a hanged man, often specified as being the left hand, or, if the person was hanged for murder, the hand that "did the deed."

The hand of a dead man (preferably hanged) in which a lighted candle was placed.

If the candle with its gruesome candlestick was taken into a house, the sleeping inhabitants were believed to be prevented from waking, and the candle itself remained invisible. To be truly effective, however, both hand and candle had to be prepared in a special manner

    Box

a container with a flat base and sides, typically square or rectangular and having a lid.

a coffin

(Vulgar Slang) a woman's vagina.

 

Here are the lyrics -

 

I'm so tired of playing
Playing with this bow and arrow
Gonna give my heart away
Leave it to the other girls to play
For I've been a temptress too long
Just...

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
I just wanna be a woman

From this time, unchained
We're all looking at a different picture
Through this new frame of mind
A thousand flowers could bloom
Move over and give us some room, yeah

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
I just want to be a woman

So don't you stop being a man
Just take a little look
From our side when you can
Sow a little tenderness
No matter if you cry

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
I just want to be a woman

It's all I wanna be, is all a woman
For this is the beginning
Of forever and ever
It's time to move over
It's all I want to be

I'm so tired of playing
Playing with this bow and arrow
Gonna give my heart away
Leave it to the other girls to play
For I've been a temptress too long
Just...

Give me a reason to love you

 

 

So the initial thought was - this song's lyrics are interesting, and are very beautiful - and I thought the title could be a variation of hand of glory, but for  different crimes - so that is the direction I went with.

I wanted the spell to be cast only by women, because that is central to VaM, and the lyrics are sung by a female, and from the point of view of a female.

I also think it is interesting to consider other crimes, and the rates of who was accused of what kind of crime - Adultery and Witchcraft and other things were commonly used to persecute women, so that could be a interesting direction to go with - and there are many crimes I did not include.

 

 

 

Ok, thanks - Here is the Spell!

 

 

Glory Box (This spell may only be cast by females)

Duration: Until the fat is fully removed, takes 1 segment an ounce.

Range: Touched Vessel and Dead Body

This spell preserves the fat of a corpse for creating hands of glory – and depending on the body, the fat will have different effects when burned and held by someone. To cast the spell, the caster has to be touching a dead body and clutching some kind of vessel.

In this case, the hand of glory is any amount of the fat burned in some fashion, and held – so lamps, candles, torches, lanterns, and so on.

The effects last as long as the fat is burning, if it is extinguished or depleted, the effect ends.

Arsonist

The holder is immune to damage from flame.

Murderer

All attacks made by the holder are considered sneak attacks.

Burglar or Thief

Anyone sleeping in a structure the fat is burned in will not wake.

Fraud

The holder may cast Change Self at will.

Rapist

The holder is under the effects of Haste.

Adulterer

The holder is under the effects of Improved Invisibility.

Non Criminal

The holder may take their action out of initiative order.

Human fat burns at a rate of one ounce each two rounds – and any given body will have a different amount of fat.

To figure out how much fat a body has, consider how well fed the person would have been or just give them D12 for each level below.

1: Starving – 2: Doing Fine – 3: Well Off – 4: Wealthy

 

 

Miscast Table (Roll This Secretly)

1 – When the fat burns, it leaves a very distinctive smell on the holder – this attracts criminals subconsciously towards this poor person, who will now have to avoid rapists, murderers, and thieves for one day per ounce burned.

2 – The fat burning has no actual effect – Oh no!

3 – Anyone burning the fat and holding it are compelled to commit the crime the fat is imbued with – they can resist if they save vs magic – and this compulsion will only happen if the opportunity arises while the fat is burning.

4 – The fat burns at triple the normal rate.

5 – The fumes from the fat are poisonous – make a secret save vs poison each round for the person holding the hand of glory – if they fail they pass out.

6 – When the fat runs out – whatever vessel was holding the fat breaks with a loud sound – this triggers a random encounter or draws attention.

7 – While the fat is burning the holder’s AC is 10.

8 – While the fat is burning the holder has blinders on, the referee should leave out details or skip things when describing what they see.

9 – While the fat is burning, if the holder fails a roll – it is considered a critical failure.

10 – While the fat is burning, any undead in a six mile radius know where the holder is, and will convene on their position.

11 – After using any amount of this fat, the holder cannot be affected by cleric magic for the rest of their lives.

12 – Anyone burning the fat and holding it are compelled to commit the crime the fat is imbued with – they can resist if they save vs magic – and this compulsion will only happen if the opportunity arises anytime in the future.