Gifts and Geases

Vinga: gifts and geases

These are not available at all temples, but are more likely to be found at those with a strong Humakti or Elmali link. Gift/geas pairs are chosen, in consultation with the priestess, rather than being alloted by chance. High-level, dangerous geases will not be granted to inexperienced initiates for whom they would be suicidal. One gift and geas may be taken at initiation. Normally no more are granted until Daughter rank is reached, but exceptions can be made in cases of great service to the temple or cult.

Geas                                 Gift                                                  

Never use a shield.                  Increase Dodge skill by 15%                           

Never allow any woman to suffer      Recover magic points at double normal rate.           
needlessly.                                                                                

Never allow any child to suffer      Recover fatigue at double normal rate                 
needlessly.                                                                                

Never allow any Healer to suffer     Resist disease as if CON was 3 points higher.         
needlessly.                                                                                

Never allow any alynx to suffer      Increase Track skill by 15%                           
needlessly.                                                                                

Never ask any man for protection.    Increase DEX by 1                                     

Never allow any Humakti to suffer    Any one weapon enchanted as described below.          
needlessly.                                                                                

Never flee or surrender to broo.     DEX SR lowered by 1 (as in the Reflexes spell, but    
                                     permanently). Cannot cause DEX SR to go below 0.      

Never refuse a challenge to a fair   Bonus of 15% to a chosen combat skill (e.g.:          
fight.                               broadsword, self bow)                                 

Never refuse any challenge.          Bonus of 15% to a chosen group of combat skills       
                                     (e.g.: all swords, all bows)                          

Challenge any male sun-worshipping   Natural leader. One free use of the Inspire spell     
Rune Lord you meet to a duel (need   per week.                                             
not be to the death) unless he will                                                        
acknowledge you as the better                                                              
fighter.                                                                                   

Never flee or surrender to chaos.    Chance of resisting fear-based spells doubles.

Some of the links between the geas and gift may not be entirely obvious. Vinga tends to act as a protector to other cults. Some of the geases are concerned with this protection (anything that says "never allow any **** to suffer needlessly"), and the corresponding gift reflects the speciality of that cult.
So protecting women: Ernalda: cut-down version of Earthpower.
Children: Voria: Vigour. And so on.

Other gifts/geases will exist, but in creating more, remember that the "enchant weapon to...." types are the province of Humakt, not Vinga.

Specialised weapons

(See reference to Inganna, and see myth related to Humakt.)

Temples to Vinga will supply specially enchanted weapons to initiates which differ from the norm only in that the minimum STR required for their use is lower than the standard weapon by up to three points. This enchantment works only for the owner of the weapon.

The enchantment is from a special gift/geas combination, as described above. Note that acting as a protector to Humakti in trouble is just as difficult and dangerous as one might suspect, and isn't very popular with the Humakti either, many of whom feel they should be able to defend themselves.

The enchantment can be passed to a different weapon (though of the same type). A secondary ceremony (no geas required), with the permission and participation of the original owner, will pass on ownership of the weapon.

Note that these weapons do not count as magical for the purposes of hitting creatures immune to non-magical weapons. They only detect as magical when the enchantment is actually in use, and then it is the hilt of the weapon that shows as magical, not the blade.