Portrait of Passion
This ritual makes real the Middle Eastern tales of people who fall in love with a portrait and obsessively seek out the real person. The magician paints a portrait, mingling her own vitae and a small sample of the intended victim's blood or spittle in the paint. If the ritual succeeds when the victim sees the portrait he feels compelled to seek the person pictured, who for a while seems like the most important person in the world.
System: A magician requires a Trait rating of at least 3 in Crafts (Painting) to perform this ritual. For each success rolled, the victim spends one week obsessed with the subject of the portrait. She spends every spare moment seeking the pictured person, and may neglect job, friends or family for the quest. If she succeeds in her search, she spends as much time as possible with the person. The attraction may take the form of love, friendship, admiration or any other form that seems suitable.
The victim can resist the compulsion for 24 hours by expending a Willpower point, but needs a pretty good motivation to do so.
The magician has no control over what happens when the magical compulsion ends. Both victim and the pictured person may find the experience baffling or even revolting; then again it may be the start of a great love affair.
Sometimes a cruel ashipu paints an imaginary person. Either the magic fails outright, or the victim actually finds a person who matches the portrait! Ashipu find this mysterious, but sometimes useful.
