Augury Serpentarius
Quote: For the life of the flesh is in the blood. - Leviticus 17:11
Description: The Augury of Serpentarius represents a refinement of the Lamian Oracle, a rite of divination, but not for hunting, but rather one of medical investigation. The transformation of the rote from one of detection to diagnosis reveals its specialization.
To the ancient Greeks snakes were sacred beings of wisdom, healing, and resurrection; Serpentarius, serpent-handlers by extension were rare breed of miracle worker, among them was the demigod Asclepius, god of healing, whose relationship with serpents eventually allowed him to conquer death itself.
Before one can conquer death, one must learn to see as Asclepius could see, or rather as his serpents could. As a permutation of Lamian Oracle, the Augury of Serpentarius grants the caster or another upon whom he casts it, the ability to see the life-force of an individual in the form of the blood that courses throughout that individual's body. The difference between the Lamian Oracle and the Augury of Serpentarius, is that the latter applies to just one subject and grants significant magnification of perception.
The augur's senses are so acute, that they can see the smallest capillary and can detect the presence of the blood cells individually. As with the Lamian Oracle, the flesh of the subject being viewed appears translucent in shades of pink, pale blue and violet save for where blood congregates. The blood itself has ruby incandescent that grows brighter as flows towards and immediately away from the heart.
This gift of ophidian sight allows the augur to determine the health of a single subject, whether they are injured or sick and the likely cause. The degree of information conveyed depends upon the degree of success of the magician in the casting of this rote. As with the Lamian Oracle, the illumination of blood is present in the bones of the body and the bright is enough to reveal broken bones, cracks or osteoporosis.
The augury need not be one of sight, the other four senses of hearing, taste, touch and smell are all valid, but only one sense can be augmented at a time. Transformations of the caster's body, or the one upon whom the spell was cast manifest ophidian characteristics related to the sense being used for the diagnosis. These manifestations can be frightening to the unawakened and while not a function of paradox, they can become so upon a backlash or branding.
Origin: Ostanes
Instruments: Serpent Blood
Casting:
System: Modus + Anima = difficulty is 5 normally / or with a unique instrument difficulty is (4 + 1) -2 = 3. Successes over the first grant an additional +1 die to Perception + Medicine rolls. The effect of the spell specifically reveals how many health levels a subject should have, how many current levels the subject has and sources of injury or infection. Other things that might be revealed by more successful rolls would be: birth defects, mutations, cancers, old conditions, previous surgeries, childbirth, etc. While the spell might reveal a recent malignant developments and the site of that event, it could not specifically detect supernatural effects upon a subject without the addition of the Sphere of Prime. This rote can only be used upon one subject at a time, but may be switched in the time allowed to other subjects at a penalty of one die (-1) from the original casting roll and bonus.
Sphere: (Anima •)
Paradox:
Inspiration: Sense Health
Source Material: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/anemia/2010/857657/
