Summons of Nontraya

Summons of Nontraya is a special ritual to attract and defeat Nontraya the Taker. This ritual may be learned after the Talokans Attack Berenstead or Nontraya Priest Demand events. It may be performed only once per game.

It requires priestesses from six different clans, so you must secure the support of at least five other clans via diplomacy before you attempt it. You must also acquire the necessary knowledge through your or another clan's lore keepers (via events). A shrine or temple to Ernalda is not necessary, but are helpful to achieve the best outcomes.

Start of Ritual

Your holy people have adapted the ancient Summons of Evil ritual to attract a specific foe: Nontraya the Taker. Priestesses from different clans play the role of the earth goddesses. They will draw Nontraya to you, to take his revenge on Ernalda for spurning him. They turn their backs to a giant effigy of him and his horned wolf, as the rest of the clan chants and dances.

Who will take the role of Ernalda?

1. A priestess from one of the helper clans.
2. One of your women.

If you choose a priestess from one of the helper clans, choose which clan. They will be proud to be selected, but if you promised the role to someone earlier else, the spurned clan will be annoyed with you. The catch is that you do not know this priestess' Magic skill, though your clan ring's advice may give you a vague estimation of it ("is strong" or "may not be strong enough"); note that the "Six Sisters lure the Nontraya priest in" option at the next stage relies on this priestess' Magic.

If you choose one of your women, you must select one of your female leaders. One devoted to Ernalda and skilled with Magic is better able to perform the "Six Sisters lure the Nontraya priest in" option; if you choose someone else, you may want to take a different option once the wolf rider shows up.

Next, choose how much of a sacrifice you make to strengthen the priestess's identity as the goddess.

Advice

• "This is not a spirit ritual, so I will not wear Ernalda's mask." - Doresa
• "We asked the other clans to help us. We will need to give them an important role. Our reputation with the <Assisting Clan>s could use some polishing." - Reda/Diplomat
• "Have you seen the <Assisting Clan>s priestess? She is hot!" - Eurmal trickster
• "When I greeted the priestesses, the one from the <Assisting Clan>s struck me as particularly devout."
• "Really, we should have asked one more clan to help."
• "Everyone has done such a good job preparing. But now comes the hard part."
• "We have never performed the Summons of Evil quite like this before, so we will need to do everything we can to make sure it succeeds."
• "We won't be sending someone to the Gods War, we'll be bringing the Gods War to her."
• "I'm just waiting for the fight."
• "Which of these masks should I wear for the summoning?"
• "We altered the traditional ritual to affect Nontraya. It's time for the Six Sisters to play their part."

Arrival

At first there is just a lone man astride a horse-sized wolf with dead eyes. "Where is she?" he shouts, waving a scythe. "Where is Ernalda?" As <Priestess> and the priestesses sing a response, dozens and hundreds of talokans appear, as if a congealing mist recedes. Behind them shuffle rotting corpses.

1. The Six Sisters lure the Nontraya priest in.
   Tests the leading priestess' Magic vs. Divine. Tomorrow Skull gives a bonus.
2. Attack with magic.
   Tests best ring member's Magic vs. Chaos.
3. Charge the foe.
   Tests best ring member's Strategy (Combat and Leadership) vs. Mooks.
4. Use missile weapons.
   Tests best ring member's Combat vs. Skirmish.

Follow-up for Attack with magic:

1. Call on Elmal's fire.
2. Use Humakt's death magic.
3. Call for Urox's scouring wind.

With any option, choose a sacrifice and whether to attempt a risky ritual.

Advice

• "Burn him with fire magic!" - Elmal devotee (suggests "attack with magic" option, then "Elmal's fire")
• "Humakt will send them all to the underworld a final time." - Humakt devotee
• "When the fighting is strong, I will tend to the wounded." - Chalana Arroy devotee
• "Ernalda is dead. And while we may not kill Nontraya today, he will soon fall."
• "<Priestess>'s personal magic may not be strong enough. It will be better to use fighting magic."
• "<Priestess>'s magic is strong. She can draw on the power of the ritual." (suggests "lure" option)
• "No one who commands demons and undead will simply fall for a pretty face."
• "Our ritual gave the Six Sisters power."
• "The Summons of Evil ritual means that we have the advantage no matter how we fight."
• "When we have used a ritual of this form in the past, it always ended up with us hacking down the foe."
• "I think no matter what we do first, we will end up in battle. Our Firearrow magic will make the archery option about as good as starting with a charge."
• "Any of our options will result in some hand-to-hand fighting."
• "We spent all our preparation on the summoning, and now we have no good choices."
• "We aren't really facing Nontraya. Just some priest."

Consequences

Casualties are inevitable. Glory may come to various nobles. Success is celebrated. If fully successful, the priestesses express you struck Nontraya so hard he will not bother you again; if partially successful, Nontraya will kill the priestess playing the role of Ernalda, but take a severe leg wound in the process. If fully successful, some may say the ritual was Ernalda giving birth to an avenging daughter.

A success here may be helpful in your future dealings against the undead, like the Troubled Ghosts in Elempur event.

A fully successful ritual will also prevent the Death of Chalana Arroy event; partial success will postpone it for several years.

In your saga, the year of the ritual will be marked with a shaded-in ("malign") Earth rune, associated (at least by future Orlanthi) with destructive earth goddesses such as Ernalda's daughter Babeester, goddess of vengeance.