Sealed Oath
A broken contract tears water and blood from the offender
The Ark was a republic before it became a faith, and its religion still honors contracts. The Archon Cleric is not party to the oath: the Cleric administers it, speaks its terms aloud, and gives every oath-taker the same consecrated water.
Every party must consent. An oath taken under coercion fails. No save is made when it is sealed because no one is yet a victim; the danger is stated, understood, and accepted.
Breaking the Oath
Anyone who knowingly breaks the terms triggers the penalty immediately. Consecrated water attempts to leave the offender's body carrying their blood. They make a normal Fortitude Check against the spell DC at the time of sealing.
- Failure: the body loses its water and blood. The oath-breaker dies.
- Success: enough fluid remains to survive, but the oath-breaker immediately takes the damage of Aqua Surge at the same level as Sealed Oath. It causes no movement or environmental effect; only damage, reduced normally by DR. If the oath-breaker survives, the entire oath is dispelled and every party is released.
A level 3 oath is already lethal, though a robust person has a real chance to survive and break it. Higher versions keep the same Fortitude Check but increase the damage after success. Neither the officiating Cleric nor Archon intervenes; the oath executes itself.
Terms
The terms must be spoken before every party in words they understand. What was not said does not bind, and every ambiguity favors the oath-taker. Skilled Clerics spend more time drafting than casting.
| Level | Scope |
|---|---|
| 3 | Two oath-takers; maximum duration of one year |
| 5 | Up to four oath-takers; maximum duration of ten years |
| 7 | Up to twelve oath-takers; lifelong |
| 9 | An entire house; heirs become bound when they swear in turn |
Dispelling the Oath
Dispel Magic can break a sealed oath, but its water resists beyond the power that created it. Dispel against the spell DC increased by 10 caster levels. An oath sealed by a CL 12 Cleric therefore defends as CL 22.
The death of an oath-taker frees the others. The officiating Cleric's death frees no one.