Call of the Burrowers

Spell — see Magic and Spellcasting for the rules and the Spell Index for the full list.

Arcane 1 Type: summoning (calling)

Range: Special Duration: 1 day

This spell calls 1d4 giant shrews to serve as companions for the caster.

As soon as the spell is cast, the shrews begins to travel to the caster’s destination at their expedition speed. If the spell is cast in an unsettled hex of a shrew’s native terrain (woods, grassland, hills, river, scrubland, or swamp), the wolf will take 1d6 turns to arrive. If the spell is cast in any other type of hex, the time to arrive is increased by 9 turns per 6-mile hex between the caster’s hex and the nearest unsettled hex of native terrain. The time to arrival may be much shorter if the Judge has determined that a varmint den is nearby. If called while the caster is unreachable (deep in a dungeon, for example), the varmints will travel as close as they can to the caster and then wait in that vicinity.

For the duration of the spell, the shrews will understand the caster’s speech and serve as if it were the caster’s henchman. The spell persists until the shrews are slain, the spell is dispelled, or one day passes (at which time the shrews depart). If the spell is cast again when the shrews are about to depart, they will remain for another day. Call of the burrowers can only be cast once per day.

A prayerful caster who uses a call with ill intent towards the creatures called immediately becomes disfavored. He cannot cast the spell again until he has restored himself to favor. A studious caster or ceremonialist who uses a call with ill intent immediately loses the spell or ceremony from his repertoire. (He can re-learn it if he has the formula.) In neither case do the called animals arrive.