A Simple Binding

Now that Tom has taken to figuring out and publishing one of my defensive maneuvers, I may as well tell the world and let others work with it.

This is a simple binding spell. Binding in this term is a spell that is meant to limit the magical ability of another practitioner. There are three ways to go about binding someone. You can internalize their magick within themselves so they can’t effect the world outside (this is the most simplest form, and it has the added advantage that the practitioner may not notice it). You can largely restrict the amount of energy they are allowed to produce and tap into thus rendering them unable to utilize magick (this renders the magician even more powerless but they’ll notice the spell right away, and it is rather difficult to pull of). Or you can completely bind them so they have no higher connection, no access to magical ability, and no way to cast any kind of spell (this is a complete binding and by far the most powerful and effective, although it generally requires quite a bit of work).

This type of binding is the first kind. This is a very good and effective binding because, despite being very simple to undo, it’s very strong and very deceptive in its nature, often times tricking the victim into fruitlessly expelling time and energy.

To cast the binding we draw the crossed symbol and place it upon the victim. It’s enough to draw the sigil in the air with our finger and then move it on top of the victim. The entire sigil is blessed by Saturn, who is a god of boundaries and rules and order, but Saturn’s power is only put at the point where the two lines cross.

Where the two lines cross is the only point where the sigil can ever be broken. Once the sigil is broken the binding is broken. Since Saturn’s power is only where the lines cross, the rest of the sigil will seem weak to an experienced adept who can identify it for what it is. The first instinct of the adept will be to just throw energy at the sigil until the binding is overcome and broken. However this will do nothing as throwing energy at any point other than where the lines cross won’t break the sigil, and where the lines cross are empowered by Saturn, and cannot be broken except by divine power.

To break the sigil, all that needs to happen is someone needs to grab both ends and twist them so the line uncrosses and makes a horseshoe shape. At this point the sigil will disappear and the binding will be over with. This makes it very simple for the caster to undo the binding, and the simple nature of breaking the binding is usually hard to guess.