Promises Made
Rote · Mage
Assuming that the spirit and summoner come to some agreement, each side will have an obligation to fulfill that Pact. Depending on the nature of the magus and the spirit (as well as the relationship they’ve formed), that obligation may be a shared deal between friends; a mutual understanding; a legalistic contract that both sides strive to exploit; or a tricky compact that one or both sides will break as soon as possible; or a grudging servitude with lasting ill-will. The difference between them relies heavily on who the magus asks, what he asks for, the way that he asks for it, and the terms he sets down and accepts. Asked nicely and rewarded well, a friendly spirit will fulfill a minor duty without trouble; a raging demon compelled into service by a haughty sorcerer, on the other hand, will not, shall we say, be faithful or reliable for long…
And that’s what wards are for.
As mentioned earlier, a would-be summoner prepares herself and lays out the designated area before any summoning occurs. A mage who simply opens a gate and issues orders to whatever steps through it… well, that person isn’t long for this world.
Although traditional Hermetic Arts feature an array of complex pentacles (each with its particular uses and entities), other forms of summoning are less formal than that. Even so, such procedures are never taken lightly… at least not by mages who wish to survive a summoning experience. And so, as the summoner lays out a prepared space as noted above, she ought to set up a few protective wards as well.
Wards come in a wide variety of styles and purposes. As mentioned under the Mystic Travel section, passageways can be warded. Mages could also place wards over areas, objects, and living things. Whether or not she’s invoking spirit-beings, a mage could employ wards against unwanted intruders, impeding or barring certain creatures, materials, energies, or even paradigms.
In game-terms: