Child of the Great Fire, you glowing ember of the earth’s hot blood, be summoned by my call! Find this bridge between life and death – be born from cremation! Assume the shape of man, assume the tools of your trade, and assume the name of your life: Prometheus!

– Master Aldebar

The Ritual

The Mystic awakens a fierce fire creature and binds it to a suit of metal. The servant then walks by the Mystic’s side like a smoldering and steaming bodyguard, which flares up and turns into a burning warrior in battle.

– Flaming Servant, Symbaroum Core Rulebook

Material components

An effigy of a man. This flammable body will inform the spirit as to its shape and the ideas it is meant to inherit. A scarecrow or a straw-packed mannequin is adequate.

A fireproof vessel. This is what you will encase the effigy within to contain the spirit. The purpose of the Flaming Servant is of course to summon a loyal warrior, so a suit of metal armour is necessary.

Materials and ritual items for a funeral pyre. Wood, oil, fragrant herbs, funerary flowers, etc.

Metalworking tools. The ritual requires the addition of channels inside the armour to trap and focus the energies of the servant. This can of course also be done by an armorsmith upon acquisition of the armor.

A few drops of blood. The token of life.

A name. This name is not only what the fire spirit will answer to but also serves the ritual purpose of informing the spirit of its unique existence. Divorced from the element of fire, this name serves as the spirit’s new identity and it will obey the person who named it.

Method

The armor vessel is prepared by internal designs. These flowing spirals and channels trap mystical fires into vortices that can draw in and seal a force from the fundamental element of fire – one of the pillars of the world.

The Mystic wraps the effigy in a traditional funerary dress, prepares it with oils and herbs, and dresses it in the armour. The armor is further padded and packed with additional straw and wood, before sealing with tar and pitch.

A funeral pyre is prepared, and the armored effigy is placed on top as per traditional funeral rituals. The Mystic should go through the steps of the ritual such as placing coins or painted stones on the “eyes” of the effigy, singing a dirge, or burning incense.

The pyre is lit. The Mystic waits for the flames to reach the effigy within its vessel, and as the straw man catches fire the Mystic should invoke the mystical forces that constitute our physical world.

Chanting the words of the ritual, the Mystic calls the funeral a bridge between life and death, and invites a Child of the Fire to cross the threshold. As the magical spirit crosses into our realm, the Mystic informs it of the significance of its shape and its purpose. And finally, the Mystic names the spirit and its physical form.

At this point, the funeral pyre should be rapidly consumed as the spirit gains coherence and strength. After the pyre is reduced to ash, presuming the ritual worked, the spirit should respond to commands.

Additional Rules

If a Flaming Servant is slain or banished, the spirit returns to the element of fire. The spirit’s individuality will be consumed by the flames over time until it is entirely dissolved, unless a Mystic who knows the spirit’s name summons it into a new vessel.

For every day that passes between the Flaming Servant’s demise and its re-summoning, it loses 1D4 points of experience. If it has no unspent experience left, refund and remove one of its abilities. If the Flaming Servant has no abilities to remove and no unspent experience, the spirit is dissolved completely.

A character being accompanied by a Flaming Servant will of course also be a fearsome sight to behold. More intimidating than an ogre bodyguard, the Flaming Servant is a threatening presence and very clearly a being forged from magic and martial will. Crowds will make room, pickpockets will keep their distance, and guards will get nervous.

Naturally, the fiery soldier is not particularly subtle. The protection its presence offers is heralded by the loud clanking of armor, blistering heat, and the acrid smell of smoke and flame. To the creatures of the forest, a Flaming Servant is as enticing a flame as any campfire.