Wailing Wind

Sidebar Pages From the Mages By means of this spell, a priest creates a magical warning system. When any creature larger than a common honeybee enters a guarded area (a passage, chamber, cavern, doorway, or cave mouth of up to the area of effect), a wailing, whistling blast of wind blows from the guarded area toward the casting priest. The priest designates the area to be protected verbally, and must be standing within 5 yards per level of the area to be protected when the spell is cast.

The wailing wind travels toward the caster as long as she or he is on the same plane as the guarded area, but fades out beyond 100 yards per level of the casting priest. The wailing wind has a distinctive tone that can be heard by all creatures capable of hearing. It transmits and magnifies any sounds (speech, movement, etc.) made by the triggering being at the time it is activated, and it thus gives any listener a clue as to what sort of intruder approaches.

The spell cannot be modified to be activated by only specific beings or types of creatures. Once the guarded area is entered and the wailing wind rises, the spell is exhausted unless the caster was of sufficient level to allow another activation of the spell for another intruder. The wind itself lasts for 1 round per level of the casting priest once triggered, although the caster may end it sooner.

A wailing wind can be activated more than once, depending on the level of its caster. As the level of the caster increases, the number of blasts of wailing wind occurring for different intruders at different times is also increased. A 1st- or 2nd-level caster creates only a single-blast wailing wind; a 3rd- or 4th-level caster creates a wind of two blasts; a 5th- or 6th-level caster creates a wind of three blasts, and so on with no known maximum.