1st Level Illusion (Ritual)
1 Minute+Casting Time
1 minute
Range
Touch
Components
S, M (A lead-based ink worth at least 10gp, which this spell consumes.)
Duration
10 days
Draconic
“Phantulok”
Elvish
“Fánala”
The caster dips a fine-tipped pen into lead-based ink that shimmers with a faint iridescent sheen. They write their true message first, in careful, deliberate strokes. Then they close their eyes, hold the pen above the parchment, and begin the layering process — overwriting the true message with the illusion, stroke by stroke, their hand guided by will rather than sight. The illusory text takes shape like frost forming on glass, each letter crystallizing over the original. The caster must hold the intended recipients firmly in mind throughout — picturing their faces, recalling their voices, binding the illusion to their identity. The ink dries with a faint sparkle visible only from certain angles. If others attempt to read it, the words shift and reform into the decoy message. Some casters add personal touches: a watermark visible only to the intended reader, or a faint scent of the caster's favored perfume that lingers on the page.
You write on parchment, paper, or some other suitable writing material and imbue it with a potent illusion that lasts for the duration. To you and any creatures you designate when you cast the spell, the writing appears normal, written in your hand, and conveys whatever meaning you intended when you wrote the text. To all others, the writing appears as if it were written in an unknown or magical script that is unintelligible. Alternatively, you can cause the writing to appear to be an entirely different message, written in a different hand and language, though the language must be one you know. Should the spell be dispelled, the original script and the illusion both disappear. A creature with truesight can read the hidden message.