| Rituals are the mainstay of magic-users on Sinai. While they require considerably more time and preparation (and often cost) than weaker incantations such as a Cantrip or Minor Spell, they are also considerably more potent. It is for spells of this level that mages are typically best known, since only at this level do such magicks begin to have real practical use and power. A standard requirement of any ritual-level spell is to have some sort of "magic circle", which the spellcaster typically sits in the center of. The exact nature of the circle can vary greatly with the particular spell, the sphere of magic being used, and even the individual spellcaster's "style". Ultimately, if one were to, say, have some layman exactly mimic the words uttered by a mage, and recreate a ritual perfectly, it would not cause magic to occur. The ritual is a mental tool, the nature of which is not fully understood even by mages themselves. More powerful mages tend to be able to make shorter rituals to achieve the same results. Since it is inconvenient, say, to have a Fire Mage ask some bandits to kindly pause while he casts a Fireball spell, it is a common practice for more experienced mages to use "held spells". In a theoretical situation with a Fire Mage undertaking a hazardous journey, the mage would cast the spell in the morning, right up to the last word. The magic of the spell would manifest itself in the form of, say, a magical flame dancing about in his off hand. If needed, at some point later in the day, he could fire off the last word of his spell, and release the stored energy. (A hazard of this is that, under certain circumstances, such as the mage being knocked unconscious, the spell's power might go off a bit prematurely. Caution is advised.)
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