This spell protects the caster or a single willing recipient touched during the casting by enveloping the chosen being in a close-fitting magical defensive field. Alustriel's improved mantle is normally invisible, but can be made by the desire of the wearer to shimmer, glow faintly (in any hue and changing in response to the wearer's will), or shine brightly. When it shines brightly, it is never blinding, but it is bright enough to read by or to allow one to see 10 feet or so in all directions in non-magical darkness.
The mantle wards off all physical weapons of +1 enchantment or less. It also prevents the functioning of all spells or equivalent magical item effects of 4th level or less within its confines. A caster protected by an Alustriel's improved mantle could stand in the heart of a fireball that burst and crisped beings standing all around her, and escape with herself and all she wore and carried completely unharmed. The wearer of such a mantle (which, despite its name, is a magical field, not a garment) also receives a +2 bonus on all saving throws.
If any Alustriel's improved mantle ever comes into direct contact with another improved mantle, or with an Alustriel's mantle (the lesser spell related to this one), the result is a brief writhing chaos of swirling magic that wracks any protected beings involved with horrible pain, rendering them helpless for 1d2 rounds, and deals them each 4d10 points of damage as the mantles collapse.
The material components of an Alustriel's improved mantle are a gem of any sort worth 50 gp or more and a tiny glass vial that the caster has breathed into and then stoppered at least a day (24 hours) before casting the spell.
Notes: Restricted to the Seven Sisters, their apprentices, and select Harpers; rare or very rare.