Level 3 Artifacts
Arrows Of Distant
Death (Artifact •••)
Very few of these
artifacts survived the Old Realm, as they were designed to be used only once.
Today, these arrows are normally found in sets of three: one target arrow, one
broadhead arrow, and one frog-crotch arrow. Each arrow can be shot at any
target, regardless of distance. To use one of these arrows, the Exalted
character must have once touched or clearly seen the target, or currently possess
a personal article like a piece of the target’s clothing. When concentrating on
the target, the Exalted fires the bow up in the air. As soon as the arrow
leaves the bow, it vanishes and reappears no more than a foot from the target.
In the instant that the arrow is fired, the attacker and the target have a
clear vision of each other. Sleeping targets awaken in the grip of this vision.
With no warning
and no chance to dodge or block the attack, many target die instantly. Those
that survive know their attacker’s appearance. The nature of the magic involved
prevents masks, make-up or other magic from disguising the true appearance of
attacker or target; each one sees what the other truly looks like. However,
this vision provides no hint of the terrain surrounding either individual.
Whether the arrow hits or misses its target, it disintegrates seconds after it
strikes.
Arrows of Distant
Death are exceptionally sharp and do +1 damage. Otherwise, they perform exactly
like normal arrows of their types. These arrows can be fired from ordinary bows
and powerbows.
For those dead who wish to be reembodied
and to walk among the living again, a way may be found, if they are willing to
pay the price — or, more accurately, to have others pay it for them. If they
tire of shivering in the eternal cold of the Underworld, driven before the
stormwinds and chilled by the constant breath that emanates from the mouth of
Oblivion itself, they can acquire temporary bodies that will serve for a brief
while in the living world. There is a bath carved out of black marble and onyx,
with soulsteel channels leading into it, more than large enough for a single
person to recline at ease. If the bath is filled with a large quantity of human
blood and a ghost immerses herself in that blood, or if she lies there while
the blood is poured over her, then the magics within the bath will combine to
recreate, in the full beauty of its youth, the body she had while she still
lived.
The minimum amount of blood needed to use
the bath is seven health levels of lethal damage, which can come from one
victim or several victims. This blood will create a body for the ghost that
will last a single day. More blood will create a body that will last
proportionally longer. Once the allotted time is over, the body falls to dust,
forcing the ghost to flee to wherever can sustain her. If she retires to the
bath before her body deliquesces and immerses herself in fresh blood, then her
body is renewed for a number of days appropriate to the amount of blood. The
blood itself must be fresh (taken within the last 15 minutes) and still warm.
The body will be a normal human specimen, breathing and warm, and the ghost may
use any Arcanoi she possesses while embodied in this way.
This dark bell, the size of a grown man’s
fists put together, is carved with strange symbols and runes of journeying and
is set on an ebony handle. Its clapper is a camel’s tooth, inlaid with
soulsteel. When the bell is not being used, silk packing is stuffed inside it
to stop it sounding accidentally. These bells are prized possessions among
traders and travelers who want to cross the vast deserts in the South of the
Underworld, but they are also valued by military leaders for scouting parties
and spying missions.
When a bell of the endless caravan is rung,
a low peal echoes out across the desert, and the ghosts of a dozen camels rise
from the shadowy sands, each harnessed and bearing a bundled tent on its back.
These camels will serve the bell’s holder and have the base statistics and
intelligence of a normal camel, though rather more docility. They are not
trained for battle, but will remain where they are told to stay in the event of
fighting and will not be panicked into running away. The tents on their backs
are of black silk and contain all the normal equipment that a traveler would
find necessary. The camels and tents remain in existence until the bell is rung
again or until the next Calibration, whichever comes first. If one of the
camels is slain, then it will be replaced, together with all its equipment, the
next time the bell is rung.
Belt Of Shadow
Walking (Artifact •••)
In the ancient
days of the First Realm, the greatest members of the Night Caste all wore these
enchanted belts. Most have been lost ― the few dozen that remain are
highly prized by their owners. Each of these items is a night-black belt made
from leather from the wings of giant bats. The belt can control shadows and
cause them to conceal the wearer. As a result, the difficulty of all Perception
+ Awareness rolls to see or hear the wearer are increased by 2. However, this
is only the least of the belt’s powers. When the wearer expends 5 motes of
Essence, she can transform into a shadow for a scene. In this form, she can
slip under a door or slide through the thinnest crack. This ability can only be
used when the sun is down. Also, in well-lit regions, observers will notice the
existence of an unusual shadow with a successful Perception + Awareness roll at
difficult 3 unless the wearer conceals himself in a larger shadow.
When the character
is a shadow, she can only be attacked with sorcery, Charms or weapons made from
the Five Magical Materials. Otherwise, she is immune to harm, although she can
be trapped in a room that is sealed tightly enough. The character can wear any
armor and can take any object she can carry into the shadows with her. However,
it is impossible to transform any other living things into shadow, and any
living things the character carries are left behind when the Exalt fades into
shadow. Once the scene ends, the character must remain in sold form for at
least three full minutes before transforming back into a shadow. Attuning this
garment requires the commitment of 6 motes of Essence. The belt has no settings
for Hearthstones.
Black Widow Razors (Artifact ••• for the
pair)
Prized by assassins and believed to have
first been created by the same artisan who conceived the automaton assassin,
these razor claws always come in pairs and appear to be a set of fist-sized
spider statuettes, wrought in exquisite detail. Once attuned, however, they
animate, crawling across the wielder’s skin at her mental command. When
“active” the wrap their hind legs around the owner’s wrists and extend their
four razor sharp forelegs into a set of deadly claws. When not in use, they
will climb up the owners’ arms, secreting themselves on her person. What makes
the black widow razors truly terrifying, however, is the potent venom that they
may deliver. The wielder of the claws may spend 2 motes of Essence on any
attack made with the razors, before the attack roll is made, to envenom the
strike. If the attack succeeds in inflicting damage then the target’s player
must make a Stamina + Resistance roll, difficulty 3. If the roll succeeds, the
target suffers an additional level of lethal damage that may not be soaked. If
the roll fails, the target suffers an additional effect, based on the Magical
Material the black widow razor is constructed from.
Boat Of Bones (Artifact •••)
This small boat sails in the sky, above the
endless storms of the Underworld and beneath the strange constellations of the
world of the dead. It is constructed entirely of bones and tanned leather, with
the skeletal wings of a huge spectre attached to either side of the ship so
that it can fly through the air above. It has no sail, for none is necessary,
and the figurehead is a human skull, whose bony jaws clatter together when the
boat’s owner gives it orders. These orders may either be given verbally or
mentally with one hand placed on the boat’s figurehead. All Dodge attempts
against aerial attacks or misfortune are made using the Dodge Ability of its
owner.
The boat itself travels at twice the speed
of a ration and may journey at any height from just above the ground to above
the clouds themselves, depending on the owner’s wishes. However, given the
storms of the Underworld, it is often safer to travel high than low. The boat
must be fed with a health level’s worth of blood in any month that it is to
travel, and this blood must be poured over the skull-figurehead. If this is not
done, then the boat will simply stay sitting on the ground, and the jaws of the
skull will clatter mockingly and hungrily. The boat can continue flying or
remain floating in the air for up to a month. However, if it is kept in the air
for this long, it will need to rest for a full day afterward and to be fed with
twice as much blood as usual.
Bow Of Screaming Doom (Artifact •••)
The soulsteel chasing of this powerbow is
worked with screaming faces and twisted bodies. On attunement to the bow and
commitment of 7 motes of Essence, the owner will find that it functions as a
soulsteel long powerbow. By spending additional Essence and exercising his
will, the owner can also fire arrows that will cause the corpses of his slain
victims to rise as feral walking dead. Each time that the wielder fires an
arrow of this nature, the mouths of the screaming faces embossed in the bow’s
soulsteel will open their mouths and howl in agony.
If the wielder chooses to spend 5
additional motes of Essence, then the bow will taint his next shot with the
corruption of the walking dead. Should the victim of the shot be slain by it,
then he will arise as an undead creature controlled by a hungry ghost. The
resulting creature has the physical statistics and abilities of the victim who
was slain but has an essentially animal intelligence, as the hungry ghost seeks
only to slaughter those around it. It will, however, obey the commands of the
bow’s wielder. The body of a possessed victim falls to pieces and deliquesces a
full day after combat. If the victim does not die from the wound, then he is
safe for the moment — from this fate, at least — and the wielder’s spent
Essence is wasted.
The bow can only create one feral zombie
per turn. While it can be used in Archery Charms, or even Combos, multiple
arrow strikes cannot create feral zombies. That requires an individual shot and
the expenditure of 5 motes of Essence.
Chart Of The Final Lands (Artifact •••)
Penned on white grave-linen with ink made
from corpse-ashes, and always pallid and clean however dirty its surroundings,
this map is woven with enchantment. It requires an investment of 5 motes of
Essence for the owner to attune herself to it, but once this is done, it can
not only show the owner’s location and surroundings but can also track other
people across the Underworld.
In order to identify her own surroundings,
the owner must unroll the Chart of the Final Lands and spend another 5 motes of
Essence while concentrating on the scale she desires; yards, miles, leagues,
tens of leagues or hundreds of leagues. The Chart will ripple and then redraw
itself in shadowy lines, showing the owner’s location at the center. Her
surroundings are marked on the map in the scale that she desired, with 50 units
of the desired scale in each direction. Features of the landscape are clearly
marked, but buildings only have their outer limits indicated on the Chart. The
exception to this is if the owner is currently inside a building and has asked
the Chart for the smallest possible scale. In that case, the rooms around her
will be marked, and any secret doors not hidden by magic of any circle that
prevents scrying will also be evident on the Chart. No actual names are written
on the Chart, except for the five rivers of the Underworld, and Stygia itself,
should either be within range.
An arrow at the top of the map indicates
the direction of Stygia. Some people claim that this is proof that the Chart
was first created in Stygia, on the orders of the Dual Monarchy. Others point
out that the arrow points equally at the Well of the Void and murmur of darker
origins.
If the owner wishes to use the Chart to
locate someone else, then she must have an arcane link of some sort to that
person: part of the target’s body or a small amount of his blood or an artifact
belonging (and attuned) to him. She feeds the Chart 5 motes of Essence, as
before and places the body part or artifact against it or pours the blood out
onto it, while concentrating on the scale of the map that she desires. The
Chart then displays a map of the target’s location, unless he is shielded by
Circlet Of Spirits
(Artifact •••)
This item is a
circlet formed of one of the Five Magical Materials, with a setting for a
single Hearthstone. Anyone who is attuned to this circlet can see and hear all
immaterial spirits. Also, this item has additional properties depending upon
what material it is made from. Using spirit circlets requires the wearer to
commit 3 motes of Essence to activate both the Hearthstone and the circlet.
The Codex Of The Damned (Artifact •••)
This hefty tome is made from pages of
flayed human skin, bound with soulsteel, inscribed in blood and marked with
sigils of power. Even the most casual onlooker can tell that it is powerful and
dangerous. The first few pages promise great might and skill to a reader who
dares to claim it as her own. Later portions of the book cannot be opened, as
the pages stick together as though glued by the blood that oozes from them. The
whole book pulsates like the flesh of a man in the throes of passion, and the
skin of the pages seems to stir and shiver to the touch.
An owner of the book must spend 5 motes of
Essence to attune to it. Once this is done, the pages flutter open, and she can
now read further in the work. However, she is now as bound by Oblivion as any
wearer of grave-prison chains and will be dragged to it if she should suffer
the destruction of her form while attuned to The Codex of the Damned. In
return, she will find the secrets of Moliation, Pandemonium and Soulforging
laid out before her. She automatically gains a dot in each of the three Craft
Abilities, in addition to any Ability she may already have, to a maximum of 3.
What is more, she can sacrifice her Fetters to The Codex of the Damned in
return for more skill yet. Each Fetter that she chooses to give up will grant
her another point in one of the three Abilities, to a maximum of 5 in any
Ability. These gains in skill last for as long as she is attuned to The
Codex of the Damned. Should she lose it or break the attunement, she also
loses the Ability dots, though she does not regain any sacrificed Fetters.
The Crusher Of Souls (Artifact •••)
This great obsidian statue was built by spectres,
designed by a powerful nephwrack of ancient heritage. It depicts a huge
spectre, kneeling with clawed hands cupped in front of it, with a niche carved
in its forehead like a third eye. When the Crusher of Souls is properly fed
with Essence and ghosts (or spectres) are placed in its cupped hands, it will
grind its palms together and crush all those within in a ghastly sacrifice to
the Lords of the Underworld, so that plasm and blood and other fluids run out
over the Crusher’s fingers. Once this is done, an Essence-containing gem grows
in the niche in the Crusher’s forehead and can be removed and used for other
purposes.
The character activating the Crusher of
Souls must pay 10 motes of Essence to begin the sacrifice. The Crusher’s
fingers then slowly begin to close, taking five combat turns to do so and
trapping anyone who cannot escape from the great cup that the fingers form. A
prisoner with free arms and legs could easily scramble out — which is why
prisoners for sacrifice are usually chained, drugged, mutilated or some
combination of the above. The sacrifice of five or more of the dead produces a
1-mote gem, while 20 or more sacrifices gives a 2-mote gem, and 50 or more
sacrifices gives a 3-mote gem. The Crusher cannot produce a gem of more than a •••
rating. It can also only produce one gem a day, though it can operate multiple
times in a day, if its owner so desires.
This item is a fist-sized crystal statue of
a tyrant lizard or other dangerous reptile. When it is placed on a solid
surface and the user expends 7 motes of Essence, it produces a hemispheric dome
of softly glowing sunfire. This dome is four yards in diameter and two high and
provides light equal to late twilight. This dome also keeps wind, rain and cold
from affecting anyone inside. In addition, anyone from outside of the dome that
attempts to enter takes 5L damage from Essence burns. Armor does not protect
against these burns, only the character’s natural soak. This dome provides
protection against ranged attacks equal to 75 percent cover (subtract three
from the successes of any ranged attack targeted at anyone inside the dome).
However, the dome provides no protection against hand-to-hand attacks. The dome
lasts until anyone inside attempts to leave it or until a full day passes. As
soon as either happens, the dome collapses and cannot be used again until the
crystal has been exposed to sunlight for at least half a day. Users often tic
these crystals to their saddles or wear them as large pendants.
Crystal Warclub (Artifact •••)
When not in use, this weapon looks like a
flattened angular club of smoky quartz, set with a single row of bright ruby
crystals on both of the two blade-like edges. However, when the club is
activated by spending 2 motes of Essence, a triangular blade of glowing energy
issues from each of these crystals. These glowing blades remain for the next
full scene. The crystal warclub was one of the Dragon Kings most savage and
lethal weapons. Anyone who wields this club must also commit 6 motes of Essence
to it.
Cup Of Flowing
Blood (Artifact •••)
The Cup of Flowing
Blood is a powerful tool of healing ― but it is also a treasure much
desired by the Abyssal Exalted, as it is a way for one being to give her very
life’s blood to another. The Cup of Flowing Bow is a chalice of delicately
carved ebony, patterned with scenes of Solars from the First Age fighting the
foes of the Old Realm. When it is held by a person who truly wishes to give of
herself for another’s sake, it slowly begins to fill with dark blood, and as it
does, the holder loses one health level per turn (which cannot be soaked). The
holder may, at any time, stop the process. If the blood in the cup is then
given to a wounded person to drink, he will recover one health level per turn
as he drinks, until all of the blood in the cup is consumed. It is possible for
a person to drain herself to unconsciousness and the verge of death while
trying to heal others with the cup. Its location is currently unknown, though
rumors put it in the private collection of the Lover Clad in the Raiment of
Tears, who permits her Abyssal Exalted to sanctify marriages with it.
Death Shield Ring
(Artifact •••)
This ring has a
setting for a single Hearthstone. In addition, while worn, the ring grants the
wearer the ability to survive any single attack that would result in death. If
the wearer would normally be slain from the damage of an attack, the ring
explodes in a brilliant flash of light, and the damage is not inflicted. The
ring is completely consumed by this effect. If there is a Hearthstone set in
the ring, it is cracked by the ring’s destruction.
Demon-Embracing Robes (Artifact •••)
Proper dress is important to functionaries
in the courts of the Deathlords, but only a very few are blessed with
demon-embracing robes. These garments are, at first glance, indistinguishable
from the normal clothing one expects of a functionary in the bureaucracy of the
dead. They demonstrate fine workmanship, excellent embroidery and superb taste,
but nothing more. That, at least, is how they appear.
When activated, however, the sleeves of a
set of demon-embracing robes stretch forward, acting as arms and striking with
devastating force. Each sleeve is capable of an independent attack and attacks
with Speed 7, Acc +7, Damage 7B + extra successes. In addition, the robes serve
as armor (Soak 6L/4B, Mobility Penalty 0, Fatigue 0).
Demon-embracing robes respond only to their
owners. Should another ghost attempt to wear them, the sleeves will immediately
begin attacking the usurper and will not stop doing so until he has struggled
out of the garment or been pummeled into Lethe. Escaping the robes requires a
successful Dexterity + Athletics roll, difficulty 2, as the robes twists and
turn to hold the character.
Attuning to the garment requires 5 motes of
Essence. Spending 3 experience points and committing 3 additional motes seals
the bargain and renders the robes constantly active, otherwise they will become
“ownerless” if they go unattuned and may be stolen. In no case will the robes
ever cooperate with someone who slew a previous owner. There is no way to tell
if a set of robes are in fact demon-embracing until one puts them on, at which
point the garment’s true nature manifests itself.
Dueling Torcs (Artifact ••• for a pair)
Somewhat common during the Dragon-Blooded
Shogunate, these paired collars of white jade enforced duels in which Charms
were banned in favor of pure physical prowess and skill. To use these devices,
both opponents must place the collars on their necks and close the iron clasp
at their throats. The clasp will not lock in place until the wearer willingly
commits a mote of Essence. As soon as both clasps have locked, the dueling
torcs simultaneously activate. All ongoing Charms that are not permanent enhancements
to the wearers abruptly end, while the wearers become incapable of using
Charms, casting sorcery, using anima powers or employing any other effect that
involves or requires Essence. This dampening effect only lasts as long as both
of the dueling torcs in the pair remain within 100 yards of one another.
Journeying beyond this range will cause both collars to automatically unlock
and fall off. The death of either wearer will have the same effect. A third
party with a higher permanent Essence than both wearers can also touch either
collar and spend a mote to unlock both, although this is a safety precaution
for emergencies and not a common-use function.
Dueling torcs cannot suppress the powers of
beings with a permanent Essence of 6+; the clasps simply refuse to lock shut on
such mighty beings. If any artifacts exist to restrain the Essence of elder
Exalted and gods willing to permit voluntary suppression of their power, these
devices would be Artifact •••• at minimum.
Elemental Lens (Artifact •••)
Elemental lenses were one of the more
common weapons of the First Age, but few survive outside of Lookshy. A lens can
take many shapes — some were made as part of a glove or gauntlet, with the lens
mounted on the back of the hand, while others were built into talismans,
weapons or suits of armor. An elemental lens built into an artifact adds • to
the device’s Artifact rating, if the Artifact’s rating is less than ••• to
start. Elemental lenses require 5 motes to attune — if added to another
artifact with an attunement cost, it adds 2 motes to that cost. Two elemental
lenses cannot be used to enhance the same Charm.
The elemental lens amplifies the effects of
a Dragon-Blooded’s elemental attacks as follows:
Elemental Bolt Attack — each mote invested in an attack does 4L
damage.
Elemental Burst Technique — each mote invested does 3L damage or increases
damage radius by one yard (so, permanent Essence + motes spent in yards). Total
motes spent for damage or blast radius cannot exceed Stamina.
Dragon Vortex Attack — each mote spent above 10 either increases
the radius of the effect by two feet o increases the damage suffered per
turn by 1L. Maximum number of motes equals permanent Essence + Stamina.
Eye Of The Living
Earth (Artifact •••)
These large stones
are occasionally quarried by the Mountain Folk from the roots of the
However, the true
power of this stone is as a scrying device. If an Exalted touches a diamond to
it and anoints both the Eye of the Living Earth with a drop of his blood, he
can later use the eye to scry upon wherever the diamond currently is. He will
perceive the entire scene as though he were looking down form on high and can
move around the eye to alter his perspective on events. This will only work
with to five diamonds at a time: If a sixth diamond is attuned, then the link
to one of the others (the owner’s choice which) is broken. It is said that the
great jewel-crafter Madam Ismerel, one of the most prominent and feared
Twilight Exalted of the First Age, was found of presenting diamond necklaces
and rings to those who dared not offend her by refusing them. While samples of
her work have been found, from time to time, nobody has yet located her Eye of
the Living Earth ― though many would be interested in doing so.
Eyes Of The Pyre Flame (Artifact •••)
Pyre flame is known and feared throughout
the Underworld. This artifact allows a ghost to exchange his eyes for a pair of
crystals that not only see normally, but also allow him to blast his enemies
with pyre flame five times a day. The eyes of the pyre flame appear to be very
dark star rubies, with an odd greenish ripple of air around them. To use them,
the ghost must rip out his own eyes (he must do this himself) and then insert
the gems into his bleeding eye sockets. If he is already missing one or both
eyes, then it is sufficient to rip out a single eye, if one remains, and scour
healed sockets until they bleed anew. The eyes will take a full day to accustom
themselves to their new user and will give him horrific nightmares and
flame-filled visions during that time. It is a good idea for friends to
restrain him in case his violent convulsions put him in danger.
Once the user has grown accustomed to the
eyes, they will provide perfectly normal vision. However, when he wishes to
smite an enemy (or an object) with pyre flame, he should focus on that object
and spend a number of motes of Essence to fuel his desire. An expenditure of 5
motes of Essence will produce pyre flame equal to the contents of a small jug
(splash radius of two feet, three levels of aggravated damage), while 10 motes
of Essence will produce the equivalent of a medium jug (splash radius of five
feet, seven levels of aggravated damage). The victim may attempt to dodge this
by having her player roll the character’s Agility + Dodge against the user’s
Perception + Awareness. These two gems must be used as a pair. If separated and
inserted on their own, they have no effect.
Fire-Belly Centipede (Artifact •••)
This artifact could be described as an
extreme tool of persuasion. It is a small soulsteel model of a centipede,
shaped with extreme delicacy and skill though barely three inches long, and it
has a wider bulb at its end that contains a portion of pyre flame. At its
master’s command (and on an expenditure of 5 motes of Essence, plus a mote of
Essence for each month which it is to lie concealed), it will burrow into a
victim’s flesh in a variant on the Six Demon Bag Arcanos and lie concealed
there. While it is buried in the victim’s body, it will do no harm for the
number of months that its master has commanded and spent Essence to achieve.
When that period runs out, the fire-belly centipede retracts its scales,
directly exposing the pyre flame to its victim’s innards. This does an
automatic two health levels of unsoakable lethal damage per turn of exposure.
If the victim dies, then the centipede will crawl out from her remains and curl
up in a dormant state, waiting for its master (or some new owner) to collect
it.
Should anyone attempt to cut the centipede
from the victim’s body, before or after it has exposed the pyre flame that it
contains, then the victim takes an automatic three health levels of unsoakable
lethal damage. The centipede itself explodes, spattering the would-be surgeon
with pyre flame (three automatic levels of unsoakable aggravated damage) unless
her player succeeds at an Intelligence + Medicine roll with difficulty of 5.
However, the master of the centipede can, at any time, feed the centipede more
motes of Essence by touching the victim’s body over where the centipede rests,
which will cause the centipede to remain dormant for longer. He can also summon
the centipede out of the victim’s body, leaving her free and unharmed.
Fire Lance (Artifact •••)
Fire lances were once common weapons, and a
number of them have survived, mostly in the arsenals of Lookshy. Though called
a lance, fire lances resemble a fairly conventional spear. Fire lances were
commonly used by both mortals and Exalts and are believed to have been a
further refinement of the flame spear. The fire lance holds 20 motes of
Essence. When charged with 1 mote, the head of the fire lance becomes wreathed
in colorless flames that explode over a target when next successfully used to
attack in melee, inflicting terrible burns. If 2 motes are spent, the fire
lance disgorges streamers of colorless fire at a target. Finally, if 5 motes
are spent in a single attack, the weapon sprays streamers of its fire in an arc
as the wielder fans it across his targets. This does less damage, but it
greatly increases the chances of hitting and can be directed against up to
three adjacent targets. Fire lances use Melee or Archery, as appropriate, and
are compatible with Melee, but not Archery, Charms. An Exalt may attune to a
fire lance and power it directly — this costs 4 motes for commitment, and motes
to activate it are spent normally.
Gauntlets Of
Distant Claws (Artifact •••)
This item consists
of a pair of bracers attached to lightweight fingerless gauntlets with open,
uncovered palms. These items do not interfere with manual dexterity and can
even be worn while the character is picking locks or performing delicate
surgery. On command, each gauntlet can extend a trio of razor sharp claws.
These claws are deadly weapons that also reduce the difficulty of all Athletics
rolls involving climbing by 1 (to a minimum of 1). In addition, the character
can fire each set of hook-like claws as a projectile attached to a fine but
nearly unbreakable chain. The chains can fire up to 15 yards. Used in this
fashion, the gauntlets can be used to attack distant foes or as grappling
hooks. In addition, the character retracts either hook with a single thought.
The hooks retract instantly and with such force that, if the hook is embedded
in a high parapet, the character has the choice of it either allowing the claws
to relax their bite and return to the gauntlet or of allowing the gauntlet to
pull him up to the claw in mere seconds. Retracting the hooks is a reflexive action.
Clever characters can even use these items to swing from building to building
or to retrieve small items. These claws can only be used in pairs and require
that the character commit 3 motes of Essence to each of them. These weapons can
be made out of any of the Five Magical Materials and receive the standard
benefits from such construction. The left gauntlet has a setting for a single
Hearthstone.
Gauntlets Of Distant Touch (Artifact •••)
These gauntlets allow the wearer to affect
people and objects at a distance. They can be made from any of the Five Magical
Materials, and these gauntlets all consist of solid bracers and a heavy plate
that covers the back of the wearer’s hand. The palm and fingers are covered by
a fine flexible mesh of the woven Magical Material that allows the character to
manipulate objects without penalty. The character can spend 3 motes to allow
her to manipulate objects at a range of (permanent Essence x 3) yards for one
full scene. Also, by spending 1 mote, the character can make a single attack or
parry using her Brawl Ability at the same range. These gauntlets also provide
sufficient protection such that the character can parry all weapons without
harm or penalty. By making a parry at +2 difficulty, the character can even
parry an attack aimed at one of her comrades, so long as the attacker is within
range of the gauntlets. To activate this artifact, the character must commit 4
motes of Essence. Committing this Essence also causes the gauntlets to size to
fit the wearer. When used to make an attack, this artifact gains the normal
bonuses for weapons made out of one of the Five Magical Materials.
Ghost-Seeing
Blindfold (Artifact •••)
This
simple-seeming piece of cloth is a work of puissant magic, embroidered with
sigils of power in centuries long past. It seems to casual observation to be
merely a long scarf of white silk, with barely visible designs in the same
color worked along its length. When it is bound over the eyes, its true power
becomes manifest: It allows its wearer to not only see normally, but also, to
perceive dematerialized ghosts, spirits, dragon tracks and other flows of
power, as with the Twilight Charm All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight. The
blindfold is uncannily resistant to damage and will reweave itself if cut or
burned: The only sure way to destroy it is to soak it in the blood of a blind
person.
Ghost-Strengthening Links (Artifact •••)
Often mistaken for grave-prison chains,
ghost-strengthening links do not weaken the spirit who wears them. Rather, they
empower their bearer, making him stronger, more resistant to damage and more
potent in battle. Ghost-strengthening links consist of a central ring and
chains that lead to manacles for the ankles and wrists of their wearer. The
ring itself is almost a foot across, and when activated with 5 motes of
Essence, sinks into the wraith who triggered the links, anchoring itself just
above the base of the spine. The implantation of the ring does a level of
aggravated damage that does not heal until the item is removed. The ring cannot
be removed except by physically destroying the ghost or by the character who
wears it spending 3 motes to cause it to eject.
Once implanted, the links require the
expenditure of 3 motes of Essence to activate. They remain active until the end
of the scene and can be activated as a reflexive action that requires no roll.
The chains normally come with a single mount for a soulfire crystal. If the
character has nothing better to mount in it, it contains a four point soulfire
crystal.
If active, the links can strike targets up
to 10 feet away with a crushing Brawl attack (Speed +3, Accuracy +0, Damage
+9B, Defense +4). They can also clinch enemies. This is a normal clinch, and
making the attack requires an action, but the chains hold the victim and the
character may act normally while still maintaining the clinch. Normally, all of
the chains attack a single enemy, but the ghost can split his dice pool and
attack multiple targets.
The links also serve as armor on the arms,
legs and back of the ghost wearing them, and they provide an additional +3B/+3L
soak to the wearer and act as a shield that increases the difficulty of
hand-to-hand attacks against the character by +1. They are compatible with the
use of armor but not the use of a normal shield.
Ghost Cestus (Artifact •••)
A cestus is an armored glove designed to
enhance the force of punches, much like brass knuckles. The Dragon-Blooded use cesti
in some of their fighting styles. Sorcerers and Essencesmiths sometimes enchant
cesti to make a fighter more powerful.
Ghost cesti are one of the oldest sorts of
enchanted gauntlet, produced and used in the Realm and beyond. These magical
gloves incorporate whatever magical substance its Exalted creator preferred:
orichalcum, moonsilver, starmetal or (most common, nowadays) jade. When a local
spit it challenged the Empress1 authority by proclaiming itself a god, she sent
a champion armed with ghost cesti to subdue it. Non-Exalted priests of the
Immaculate Order also might carry ghost cesti.
Spirits don’t have to remain solid or
visible. A warrior who wears ghost cesti, however, can see and punch and
wrestle with a spirit that other people can neither see nor touch. Ghost cesti
cannot kill a spirit — that requires more dreadful and powerful magic—but a
cestus- wielding wizard or warrior can pummel a spirit into submission. Spirits
are so used to their invulnerability that a few good uppercuts from a “mere
mortal” can utterly demoralize them.
Ghost cesti work against both umbrood and
ghosts. Mortal souls are immune, however, because their garment of flesh
protects them. The Deathlords have not yet made their own ghost cesti.
Girdle Of Skulls (Artifact •••)
From a distance, this elegant girdle seems
to be studded with pearls. However, on closer inspection, each “pearl” is
revealed to be a miniature skull, perfect in every detail. A girdle of skulls
requires a commitment of 5 motes of Essence, but once that is done, it fits the
wearer perfectly, whatever his age, size or state of personal decay. The Girdle
is made from ivory laced together with the hair of old women and clasped with
soulsteel, but the skulls which ornament it are dry bone polished to a nacreous
sheen.
On a word of command, a dozen skulls detach
themselves from the girdle and grow to full human size, floating in warped
patterns around the girdle’s owner with strange lights glowing and fluxing in
their eyes. They function much like the Dolorous Reflection spell, catching
missiles in their teeth or deflecting them away, though never hurling the
missiles back at those firing them. The skulls do not attempt to interfere with
hand-to-hand combat. They continue to float around their master until he
commands them to return to the girdle or until the end of the scene.
Golden Bird Of Sunlight (Artifact •••)
One of Vanileth’s gifts, each of these
small gilded birds is propelled by Vanileth’s magic. They are each small enough
to sit in the palm of the hand and are easily concealed. An Exalt can hold one
and whisper a message to it and to whom it needs to tell the message. The bird
will then fly off at 100 miles per hour and, if the person can be found within
Creation, will find her. It cannot follow people into shadowlands, the Wyld,
Yu-Shan, the Underworld or a well-guarded Manse.
Once it has found its target, the bird will
perch in the person’s hand and whisper its message to her. It will repeat it
twice if asked and then wait for a return message. If there is none, it will
wait for five minutes and then fly back to the person who sent it. The
Grand Daiklave (Artifact •••)
Sometimes called a battleblade or
foecutter, the grand daiklave is the ultimate expression of the philosophy
behind the reaver daiklave — you need no defense against a dead opponent.
Two-handed weapons with blades six-feet long and over a foot wide, it is only
the lightening effects of Essence that allow these weapons to be wielded at
all. Even bolstered by resonance, only the physically strongest among the
Exalted can wield these deadly weapons, and even they swing them with both
hands. Though they were never popular, even in the First Age, there have always
been those willing to sacrifice defense and speed for the ultimate in killing
power. Most grand daiklaves bear settings for three Hearthstones.
Gunzosha Combat Armor (Artifact •••)
Gunzosha armor was the pinnacle of
artifacts designed for use by mortals in the First Age, intended to give elite
units the ability to operate on the attack with Exalted and stand a chance of
survival. This ability came at a great cost, however, and today, few are
willing to undergo the risks to enjoy the benefits.
Gunzosha armor is equivalent in protection
to a suit of articulated plate and provides a number of benefits. The armor
conceals the wearer when desired (+4 dice to all Stealth dice pools), doubles
the wearer’s ground speed and protects him from diseases and poisons (+2 dice
on all Resistance checks). Enchantments allow the wearer to recover quickly
from minor injuries, regaining one bashing health level per turn. Further
enchantments steady the user’s hand in combat (+2 on all attacks and parries),
and enhances his strength (+2 Strength for purposes of damage and lifting).
Before first donning this armor, the wearer
must undergo a complex series of rituals over a period of a month, culminating
in the implantation of amulets at major pulse points — at wrists, shoulders,
hips and knees and at the back of the neck. This surgery requires a Dexterity +
Medicine roll, difficulty 3 — in order to perform the surgery, the surgeon must
have both Medicine and Occult at ••• or higher. Failure indicates an
unsuccessful implantation, and the wearer must spend one month recovering for
every success the surgeon fails to achieve. A botch doubles recovery time and
destroys the amulets (Repair 4 to rebuild the amulets), and the implantee’s
player must make a Stamina + Resistance roll, with a difficulty equal to the
number of 1s rolled on the botch +1, or the character dies.
The amulets help the user to control the
armor and drain his Essence into it to power it. This has little immediate
effect in game terms — but the wearer ages at twice the normal rate while the
amulets are implanted. For this reason, the Seventh Legion requires that no
gunzosha serve for more than a decade. There is a permanent link between the
wearer and his armor that can be traced if the two are separated.
Gunzosha armor worn by an Exalt requires
the commitment of 5 motes. Like ashigaru armor, gunzosha combat armor is forged
of several Magical Materials and can be used equally by all Exalts, but it
provides no additional bonuses. Gunzosha armor requires maintenance every 100
hours of operation. Every 20 hours of missed maintenance cuts the effects of
one power in half.
Gyroscopic Chakram (Artifact •••)
The most widely used and feared thrown
weapons of the Alchemical Exalt, these chakram appear as metal disks
approximately six inches in diameter with five holes spread for gripping.
Alchemicals normally carry these weapons strapped to the small of their backs
or against the side of their thighs for easy access.
When hurled by its attuned owner (5 mote
commitment), a gyroscopic chakram comes to life. Clockwork mechanisms deploy a
ring of three-inch blades from the edge that spin at high velocity. More
impressively, the weapon banks and adjusts its path to follow its quarry.
If a gyroscopic chakram misses its intended
target as a result of a dodge or parry, it swoops back for another attempt on
the following turn. It always acts at initiative 20, using a pool of 10 dice to
hit (its own accuracy is factored into that pool). It continues hunting the
same target every turn until it hits or botches, in which case it strikes an
unintended target like a wall or innocent bystander and remains lodged. Upon striking
its intended target, the disk rips through or slices past as appropriate,
flying in a smooth arc that brings it to its owner’s hand at the end of the
turn. The weapon also returns in this fashion if any attack roll fails for any
other reason than the target dodging or parrying, including situations where
the target moves outside the maximum possible range of 90 yards from the
weapon. If the owner wishes to abort an attack, either to spare a hunted target
or because he deems another target more immediately threatening, he may simply
stretch out his hand as a reflexive action, and the disk breaks off its attack
and returns at the end of the turn. When returning to its master, the weapon
accelerates and can fly any distance. If the chakram becomes lodged as a result
of a botch, it must be manually retrieved. Additional powers of a gyroscopic
chakram depend on the Magical Material used to make it. Alchemicals of the
wrong caste double attunement as normal.
In addition to their use as ranged weapons,
gyroscopic chakram may also be used in close-combat as saws. Used in this
fashion, they receive the normal Magical Material bonuses for melee weapons.
Adamant blades inflict piercing damage. Alchemicals have developed an entire
Celestial-level martial art based on paired use of these weapons known as
Thousand Wounds Gear Style. Practitioners are noted for their calculated
efficiency at delivering killing or maiming slashes and for interposing their
disks as shields to deflect attacks.
Warstrider-scaled versions of these weapons
also exist, with a diameter of a yard and a commitment cost of 8 motes. The
closest non-magical equivalent is a gear-shaped chakram with sharpened edges
and similarly pentagonal finger holes that can be wielded with the statistics
of a wind-fire wheel in close combat.
The Hammer Of The Damned (Artifact •••)
This giant goremaul of white jade was
crafted by a Dragon-Blooded mastersmith who was horrified by the existence of
Oblivion and swore that he would give the last of his existence in an attempt
to destroy the grave-prison chains used by the Deathlord. While he has not been
heard of for centuries (though some claim to have seen a shield with his
screaming face embossed on it in the Silver Prince’s armories) his work
endures.
Not only does this jade goremaul function
as a normal weapon in battle, but it is also capable of shattering grave-prison
chains. If the owner uses it to crush the five stones that ornament the
shackles, then the chains themselves fall from the prisoner’s neck, wrists and
ankles. Each stone requires that the wielder of the Hammer of the Damned
succeed in an attack on the wearer of the chains and do at least one level of
bashing damage to the victim, who can choose not to dodge or activate any sort
of automatic defenses. If this reduces the victim to zero health levels in the
process, then at least she goes to Lethe, with the chains broken.
Hand Snare Chains (Artifact •••)
This fragile-seeming tangle of soulsteel
chains encircles the wrist like a bracelet, with thin links running to rings
that circle each of the fingers, seeming no more than an exotic decoration. If
the owner commits 5 motes of Essence to attune herself to it, she will find
that it fits her perfectly, whatever her size or build. More importantly, at a
moment’s notice, she can point at someone within 10 feet and have the chains
jump from her hand to wrap around the victim and snare him.
The victim’s player may attempt to roll his
character’s Perception + Dodge against the wielder’s Dexterity + Occult in an attempt
to evade the chains, with appropriate penalties for already being restrained or
for being taken by surprise. If the target is caught by the chains, they
thicken to the size and thickness of grave-prison chains and wind around him in
order to immobilize him, with a single length of chain going back to the
wielder’s hand. Like grave-prison chains, the hand snare chains prevent the
victim from spending Essence or using Arcanoi. The chains return to their
normal size and free their captive in an hour’s time or whenever the wielder
may desire it before then.
The Holy Writ Of Twilight (Artifact •••)
This massive tome looks gold and gleaming
as new, but it is centuries old. Pure orichalcum is weaved through the cover of
this lost book from the First Age. It fell into the hands of a Twilight Caste
Solar Exalt when she stole it from some Immaculate monks. Their pursuit of her
alerted the Cult to her existence, and she and the book landed safely in the
Cult’s training camps. The book is useless in the hands of any but those Solars
of the Twilight Caste; it attunes to whoever is reading it with 3 motes and
increases that Solar’s Occult Ability by 2 for the next hour (to a max of 7).
If a non-Twilight Caste read it, they would discover the sorcery initiation diaries
of 10 First Age Solars, a priceless historical account in itself.
Honey Of The Bees
OF Zarlath (Artifact •••)
This honey is
taken from the bees that swarm in the gardens of Zarlath, long since lost to
the ravages of the Wyld. Those who have read the ancient histories of the First
Age know that those bees took the nectar from roses that only bloomed by
sunlight and oleanders that only bloomed by moonlight. The honey that they
stored in their hives gives speech to the dumb or surpassing eloquence to those
born with speech (+3 to all Social Abilities for one hour). It can temper the
finest of blades, giving them an edge of great quality. And it can also be used
in the forging of strings for lyres and multichords.
Zarlath is hidden
deep in the Wyld, protected by the automated defenses of long-dead Exalted, and
the marble crumbles while the onyx tiles are grown over with moss. Once a year,
the bees journey beyond its walls and through the Wyld to civilized lands, to
gather nectar from sane flowers, before returning. If they are followed, they
can lead the way to their hives, from which an Exalt might attempt to steal
their honey. Many have attempted it, but few have returned.
Industrial Exoskeleton (Artifact •••)
This humanoid frame of steel and magical
alloys stands close to 12 feet tall and is covered in plates of armor over
clanking clockwork machinery. Thick backward-bending legs end in articulated
plate claws for maximum leverage and balance, while the surprisingly dexterous
arms boast long, four-part vice pincers able to accommodate a broad range of
grip configurations. Its blocky head is an empty cage faced with a shatterproof
glass window. A human or Essence 2-3 Alchemical can climb into the exoskeleton
and wait five minutes while the machine automatically coils a web of artificial
leather straps around her body. At the conclusion of this process, a long
needle enters the pilot’s back and threads a wire filament up into her brain.
While painful, this process does not actually inflict damage. Once fully plugged
in, the pilot can commit 8 motes or 2 Willpower points (for beings unable to
channel Essence) to make the exoskeleton an extension of her own body. This
cost is in addition to the fact that the suit needs a two-dot Essence capacitor
installed in order to function at all. When worn, an industrial exoskeleton
provides the following advantages and disadvantages:
Augmented Strength: The suit adds 12 to the character’s
Strength rating for the purposes of lifting, breaking and other feats of
strength, as well as damage from attacks powered by physical strength. The
joints can lock in place, allowing the exoskeleton to hold a lifted object
indefinitely.
Protection: The exoskeleton counts as armor with a soak
of 12L/12B (hardness 6L/6B), mobility penalty -8 and fatigue value 2. Models
without armor plating also exist for low-hazard environments. These have soak
6L/6B (no hardness), mobility penalty -3 and fatigue value 1. Slow: Heavily
armored models of this suit halve the user’s ground speed and cannot jump or
climb. Lighter models reduce ground and climbing speed to 3/4 of normal and
halve jumping distance. Neither model can tread water, and both variants sink
like rocks if the pilot is foolish enough to try.
Upkeep: After 25 hours of use, the components of an exoskeleton
require calibration and adjustment by a trained technician with Lore, Occult
and a pertinent Craft focus at •••. For every five hours the machine is past
due on maintenance, its Strength bonus cumulatively decreases by 1. Once the
bonus drops to 0, the frame is paralyzed until it undergoes servicing.
Maintenance takes an hour of work and requires specialized tools valued at
Resources •••. With every fifth maintenance, certain delicate components and
gears must be replaced as part of the upkeep, also costing Resources ••• (••••
in Creation outside of a large city).
Infinite Weapon (Artifact •••)
Originally designed for those who wanted to
travel light, rangers find them invaluable — a single infinite weapon replaces
an arsenal, reducing the rangers’ load and facilitating their ability to move
unobserved.
In its normal state, the infinite weapon
resembles a mace of some sort, with a perfectly spherical head of one of the
Five Magical Metals, an arming strap made of woven steel as supple and soft as
a silken cord and a counterbalance made of some precious stone (often a ruby).
With the expenditure of 1 mote of Essence, however, the wielder can cause the
weapon to shift to any of its other forms as a simple action. (The weapon
cannot be used in the turn that it is shifting shape.) Shifting back into its
normal state is a reflexive action and takes no time.
An infinite weapon requires a commitment of
6 motes to function. Each has a portfolio of about 10 distinct weapons it can
shift form into, in addition to the basic mace form. Infinite weapons do not
come with a supply of ammunition — arrows must be supplied separately. Infinite
weapons receive the following modifications to whatever weapon form they take,
as well as the Magical Material bonus for their composition.
Lightning Chain (Artifact
•••)
The lightning
chain is one of the most difficult and widely acclaimed martial arts weapons of
the First Age. Lightning chains are 10-foot lengths of enchanted metal links
remarkably sensitive to Essence. In the hands of an Exalted, a lightning chain
can alter its form in response to the wielder’s will. When used in battle, the
chain can be charged with 2 motes of Essence, allowing it to perform variety of
unusual feats. Charging a lightning chain with Essence is a Reflexive Action.
Although the chain
normally does bashing damage, if charged with Essence, the metal crackles with
electricity and can be commanded to do lethal damage, blades of pure Essence
form along the chain’s length. Charging the chain with Essence also allows its
wielder to alter the length of the chain during that same scene. An
Essence-charged state allows the chain links to slip against each other so that
the chain can vary in length between 2 and 20 feet, depending on the desire of
the Exalted character using it. Once the scene is over, the chain remains at
its final length until it is charged again. Exalted who carry this weapon often
shorten it and wear it as a belt. When lengthened, this weapon can strike
targets up to 20 feet away without penalty.
In addition to
striking, the wielder can also wrap the chain around a target. This type of
attack is made at +1 difficulty against normal opponents, and at normal
difficulty against stationary targets like tree limbs. If wrapped around an
opponent, the user may attempt to knockdown the target by making a Strength +
Melee roll resisted by the target’s Dexterity + Resistance. The target receives
+1 difficulty to her roll if she is mounted or on slick or unstable terrain.
In addition,
characters can attempt to enwrap the target’s weapon, leg or arm. All such
attacks are made at difficulty 3. Entangling a target’s weapon imposes a +2
penalty on its use and allows the chain-wielding character to attempt to disarm
the target. Entangling a leg limits the target to a maximum movement of 10 feet
per turn and gives him a +2 penalty on any rolls to avoid being knocked down.
Entangling the target’s weapon arm gives the target a +2 penalty for all
actions using that arm, but does not allow the character wielding the chain to
make disarming attacks any more easily than normal.
When charged with
Essence, the chain can also be commanded to lock itself around whatever it has
entangled. In this state, the chain can only be removed by breaking it. If the
chain is not locked, a target enwrapped in it can free himself by making a
Dexterity + Athletics roll at difficulty 3. This attempt takes a full turn and
the character can take no other action while freeing himself.
Breaking a
lightning chain requires a Strength + Athletics roll at difficulty 6 or an
attack by any magical weapon that does at least 7 health levels of lethal
damage to the chain. Lightning chains possess a lethal soak of 7. In addition
to their other benefits, lightning chains are extremely easy to climb. Using a
lightning chain when climbing removes all difficulty penalties from that
activity. Lightning chains require the user to commit 5 motes of Essence to
them, in addition to the Essence used to charge the chain.
Loathsome Osseous Shell (Artifact •••)
Developed by the Mask of Winters as his
answer to the gunzosha fielded by the Seventh Legion, a loathsome osseous shell
similarly protects and enhances the combat prowess of its wearer. The Deathlord
usually issues these devices to nemissaries or elite mortal troops created
through brutal applications of the Charm Hardened Killer Training Style. The
Mask of Winters has sold the designs to several of his peers, although none of
them have yet fielded units equipped with the artifacts.
This frightening necromantic armor takes
the form of a metal and bone exoskeleton that automatically resizes itself to
the measurements of its master when first donned. A steel-reinforced spine and
sternum support white ribs curved around the chest, while rigid bones extend
like grotesque splints along the legs and arms. A skull-helmet fits snugly over
the wearer’s head, its gaping sockets fitted with lenses of smoky obsidian that
hide all traces of life or empathy. Finely articulated gauntlets transform the
wearer’s fingers into skeletal claws. Throughout this elaborate framework,
plates and hinges of blackened steel and enchanted alloys cover all vital
areas. The design exposes more flesh than prudence would advise, but
enchantments in the armor give the wearer’s skin the ashen pallor and leathery
resilience of the walking dead. Each loathsome osseous shell is an undead
creature animated by the spell Walking War Machine, a necromantic symbiont that
coordinates its movements and monstrous strength to improve the wearer’s
physical capabilities. To facilitate its connection with a wearer, the armor
inserts a slender metal spike into the back of her neck, siphoning Essence to
forge an arcane link.
The Map Of Azure
Victory (Artifact •••)
Almost every Dawn
Caste who hears of this item desires it. Anyone using this map can clearly see
the terrain and the troop movements occurring around her in battle. Spending 5
motes of Essence activates this map for a full day. Once activated, the map’s
mirror-smooth silvery surface reshapes itself into representations of every
feature of terrain within two miles of the user. In addition, the map indicates
the locations of all troops and civilians with various colors of jeweled sand
that glide gently from compartments concealed within the artifact. Each grain
of sand represents a single soldier or civilian. Troops allied with the caster
always appear as bright azure sand, civilians are white, and the user verbally
assigns enemy and neutral troops any of the remaining six colors. Grains of
sand representing Exalted or other magical beings glow. Different colors and
intensities of glow indicate different types of beings. The map is a relatively
thin, two-foot square of solid silver. It weights 10 lbs. and can fold down to
a block 8 inches on a side and 1 inch thick. It can only be used with fully
unfolded. Legend claims that six such maps were created, and the armies of the
Realm are known to have two. The fate of the other four maps is unknown.
Mimic Skin (Artifact •••)
Mimic skin is an impressive product of
Dragon King alchemy used by scouts and assassins of the First Age. It is a
viscous globule of transparent fleshy material held within a small, cylindrical
orichalcum container. The infusion of 3 motes of Essence brings the globule to
“life,” causing it to expand in size and spill out of its container. The
character who expended the Essence may then move closer to the expanding mass
and allow it to “crawl” over him. Within seconds, the transparent material will
completely cover a normal-sized person from head to foot. Because it is
transparent, the person can still see. The same is true of all other senses. He
can likewise breathe, even though the material has also covered the mouth and
nose of the character who now “wears” it.
While wearing it, the material mimics its
surroundings, creating an effective camouflage. Anyone attempting to see a
character wearing an active mimic skin suffers a four-dice penalty to his
player’s Perception + Awareness rolls, provided the wearer stays perfectly
still. If the wearer is moving, the penalty is reduced to two dice. Mimic skin
stays active for a period of three days after being infused with Essence, after
which it must regenerate its substantial matrix within its container for three
more days before it can be activated again.
Mirror That Looks Upon Its Twin (Artifact
•••)
These hand-mirrors are always linked in
pairs: One of the pair is black iron ornamented with pallid orichalcum, while
the other is solid gold chased with glistening soulsteel. They form a
convenient two-way link for communication between the Underworld and Creation.
When they are activated, the holder of the first mirror can see and hear all
that is reflected in the second mirror, and vice versa. They are fine tools for
the spies, ambassadors and assassins employed by Deathlords.
To activate his mirror, the holder smears
his blood onto the mirror’s surface in the shape of the sigil embossed on the
back of the mirror. This act, together with an expenditure of 5 motes of
Essence, opens a channel to the other mirror. The holder may see everything
that is currently reflected in the other mirror and hear everything in its
vicinity. Of course, if the other mirror is in a bag or a sealed chest, the
view is somewhat uninteresting. Spies using these mirrors often arrange set
times to communicate, in order to ensure that someone will be waiting by the
other mirror of the pair. The black-iron mirror must always remain in the
Underworld or in a shadowland during night or Calibration, while the gold
mirror must always remain in Creation. If either is brought across into the
area that is antithetical to it, both mirrors crumble into dust. Likewise, if
one mirror is destroyed, the other, wherever it may be, also flies into shards.
Mirrors Of
Illusion-Shattering (Artifact •••)
These two mirrors
were crafted long ago by one of the greatest Twilight smiths, hammered out of
moonsilver and faced with orichalcum, with the smith’s own mon interlaced on
the back with that of his Lunar lover. They are small things, the size of a woman’s
hand-mirror, and they would serve as such perfectly well. However, their true
use is to penetrate illusions. Someone who looks into one of these mirrors will
see the true images of all things reflected therein. Although Charms, glamours
and other magical illusions will remain in force, the true identity of the
person will clearly visible in the reflection.
This mirror also
has a more aggressive use. If the illusion-shielded person is forcibly
presented with the mirror, so that she sees her own true reflection, the Charm
or sorcery that she is using immediately shatters, leaving her obvious true
nature. The mirrors were separated long ago when the smith and his lover were
slain, but they have a tendency to turn up together or to find their way together.
These artifacts do not affect shapeshifting, Lunar or otherwise, that
physically changes the being, rather than changing what she seems or appears to
be.
Myrmidon Carapace (Artifact •••)
Front-line Mountain Folk infantry wear a
distinctive suit of articulated jade and alloy armor optimized for efficiency,
durability and mass production. This armor covers the wearer’s body in
interlocking riveted plates held in place with a web of self-locking harnesses
and clasps. The thick breastplate, bracers, greaves and pauldrons have imposing
thickness and organic curves resembling the exoskeleton of an insect, with the
remainder of the armor thinner and more flexibly designed like reptile scales.
The masked helmet covers the entire head, its face empty of any discernible
features besides a slight bulge over the mouth and narrow eye slits inset with
translucent crystal lenses.
The Myrmidon carapace provides substantial
protection, but its chief advantages lie in the integrated enhancements. The
crystal lenses in the mask duplicate the effects of an Essence-scrying visor
(Artifact • version), save that the night-vision effect is constant and
requires no Essence infusions to maintain. The helmet also contains a small
echo jewel permanently set in an internal socket beside the left ear (Artifact
• version). The helmet itself serves as a physical conductor to establish links
with other echo jewels. Finally, the helmet incorporates a voice distorter and
filtration system that duplicates a mask of pure breath, The commitment cost
for the communication and filtration system is subsumed into the attunement
cost of the armor as a whole. Beyond its helmet, a Myrmidon carapace augments
its wearers Strength by one dot for the purposes of inflicting damage, lifting
and other feats of Strength. This armor costs 5 motes to attune and counts as
jade for the purposes of attunement, but its alloyed components do not receive
the jade Magical Material bonus. Once attuned, a Myrmidon carapace resizes
itself to perfectly fit its new owner.
While extremely durable, Myrmidon carapaces
need regular maintenance in order to continue functioning at peak efficiency.
After every 100 hours of use (each hour of combat or other strenuous use counts
as two hours), the suit needs two hours of overhaul and recalibration of its
joints. This upkeep requires a technician with Craft (First Age Weapons) ••
using a combination of metallurgical and thaumaturgical components costing
Resources •• in Mountain Folk lands, Lookshy or similarly advanced regions and
Resources ••• elsewhere. If maintenance becomes necessary in the middle of a
scene, the suit continues to function normally using attuned Essence until the
scene ends. For every 10 hours of missed maintenance, the armor randomly adds
one to its mobility penalty or fatigue value (to a maximum rating of 3 in
either) or it loses one power (optical enhancement, filtration, communication
or strength boost). After 80 missed hours, the suit’s joints freeze completely,
and the armor becomes useless. Most members of the Warrior Caste know how to
maintain their own armor and keep toolkits with components sufficient for two
repairs strapped to their upper thighs.
Necklace Of Solar Charisma (Artifact •••)
This necklace consists of a series of
golden circular crystals connected by slender orichalcum chains. When the
wearer puts it on and attunes it by committing 3 motes of Essence, he becomes
infused with a small fraction of the Unconquered Sun’s majesty. As a result, he
becomes supernaturally attractive and charismatic, adding three dice to all
Charisma and Appearance rolls. In addition, everyone with a permanent Essence
less than the wearer’s regards the wearer as attractive and does not find him
in any way odd or disturbing.
If a Dragon King with an Essence of 3 wears
this necklace into a city, every mortal and all other beings with an Essence of
2 or less will regard the Dragon King as a perfectly normal and attractive
individual. They will all know that they are looking at a large bipedal lizard,
but seeing such a creature will be a cause for wonder, not of fear or disgust.
No one affected by this item will ever attack the wearer simply for looking
monstrous and deadly. However, someone can still attack the wearer out of
greed, anger or any other reason that does not involve the wearer’s appearance.
Beings with an Essence equal or greater than the wearer see her normally, but
the wearer’s player can still roll three extra dice when making Appearance and
Charisma rolls directed at them. This necklace has a setting for a single
Hearthstone. The crystals in this necklace are all inscribed with images of the
Unconquered Sun. Loyal followers of the Immaculate Dragons would never consider
wearing such an item.
Night Mother Doll (Artifact •••)
The first of these artifacts was made for a
princess who died while still very young, whose grieving parents wanted her to
be cared for in the Underworld until they should join her there themselves.
Others have been produced since, but they still remain rare commodities and are
highly priced in Sijan or similar communities. A night mother doll looks like a
normal large doll when inactive, with its face and hands carved from
articulated jade and its body swathed in long drapes of silk. These dolls are
always adult females and can normally be identified as belonging to a
particular culture or background.
When called on by their owners, they grow
to the size of an adult and have the statistics of a jade effigy, though they
carry no weapons. They will obey any command given by their owners. While a night
mother doll is capable of fighting, it can also cradle its owner in its arms
and hold her through the night or sit by her bedside and watch patiently over
her. A doll can also carry its owner while traveling or lift her over
obstacles. It can remain in full adult form for as long as is necessary, even
for centuries on end. However, if its owner enters Lethe or falls to Oblivion,
the doll returns to its small form and remains that way till claimed again.
A doll can only be owned by a ghost child
who lived less than 10 years, however long he or she may have been dead and in
the Underworld. However much an older ghost may attempt to attune to a doll
that falls into his hands, it simply will not work.
Pale Bees Of The Ghostly Hive (Artifact
•••)
These bees are creatures of darkness,
striped with shadow and pale gold like nightmare ghosts of real insects. While
dormant, they dwell inside a honeycombed piece of white jade the size of a
man’s fist. When they are called upon, they come swarming out of their hive in
a flurry of dark wings, buzzing like a death-rattle, and rip at the flesh of
their opponents, before carrying the remnants back with them to the hive. They
do damage as would a casting of the spell Death of Obsidian Butterflies except
that the user rolls Perception + Awareness (rather than Perception + Occult).
Attacks on the swarm have no effect. The Hive itself must be destroyed to kill
them, and it requires five levels of lethal damage to shatter it.
The bees return to their hive with
imperceptibly tiny pieces of ghostly flesh, storing these remains deep inside
the hive’s twisted passages. When they have collected 20 health levels worth of
lethal damage, the remnants inside the hive distil into a rich onyx liquor that
works only upon the dead but will restore five health levels of damage
instantly when it is drunk (it can be divided into separate doses). This liquid
can be tipped out of the hive and stored elsewhere. The bees will not produce
another dose until the first one has been removed. While the bees may be called
as often as required, they must be called at least once a month, or they will
turn on each other in a cannibalistic frenzy and slay one another, and the hive
itself will wither and fall to dust.
Perfected Flame (Artifact •••)
Each of these torches begins as the horn of
a Fair Folk cataphract’s fell unicorn mount. Cold jade, made liquid through
sorcery, drips onto its surface over the course of a year, slowly suffusing the
spire with its Essence. Each morning and each night, the crafter tells stories
to the horn, and this is the first and last time each story is ever told. The
horn is then plunged into a vat full of the ashes of a burned-out star, still
white with a heat that can turn steel instantly to mist. If it survives, it is
a perfected flame.
Only those with the Glowing Coal Radiance
Charm can attune a perfected flame to their anima. This requires a 5 mote
commitment. A perfected flame functions as a jade dire lance. In addition, if
the character reverses the weapon and spends 5 motes of Essence, the thicker
end ignites in a brilliant radiance that lasts the remainder of the scene. The
character thereafter benefits from Glowing Coal Radiance.
Further, for each point of temporary
Willpower she spends, she can either extend this Charm’s protection to one ally
or add 1 to the difficulty of an opponent’s reflexive Willpower tests against
the Charm. For example, protecting two allies and adding 2 to the difficulty of
such tests would cost a total of four points of temporary Willpower. These
benefits remain in force for the entire scene. Blind opponents and opponents
who close their eyes ignore the abilities of the perfected flame, but suffer
the normal penalty of two fewer successes on all attack rolls.
Most of these weapons are held by the
Company of Messengers.
Phantom Mantle (Artifact •••)
This translucent mantle is barely visible.
Woven from wool as pale as crystal and clasped with an onyx brooch, it covers
the wearer from head to foot, whatever his height. When it is donned and the brooch
clasped, if the wearer chooses to expend 5 motes of Essence, he becomes
immaterial for the duration of the scene. He can pass through wood and metal
and rock alike, but is balked by jade (or by any of the other Magical
Materials). He is also affected by Charms and sorcery and by fire. He is as
immaterial to the Underworld as a ghost normally is within Creation.
A person wearing a phantom mantle is still
visible and audible, even if he has activated its magical powers. He can choose
to end the effect before the scene is over, if he so desires. While he can walk
through the ordinary dead, he cannot pass through one of the Abyssal Exalted —
and is, indeed, advised not to try. The mantle is too thin and fragile to serve
as armor and is destroyed by three or more levels of bashing damage.
Powerbow Of
Perfect Accuracy (Artifact •••)
While most
powerbows are merely tools that allow Exalted to shoot arrows with deadly
force, this bow is enchanted far beyond the normal level of magic working into
such constructs. When firing this weapon, the user suffers no environmental
penalties. As long as the target is within range, the attacker can fire a shot
while standing on one foot with her eyes closed and still hit the target on a
normal attack roll. Even at night, or when unable to see normally, the user
instinctively knows exactly how to aim the arrow. This weapon eliminates all
increases in difficulty, but does not eliminate reductions in dice pools,
including those caused by taking multiple actions.
Using this bow places
the wielder in a light trance that makes it difficult to perform any other
actions. During any turn in which the character is firing this weapon, the
character’s dice pools for all other actions are halved (round down). This
penalty also applies if the character aborts his attack and attempts to defend
himself. Often, the most effective defense by a character using this weapon is
to shoot at his attacker, as such attacks suffer no penalty.
Raptor’s Wings (Artifact •••)
Most Haltans prefer to leap between trees
or use the extensive aerial walkways between cities, but a very few citizens of
the Republic have and can make use of raptor’s wings. These artifacts consist
of a long, thin piece of metal that stretches along the length of the user’s
arms and across his shoulders. To that strip is attached a complex weaving of
feathers, branches and fabric, usually with a depiction of Yesryk the Hawk God
or some other aerial spirit. A character wearing raptor’s wings can fly at 15
miles per hour for one hour per point of permanent Essence, after which the
wings must be hung up and left to recharge for one full day and night. Barely a
dozen sets of raptor’s wings exist, and crafting a set requires feathers from
Yesryk himself or some other spirit of flight. The Raptor’s Wings provide
+1L/+2B soak to the wearer in addition to the ability to fly. While the
character’s in flight, his player must roll Dexterity + Athletics at difficulty
2 before the character takes any other action (this roll is reflexive). If the
roll fails, the character can take no action that turn except remain in the
air. A botch on this roll means the wings become bent and the character
immediately plummets to the ground.
Razor Teeth (Artifact •••)
In its unused form, this artifact seems to
be a necklace strung with carved soulsteel incisors, modeled to resemble a
shark’s teeth. When claimed and placed against a would-be wearer’s mouth, it
painfully burrows into the flesh of her gums, displacing her natural teeth and
filling her mouth with razor-edged soulsteel. This attunement process requires
5 motes of Essence, which are permanently lost. Not only does this give the
wearer a bite attack (Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 5L [and Rate 1 for Exalted
Power Combat]), but it also allows the wearer to consume the flesh of her
enemies and strengthen herself in the process.
For every five health levels of lethal
damage that the user of the teeth manages to consume from her prey, she gains a
bonus of one die to her next roll involving Strength or Stamina, to a maximum
bonus of three dice. She must actually consume the flesh of her opponents, and
not simply rip them apart, in order to gain this bonus. This requires an extra
combat turn to eat the flesh that she has torn apart in her latest attack. Once
the bonus is spent, she can begin to accumulate dice again. These bonus dice
cannot be saved beyond the end of the scene.
Reborn Glacial
Rain (Artifact •••)
This knife appears
to be made of pure glacial ice, and it has a speed rating of +9, an accuracy
rating of +2, a damage rating of +7L and a defense rating of +0. The bearer of
this blade also gains some significant advantages in polar environments. All
Survival checks made in arctic terrain receives a three-die bonus, as do any
Resistance or Endurance checks related to survival in cold climes.
Reborn Glacial
Rain has a setting for a single Hearthstone. According to the tales, if it can
be found, this blade will be the second incarnation of a legendary weapon.
During the First Age, Glacial Rain was destroyed when Vaznia of the Night Caste
used its blade to slit the throat of one of the Yozis. It costs 5 motes to
attune to Reborn Glacial Rain.
Repeating Maggot-Caster (Artifact •••)
Loathsome even by ghostly standards, the
repeating maggot-caster is used only by the most depraved, sadistic and vicious
ghosts. Its use is outlawed in the cities of the dead, and only spectres and
the servants of the Deathlords use such weapons. Those who use them and are not
above the law are hauled off for the most imaginative tortures the dead can
devise. That being said, there are rather a lot of them in circulation, and
more come to light every day.
The repeating maggot-caster is a frame with
a grip on one end and a barrel projecting from the other. It is crafted from
soulsteel and marked with any number of hideous crests and spines. At the
center of a repeating maggot-caster is a rotating cylinder with multiple
chambers bored into it. Each chamber is home to a large, squirming, chittering
maggot. When the trigger on the cylinder is pulled, it fires one of the maggots
to a range of up to 50 yards. Repeating maggot-casters have a mount for a
soulfire crystal, and if the character has no better crystal or gem to mount in
it, it contains a six-point soulfire crystal. Each shot drains 1 mote from this
crystal, as well as firing one of the weapon’s six maggots.
If the projectile strikes its target, it
does no immediate damage. If the maggot strikes armor, it will scurry over the
target seeking flesh. Once it finds bare skin (at initiative 10 the next turn
if the target is wearing armor, immediately if the target is unarmored), the
hungry maggot burrows into its target, disappearing into the ghost’s unliving
flesh. It will remain there, worming its way through the ghost’s form and
devouring everything in its path, for as long as there is ghost-flesh for it to
feed upon. The maggot bullet does one level of aggravated damage for every
scene it remains in the target. Multiple maggots deliver multiple levels of
damage.
A character with Medicine 2 or higher can
cut them out, but she must succeed at a difficulty 3 Dexterity + Medicine roll
for each maggot removed, or do 3 automatic unsoakable levels of lethal damage
to the patient while removing the maggot.
Caster-maggots are grown by mortwights in
colonies on specially reshaped hungry ghosts. Obtaining replacement ammunition
for a maggot-casting cylinder is extremely difficult unless one has contacts
with the nephwracks or the Deathlords.
Ring Of Disguise (Artifact •••)
This item is an orichalcum ring set with a
transparent violet stone that shines with an inner opalescence. It can resize
itself to fit any mortal or Dragon King hand if the wearer commits 4 mote of
Essence to attune the ring. This ring allows the wearer to project intangible
illusions around herself. The only limit is that each illusion projected
requires the expenditure of 8 motes of Essence. This illusion lasts for a scene
and can be continued of the wearer simply spends another 8 motes of Essence.
This ring can create an illusion of any
person, Dragon King or other human-shaped and sized creature around the wearer.
This illusion can look like anyone the wearer chooses and is familiar with, but
it is merely a visual illusion. The wearer smells and sounds the same as
always, and anyone touching the wearer will instantly recognize that something
is wrong if the wearer feels too different from the image being projected (such
as a Dragon King disguising herself as a human).
Rosary That Feeds On Souls (Artifact •••)
The rosary that feeds on souls is a long
necklace of pearls that can be wound around the neck several times, with a
single soulfire crystal dangling as a pendant from it. It is a valuable tool
for warriors who run short of Essence mid-battle, as it can gather Essence
while they are slaying their enemies and store it in the soulfire crystal for
later use. Each time the wearer of a rosary slays another living being who has
at least one dot of permanent Essence, a mote of Essence enters the soulfire
crystal until it reaches its maximum. This Essence may only be used by the
wearer of the rosary and is automatically Death-aspected, like all Essence
stored in soulfire crystals. Victims must be slain with weapons or Charms or
bare-handed strikes and must be within 10 yards of the wearer of the rosary, or
no Essence will be gained from their deaths.
The amount of Essence that can be stored in
the soulfire crystal depends on its size. Since these rosaries are lightweight
and designed to be worn around the neck, the attached soulfire crystal usually
stores 5-10 motes, though ones large enough to hold 10 motes of Essence are
very rare and somewhat cumbrous. As the crystal fills, the pearls of the rosary
shift from pale luminous white to dead black in proportion to the amount of
Essence in the crystal, until, at last, the crystal is full, and the pearls are
all as black as the Abyss.
Saram Saru’s Oracular Hookah (Artifact •••)
Assumed to be of the Shogunate era, this
Southern-style water pipe stands about a yard tall. Although awkward to transport
when assembled, the jade and starmetal body of this apparatus separates into
seven pieces to be stored in its ironwood-and-jade-inlay box. According to its
Sidereal creator, Saram Saru, the water chamber of the device was fashioned
according to First Age talismanic principles and acts as a prism of sorts.
Effectively, the “prism,” when filled with pure water, grants its user
dreamlike visions that can provide a small measure of insight into the workings
of fate. When the Hookah is filled with any smoking mixture — tobacco,
marijuana, etc. — the inhalation of the fumes induce strong and detailed
visions of importance to the smoker. The visions, however, never reveal the
identities of the people in the vision, nor does the experience reveal whether
the vision is from the past or future. The player of the character using the
Hookah must make a successful Occult + Essence roll (difficulty 3) to
experience a genuine vision. A roll of five or more successes results in a
staggering vision of great significance to the character. A failed roll results
in a normal experience of whatever was smoked through the Hookah. Saram Saru’s
Oracular Hookah requires a commitment of 4 motes of Essence.
Sarcophagus Of Restoration (Artifact •••)
Carved of two heavy slabs of black marble
joined with hinged bands of soulsteel, these baroque coffins boast ornate
filigree wrought in Labyrinthine sigils. The dead and those who fall beneath
the shadow of death while yet living — the Ghost-Blooded, Abyssal Exalted and
their Half-Caste progeny — find the sarcophagi aesthetically pleasing and
gently cool to the touch. All others feel an ominous chill of dread at the site
of the morbid artifacts.
The effects of a sarcophagus of restoration
depend on what manner of being sleeps in it. If a ghost lies within the device,
the spirit immediately falls into Slumber as though the coffin were a Fetter.
When the ghost awakens, she receives one extra success on her player’s Stamina
roll for the ghost to heal. An Abyssal Exalt who rests within a sarcophagus of
restoration falls into a deep torpor like the Slumber of the dead. For eight
hours, all vital signs fade, and the deathknight hovers at the cusp between
life and death. At the end of this period, the Abyssal loses one dot of
Resonance. A deathknight without any accumulated Resonance instead adds one
success to his player’s Conviction roll for the Abyssal to regain Willpower.
Furthermore, the player receives a roll for the deathknight to regenerate
injuries like a Slumbering ghost, substituting Essence for Stamina.
Ghost-Blooded and Shadewalkers receive the same benefits as Abyssal Exalted,
save that they never have Resonance to lose. Other living beings also fall
comatose within the coffins, but the experience is extremely unpleasant.
Horrific nightmares plague their sleep, draining one point of Willpower and
forfeiting the usual Conviction roll to regain Willpower. Worse still, such
beings must fight to hold onto their sanity in the face of such horror, gaining
a derangement if their players do not make a successful Willpower roll. The
difficulty of this check starts at 1, but cumulatively increases by 1 with each
additional night spent in the artifact (resetting back to 1 after a full month
avoiding the coffin). Derangements imposed by these artifacts tend toward
psychosis and extreme moral degeneration. On the upside, living beings heal as
ghosts do, with a Stamina roll after each night of slumber. A mortally wounded
character placed within a sarcophagus will not deteriorate any further for as
long as she remains sealed within, but she must still heal back up to
Incapacitated through the regenerative power of the device. Finally, the
sarcophagus can actually mend the flesh of reasonably intact corpses placed
within it, siphoning away the touch of Oblivion to reverse decay and other
trauma. After every eight-hour period, roll two dice as if for Slumber. Rot
should be treated as lethal damage and always heals first, with the number of
levels of damage assigned by the Storyteller based on the condition of the
corpse. A nemissary who Slumbers within heals its borrowed body first, and does
not mend its own corpus until the flesh is fully repaired. Bodies stored in a
sarcophagus of restoration obviously do not decay further. Resisting the sleep
imposed by one of these coffins requires a successful Stamina + Resistance
roll, difficulty 3, every turn.
As long as it is housed within a Manse in
the Underworld or a shadowland, a sarcophagus of restoration requires no
additional power to function. Elsewhere in the lands of the dead, the device
requires a Hearthstone of any level set in its lid to operate. Substituting a
soulfire gem works just as well, but each eight-hour use drains 3 motes from
the gem. Within Creation proper, a sarcophagus must have a level-3+ Hearthstone
socketed on its lid or else an Essence-channeling being must touch the socket
and spend 10 motes in preparation for every cycle of Slumber.
Scabbard Of The
Living Weapon (Artifact •••)
This is an
elegantly worked sheath of red dragonskin and orichalcum, sized to fit a
daiklave or reaver daiklave. A character must attune himself to it, requiring 5
motes of committed Essence. Once this is done, it will magically be precisely
the right size for his daiklave, fitting it like a glove. Although it is an excellent
scabbard ― and will never need cleaning or mending ― its true
virtue lies in its protection of its owner. While the wearer’s daiklave is
sheathed, he is invulnerable to all non-magical damage: Weapons will turn
against his skin, clubs and rocks will bounce off him, and fires will prove
harmless to him. He can, however, be affected by magical weapons, Charms,
attacks augmented by Charms, spells, glamour and similar directed uses of
Essence. Once he draws his weapon, this protection is gone, and he may once
again be harmed by non-magical means as well as by magical ones.
Scourge Of Thorns (Artifact •••)
This scourge is forged from soulsteel and
modeled like a multi-stranded whip, but with each strand of the whip braided
from knotted wires and each wire contorted into spiky knots. Its butt has a
setting for a Hearthstone, and it has statistics of Speed +3, Accuracy +1,
Damage +3L, Defense +0 and requires a minimum Dexterity of 2. (If using Exalted
Power Combat, it is Speed +6, Accuracy +2, Damage +4L, Defense +0 and Rate 2.)
If the scourge is shaken and a mote of Essence is spent by the holder, its
strands brush and scrape against each other, producing a hideous whispering
sound that causes fear in all mortals within earshot (-1 die on attack rolls to
all those with Essence 1 or less).
If the scourge of thorns is cast to the
ground (a reflexive action), it springs up as a bush of steely black brambles,
which promptly encircles its user and all those within five yards of him,
rising in a dome five yards above their heads. This hedge is impervious to fire
or non-magical weapons, has a soak of 4L/8B and requires 10 levels of lethal
damage be administered to hack a hole in it in order to reach those within. (It
does not, however, protect those within it from fire, sorcery or adverse
weather conditions.) Anyone coming into contact with the hedge takes a level of
soakable lethal damage. The butt of the scourge remains protruding from the
ground at the center of the circle. If its owner takes hold of it and pulls it
from the ground, the scourge resumes its usual form, and the hedge vanishes.
The scourge itself is not damaged if someone hacks through its thorns to reach
those inside while it is in hedge form.
Shadow-Casting Gem (Artifact •••)
This black diamond is as dangerous to the
wielder’s allies as to his enemies. When he exposes it to the air and
pronounces a word of command, a brilliant light flares from the jewel, causing
all those within 20 yards except the wielder to cast a well-defined shadow
against the wall or floor. These shadows promptly come to life and attack their
owners, either barehanded or wielding shadows of their owners’ weapons. The
gem’s wielder cannot control the shadows in any way or spare anyone within the
area of effect, such as nearby allies.
The shadows have the same Physical Traits
as their owners, but no thought other than the urge to attack blindly. They
wear armor and carry weapons of the same type as their owners, but
without any powers. A shadow of some mighty enchanted daiklave would
simply be a daiklave — though it would still have edge and weight, it would not
gain Magical Material bonuses or anything more that its basic combat
statistics.
Each shadow has as many health levels as
the gem’s wielder has permanent Essence. The shadows cannot use Charms or
sorcery and do not possess the Ox-Body Charms of their casters. A shadow
vanishes if it kills its owner or if it is destroyed itself. The gem can only
be used three times in a single day. It flickers oddly if it is not stored in absolute
darkness.
Shock Gauntlet (Artifact •••)
The shock gauntlet is a large gauntlet
covered in what appear to be metallic leaves. Unlike more traditional
gauntlets, the shock gauntlet covers nearly the entire arm of the wearer, going
almost to his shoulder. Shock gauntlets were used by Dragon King troops before
the fall of Rathess, especially those associated with the worship of Leeayta,
the Lizard Queen. Even so, they were never very widespread, since their
construction was expensive and, in the hands of an untalented soldier, could be
quite disruptive to typical battle formations.
The usefulness of the shock gauntlet is
that it is a ranged melee weapon, as contradictory as that seems. The wearer
expends 1 mote of Essence and punches in the direction of his intended target,
his player making a normal Brawl or Martial Arts roll, just like an ordinary
unarmed attack. The target can be as far as 30 yards away from the wearer. If
the attack roll is successful, the gauntlet transmits the strength of the wearer’s
punch to the target, who suffers damage exactly as if he had been hit with a
normal unarmed attack. The shock gauntlet also enhances the wearer’s punches,
making them far deadlier than they otherwise would be.
Silken Armor (Artifact
•••)
This unusual cloth
was made by First Age artisans and used to make robes, tunics and other
articles of clothing, usually richly colored and decorated, suitable for formal
occasions of all sorts. Although the fabric has the weight and texture of silk
it is as strong as steel when struck, making even a light tunic, robe or cloak
of the stuff effective armor. Silken armor grants its wearer an additional 5
lethal and 3 bashing soak. It is the clothing of choice for those who need
protection but cannot be seen wearing obvious armor. This armor costs 6 motes
to attune, provides no magical materials bonuses, stacks with other forms of
armor, and cannot be detected as magical without the use of All-Encompassing
Sorcerer’s Sight, Measure the Wind or some other magic-sensing ability.
These ungainly apparatuses, portable
weather control systems, are so named for their resemblance to a mantis in
their active states. These items are in constant use throughout the Realm, and
some are in the possession of more prosperous Threshold governments. Anyone may
operate a sky mantis tower. A character attempting to make use of a tower must
make an Intelligence + Occult roll with a difficulty of 1. Each success on this
roll shifts the weather in a desired direction, with one success equivalent to
a shift of: 10 degrees in temperature, 15 miles per hour in wind speed, 15
percent of cloud cover or a half an inch of rainfall. Each success used to
shift the weather equals one hour of gradual changes in the climate and weather
patterns in the area. A sky mantis tower directly changes the weather for five
miles in every direction. For every additional five miles from the tower, the
effect is weakened by one success. The effects of the tower will fade over a
period of one success per week, though if the weather created through the use
of the tower is wholly unnatural for the region, this fade rate can be as fast
as one success per day or per hour.
A sky mantis tower, when folded and made
ready for storage or travel, is the size of a large horse and can be moved on a
normal wagon. An unfolded tower is approximately 12 feet tall and requires a
level, open area 15 yards in diameter to operate properly. It takes five
man-hours to unpack and set up a sky mantis tower and two man-hours to repack
it.
A sky mantis tower requires maintenance by
a character with Occult ••••, Lore •••• and an appropriate Craft ••• Ability
after every 100 turns of active use. This service requires at least a
professional-grade field workshop with tools valued at Resources •••• and
consumes Resources ••• worth of jade, reagents and other common materials.
Sling Bow Of Ice (Artifact •••)
The Sling Bow of Ice is a weapon that has
been used since the First Age of Man. They were once common, but time has claimed
most of them. Though the sorcerers and savants of the Realm can still create
them, their numbers are few. A sling bow resembles a normal bow, but instead of
arrows it fires bullets of stone or metal, like a sling. These particular sling
bows are fashioned of mingled black and blue jade carved with a fine tracery of
frost ferns. A bullet of black or blue jade fired from the weapon explodes on
impact into a cloud of snow and icy fog that sets everyone within 20 feet
shivering uncontrollably, no matter how warmly they are dressed, unless they
carry a bit of orichalcum or are protected by magic that shields them from
cold. It also coats the ground with a thin layer of slippery ice, making it
hard to remain upright.
A shot from the weapon also freezes bodies of
water to a depth of four to six inches in a 10-foot radius, depending on how
warm the water is. In the Great Eastern War, General Tepet Hala used this power
to move her legion across a river and take the Eastern army by surprise.
Sorcery-Capturing
Cord (Artifact ••• for Emerald, •••• for Sapphire, ••••• for Adamant)
This short piece
of rope, only a couple of yards long, is interwoven with threads of orichalcum
and moonsilver, giving it an unusual weight and strength, though it is thin and
flexible. There are three different variants of this cord: emerald, sapphire
and adamant. The types can be told apart by an experienced eye or by a savant
who knows the different weaves of the cords. One of the Exalted can use this
cord to trap spells that have been cast at him and then release them later
against his enemies. The user must stand in the path of the spell and loop the
cord into a knot, focusing on his wish to capture the power of the sorcery.
Assuming that the cord is of an equal or greater level of power to the spell
(emerald for
Spirit Sword (Artifact
•••)
This wand-like
weapon its wielder to perceive and attack all intangible opponents. When
attuned to and holding this sword, any Exalt can perceive ghosts and other
intangible spirits as vague, slightly luminous clouds. The limited perceptions
provided by this item do not allow the character to notice any details about
the spirit, merely its presence and location. However, this information is sufficient
for the wielder to attack such beings without penalty. Also, the wielder can
instantly discern if someone is possessed. A spirit in possession of an
individual appears as a glowing, misty outline around its victim. A large
gemstone in the pommel of a spirit sword glows whenever a possessed or
non-corporeal being comes within five yards of the weapon.
These slender
rapier-like blades are far more effective against spirits than against living
beings. When used against a spirit, a ghost or other non-corporeal being,
double the raw damage of any attacks made with this weapon. A spirit sword can
even be used to attack spirits that are possessing living beings. When
attacking a possessed target, the character can choose to strike with the flat
of the blade. Used in this fashion, the sword does normal bashing damage to the
target and twice that number of levels of lethal damage to the possessing
spirit. Using a spirit sword requires the wielder to commit 10 motes of Essence
to it.
Taming Muzzle (Artifact •••)
Sometimes, the Deathlords not only wish to
chain their slaves, but also wish to enforce absolute subservience on them and
deny them even any chance to dream of freedom. This twisted muzzle of
pitch-black soulsteel is bound around a victim’s face and across his mouth.
Soulfire crystals glint on either side of it, though they are usually dark
gray. A prisoner wearing a taming muzzle loses all ability to take independent
action. He is in a trance state, numbly obedient to his master (the owner of
the muzzle), though lacking the energy or capacity for thought to do more than
follow or stand still as he is ordered.
The taming muzzle has two states, however.
In the first state, the wearer is passive as described above, but in the second
state, the soulfire crystals glow bright scarlet, and the wearer goes into a
berserk state, attacking whoever his master may order. A prisoner of the muzzle
may use physical attacks or weapons but lacks the capacity of thought to use
Arcanoi, Charms or sorcery. He can remain in combat mode indefinitely while
attacking his designated targets, but if he goes for more than 10 minutes
without fighting, he relapses back into his trance state.
The taming muzzle is locked, and can be
released, with the touch of an engraved soulsteel ring that is created at the
same time as the muzzle to match it. Victims with Essence •• or less have no
chance of breaking free. Victims with Essence ••• to ••••• may try to break
free if they see some person to whom they feel a strong emotional connection or
if forced to watch scenes that they are strongly opposed to or to do battle at
their master’s command. They do so by an effort of will, their players rolling
a number of dice equal to the characters’ totaled Virtues against a difficulty
of their master’s Willpower. If their players score five or more successes, the
muzzles come loose and fall from them. A taming muzzle cannot hold victims with
Essence •••••• or more.
There is another way of removing a taming
muzzle, though scarcely anyone knows of it. If another person (willing or
unwilling) presses her lips against a muzzle in a parody of a kiss, the muzzle
comes loose and reknots itself around the other person’s head, freeing its
previous wearer.
The Tears Of The Harvest (Artifact •••)
Some gold does not come from the hard shine
of orichalcum, but instead, from the soft grains of wheat that feed the Realm.
Although most First Age Exalts had no concern for the mortals who fed them,
some held the farmers in high regard, knowing that, if they died, the Exalts would
have to sully their own hands with the menial labor. One Exalt, Onyx, felt this
keenly when he unwittingly led a battle through his own kingdom’s farmland.
When the ground was soaked with mortal blood, he realized no one would be left
to heal the land and work the farms. Out of respect for those who died in his
battle, he crafted the Tears of the Harvest, orichalcum bracers. His feeling
was that if the farmers had owned bows to defend themselves and had the
endurance to last the battle, things might have been different. Once the wearer
has committed 5 motes of Essence, he becomes attuned to the bracers. The Tears
of the Harvest have one empty Hearthstone setting and allow the wearer’s player
to subtract 4 from the difficulty of all Archery rolls (to a minimum difficulty
of 1).
Thieving Harness Of Servitude (Artifact
•••)
Jade effigies are among the most valuable
artifacts in the Underworld — is it surprising, therefore, that they are
targets for theft? This harness is plaited from thin black silk rope and
buckled with a soulsteel clasp, set with an Essence-containing gem. If he
fastens it around a jade effigy’s chest and over its shoulders, the owner of
this harness can compel the effigy to obey him instead of its proper owner.
Naturally, ownership of an artifact such as this is looked on extremely poorly
by any organization (such as the Dual Monarchy) that commands and depends upon
jade effigies.
The owner must place the thieving harness
of servitude on the target jade effigy and pour a pint of his own blood or
plasm over the gem at the center of the Harness. The gem then begins to glow
darkly red, and the jade effigy will obey him as it would previously have
obeyed its proper owner. Activating the harness requires one level of lethal
damage, though if the Harness’ owner wishes, he can drain off some of his blood
or plasm beforehand (up to a day before) and save it in a container of some
sort. He must thereafter continue to feed the gem with a pint of blood every
week, though the blood need not necessarily come from him in the future. Should
he omit to do this, the gem stops glowing, the harness falls from the effigy’s
shoulders, and the effigy itself returns to its prior allegiance.
Thorn Thrower (Artifact •••)
This unusual weapon consists of a thin flexible
branch four feet long that holds many large thorns near one end. The user must
commit 6 motes of Essence to use this weapon. The user can then cause the thorn
thrower to curl up into a six inch coil that can be easily and safely carried
on a belt. To use this weapon, the wearer normally flicks it like a whip at a
target. Several of the large, sharp thorns fly off of the end and strike the
target. These thorns are coated with an azure sap that promotes blood loss. In
addition to throwing thorns, the user can also use this weapon like a short
whip or chain to strike nearby opponents.
The Tongue Of The Eleven Demon Howl (Artifact •••)
Cut from the mouths of a creature that
dwell deep within the Labyrinth and bound with slivers of forged souls, the
tongue of the eleven demon howl is something that is more often forced upon a
ghost than accepted voluntarily. This is because even though the tongue brings
power, it also brings permanent agony. Once the tongue of the eleven demon howl
is inserted into its bearer’s mouth, it proceeds to devour the ghost’s real
tongue and then graft itself in the devastated organ’s place. This serves as
the attunement process, one that also requires 5 motes of Essence, which are
effectively lost forever.
Once it is in place, the tongue changes the
ghost permanently. Her voice becomes deep and guttural, her speech filled with
obscenities and blasphemies. On the other hand, there are benefits to
possessing the device. Most prominent among them is the ability to use, without
any training, the Arcanos Call the Ravening Hound three times per day. The
ghost is also now capable of bellowing loud enough to be heard for a mile in
any direction, deafening any within 100 yards whose players do not succeed on a
Stamina + Endurance roll (difficulty 2). It is a dice action that requires no
roll to bellow in this fashion.
Transcendent Phoenix Pinions (Artifact •••)
Many images dating from the purge of the
Anathema and earlier portray Fire-aspected Dragon-Blooded with fiery wings
extending from their backs. This artifact is the one responsible for those
images. Under normal circumstances, the pinions look like nothing more than a
harness made from red-scaled leather and embedded with studs of red jade. When
a Fire Aspect ignites her anima, however, two enormous wings of red fire unfurl
from the flames along her back, granting her the ability to fly. The Exalt must
channel one mote of Essence into the pinions per turn of flight, but they allow
her to travel through the air at incredible speeds (up to 60 miles per hour).
Expert flyers (of the kind not seen since the Great Uprising) have been known
to master techniques of rising high in the air and making devastating dive
attacks on opponents.
While flight is the wings’ primary
function, they can also block incoming attacks. Each wing gets five dice with
which to block an attack (treat this as an extra Dodge roll against attacks the
character can see coming).
Transcendent phoenix pinions were once
common among the soldiers of the Terrestrial Exalted. The few that have been
recovered and repaired have been effectively commandeered by the legions of
Houses Sesus and Cathak who use them for reconnaissance purposes on major
military campaigns.
The Ultimate Document (Artifact •••)
This rare and difficult to create artifact
is treasured by spies and bureaucrats who own one. In its unmodified form, this
item is a single piece of shimmering pearlescent parchment. It is difficult to
destroy, possessing a lethal and bashing soak of 2 each and two health levels
to destroy. This parchment cannot be marked or written on in any fashion.
However, if the user spends 5 motes of Essence, he can instantly transform it
into any document that he can imagine, even if the user has never seen an
actual copy of this document. All the user needs to do is to verbally state
what the document contains and then spend the Essence. For the next scene, the
artifact is an exact duplicate of the desired document, complete with all of
the appropriate signatures, wording and calligraphy. If the character states
that the document is a set of written orders from the Despot of Gem to release
a prisoner from slavery or a letter of introduction from a high official in the
Realm to the Syndics of Whitewall, anyone who looks at the document will see that
it is.
Since it is almost irreplaceable and
instantly reverts to its true form as soon as the scene is up, a sensible
character will not allow officials take the document to show it to others.
Also, this artifact cannot be used to make copies of official documents from
Yu-Shan. Documents written in Heaven are more refined and are made from
solidified prayers, so they cannot be duplicated as easily as mortal documents.
Ultimately Useful
Tube (Artifact •••)
In its normal
form, this item is simply a short hollow tube, slightly less than a foot long
and the diameter of an average finger. One end has a blue rim, while the other
has a red rim. In this form, it can be used as a crude flute. This tube can
also be used as a snorkel, a staff or a blowgun. Not only can the character
breathe freely through the snorkel, it also keeps out all waves and spray and
automatically lengthens as the character descends in the water, to a maximum
length of two yards.
To use this item
as a staff, the character must pull on the ends of the tube, until an inner
sleeve slides out. The tube can be expanded to a length of up to two yards. To
use it as a blowgun, the character need only expand it to a length of one yard.
At this point, whenever the character puts it to her lips, spends a mote of
Essence and blows, the weapon will fire a dart at a target. The darts created
by this artifact are poisoned with the type of poison depending upon which end
of the tube is being used. Blowing from the blue end fires a dart tipped with a
poison that produces unconsciousness, while blowing from the red end fires a
dart tipped with a lethal poison. Using this item for any purpose requires that
the character spend 4 motes of Essence to attune it to herself. Only someone
who has attuned this item can alter its length.
Urn That Voids Darkness (Artifact •••)
With this artifact, the owner can summon a
vast darkness, which will come spilling out of the open mouth of the urn like
smoke, filling any room in which it is opened within a single turn. All natural
lights (torches, candles, lanterns) are extinguished. Sorcerous lights are
dimmed to half their normal strength if affected by Sapphire Countermagic or
are extinguished for the duration if susceptible to Emerald Countermagic.
Stronger works of sorcery are unaffected. Solar anima flares and Caste Marks
burn with their usual strength. The room remains filled with darkness for as
long as the lid is off the urn. Once the lid is restored, the darkness ceases,
and any lights burn again or return to their normal strength.
The darkness does not go beyond the
boundaries of the room, however large or small the room may be. The artifact
can fill a single tiny attic with darkness or steal the light from a great
royal hall. If the urn that voids darkness is opened under other conditions,
such as in a maze of corridors or outside under the open sky, then it will
simply fail to function. Anyone looking inside under such conditions will see
that the urn appears to be full of unpierceable darkness that cannot be poured
or emptied away.
The urn itself, a small thing only one foot
wide and two feet high, is carved from onyx and inlaid with soulfire crystals
and is surprisingly light to carry. It is also fragile, and if broken, it is
utterly destroyed. Should this happen, a great gout of shadow comes rising out
of the shattered remains and hangs in the air for a moment, a plume of darkness
more than a mile high, before vanishing.
Virtue-Enhancing Flask (Artifact •••)
Virtue-enhancing flasks are among the
rarest commodities in the Underworld. Each appears as a small iron flask, often
decorated with inlaid symbolic patterns. They hold but a single draught and,
yet, are curiously heavy when full.
Attuning a Virtue-enhancing flask requires
its owner to wear it on her person for a day. Once that has happened, the
attunement lasts until it is worn by another individual for that length of
time, in which case the attunement swaps over. An unattuned flask produces no
Virtue and, thus, can easily be overlooked as a common drinking vessel.
Maintaining a functioning flask requires the commitment of 5 motes of Essence,
plus the expenditure of 2 more every time the flask needs to be refilled. The
liquid a Virtue-enhancing flask contains is clear and warm and, depending on
which Virtue it enhances, has a unique scent. This scent is only apparent once
the flask has been unstoppered, but once it has been, the odor quickly fills
the immediate vicinity.
In addition to possessing a strong scent,
the flask’s contents also have the ability to raise the appropriate Virtue
score of the drinker by one point, to a maximum of 5. This allows the ghost to
learn Arcanoi she might otherwise not be able to but does not add to Passions.
Should the ghost be lucky enough to possess more than one flask, he can drink in
series, achieving a greater temporary boost. However, the increase in Virtue
lasts for only one scene.
Each Flask contains only enough liquid for
one drink at a time and requires a day to regenerate its contents. Anyone
attempting to take a second draught from an empty flask will find themselves
with a mouthful of dust instead.
Ghosts using a flask to assist in learning
Arcanoi above and beyond their normal capabilities must take a drink from the
flask before any instruction begins and cannot receive any useful instruction
in the Arcanos once the drink’s effect has waned. As such, such training
necessarily takes a long time, as the student is only able to learn for a short
while each day. However, once the appropriate knowledge has been passed on, a
ghost doesn’t lose it even if her actual Virtue rating is below the minimum
threshold for that particular Charm. It is still available to her if she drinks
from an appropriate flask.
Walking Stone (Artifact •••)
Over the centuries, the Witches have
constructed a small handful of walking stones — artifacts that allow the dead
true interaction with the living world. Put in the Hearthstone setting for a
suit of artifact armor, these fist-sized drops of water from the forest pool
allow a dead character to move the limbs and gloves of the armor as if she was
physically inside.
The Witches call suits of armor so equipped
“Radiant Dragon Armor.” When a dead character wears such armor, she can act in
the reflected Creation without incurring the disapproval of Atsiluth Eternal’s
elders. This is a recommended option for players with dead characters.
On two occasions, the Forest Witches were
fortunate enough to seize a common warstrider. The dead of the city refused to
accept these artifacts as sacrifices, and instead, have set walking stones in
each of them. One of these suits normally stands guard at the major road into
the woods, red jade daiklave in hand.
Warstrider (Artifact ••• to •••••)
Perhaps one of the most impressive weapons
of warfare to emerge from the First Age were the warstriders — giant suits of
armor three times taller than a large man. Designed to serve the Exalted as
siege engines and in battles against behemoths and other large threats, these
weapons were never common and were wonders even in their own time. So hungry
for Essence are they that they cannot be driven by ambient Essence, but must
harness and divert the power of a powerful Hearthstone to operate, depriving
their operator of one of the benefits of a major Manse. Warstriders are
difficult and expensive to repair and require Exalted to wear them. As a
result, only the Realm holds significant numbers of these devices, though
Lookshy also operates a few, and there are several in the hands of outcastes.
The Realm employs its striders primarily as
propaganda weapons, parading them to terrify its subject peoples. However,
these devices do see field service and are deployed with the imperial legions
for sieges and when local auxiliaries cannot provide cavalry cover to legion
forces. Lookshy deploys several with every field force and uses them primarily
for combat engineering, though they also see service during sieges.
Despite their size and combat power,
warstriders are not the perfect weapon. They are demanding devices and require
constant maintenance from a skilled sorcerer. In addition, the strider’s wearer
must place a Hearthstone of at least level 3 in it to power it. This process
consumes all the stone’s magical power while it is in the fitting, and so, the
Exalt must forgo a powerful asset in order to activate the warstrider.
Also, in order to control the strider, the
Chosen must buckle herself into a complex harness of straps in the torso and
close the armor around her. The harness is sympathetically connected to the
arms and legs of the armor, which then mimic the pilot’s motions. While certain
motions such as walking can be triggered with abbreviated gestures, the whole
process is still very tiring. Thus, in addition to the considerable Essence
required to attune the warstrider, the Exalted must also commit Essence to
Charms that lighten the load of the armor or else face exhaustion from the
strain of operating it.
Finally, warstriders are huge. These armors
stand nearly 20 feet tall and weigh thousands of pounds. Though preternaturally
nimble from the investment of the wearer’s Essence, they are still prone to
sinking into soft surfaces and have problems dealing with human-scale targets
and with maintaining their balance on uneven terrain.
Yet, warstriders do have certain
advantages. The first, of course, is their immense combat power. Wielding
weapons far larger than what even the mightiest mortal frame can bear,
warstriders can fell even rampaging behemoths. In addition, the tremendous
strength of these armors allows them to demolish fortifications and other
obstacles with ease.
But augmented strength would be meaningless
to most Exalts, and warstriders provide more than that. The wearer must commit
Essence to attune himself to the armor, and the strider draws power from a
Hearthstone likewise attuned to the wearer. As a result, the warstrider is very
much an extension of the Exalt wearing it. An Exalted wearing a warstrider can
use all her normal Charms, just as if the strider were nothing more than a suit
of regular armor.
The White Snakes That Hunger (Artifact •••)
In its most neutral form, this item seems
to be a white-jade oval the size of a small woman’s hand. On closer inspection,
it becomes obvious that this artifact is cunningly carved to resemble two
snakes coiled smoothly on themselves. To use it, the owner casts it to the
ground and spends a mote of Essence to activate the artifact. The snakes
uncoil, and one of the snakes moves to attack any indicated target, while the
other gives birth to a new snake, spitting it out of its mouth. This process
continues in successive turns, with half the snakes attacking any indicated
target, while the other half of the snakes give birth to new offspring. Any
given snake has the statistics and poison of a coral snake.
The snakes continue to multiply and attack
for up to half an hour, unless ordered to cease by the artifact’s owner. They
will not leave their owner’s presence, and will not pursue fleeing enemies
beyond that area, or follow orders that would take them into another room and
out of sight. After the half-hour is up, or when their owner commands it, the
snakes all turn on each other. They swallow each other until there are only two
snakes left, which then coil around each other and reform the artifact in its
latent state. It cannot be used again till the next day. If all the snakes are
killed, then the last snake to die coils in on itself and resumes the latent
form of the artifact. Thereafter, it cannot be used again for a year and must
be bathed in fresh blood first. If it is destroyed while in its neutral form,
as a stone oval (three levels of lethal damage), then it is permanently
destroyed. Some scholars have noticed similarities between this artifact and
the serpent-and-egg earth elementals, leading to speculation that the creation
of one of these artifacts requires an egg from a serpent-and-egg, but there is
little evidence one way or another.
Windslave Terminal (Artifact •••)
Using techniques learned about harnessing
and controlling the power of the wind, these devices are designed to turn the
strength of the wind toward the laborious ends of construction and grunt work.
A site using a windslave terminal is a-blow with directed winds: stone, earth
and wood are picked up and buffeted around the area in an orderly and
often-disturbing display of raw magical power. There are other, more complex
versions of these devices, designed for specific tasks. Most prized are the
windslave theodolites, used by geomancers and Manse architects.
Windslave terminals are operated by
manipulating a complex jade orrery-like apparatus and touching representational
geometric shapes in a recessed tray on the top of the blue-jade pedestal that
forms the bulk of the terminal. Once per hour, the operator’s player rolls
Intelligence + Occult for that character to interface with the terminal. Each
success on this roll is the equivalent of one man-hour of manual, semi-skilled
labor. The winds directed by these devices can only be slowly directed to
achieve any degree of precision and are of no use in combat. Windslave terminals
do not work where there is no wind, such as indoors or underground.
Windslave terminals require maintenance by
a character with Occult •••, Lore ••• and an appropriate Craft ••• Ability
after every 100 hours of active use. This service requires a dedicated workshop
with tools valued at Resources •••• and consumes Resources •• worth of jade,
reagents and other common materials.