Artifact Relay

The twenty-ninth theme is Spiral

Artifacts that have something to do with the concept of "spiral". - Sz

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Self-Motivated Stirstick by Han'ya

Artifact •
Material: Black & red jade
Commitment: 1m

The Self-Motivated Stirstick is a small ingot of black and red jade, intermingled but not alloyed, in lackadaisical spiraling patterns. It is approximately the length of a human pinky finger, and as thick as the fingernail of that same finger is long. When placed in a body of liquid, it immediately generates a complex pattern of currents and turbulence that effectively stirs the mixture at three times normal human speed and efficiency without any spillage, without cost. It can affect at most ten gallons of fluid at a time. Larger versions exist for larger quantities of liquid. It sees much use in the mass-production of alchemical formulas and suchlike. The individual attuned to this artifact may call it forth from any body of liquid in which it is immersed as a reflexive action by stretching their hand over the body of fluid. Their hand must be within a yard of the Stirstick. Its temperature is not affected by immersion, and no fluid remains on its surface, so stirring magma or corrosive demon bile will not render it unsafe to handle. The Self-Motivated Stirstick is not any more durable than normal, however, so immersion in substances that would damage or destroy it under normal circumstances will still do so.

Silver Hypnotist by Paincake

Artifact ••
Material: Malfean Silver
Commitment: 6m

If this sphere is tossed into the air and two motes are spent the artifact unfurls into a beautiful floating disk inscribed with gentle spirals. Observers are drawn down these spirals into a great love for Malfeas; it is a facet on a grain of sand in Cecelyne's endless desert, it is a spot of Ligier-light reflecting off of Kimberry, it is a dozen dozen Yozi eyes glimmering in one place. While the hypnotist is active mortals halve their mental DV rounded down. If you successfully implant a suggestion in their minds they are considered beings from outside Fate until the suggestion fades or the attuned's essence in weeks pass. The disk only works on the attuned's essence x 2 mortals at a time. It does not function on creatures with essence equal or greater than its owner, and it only adds + 1 against enlightened essence creature's MDV.

Shame Spiral by Wordman

Artifact •••
Material: none
Commitment: none

The shame spiral is actually an insubstantial curse, but one that can sometimes be manipulated into being useful. Originally conceived as a prank between two solars in the First Age, the technique for creating this type of curse was harnessed by terrestrials as subtle traps when constructing tombs for slain solars after the Usurpation. Once placed on a target (usually by way of the target triggering some kind of trap), the curse settles invisibly into them. Detectable only by effects that allow the visualization of essence flows, and even then only on a Perception + Occult (5) test, the curse typically waits undetected until the target fails a roll. Any time one of the target's rolls fails, the target immediately "feels" an ability within him that will allow him to change the value of every die used in the roll to a 10, should he choose to. The target will have no inkling of the cost of this effect, but if he chooses to activate it, several things happen once the roll is resolved:

The target suffers xL dice of unsoakable (but still rolled) damage, where x starts at 1.
For each level of damage taken, the target's Conviction drops by a point.
The shame spiral curse moves onto a random ally, but x increases by one.

If the target's Conviction drops to zero or below, the target is overcome with shame at both his failure and the lengths he went though to avoid it. He suffers some shame-related consequence equivalent to a solar Limit Break condition lasting a week, usually something similar to the effects of Heart of Tears. Should the target have botched the roll, instead of merely failing it, the curse will trigger whether the target wants it to or not. Lost points of Conviction return at a rate of one per day, but not until the shame has run its course.

Once the curse moves onto another target, the original target is free of the curse, but the new target must bear a stronger version of it. The new target is unlikely to notice the curse until she, too, rolls a failure. The cycle then repeats, with the curse being moved to another ally, increasing x again. When the curse moves, it favors following bonds of camaraderie (i.e. it will most likely move to someone within the original target's circle) or other strong ties (e.g. intimacies). It also favors essence wielders over mortals, but will target them if no other target is available. Range is not a factor: the curse will find a target regardless of location, but closer targets will be favored, all other things being equal.

One exception exists: if damage from the curse causes death, the curse always returns to the previous target.

Someone who knows they have the curse (either through detection, prior knowledge of the "feeling" the curse provides when activated, or some other means) may fail a roll on purpose to activate the curse intentionally. To do so, they simply declare they are doing so instead of rolling. The drawback is that the number of dice the curse deals to them doubles.

Eventually, x will grow large enough to become a serious threat. The only way to permanently eliminate the curse is to truly eliminate all friendships, alliances and intimacies. Someone who truly becomes alone can go to a place with no one in sight (a wide desert, the ocean, in a cave, etc.) and trigger the curse. Having no lines of camaraderie to follow, and no visible targets, the curse evaporates.

Core Drill by IanPrice

Artifact ••••
Material: Jade and Moonsilver, surrounding an Orichalcum core
Commitment: 1-21m

The Core Drill is a device based on the philosophy of a spiral as the symbol for growth, evolution, and power. A renowned master of one of these devices expressed the philosophy, "We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before! Little by little we advance further with each turn! That's the way a drill works!" Accordingly, this artifact is most powerful when the qualities of its wielder are brought out to their fullest.

When inactive, the Core Drill takes only 1m to attune. It glows the color of the wielder's anima whenever his or her virtues could be activated, and glows brightly like an 8-10 mote anima flare when they are channeled while it is held. By inserting the Drill into a hearthstone socket on any artifact, the Drill's wielder may instantly attune to that artifact (as a Speed 4, DV -2 action) by committing more motes to the Drill. As long as the Drill's wielder is not acting against any of his virtues, he may commit up to the combined total of his virtues in motes to the Drill, and it will act as half that many dots of hearthstone power to an artifact; artifacts not normally requiring Hearthstone power may be attuned for free by activating the drill with motes equal to their artifact rating. Even if the wielder has insufficient motes, he may channel an applicable virtue to regenerate and immediately commit exactly as many motes as the attunement he or she is attempting requires. If the artifact is already attuned, the Core Drill's wielder performs an opposed Willpower + Essence roll with the person attuned to the target artifact, winner takes all. Either side of this roll may channel an applicable virtue to perfectly defeat the other, though if both do so, they only receive bonus dice from the virtue channeled rather than either perfectly winning the contest.

If the wielder of the Core Drill has suppressed any of his or her virtues this scene, subtract the value of those virtues from the potential pool of motes to commit with the Drill until they are channeled. The Core Drill will also refuse to serve any creature of darkness (unless it is corrupted through a ritual similar to Dimming the Light), or any being in Limit Break (including dragon-blooded with no willpower remaining, who are ruled by their element). It requires fighting spirit and an independent will to master the power of the spiral.

Comments

Let's see where we go with this one. :d - Sz

TTGL artifacts in 5... 4... - LeumasWhite

TTGL is what? - Paincake

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It's a mecha anime which is made of awesome multiplied by awesome. One could say it uses the rule of cool even more so than Exalted does--which should give you an idea about how kickass everything is in the show. - Sz

Ugh, hyperbole. It's a show where drills and spirals feature heavily, at least. - LeumasWhite

I am going to eat your face. - Sz

Um. Okay. - LeumasWhite, confused

Argh >:E - Sz

Having seen the show, I detect no hyperbole in the above statement by Sz, only tautology. The reputation of team daigurren echoes far and wide, after all. Also, as predicted, I present my ~~humble~~ EXTREMELY MANLY offering. - IanPrice

Hey Pain, that there is a straight trippy artifact. I approve. - Han'ya

Thanks Han'ya! I almost always like your submissions. <3 You going to help us crank out that N/A artifact in the last relay? That means you, too, Sz. Paincake

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The twenty-ninth theme is Spiral

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