BrokenQuill/RandomNotes

Plothook for Dawn

Found this comment on LibraryMailanka

Mailanka, on the subject of Orichalcum items, especially weapons and armor, at a lower rating than 4. I am in agreement with you in that the Solar wouldn't tend to make trinket items except in very special situations, I still think that players deserve to be able to get a daiklave of their own material early on, they really can help! So I came up with an idea on how it could work.

When the Sidereals and Immaculates slew the Anathema kings and queens long ago, they had a problem. They didn't want to anger the ghosts of the fallen by taking their tresured weapons, armor and possessions, but at the same time they didn't want to just leave weapons of such crushing power just "lying around". Thus sorcery and ritual was designed to "seal" in most of the potential of a weapon, without destroying it. This accomplished both goals.

The Immaculates, with an elaborate ritual (or terrestrial circle sorcery) can do an elaborate series of knots in bright red cord, with several jade implements in the image of old realm words associated with sealing evil (and sutras from the immaculate text). Once completed, these seals become part of the daiklave, and only the proper (and extremely secret) technique for untying them can remove them (they are otherwise indestrutable). Celestial circle sorcery can also destroy such a seal, but terrestrial cannot. This technqiue can seal an artifact of up to rating 4 down to a base type or rating 1 or 2, whichever is appropriate.

The Sidereals developed a similar system, but far more power, involving an elaborate inking of runes in a starmetal based ink, celestial circle sorcery, and astrology. They paint elaborate runes all over the item, in an ink only visible in bright starlight at the same time of the year as when the seal was made. The unsealing procedure involves painting a rune in a magical-material-based ink (any will do) in the proper place on the item. Most sidereals with occult 5 will know how to deduce such runes, but almost no one else will. Solar circle sorcery can also dispel this, but good luck finding someone to do that for you. This can seal an artifact five down to a rating 2 or 3.

Countermagic is, in my rules, the way to dispel it, but custom spells sure are an option too.

What do you think of this idea?

-- DaveFayram