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Shadow Zephyr Tart 491

—

by

Dale
in

Lore: This item is a masterpiece of culinary desperation, created by an alchemist-assassin known only as “Leap.” Tasked with an impossible infiltration that required scaling the wind-swept, unclimbable Zephyrstone spires of a mountain monastery, Leap knew their standard Assassin’s Elixir would not be enough. The elixir granted stealth but not the necessary jumping power, and its debilitating side effects were worsening.

In a moment of paradoxical genius, Leap acquired a magical Zephyrstone Breezeberry Tart, renowned for the very leaping ability they needed. Instead of eating them separately, Leap painstakingly infused their Assassin’s Elixir directly into the tart’s breezeberry filling. They hoped the “light” magic of the Zephyrstone would stabilize the “dark” magic of the Shadowvine.

The result was a potent, Tier 2 consumable. The Zephyrstone magic did stabilize the elixir, temporarily nullifying the immediate health and focus penalties. However, it also amplified the core attributes of both items to a new level, creating a powerful, delicious, and tragically addictive concoction.

Description: At a glance, this appears to be a Zephyrstone Breezeberry Tart of the highest quality: a golden, flaky pastry dusted with powdered sugar and filled with plump breezeberries.

A closer look, however, reveals the infusion. The breezeberry filling is unnaturally dark, an inky, shimmering black-purple, like a night sky. The tart gives off a contradictory aroma: the sweet, comforting smell of fresh berries and baked goods, undercut by the sharp, ethereal scent of night-blooming moonflowers and a cold, shadow-like ozone. It is a gourmet delicacy that masks a potent, dangerous poison.

Stats

  • Tier: 2
  • Rarity: Unique
  • Buff (Duration 1 Hour):
    • Agility: +3
    • Stealth: +3
    • Jumping: All jump distances are Doubled.
    • Acrobatics Checks: Advantage
    • Stealth Checks: Advantage
  • Crash (Duration 1 Hour, begins after buff expires):
    • Agility: -2
    • Stealth: -2
    • Health: -1
    • Mental Focus: -1

Tags: Consumable, Pastry, Delicacy, Fused, Tier-2, Alchemical, Poisonous, Gourmet, Magical Infusion, Heightened Jumps, Acrobatics Enhancement, Temporary Buff, Agility Boost, Leaping, Aerial Maneuvers, Stealth, Addiction, Shadows, High-Risk, Leaping-Poison, Culinary-Paradox, Sweet-Toxin, Euphoric-Crash, Shadow-Berry, Wind-Pastry, High-Risk-Reward

Passives Magic

  • Potent Addiction: The fusion of Zephyrstone and Shadowvine creates a uniquely euphoric and potent experience. This item is highly addictive. The user must make a difficult saving throw after the “Crash” period ends. Failure results in a powerful, Tier 2 Addicted status, far stronger than the original elixir’s.
  • The Shadow’s Toll: The Zephyrstone magic only delays the elixir’s cost. The immediate health and focus penalties of the original elixir are nullified during the buff, but return magnified during the “Crash” phase as the stabilizing magic fails.
  • Tainted Essence: The Shadowvine venom and Essence of Shadows have permanently tainted the Zephyrstone magic. This item is considered “Poisonous” for all detection and resistance purposes.

Active Magics

  • Consume: (Primary Action) Upon eating the tart, the user gains the full effects of the “Buff” stats for 1 hour. This activation is immediately followed by the 1-hour “Crash” period.

Specific Slot: Consumable

Item Integrity and Disablement

As a consumable item, the Shadow-Zephyr Tart 491 does not have “hit points” or a “Magical Integrity Threshold” like a piece of gear. It is a fragile, perishable food item.

Its magic is bound to its physical form. To “disable” the tart, one must simply destroy it physically. This can be accomplished in numerous ways:

  • Crushing: Stomping on it, smashing it with a fist, or hitting it with any blunt object would destroy its structure and render it inedible, thus disabling its magic.
  • Burning: Exposing it to fire would incinerate the pastry and the magically infused filling.
  • Soaking: Submerging it in water would turn the delicate pastry into an inedible mush, ruining the magical binding.
  • Decay: As a food item, it is perishable. If left uneaten for too long (perhaps a few days), it would naturally rot, and its magical properties would spoil and dissipate.

In short, the tart has the “hit points” of a normal piece of pastry. Any successful, deliberate attack to destroy it will succeed.

Item Repair

The Shadow-Zephyr Tart 491 cannot be repaired.

It is a consumable item. Once its physical integrity is compromised—crushed, burnt, rotted, or even just partially eaten—its magic is spent, broken, or spoiled. There is no ritual or process that can restore a ruined tart.

The only way to “replace” a destroyed Shadow-Zephyr Tart is to craft an entirely new one from scratch, a process that would require all the rare and dangerous ingredients (Shadowvine, Moonflower, Essence of Shadows, Breezeberries, Zephyrstone) and the expert alchemical and baking skills to fuse them once again.

The Shadow-Zephyr Tart 491 is a paradoxical, high-risk, Tier 2 consumable. It is an illegal, addictive, poisonous elixir disguised as a luxury, magical pastry. Its sale is confined to the most exclusive, secretive, and amoral circles.

It would never be found in an open market, a legitimate bakery, or even a standard alchemist’s shop. Its clientele consists of master assassins, high-stakes spies, and incredibly wealthy, desperate individuals who need a powerful, short-term infiltration tool and are willing to risk the severe “Crash” and potent addiction.

Here are the types of “shops” where this item might be bought and sold:

1. The Gilded Crumb (Clandestine Patisserie)

Location: An absurdly opulent, high-end pastry shop in the aristocratic district of a major metropolis or floating city. The shop’s public-facing business sells exquisite, non-magical (or minor magic) pastries for enormous sums.

How it is Sold: The Shadow-Zephyr Tart is on no menu. It is available only through a “private reserve” list. A buyer must be vetted and introduced by a known, trusted client. The purchase is made using a code phrase, such as asking for “Batch 491” or “The Leap of Faith.” The tart is then packaged in an elegant, unmarked box, indistinguishable from the shop’s other luxury goods, and the transaction is logged as a “Bespoke Cake Commission” for plausible deniability. The owner values discretion above all, as exposure would mean their ruin.

Cost: The price reflects the extreme risk to the baker, the cost of the rare ingredients (Zephyrstone, Shadowvine, Essence of Shadows), and the “luxury” of the disguise. Price: 15-20 Platinum pieces.

2. The Umbral Auction House

Location: A secret, high-end auction house operating in a magically-shielded vault beneath a major city, accessible only by invitation.

How it is Sold: This item is too perishable to be a regular lot. It would be a “flash auction” item. A fresh batch, perhaps a lacquered box containing only two tarts, would be brought out. The auctioneer would present it as the “ultimate infiltration tool,” highlighting its paradoxical nature—a gourmet treat that grants supernatural stealth and agility. Bidding would be silent, using telepathic signets, and would be fierce between agents of spy guilds and assassins’ orders. The “buyer beware” rule is absolute, especially concerning the item’s highly addictive properties and severe crash.

Cost: The price is volatile. Starting Bid (per tart): 10 Platinum. Expected Sale Price: 18-24 Platinum pieces.

3. “The Alchemist’s Leap” (The Creator’s Hidden Lab)

Location: The hidden, warded laboratory of “Leap,” the alchemist-assassin who first created the tart, or their sole apprentice. This is the only place it is made.

How it is Sold: This is not a shop; it is a direct, by-commission-only sale. The buyer must find a way to contact the creator—a process in itself—and prove they are a serious client (and not law enforcement). The creator only bakes these to order, as they do not keep. The creator is paranoid, and the exchange would happen at a “dead-drop” location, with payment (half up-front) left in an entirely different location. The creator justifies the price by the sheer, unmitigated risk of fusing two opposing, high-tier magical substances.

Cost: This is the most expensive and dangerous, but also the freshest and most potent, source. Price: 25 Platinum pieces (2 Rhodium, 5 Gold). The creator may also demand one of the rare ingredients (Essence of Shadows, Zephyrstone) as part of the payment.

4. The Shadow’s Pantry (Guild Quartermaster)

Location: A hidden, reinforced supply room in the headquarters of a major Thieves’ or Assassins’ Guild.

How it is Sold: This item is not “for sale” to the public. It is a strategic, high-tier asset kept in the guild’s stash for its most important, high-risk (Tier 2 or 3) missions. A guild member cannot simply buy it; they must formally request it from the Quartermaster, who will only release it with approval from the guild’s leadership for a sanctioned mission. The “cost” is then typically deducted from the mission’s final payout.

Cost (Guild Internal Price): The guild, having secured a contract with the creator, gets it at a “discount.” Price: 8-10 Platinum pieces, which is taken from the guild member’s share of the next job.

The Shadow-Zephyr Tart 491 is a high-risk, high-reward consumable. Its use is a desperate, calculated gamble. It is not a weapon, but a key that unlocks a one-hour window of superhuman “offensive” infiltration or “defensive” escape, followed by an hour of debilitating vulnerability.

The act of eating it is a roleplay moment in itself—a pause, often in a hidden-away moment, where the user indulges in a delicious, gourmet pastry, knowing it is also a potent, addictive poison that will soon cripple them.

1. Environment: High-Security Urban Infiltration (The Spire)

Scenario: The user must infiltrate the penthouse of a Guild Baron who lives in a heavily-guarded, 100-foot-tall stone tower with no ground-floor access. The only way in is through a 4th-story balcony, 60 feet up and 40 feet across a patrolled, open-air courtyard.

Offensive Use (The Impossible Entry):

  • Roleplay: The user is crouched in a dark alley across from the tower. Their allies are disabling sentries below, but cannot get them to the balcony. The user pulls out an elegant, lacquered pastry box. They take a moment, savoring the rich, sweet-and-shadowy aroma of the tart. “One hour,” they whisper. They consume it.
  • The Buff: The world shifts. The distant sounds of the city sharpen, and their limbs feel light, thrumming with a cold, silent energy. The 60-foot vertical jump is no longer impossible; it is plausible. The 40-foot gap is trivial.
  • Action: They take a running start. Their Doubled Jump and +3 Agility propel them in a silent, shadowy arc over the heads of the courtyard sentries. Their Advantage on Acrobatics allows them to land with the silence of a spider on the balcony’s stone railing. They have bypassed every door, guard, and lock on the first three floors. The offense—the infiltration—was achieved in a single, impossible leap.

Defensive Use (The Crash and the Fall):

  • Roleplay: The user has the artifact, but the alarm is raised. They are on the 4th-floor balcony, but the courtyard below is now full of guards. Their one-hour buff is minutes from expiring. They must get out.
  • Action: They look down, judging the 60-foot drop. A normal jump would break their legs. They eat their second tart, a reckless act. The buff flares, overriding the impending crash. They leap off the balcony.
  • The Buff: They use the Doubled Jump and Acrobatics Advantage defensively, not for height, but to angle their descent, clearing the courtyard and landing on a lower, adjacent rooftop. They are a blur of motion, escaping a “checkmate” scenario.
  • The Consequence: They land on the neighboring roof and sprint for two blocks… just as the first tart’s Crash hits, compounded by the second tart’s ingestion. They collapse in a heap, their Agility and Health plummeting. They are now a shivering, vulnerable wreck, hiding behind a chimney, praying their allies find them before the guards do.

2. Environment: A Grand Ball in a Skyscraper (The Social Stealth)

Scenario: The user is undercover at a state dinner on the 50th floor of a skyscraper. Their target is in a magically-shielded “panic room” on the 51st floor, accessible only via a retinal scanner, or from the outside.

Offensive Use (The Vertical Assassination):

  • Roleplay: The user, in full formal wear, slips away from the dance floor into a shadowy service corridor. They quickly eat the tart. The rich, inky-purple filling is a stark contrast to the champagne they were just drinking.
  • Action: They “return” to the ball. They walk to the grand, 30-foot-wide atrium in the center of the room. As the orchestra swells, they walk to the railing, look up, and jump.
  • The Buff: In a shocking, silent display of power, they leap 30 feet straight up, their +3 Stealth and Advantage masking the sound. They clear the atrium floor, landing on the 51st-floor interior balcony. The guards, focused on the elevators and stairs, don’t even look up. The user is now outside the panic room, having bypassed all internal security by using the ballroom as a launchpad.

Defensive Use (The Ballroom Escape):

  • Roleplay: Their cover is blown. Guards are sealing the exits. The user is on the main floor, a 40-foot-wide atrium between them and the secondary exit.
  • Action: They don’t run for the doors. They run for the atrium. They eat the tart, sprint, and leap across the 40-foot gap, a move no normal person could ever make. They land, roll, and are gone down the corridor before the guards can even react.
  • The Buff: The tart was used as a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. It provided a single, glorious, defensive maneuver that relied on sheer acrobatic power. The user is now in a different wing of the building, the chase reset entirely in their favor, all thanks to one bite.

3. Environment: The Collapsing Jungle Ruin (The Chasm)

Scenario: The party is trapped on the wrong side of a 50-foot, crumbling chasm in a collapsing, ancient ruin. A massive, beast-like guardian is moments away from breaking through the door behind them.

Offensive Use (Securing the Escape Route):

  • Roleplay: “I can make it,” the user says, pulling out the tart. “The rest of you, hold that door.” They eat the pastry, the sweet breezeberry flavor feeling wrong in the dusty, dying tomb.
  • Action: They take a running leap, their Doubled Jump carrying them 50 feet across the chasm. They land on the other side, next to the ancient, broken lever that controls the (now stuck) drawbridge.
  • The Buff: This is an “offensive” act of problem-solving. The +3 Agility and Acrobatics Advantage aren’t for fighting; they are for the work. The user uses their enhanced reflexes to un-jam the lever’s mechanism and, with a surge of adrenaline, get the bridge to lower just as the guardian smashes through the door, allowing the rest of the party to cross.

Defensive Use (Kiting the Monster):

  • Roleplay: The party is across, but the monster is crossing the bridge. It’s slow, but it will kill them all.
  • Action: “I’ll lead it away!” the user yells, and eats their tart. They wait until the monster is halfway across. They then leap back onto the crumbling ledge on the other side, taunting it.
  • The Buff: The monster, seeing the “easy” prey, turns around. The user is now playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, using their Doubled Jump and +3 Agility to leap from pillar to pillar, leading the beast on a chase away from the party, deeper into the collapsing ruin. They are the ultimate “decoy,” using the tart’s defensive mobility to save the party, knowing full well that in one hour, the Crash will hit, and they will be trapped in the dark with a monster, barely able to move.

Perception of Activation:

The “activation” for this consumable item is the physical act of eating it. The sensory perceptions are immediate, profound, and paradoxical, marking the beginning of the one-hour buff.

User’s Perspective:

  • Sight: The tart itself is a visual contradiction. The pastry is a warm, golden, flaky crust, beautifully dusted with sugar, looking perfectly normal. But the filling is an unnaturally dark, inky purple-black that shimmers, absorbing the light like a captured nebula.
  • Sound: The first bite is a crisp, delicate crunch from the pastry. Internally, a split second after swallowing, the user hears a distinct, rushing whoosh in their ears, like a sudden gust of wind, which is immediately followed by a profound hush, as if the ambient sound of the world has been dampened.
  • Smell: The aroma is a disarming lure. The primary scent is overwhelmingly delicious and comforting: sweet, baked breezeberries, caramelized sugar, and rich, buttery pastry. This is immediately undercut by a sharp, cold, and “shadowy” secondary scent—a mix of night-blooming moonflowers and the sterile, metallic tang of ozone.
  • Touch: The pastry is delicate and flaky. The inky filling is smooth, rich, and unnaturally cool. A moment after consumption, a powerful dual-sensation washes over the body: an ethereal lightness and restless energy spreads through the limbs (the Zephyrstone), making the user feel they could float. This is instantly paired with a cold, numbing sensation that seems to wrap around the skin, as if a form-fitting shadow has been pulled over them (the elixir).
  • Taste: The taste is a euphoric, jarring explosion of opposites. It is intensely sweet and fruity from the breezeberries and sugar, followed by the rich, savory flavor of the pastry. This is immediately chased by a sharp, slightly bitter, metallic tang (the elixir’s venom) and a cold, airy aftertaste, like mint or static, that leaves the mouth feeling cold and alert.
  • Extrasensory (Zephyr-Surge): The user feels a chaotic, uplifting, kinetic energy surge from their stomach into their legs and core. It is a feeling of weightlessness and a sudden, powerful, joyful urge to leap, as if gravity’s hold has been dramatically loosened.
  • Extrasensory (Shadow-Euphoria): Simultaneously, the user feels their personal aura flatten and grow cold. Their “presence” in the world feels diminished, as if they have become an unseen observer rather. A cold, quiet euphoria and a predatory hyper-focus sets in, the world’s details becoming sharp and clear.

Observer’S Perspective:

  • Sight: An observer sees only the mundane act of a person eating a high-quality, though oddly-colored, pastry. There is no flash of light or magical effect. However, moments after consumption, the user’s movements become uncannily smooth, fast, and silent. If they stand near a shadow, their edges seem to blur or blend into it in a way that is unnatural and deeply unsettling to watch.
  • Sound: The only sound is the normal crunch and sound of someone eating. After activation, the observer would notice that the user’s footsteps, the rustle of their gear, and even their breathing have become supernaturally quiet.
  • Smell: An observer standing very close might catch the contradictory aroma: sweet, baked goods mixed with a sharp, cold scent, like ozone. It’s a “wrong” combination that might alert a trained alchemist or inquisitor.
  • Touch: If an observer were to touch the user after activation, their skin would feel unusually cold to the touch, and their muscles would feel tense and coiled, like a spring.
  • Extrasensory: A magically-sensitive observer would feel a violent, instantaneous clash of magical auras from the user. First, a bright, chaotic, airy spike of Zephyr-magic. This aura is immediately snuffed out and enveloped by a cold, flat, predatory void-like aura (the elixir). The user’s life-sign, from an extrasensory perspective, becomes a “cold spot” that absorbs, rather than emits, energy.

Positives:

  • Ultimate Covert Activation: The activation is silent, discreet, and mundane. It’s “just eating a snack.” It can be done in plain sight at a banquet, in a crowded street, or in a dark alley with zero magical “flash” or sound, giving no warning to guards or observers.
  • Plausible Deniability: Because it’s a food item, it provides perfect cover. No one would suspect a powerful, dual-magic buff was just activated from a simple tart.
  • Immediate Sensory Feedback (User): The user receives instant, powerful, and unmistakable sensory feedback (the lightness, the cold, the euphoria) that confirms the one-hour “clock” has started.

Negatives:

  • Unnatural Aroma: The one subtle giveaway is the scent. A trained alchemist, inquisitor, or creature with a keen sense of smell (like a wolf) might detect the “wrong” combination of sweet food and cold, chemical ozone, arousing suspicion.
  • Disorienting Internal Clash (User): The intense, paradoxical sensations (sweet/bitter, light/cold, euphoria/focus) can be nauseating or disorienting for a first-time user, possibly requiring a moment to master.
  • Physical Requirement to Eat: The user must be able to physically eat. If they are bound, gagged, or in a situation where they cannot stop for the 10-15 seconds it takes to eat a pastry (like in the middle of a fistfight or falling), they cannot activate the buff.

Recipe: Infusion of the Shadow-Zephyr

This is a highly advanced, dual-discipline crafting process. It is not a baking recipe, but an alchemical one that uses a finished pastry as a “vessel.” This procedure is dangerous. Failure can result in neutralizing the magic of both items, or creating a violently toxic, unstable poison.

Items Merged

Additional Materials Needed

  • 1 Pinch of Powdered Zephyrstone: This is the essential catalyst. It is required to “activate” the tart’s latent magic and create a binding matrix for the elixir’s unstable, shadowy essence.
  • 1 Vial of Purified Moonflower Nectar: A concentrated, alchemically-purified drop of the nectar. It acts as a magical and culinary binding agent, preventing the venom from “curdling” the tart’s filling and helping to mask the taste.
  • 1 Alchemical Stabilizer: A common, non-magical agent (e.g., acacia gum) used to maintain the elixir’s potency when its medium is changed from a potion to a solid-state infusion.

Tools Required

  • Alchemist’s Mortar and Pestle (Glass or Crystal): Required for mixing the infusion. Must be non-reactive.
  • Magical Infusion Syringe: A specialized, long-needled glass syringe, often used by high-end alchemists or spymasters to inject poisons or potions into food and drink undetected.
  • Enchanted Marble Slab: A small, magically-cooled slab of marble used to keep the tart stable and absorb the volatile magical reaction (a flash of heat and cold) during the infusion.

Skill Requirements

  • Alchemy (Expert): This is the primary skill. The crafter must handle the highly toxic elixir and the volatile Zephyrstone catalyst, perfectly balancing the infusion.
  • Baking/Culinary Arts (Basic): The crafter must have a delicate enough hand to inject the liquid into the pastry without destroying its delicate, flaky structure.
  • Arcane Lore (Basic): A fundamental understanding of opposing magical schools (Shadow/Illusion vs. Elemental/Air) is needed to prevent the two magics from simply annihilating each other upon contact.

Crafting Steps

  1. Preparation: The Zephyrstone Breezeberry Tart is placed in the center of the Enchanted Marble Slab. The tart must be fresh and structurally intact.
  2. Create the Infusion: In the crystal mortar, the entire contents of the Assassin’s Elixir are combined with the single drop of Purified Moonflower Nectar and the Alchemical Stabilizer.
  3. Catalyze the Mixture: The crafter adds the single pinch of Powdered Zephyrstone to the liquid. The mixture will immediately flash with a cold, dark light and become thick, inky, and supernaturally cold. This is the Shadow-Zephyr Infusion, and it is now active and volatile.
  4. Load the Syringe: The crafter must immediately draw the entire contents of the infusion into the Magical Infusion Syringe. The magic will dissipate if left exposed for more than a minute.
  5. The Infusion: This is the most delicate step. The crafter must carefully insert the syringe’s needle deep into the tart’s breezeberry filling. The infusion must be injected slowly and evenly, retracting the needle to distribute the liquid. This process may be repeated 5-6 times in different locations on the tart to ensure full saturation without causing the pastry to become soggy and collapse.
  6. Stabilization: The tart will now visibly change. The filling will darken to its final inky, shimmering black-purple. The slab beneath it will become momentarily frosted from the magical reaction. The tart must rest on the slab for one full hour to allow the magic to stabilize and the conflicting auras (wind and shadow) to bind.
  7. Completion: After one hour, the Shadow-Zephyr Tart 491 is complete. It is perishable and must be consumed within 24-48 hours for maximum potency.

Tale of Wind-Shadow Bite
(Fragment 491 — Here begins the telling, from a scroll found cracked in a poisoner’s box)

There was a man. His name-glyph is (lost/erased), but the shadow-guilds called him Leap. For he could go where no man could. But there was one place. A tower. A spire of [Zephyrstone/wind-rock] that touched the [cloud-realm]. It was the house of a (great-lord/magus) who watched all.

To climb this spire, one must be a (fly/leaf) on the wind. The wind itself was a guard. It did (push/scream) and would throw a man to the stones below. And on the balconies, there were sentries with (eyes-like-hawks).

Leap, he was a master. He had the [dark-drink/Elixir]. It made him a shadow. It made his feet silent. It made his heart cold and fast. But it was a [curse/venom]. It made him sick. It ate his health. And it could not make him fly.

He also knew of the [wind-bread/Tart]. A sweet cake of [breezeberries/sky-berries]. It was a (joy-food). It gave a man the legs of a grasshopper. It let him jump the wind.

Leap, he went to his dark-room. He looked at the (shadow-poison). He looked at the (wind-cake). He said, “I must be shadow. I must also jump. I cannot be two men. I must be one.”

So he did the [forbidden-craft/alchemy]. He took the dark-drink, the (venom-of-shadowvine), the (juice-of-moonflower), the (dust-of-night). And he took the golden, sweet tart. He did not eat them. He merged them. He put the night into the berry. He put the poison into the pastry.

The scroll says he made a new thing. It was a tart. It looked (safe/good). It had the sugar-dust. It had the flaky crust. But the filling… the filling was black-purple. It did (shimmer/sparkle) like a [bad-star/void]. It smelled of sweet berries. It smelled of [cold-metal/ozone].

He called it the [number-glyph 491]. The Shadow-Zephyr Tart. The (Sweet-Bite-of-Shadows).

He went to the tower. He hid in the dark. He ate the tart.

(The scroll here is damaged, but the words speak of a great feeling)

A [joy-fire/euphoria] did fill him. His feet… they were light. They were wind. He felt he could (float/fly). But his skin… it was cold. It was shadow. He felt he was (not-there/invisible). He was light and shadow. He was joy and poison.

He looked at the spire. The [impossible-jump] of many, many feet. He did not climb. He leapt.

He went up. The wind-god, it howled. It pushed him. But Leap, he was of the wind. He did (dance/ride) on it. The hawk-eye guards, they looked. They saw… nothing. A (blur/smudge) in the air. A shadow that could jump.

He landed on the high balcony. (Silent/no-sound). He was a [ghost-spider]. He went inside. The great-lord did not see him. The magic-wards did not feel him. He took the [great-gem/artifact]. He did the [deed/crime].

He was the greatest [thief/assassin]. For one (turn-of-the-glass/hour).

Then… the [price/payment] came.

He was on the rooftops, running. He was a (king/god). And then, the (wind/magic) left him. All at once. The [crash/sickness] came. The scroll says his wings “became stone.”

He fell. He was not light. He was heavy. He was not shadow. He was weak. He hid in a [gutter/dark-hole]. His head was [spinning/madness]. His health was [gone/eaten]. He was [cold/shaking]. He was a [baby/worm]. For one (turn-of-the-glass/hour), he was helpless. The (shadow/poison) had taken its payment.

He lived. He escaped. But the story does not (end/finish) there.

The [joy-fire] of the tart… it called to him. The feeling of being (wind-ghost). The sweetness of the poison. He needed it. He became [addicted/enslaved].

He made more. He was a great assassin. But he was a (slave/husk). He did not use the tarts for [deeds/jobs]. He used them to feel the jump. To feel the shadow. The (sweet-bite) was his master. The [crash/sickness] grew longer, until he was more (worm) than (man).

Leap, the (Jumper), was (lost/consumed). The man who (put-the-shadow-in-the-wind) was, in the end, eaten by both.

Moral of the Story: You can hide a poison in a sweet cake, but it is still a poison. The sugar does not stop the venom. It only makes you (hungry/addicted) for more.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Tart of the Zephyr’s Shadow Type: Consumable (Magical Food)

Description: A gourmet pastry with a golden, flaky crust and a dusting of sugar. The breezeberry filling is an unnatural, shimmering, inky black-purple. It smells of sweet berries and a cold, sharp odor, like ozone and night-blooming flowers.

Game Mechanics:

  • Effects (Duration 1 Hour): Upon consumption, the investigator gains a Bonus Die on all Athletics (Jump), Acrobatics, and Stealth rolls. Their base movement rate is increased by 2.
  • The Crash (Duration 1 Hour, begins after buff): Once the initial hour expires, the investigator suffers a Penalty Die on all STR, DEX, and POW rolls.
  • Addiction: The tart is highly addictive. Upon consuming the tart, the investigator must make a POW roll.
    • Success: The investigator resists addiction.
    • Failure: The investigator becomes addicted.
  • Withdrawal: An addicted investigator who goes 24 hours without consuming a tart suffers a Penalty Die on all skill rolls and suffers a loss of 1d4 Sanity points per day as the craving and paranoia consume them.

Blades in the Dark

Shadow-Zephyr Tart Type: Alchemical (Consumable) Tier: II

Description: A high-class, beautiful pastry. The flaky, golden crust hides an inky, shimmering breezeberry filling. It’s a gourmet delicacy that masks a potent, dangerous alchemical infusion of wind-essence and shadow-venom.

Game Mechanics: This is a consumable item that takes 0 Load.

  • When you eat this tart, you gain the following benefits for the duration of the current score:
    • You gain +1d to all Prowl and Finesse rolls.
    • You can jump supernatural distances. When you take an action that involves a desperate leap or acrobatic maneuver, you may treat your position as Risky instead of Desperate.
  • When the score ends, the “Crash” hits. You must mark Level 2 Harm: “Euphoric Crash” (Weakened, Shaking, Disoriented). This harm cannot be cleared by any means (not even a Leech) until you have indulged your Vice.
  • Addiction: The tart is a Vice. The first time you eat it, you may choose to “Acquire a new Vice” (Addiction: Shadow-Zephyr Tarts). If you do not, you immediately take 2 Stress from the physiological shock.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition – 2024 Rules)

Shadow-Zephyr Tart Wondrous Item (consumable), rare

Description: This golden, flaky tart is dusted with powdered sugar and filled with what appear to be plump breezeberries. A closer look reveals the filling is an unnatural, shimmering, inky-purple. The pastry smells of sweet berries and a sharp, cold scent, like ozone.

Game Mechanics:

  • Consumption: As an action, you can eat this tart. You gain the following benefits for 1 hour:
    • Your Speed increases by 10 feet.
    • Your jump distance (both high and long) is doubled.
    • You have advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
  • The Crash: When the tart’s benefits end after 1 hour, you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain 2 levels of Exhaustion.
  • Addiction: This tart is a potent magical drug. When you consume the tart, you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become addicted. While addicted, you crave another tart each day. If you go 24 hours without consuming one, you gain 1 level of Exhaustion that cannot be removed until you either consume another tart or the addiction is cured (such as by a greater restoration or heal spell).

Knave (2nd Edition)

Shadow-Zephyr Tart Item: Magical Pastry (Consumable) Slots: 1

Description: A delicious-looking tart with a flaky golden crust. The breezeberry filling is an unnatural, shimmering, inky-black. Smells of berries and cold, sharp air.

Game Mechanics:

  • Consumption: As an action, you eat the tart. For the next hour, you gain the following:
    • Leap: You can jump up to 30ft (long) or 15ft (high) from a standing start.
    • Buff: You gain a +5 bonus to all DEX and STR checks.
  • The Crash: After 1 hour, the buff ends, and you immediately suffer the following:
    • Debuff: You suffer a -5 penalty to all DEX and STR checks for the next hour.
    • Wound: You gain 1 Wound as your body is wracked with pain and withdrawal.
  • Addiction: When the Crash begins, you must make a CON save (Difficulty 15). On a failure, you become Addicted. While Addicted, you have a -1 penalty to your CON score until you eat another tart. This penalty is cumulative each time you fail the save.

Fate Core

The Tart of the Leaping Shadow Type: Consumable (Extra)

Aspects:

  • Gourmet Pastry, Shadow-Poison
  • One Hour of Impossible Grace
  • The Crushing, Addictive Void

Game Mechanics:

  • Effect (Buff): When you consume this tart, you gain a temporary Aspect: Zephyr-Shadow Speed with two (2) free invocations. This Aspect lasts for one (1) scene. You can invoke this Aspect for free on any Overcome, Create an Advantage, or Defend roll related to agility, leaping, or stealth.
  • Effect (Crash): After the scene ends, the Zephyr-Shadow Speed Aspect is removed. You must immediately take a Moderate Consequence (e.g., Euphoric Crash, Debilitating Withdrawal, or Poisoned and Shaking).
  • Addiction: The first time you take this Consequence, you must also add a new, permanent Character Aspect: Addicted to the Leaping Shadow. The GM can compel this Aspect whenever you are stressed, near the substance, or in a situation where its power would be useful, offering a Fate Point to have your character’s craving override their better judgment.

Numenera & Cypher System

Shadow-Zephyr Pastry Type: Cypher (Consumable, Food) Level: 1d6+1 (This determines the DC for the addiction roll) Form: A single, gourmet-quality pastry with a golden, flaky crust and an inky, shimmering black-purple filling. It smells of sweet berries and ozone.

Game Mechanics:

  • Effect (Buff): For one hour after consumption, all tasks related to movement (including jumping), speed defense, and stealth are eased by two steps.
  • Effect (Crash): After one hour, the buff ends immediately. For the next hour, the user suffers from a debilitating crash: all Speed-based and Intellect-based tasks are hindered by one step.
  • Addiction: Immediately after consuming the tart, the user must make an Intellect defense roll (difficulty = the cypher’s level).
    • On a failure, the user becomes addicted.
    • Addiction Effect: While addicted, the user suffers an inability on all tasks (all tasks are hindered by one step) unless they have consumed another Shadow-Zephyr Pastry within the last 24 hours.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Zephyr-Shadow Tart Item 5 Uncommon, Alchemical, Consumable, Elixir, Ingested, Poison Price: 25 gp Usage: Held in 1 hand; Bulk: L Activate: [one-action] (Interact)

Description: This delicate, golden-crusted tart is dusted with powdered sugar. Its breezeberry filling is an unnatural, shimmering, inky black-purple that smells of sweet fruit and cold, metallic air.

Game Mechanics:

  • Effect (Buff): For 1 hour after consuming the tart, you gain a +10-foot item bonus to your Speed, a +2 item bonus to Acrobatics and Stealth checks, and you treat all your Leaps as if you had a running start.
  • Effect (Crash): After 1 hour, the buff ends, and you are immediately afflicted with the Shadow-Zephyr Crash poison.
  • Shadow-Zephyr Crash (Poison, Addiction)
    • Saving Throw: DC 20 Fortitude
    • Addiction: A creature that fails its save against this poison becomes addicted.
    • Maximum Duration: 2 hours
    • Stage 1: Drained 1 and Clumsy 1 (1 hour)
    • Stage 2: Drained 2, Clumsy 2, and Stupefied 1 (1 hour)

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Leap-Shadow Tart Type: Magical Consumable (Food/Poison) Weight: 0.5; Rarity: Very Rare Description: A gourmet pastry that looks and smells delicious, with a golden crust and sweet, fruity aroma. The filling, however, is a shimmering, inky-black void.

Game Mechanics:

  • Effect (Buff): For 1 hour, the user gains a +2 bonus to Agility and all Athletics and Stealth rolls. The user’s Leap distance (horizontal or vertical) is doubled (e.g., a 2″ leap becomes 4″).
  • Effect (Crash): After 1 hour, the buff ends. The user must immediately make a Vigor roll at -2.
    • Success: The user is Shaken.
    • Failure: The user gains two levels of Fatigue.
    • Critical Failure: The user gains three levels of Fatigue and is Stunned.
  • Addiction: The tart is a potent, addictive substance. The first time a character consumes a tart, they must make a Spirit roll at -2.
    • On a failure, they gain the Addiction (Leap-Shadow Tart) Hindrance (Major).
    • If the character is already addicted, failing this roll (which they must make every time they consume a tart) means their craving intensifies, and they will go to any lengths to secure their next “fix.”

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

“Leap-Shadow” Tart (Designer Drug) Type: Alchemical/Drug (Ingested) Availability: 14R Cost: 800¥ per tart Street Index: 4 Addiction: Rating 10, Threshold 4 (Mental, Physical)

Description: A designer alchemical, popular in high-stakes infiltration circles. It presents as an absurdly high-end, gourmet pastry with a golden crust and an inky, shimmering black-purple filling. It bypasses most mundane poison scanners, as its primary signature is “food.”

Game Mechanics:

  • Onset: Immediate
  • Duration (Buff): 1 Hour
  • Effects (Buff): The user gains the following:
    • +1 to Agility
    • +2 dice pool bonus to all Stealth and Gymnastics tests.
    • Zephyr Leap: The user’s movement distance for jumping (horizontal or vertical) is doubled.
    • Euphoric Focus: The user ignores all negative dice pool modifiers from the Confused or Intimidated Statuses.
  • Crash (Duration 1 Hour, begins after buff ends):
    • The user immediately takes 4 boxes of Stun damage (unresisted).
    • The user suffers a -1 dice pool penalty to Agility and Strength attribute tests.
    • The user suffers a -2 dice pool penalty to all Composure and Willpower tests.
    • At the end of the Crash, the user must make an Addiction Test (Addiction Rating 10, Threshold 4).

Starfinder (1st Edition)

Zephyr-Shadow Tart Type: Drug (Consumable) Level: 6 Price: 550 credits Usage: 1 Bulk: L

Description: A small, golden-crusted tart with a beautiful, shimmering, inky-purple filling. It smells of sweet berries and a sharp, cold scent, like ozone. It is a potent, high-risk alchemical consumable used by infiltrators.

Game Mechanics:

  • Track: Poison (Ingested)
  • Save: Fortitude DC 17
  • Addiction: DC 17 Fortitude (see below)
  • Effects (1 Hour):
    • The user gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity.
    • The user gains a +4 circumstance bonus to Acrobatics and Stealth checks.
    • The user’s jump distances (long and high) are doubled.
  • Crash (After 1 Hour):
    • The user must make a DC 17 Fortitude save. On a failure, they are immediately afflicted with the Shadow-Crash poison for 1 hour.
    • Shadow-Crash (Poison): Track: Constitution; Frequency: 1/round for 6 rounds; Effect: The user is Fatigued. On a second failed save, the user is Exhausted instead. This supersedes the normal poison track.
  • Addiction: A creature that fails its saving throw against the Crash must also immediately make a second DC 17 Fortitude save or become Addicted to the Zephyr-Shadow Tart.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

“Leap-Shadow” Tart (Anagathic/Combat Drug) Tech Level: 12 Legality: 8 (Illegal) Mass: 0.1 kg Cost: Cr 1,500

Description: A highly illegal, bio-alchemical consumable disguised as a gourmet pastry. It floods the user’s system with a potent, temporary “Zephyr” stimulant while simultaneously infusing their motor controls with a “Shadow” venom-derivative.

Game Mechanics:

  • Effect (Buff, Duration 1 Hour):
    • The user gains DM+2 to all Athletics (Jump) and Stealth checks.
    • The user gains DM+1 to Dexterity.
    • The user’s base movement is increased by +2m.
  • Effect (Crash, Duration 1 Hour, begins after buff):
    • The user immediately suffers 1d6 damage, bypassing armour (this is physical shock).
    • The user suffers DM-2 to all DEX, END, and INT checks for the next hour.
  • Addiction: This is a highly addictive drug. The user must make an Endurance (Difficult 10+) check immediately after the Crash begins.
    • On a failure, the user becomes Addicted.
    • Addiction Effect: If the user goes 24 hours without a dose, they suffer DM-1 to all tasks until they take another.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Shadow-Zephyr Tart (Gourmet Poison) Type: Poison (Ingested, Drug) Availability: Extremely Rare Cost: 12 GC (Black Market) Encumbrance: 0

Description: A masterpiece of decadent, dangerous alchemy. It appears to be an Elector Count’s dessert, a golden pastry with a shimmering, void-purple filling. It is a potent, euphoric stimulant that masks a debilitating, addictive poison.

Game Mechanics:

  • Effect (Buff, Duration 1 Hour):
    • The user gains a +20 bonus to all Agility Tests.
    • The user gains a +30 bonus to all Stealth and Athletics (Jump) Tests.
    • The user doubles their movement distance for any test that involves jumping.
  • Effect (Crash, after 1 Hour):
    • When the buff ends, the user must immediately make a Hard (-20) Endurance Test.
    • On a failure, they gain 2 Fatigued Conditions and 1 Poisoned Condition. These conditions cannot be removed until the user has rested for at least 8 hours.
    • On a success, they gain 1 Fatigued Condition.
  • Addiction: This is a powerful, euphoric drug. The first time a character consumes this tart, they must make a Challenging (+0) Cool Test to resist its allure.
    • On a failure, they gain the Addiction (Minor, Shadow-Zephyr Tart) talent.
    • Each subsequent use requires another Cool Test. Failing this test (or using the tart while already addicted) progresses the addiction to Moderate, and then Severe.