GearAscendancy.com

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714

—

by

Dale
in ,

Lore

The Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 was forged in the absolute silence of a drowned cathedral where the boundaries between dimensions are historically thin. It was created by a Water Sage who had been exiled to the desolate corners of the northern sea-shelves, combining the sorrow of their abandonment with the collective memory of the oceans. By binding a piece of living, enchanted coral to an opal that had absorbed the essence of a thousand forgotten shipwrecks, the crafter created a bridge between the living, the dead, and the dimensional voids. It is whispered that the item does not just remember the past; it remembers those whom history itself has chosen to cast aside.

Description

This artifact is a complex, multi-layered pendant that hangs from a heavy chain of tarnished silver and braided, enchanted kelp. At its center is a large, shifting opal that displays ethereal blue-green hues, encased in a cage of vibrant, blood-red coral that seems to pulse with a slow, rhythmic heartbeat. Etched along the silver setting are glowing, pale blue runes that hum with a low, melancholic frequency. When submerged, the item releases a localized cloud of silvered “plankton” light, and the central opal becomes momentarily translucent, revealing a tiny, almond-shaped bone sliver floating within its depths.

Stats

  • Tier: 3
  • Rarity: Rare
  • Item Health Points: 56 (Resilience 10 × Tier 3 + 26 Character Base HP)
  • Weight: 0.3 lbs.

Skills Gained While Openly Worn

  • Trained Skill: +3 Perception (Temporary)
  • Trained Skill: +3 Insight (Temporary)
  • Dimensional Fluency: The wearer can instinctively read and speak three ancient, extra-dimensional aquatic dialects.

Passives Magic

  • The Forgotten Sentry: The wearer exudes an “Aura of Solitude” that causes onlookers’ eyes to slide past them. Enemies suffer a -4 penalty to notice the wearer unless they are moving at full speed or attacking.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: The wearer gains Tremorsense (30 feet) while submerged and can sense the presence of extra-dimensional entities or hidden portals within 60 feet.
  • Marine Diplomat’s Void: Aquatic creatures treat the wearer with immediate trust and curiosity. Non-hostile underwater beings will actively attempt to hide the wearer from pursuers, treating them as a “forgotten” part of the environment.

Active Magics

  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (1 Action): Once per day, the wearer can snap a small piece of the coral (which regrows at dawn) to release a 30-foot wave of “Echoes of Despair.” All enemies in the area must succeed on a DC 18 Will/Spirit save or be Stunned for 1 round by a sudden influx of a thousand years of oceanic sorrow.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (1 Action): Once per rest, the wearer can summon a spectral “Watcher of the Deep.” This figure lasts for 10 minutes, acts as a biological radar providing a 270-degree field of vision, and will absorb the next two successful attacks directed at the wearer before vanishing.
  • Instant Tally of the Void (1 Action): The wearer can focus on a body of water to receive a “Mental Inventory” of all living creatures and magical anomalies within 100 yards. This includes a count of specific species and the detection of any hidden treasures or ruins.

Tags

  • Magical, Aquatic, Dimensional, Necromancy, Stealth, History, Divination, Tier 3, Rare, Marine, Communication, Abandonment, Resonance, Locket-Hybrid, Vigilance, Haptic, Submersion, Ancestral, Taming, Echo-Location, Truth-Light, Null-Signature, Shadow-Step, Ivory-Reinforced, Chrono-Displacement

Slot

  • Worn Item (Neck/Gills) (Note: Occupies only one gear slot)

Tactical Integrity and Restoration Protocols

Targeting the Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714

In the high-stakes combat of Saṃsāra, an adversary may attempt to strike the artifact directly to sever the wearer’s connection to the dimensional and ancestral voids. To successfully hit the Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714, an attacker must exceed a specialized Armor Check (AC) threshold:

  • Targeted Item AC: Avatar’s AC + 3 (Tier Level) + 3d10 (Tier Dice Roll) + 10 (Base Item AC).

If an attack meets or exceeds this total, the item is deactivated and immediately becomes unattuned. All passive benefits, such as the Forgotten Sentry aura and Ancestral Echo-Location, cease to function. Because the item serves as a primary magical focus for the wearer’s awareness, it remains inert until a 10-minute ritual attunement is completed by the avatar.

Item Hit Points and Physical Breach

The physical durability of the artifact is represented by its Item HP. For this Tier 3 object, the health pool is calculated as:

  • Item HP: 56 (Resilience 10 × Tier 3 + 26 Character Base HP).

The state of the item depends on its remaining health:

  • Broken: If the item’s HP is reduced to 28 or less (half of its total resilience pool), it is considered Broken. In this state, its active magics cannot be triggered, and the opal centerpiece becomes dull and grey.
  • Destroyed: If the item reaches 0 HP, it is physically destroyed. It shatters into its component parts: tarnished silver shards, dead white coral fragments, and pulverized opal dust.

Repairing the Artifact

If the item is damaged or rendered Broken, it must be repaired before it can be attuned or used again.

  • Expert Restoration: A master jeweler or an aquatic smith within a “Water Sage” shrine can perform physical repairs. This requires Tier 3 materials, such as high-purity silver or enchanted kelp fibers.
  • Magical Re-Sync: Because the item relies on emotional and ancestral resonance, a Tier 3 Chronomancer or a Water Sage must perform a ritual to re-align the “Whisper of the Sunken Throne.”
  • Self-Restoration: If the item is merely deactivated (unattuned) but has more than half its HP, the ritual attunement is sufficient to restore magic. However, physical Item HP does not replenish on its own and requires manual repair to return to its maximum.

Acquisition and High-Tier Aquatic Commerce

Methods of Obtaining the Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714

As a Tier 3 artifact of rare provenance, this item is never found by chance in the common markets of Saṃsāra. Its presence in the world is the result of deliberate convergence or dangerous recovery.

  • The Exiled Sage’s Convergence: A character who has reached Tier 3 and possesses the three original Tier 1 items may perform the “Rite of the Forsaken” at a dimensional thinning point. This requires a 24-hour ritual of submerged meditation where the avatar must confront their own memories of loss to bind the coral, opal, and locket into a single physical object.
  • Recovery from a Drowned Cathedral: The Chronicle was traditionally held by the High-Watch of sunken cities. An explorer may recover one from a “High-Liability” underwater ruin, typically found clutched in the hand of a statue or a preserved sentinel within an airless, pressurized vault.
  • The World Bank’s High-Tier Requisitions: On rare occasions, the World Bank seizes the assets of an aristocratic family from the northern sky-islands or the deep-sea metropolises. These items are then moved into exclusive “Sovereign Tiers” for high-level acquisition.

Specialized Retail and Exchange Environments

In Saṃsāra, a Tier 3 item of this nature is treated as a major investment, often requiring a “Letter of Credit” or a significant trade in rare materials.

  • Metropolitan “Memory-Vault” Boutiques:
    • Location: Found in the most affluent, water-serviced districts of cities like Astralis or Port Argentum.
    • Description: These shops are silent, guarded by spectral attendants. The item is kept in a specialized “Stasis-Basin” filled with enchanted tidal water.
    • How it is Traded: The proprietor conducts a “Resonance Test” to ensure the buyer can handle the influx of ancestral sorrow without succumbing to “The Pain.”
    • Buying Cost: 4,500 to 6,000 Gold Pieces.
    • Selling Cost: 2,200 Gold Pieces.
  • Underwater Sage Shrines:
    • Location: Living reefs or crystal domes deep beneath the Vigilant Sea.
    • Description: Not a shop in the traditional sense, but a sanctum where Water Sages maintain archives of ancestral knowledge.
    • How it is Traded: The item is exchanged for “Knowledge Tributes.” A buyer might pay part in gold and part by providing a unique historical discovery or an extra-dimensional map.
    • Buying Cost: 3,500 Gold Pieces plus a Tier 3 Historical Contribution.
    • Selling Cost: 1,800 Gold Pieces (Proceeds support the preservation of the archives).
  • The Black Market “Drowned Exchange”:
    • Location: Secretive, lightless docks beneath the floating cities.
    • Description: A lawless “Sellers’ Market” where the Chronicle might be sold as a tool for high-end maritime espionage or assassination.
    • How it is Traded: Transactions are swift and often involve “No-Questions-Asked” currency like uncut gems or refined silver ingots.
    • Buying Cost: 7,000 to 9,000 Gold Pieces (Higher due to the item’s untraceable nature).
    • Selling Cost: 3,000 Gold Pieces (if the seller has the leverage to haggle).
  • World Bank Sovereign Liquidation Offices:
    • Location: Fortified administrative towers in the capital.
    • Description: Sterile environments where the focus is on the “Asset Value” rather than the lore.
    • How it is Traded: Bidders must prove they are Tier 3 or higher. The price is fixed based on the current market value of Tier 3 magical containers.
    • Buying Cost: 5,500 Gold Pieces.
    • Selling Cost: 1,100 Gold Pieces (The Bank offers the minimum liquidation rate).

Valuation and Barter

Because of the Accountant’s Orderly Pouch influence within the merge, the item is prized for its internal organization. A buyer seeking the item for its storage and inventory recall might be willing to pay an additional 10% premium if they are a high-level alchemist or scribe. Conversely, a seller trying to move the item in a “Safe Zone” where necromancy is feared may find the price suppressed by 20% due to the unsettling “Grave-Silent” bone sliver visible in the opal.

Environmental Tactical Manifestations: Defense and Offense

The Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 operates as a sovereign bridge between the physical and the spectral, granting the wearer a “Ghost-Mind” precision that adapts to the pressure of any environment. Its roleplay centers on the transition from a solitary observer to a conductor of ancestral and dimensional forces.

Environment: Submerged Ruins and Deep-Sea Trenches

In the high-pressure darkness of the “High-Liability” ocean depths, the item provides total sensory and social dominance over aquatic life and the dead.

  • Defensive Roleplay: While navigating a collapsed coral cathedral, the party is targeted by a “Grave-Bound” sea serpent. The wearer initiates the Vigilant Spectral Guard. As the serpent strikes, a translucent, misty figure of a “First-Watch” sentinel manifests from the locket-core. The player narrates the specter interposing its shield, absorbing the crushing force of the serpent’s coils. Simultaneously, the Ancestral Echo-Location alerts the wearer to a structural weakness in the overhead arch, allowing them to lead the party into a pressurized pocket just as the beast’s movement causes a secondary collapse.
  • Offensive Roleplay: Facing a rival “Memory Diver” attempting to claim a sunken scroll, the wearer utilizes the Whisper of the Sunken Throne. They snap a branch of the red coral, and the player describes a visible, blue-green ripple of “Echoes of Despair” washing through the water. The rival is narrated as being physically overwhelmed by the crushing weight of a thousand years of oceanic sorrow, their movements slowing to a halt. In this window of stun, the wearer uses Instant Tally of the Void to locate the exact scroll among the debris, retrieving it with an “Intuitive Hand” before the rival recovers.

Environment: Urban Coastal Megacities (Port Argentum)

In the crowded, steam-filled docks and “Somewhat Safe” canals of the capital, the item turns the wearer into a nondescript, “forgotten” entity.

  • Defensive Roleplay: While being pursued by city enforcers through a busy shipyard, the wearer leans into the Forgotten Sentry passive. They do not run; they walk with a “rhythmic, measured gait” along the canal edge. The roleplay emphasizes the “Aura of Solitude” making them appear as just another unremarkable dockworker or a shifting shadow. To an enforcer, the wearer’s face becomes a “Face Unremembered”—a blur of plain, average features. If cornered, the wearer uses Dimensional Perception to locate a “thinning point” in the reality of an alley, slipping through a hidden extra-dimensional pathway that the enforcers cannot perceive or follow.
  • Offensive Roleplay: Tasked with sabotaging a merchant baron’s flagship, the wearer uses Marine Diplomat’s Void to communicate with the harbor’s giant otters. The player narrates projecting “confidant, calm intent” through the coral pendant. The otters, sensing a “trusted ally,” swim ahead to gnaw through the ship’s moorings while the wearer remains unnoticed on the pier. Using the Instant Tally, the wearer “audits” the ship’s inventory from the shoreline, identifying exactly which crates contain the volatile “Brine-Fire” reagents and directing the otters to target those specific points for a catastrophic result.

Environment: Desolate Wilderness and Dimensional Rifts

In the “Unsafe” territories where the fabric of Saṃsāra is frayed, the item acts as a compass for the lost and a shield against the unknown.

  • Defensive Roleplay: While trekking through a fog-shrouded marshland, the wearer senses a Dimensional Anomaly through the locket’s “Whisper of the Void.” The player describes the opal centerpiece darkening as it “inhales” the unsettling whispers of the other side. This warning allows the party to avoid a “Rift-Trap” that would have pulled them into a desolate pocket dimension. The Seismic Heartbeat from the integrated bone components further defends the group by detecting the “heavy, rhythmic thumps” of a burrowing marsh-predator long before it breaks the surface of the mud.
  • Offensive Roleplay: Encountering a group of bandits in a forest clearing, the wearer triggers the Echo of Despair. They project a wave of “sorrow and abandonment” toward the bandit leader. The player narrates the leader suddenly dropping their weapon, overwhelmed by an existential sense of loss and the “unwavering cold” of the deep. While the leader is distracted by these spectral emotions, the wearer summons the Spectral Watcher, which provides 270-degree vision to track the other bandits flanking through the brush, allowing the wearer to parry attacks from their blind spots with “impossible timing” and precision.

Environment: Clandestine Negotiations and High-Tier Boutiques

In social environments where information is the primary currency, the item serves as a master-ledger of secrets.

  • Defensive Roleplay: During a high-stakes negotiation with a World Bank official, the wearer uses the Aura of Solitude to appear as an unimportant aide. The official’s “Mind-Reading” spells are narrated as hitting a “null-signature”—a blank slate of mental static and forgotten memories. This shields the wearer’s true agenda, defending their delegation’s secrets. The Insight bonus from the “Echoes of the Ancients” allows the wearer to “read” the micro-tremors in the official’s voice, identifying the exact moment the official begins to lie about the “Asset Value” of a trade agreement.
  • Offensive Roleplay: To gain leverage, the wearer uses Instant Tally of the Void on a collection of rare scrolls within a rival’s library. Without touching a single page, they receive an “Instant Inventory” of the contents, identifying a hidden “Sovereign Debt” document. They then use Intuitive Retrieval to lift a small, specific key from the rival’s desk during a seemingly accidental bump, the Inherent Preservation of Order ensuring the key is stowed securely in their pouch-hybrid without making a sound.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Sight: As the Chronicle activates, your vision undergoes a fluid desaturation. The edges of your sight blur into a dark vignette, but the center becomes preternaturally sharp, shifting into a spectrum of ethereal blues and deep-sea greens. You see the air as a pressurized medium, with faint, glowing ripples emanating from every living creature like silver sonar waves.
  • Sound: A heavy, aqueous silence descends. External noises—the wind, distant conversation, the clatter of machinery—are replaced by a deep, rhythmic thrumming similar to a whale’s heartbeat. You hear faint, melodic whispers in ancient aquatic dialects that convey the “mood” of the environment rather than literal words.
  • Touch: A sudden, refreshing chill spreads from your neck across your collarbone. You feel a light, static-like tingling over your skin, as if a thin layer of water is constantly sliding over you. The pendant grows heavy and cold, feeling like a lead weight anchoring your soul to the present moment.
  • Smell: The air around you transforms, carrying the crisp, briny scent of a deep-sea trench and the faint aroma of aged parchment and distant rain.
  • Taste: A distinct metallic tang, like old silver or a lick of sea salt, settles on the back of your tongue, signaling the active connection to the dimensional void.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Sight: To an onlooker, the opal centerpiece begins to pulse with a rhythmic, bioluminescent light. A faint, silver mist—composed of tiny, glowing motes like plankton—swirls in a tight orbit around your chest. Your features seem to “soften” and become nondescript; observers find it physically difficult to maintain eye contact with you.
  • Sound: Those nearby may hear a low, sub-audible drone, like the vibration of a great bell just after it has been struck. Your voice carries an unnatural resonance, as if you are speaking from the bottom of a deep well or through a vast underwater hall.
  • Extra-Sensory (Empaths): Sensitive individuals or empaths feel a sudden, localized wave of melancholic tranquility. They may experience a brief, unexplainable sense of longing or the feeling that they are standing in a place that has long since been forgotten by the world.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

  • Dimensional Awareness: You feel a “tug” in the back of your mind toward anomalies. Hidden portals and dimensional rifts manifest as “shimmering tears” in the air that only you can perceive.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: You “feel” the architecture of your surroundings through your skin. A closing door three rooms away is felt as a soft pressure-poke against your arm, and the movement of a large predator below the ground tastes like “heavy iron” in your mind.
  • The Weight of Memory: When touching an ancient object, you experience a “Temporal Flash”—a brief, non-visual understanding of the object’s history, its previous owners, and the emotions of those who abandoned it.

Positives

  • Unrivaled Clarity: The sensory shift provides a high-tier mental shield. You are too busy processing the data of the deep to be affected by mundane fear, charms, or social intimidation.
  • Targeted Precision: The “Instant Tally” ensures you never fumbles for a tool or miscalculates the distance to a target; you operate with the mathematical certainty of a master ledger.
  • Ethereal Invisibility: To both mundane guards and spectral entities, you are a “nothingness.” You occupy space without leaving a footprint or a spiritual scent.

Negatives

  • Sensory Disconnection: The transition back to “normal” vision is jarring. Upon deactivation, you experience “Tunnel-Nausea,” vertigo, and a lingering phantom sensation of being submerged that can last for several minutes.
  • The Emotional Tax: The “Echoes of Despair” are not entirely external. Prolonged use leaves you with a persistent, cold melancholy that makes social enthusiasm difficult to fake and may lead to uncharacteristic social withdrawal.
  • Auditory Masking: The heavy thrum of the ancestral heartbeat can drown out crucial, quiet warnings from allies (such as a whisper or a distant footstep) that aren’t captured by the seismic/radar functions.

The Convergence of the Forsaken Deep

Items Merged

Additional Materials Needed

  • 3 Tier 3 Magic Crystals: To bridge the dimensional gap and stabilize the resonance between the items.
  • 1 Vial of Merfolk’s Ink: Used for the high-tier runic binding along the silver setting.
  • 1 Shard of the Unmarked: A bone sliver from a forgotten soul, required to anchor the “Aura of Solitude.”
  • 12 Strands of Enchanted Kelp Fiber: For the high-tensile, magically conductive braided chain.
  • 1 Dram of Shadow-Lacquer: To seal the tarnished silver and prevent light reflection.
  • 1 Pint of Sacred Tidal Water: Collected from a drowned cathedral or a high-pressure deep-sea vent.

Tools Required

  • Memory Basin: A specialized stone receptacle to hold the components during the submerged phase of the ritual.
  • Seismic Tuning Fork: Calibrated to the frequency of ancient oceanic ruins to align the “Echo-Location.”
  • Silver-Tipped Engraving Needle: For the precise inlay of runes into the silver bezel.
  • Jeweler’s Bezel Roller: To secure the coral cage over the opal centerpiece.
  • Alchemist’s Set: For distilling the essences of the three base items into a singular fluid state.

Skill Requirements

  • Advanced Jewelcrafting (15+ Ranks): To physically merge the silver, coral, and opal into a seamless, multi-layered structure.
  • Intermediate Enchanting (15+ Ranks): To bind the “Whisper of the Void” and “Ancestral Insight” into a single active matrix.
  • Initiate Necromancy (Tier 3): Specifically for the “Stillness of the Grave” and “Aura of Solitude” properties.
  • Dimensional Weaving (Intermediate): To ensure the “Dimensional Perception” remains stable across different realities.
  • Trained Performance (Marine Diplomacy): The crafter must be able to project the correct emotional intent during the imbuement.

Crafting Steps

  1. The Extraction of Essence: Submerge the Enchanted Coral Pendant, Echoes of the Ancients, and ExtraHidden 421 in the Memory Basin filled with Sacred Tidal Water. Use the Alchemist’s Set to slowly heat the water until the three items begin to “bleed” their magical hues into the liquid.
  2. The Bone Anchor: While the items are submerged, use the Silver-Tipped Needle to etch the “Forgotten Runes” onto the back of the tarnished silver locket base. Carefully insert the Shard of the Unmarked into the hollow of the locket, sealing it with a single drop of Shadow-Lacquer.
  3. The Opal Alignment: Place the opal from the Echoes of the Ancients atop the locket base. Use the Seismic Tuning Fork to strike a note that causes the opal to vibrate in sync with the Sacred Tidal Water. As it vibrates, the Magic Crystals must be pulverized and dusted over the opal’s surface to bond the dimensional energies.
  4. The Coral Caging: Take the vibrant red coral from the Enchanted Coral Pendant and, using the Jeweler’s Tools, shape it into an intricate, protective cage. Wrap this cage around the opal and locket assembly. The coral must “nest” into the silver grooves etched in Step 2.
  5. The Runic Binding: Using the Merfolk’s Ink, paint the “Chronicle Runes” along the outer silver rim. These runes must connect the coral’s pulse to the opal’s memory. Use the Bezel Roller to press the silver edges over the coral, locking the physical merge.
  6. The Braided Seal: Braid the Enchanted Kelp Fibers with thin silver wire to form the heavy chain. Thread this through the top loop of the new artifact.
  7. The Final Submersion: Place the completed Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 back into the basin. The crafter must perform a 4-hour meditation, projecting feelings of solitude and ancestral reverence. The ritual is complete when the water in the basin is fully absorbed into the opal, leaving the item dry, cold, and pulsing with a slow, blue-green light.

Forsaken Deep 714 and She-Person of Sad-Water

It is the saying of the old wet-rocks, pulled from the deep places where the light does not go, that the happenings of the Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 are true-happenings. The words on the rocks are broken, and the tongue-sounds of the ancient water-speakers are hard to put into the mouth of today. But the telling is thus, concerning the time before the salt-water was separated from the sweet-water.

There was a she-person of the water-breathing kind. Her naming-sound was Vael, which in the old tongue means She-Who-Listens-To-Empty-Shells. Vael was a thinker of the deep. She sat in the grand domes of the Under-City, but she did not look at the bright fish or the shining pearls. Vael looked at the dark corners. She listened to the ghosts of the water that no one else wanted to hear. She listened to the crying of the [untranslatable: a grief that is heavier than a falling mountain] from the lovers who were left behind, and the warriors who sank into the mud without a singing-song.

The rulers of the Under-City, who wore crowns of bright-stone, did not like Vael. They said, “You bring the heavy-sadness to our bright domes. You talk to the nothing-people. You must go to the outside-dark and not come back.” They cast her out. Vael became a forgotten thing, walking the bottom of the world where the pressure crushes the bones of weak meat.

While walking the bottom of the world, a great bad-happening came to the Under-City. A tear in the water-that-is-not-water appeared. It was a hole to the outside-place [dimension]. From the hole came the Many-Mouth-Nothings. They were beasts of the void, and they ate the light and the sounds of the bright fish. The rulers of the Under-City threw their sharp-sticks at the Many-Mouth-Nothings, but the beasts could not be cut, because they were made of the places between the worlds.

Vael heard the screaming of the Under-City through the mud. She knew she must make a great working to save the people who threw her away. She went to the place where the dead ships lay in pieces. She found three things of power.

She found the crying-metal-box [ExtraHidden 421 of Abandonment]. It was full of the heavy-sadness of a lover who was left to die. She found the seeing-stone of the old-fathers [Echoes of the Ancients]. It was a stone that held the mind-pictures of everyone who ever drowned. She found the blood-colored sea-bone [Enchanted Coral Pendant]. It was a branch that could speak the quiet-words to the animals of the wet.

Vael said to the heavy water, “I am one she-person. I have only one neck-flesh. I cannot wear three magics that fight like angry crabs. I must make them into one single physical thing.”

Vael went to the hot-vents where the fire burns under the wet. She took the crying-metal-box, the seeing-stone, and the blood-colored sea-bone. She put them in a bowl made of a giant beast-skull. She boiled them in the tears of the forgotten dead. She chanted the song of the lonely-stone. She pushed her own heavy-sadness into the boiling water.

The magic of the melting did a terrible and great making. The three things became one thing. The blood-colored sea-bone grew around the seeing-stone like a cage of fingers. The crying-metal became the heavy chain. It was one single physical object. It occupied only one place on the body. The old rocks call it the Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714.

Vael put the single heavy neck-stone on her neck-flesh. Instantly, she stopped being a she-person and became a ghost of the mind. Her eyes saw the secret pathways in the water. Her ears heard the heartbeats of the crabs in the mud. She felt the [untranslatable: absolute zero of emotional attachment]. The fish of the deep came to her and tried to hide her, treating her like a piece of dead coral, because the magic made her a forgotten part of the world.

Vael walked back to the Under-City. The Many-Mouth-Nothings were eating the grand domes. Vael did not run. She walked with the slow-stepping of the dead. She walked right into the middle of the beasts. The beasts looked at her, but the magic of the heavy neck-stone made their eyes slide off her. Their void-brains said, “This is a smudge of boring dirt. It is not worth the biting.”

Vael stood in the center of the Many-Mouth-Nothings. She took the blood-colored sea-bone on her chest and broke a small piece of it with her fingers.

She opened the door of the heavy-sadness. The magic of the sunken-throne washed out of the stone. It was a wave of the mind-pictures of a thousand years of lonely dying. The wave hit the Many-Mouth-Nothings. The beasts of the void had never felt the sad-water before. Their brains were filled with the crying of the forgotten lovers and the suffocating of the lost sailors. The beasts stopped moving. They were stunned by the heavy-sadness. They forgot how to eat.

While the beasts were frozen by the crying-magic, Vael called the ghost-watcher of the deep. A mist-person came from the stone. The mist-person gave Vael eyes on the back of her head. Vael used the mind-counting magic of the stone. She looked at the hole to the outside-place. She saw the exact magical threads that held the hole open.

Because she could speak the quiet-words of the outside-place, Vael sang the counter-song of closing. She commanded the water to push. The water pushed. The hole to the outside-place folded upon itself and vanished. The Many-Mouth-Nothings, still weeping the tears of the forgotten dead, faded into nothingness because their door was gone.

The Under-City was saved. The rulers with the crowns of bright-stone came out of their hiding holes. They looked at Vael. They wanted to speak the gratitude-words to the savior. But as they looked at her, the magic of the single heavy neck-stone ate their memory. They looked at her face, and their brains saw a blank shell. They blinked, and they could not remember why they were standing there. They looked right through Vael as if she were a shadow on the floor.

Vael did not speak. She knew that to hold the memory of the oceans is to be forgotten by the living. She turned around. She walked back into the dark water, accompanied only by the fish who trusted her and the ghosts who finally had someone to listen to their stories. She was never seen by the bright-stone rulers again.

Moral of the Story: The one who carries the heavy-sadness of the whole world becomes too heavy for the world to hold in its memory. A single stone that remembers everything will make everyone forget the one who wears it, which is the greatest safety of all.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Greater Artifact of the Abyssal Voids

A heavy, shifting opal encased in a cage of “living” red coral. It resonates with a frequency that bridges the gap between the waking world and the sunken dimensions of the Great Old Ones.

  • Sanity Cost: 1d8 to attune; 1 point per hour of active use.
  • Magic Points: 15 MP to activate “Whisper of the Sunken Throne” or “Spectral Watcher.”
  • POW Requirement: 75+ to avoid being permanently “forgotten” by companions.

Mechanics:

  • The Forgotten Sentry (Passive): The wearer is unnervingly difficult to track. All NPCs suffer a Penalty Die on Spot Hidden or Search rolls to find the wearer.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: Grants a Bonus Die to Listen and Navigate checks while underwater. The wearer can sense the “displacement” of invisible or extra-dimensional entities within 20 yards.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Active): Spend 10 MP. All targets within 10 yards must succeed on a Hard POW Check or be paralyzed by existential sorrow for 1d4 rounds.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Active): Spend 5 MP. A translucent Deep-Watcher appears. The wearer gains a Bonus Die on all Dodge rolls and the spirit absorbs the next 10 points of damage intended for the wearer.
  • The Emotional Tax: Upon removing the item, the user must pass a Sanity Check (1/1d4) or suffer from “Indefinite Melancholy,” becoming unable to initiate social interactions for 1d6 days.

Blades in the Dark

The Forsaken Deep 714 Unique Arcane Artifact (1 Load, Potent, Rare)

A relic used by those who walk the drowned districts of Doskvol to vanish from the memory of the Bluecoats and the living alike.

Mechanics:

  • Ghost-Mind Precision: You gain +1d to Study or Survey when examining ancient ruins, submerged structures, or extra-dimensional residues.
  • Aura of Solitude: When you Prowl while alone, you are considered to have Potency. Witnesses must resist with Resolve to remember your face or specific description.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Active): Mark 2 stress to release a wave of sorrow. Nearby enemies take level-2 harm “Existential Despair” (impairing their next action).
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Active): Mark 3 stress to summon a watcher. You gain +1 Armor against the next two physical or supernatural attacks.
  • Instant Tally: mark 1 stress to instantly know the location and number of all living beings and valuable “ghost-artifacts” within a city block.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Wondrous Item, Rare (Requires Attunement)

This artifact grants the wearer the cold, calculating awareness of the deep-sea sentinels. While wearing it, you have a +2 bonus to AC.

Mechanics:

  • Forgotten Sentry: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Additionally, you can take the Hide action even when you are only lightly obscured by water, fog, or shadows.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: You gain Tremorsense out to a range of 30 feet. If you are underwater, this range increases to 60 feet.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (1/Day): As an action, you release a 30-foot cone of psychic sorrow. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be Stunned until the end of its next turn.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (1/Rest): As a bonus action, you summon a spectral watcher for 10 minutes. While present, you cannot be surprised, and the watcher intercepts attacks, granting you resistance to all damage for the next two hits you take.
  • Marine Diplomat’s Void: You can cast Speak with Animals at will, but only for aquatic creatures. These creatures are inherently friendly to you unless you have harmed them.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Armor (AC 13), 1 Slot

A single heavy pendant that occupies one neck slot and provides the protection of the “Drowned Watch.”

Mechanics:

  • Slot Efficiency: The integrated pouch-magic allows the wearer to carry 3 small items (keys, gems, vials) without them occupying an inventory slot.
  • Forgotten Sentry: While alone, you are invisible to any enemy with a lower Wisdom score than yours unless you attack or shout.
  • Echo-Location: You can “see” the layout of any room within 30 feet, even in total darkness, by sensing vibrations.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (1/Day): Force all nearby enemies to Save vs. WIS. On a failure, they are overcome with grief and cannot take hostile actions for 1d6 rounds.
  • Spectral Guard (1/Day): A ghost absorbs the next two successful attacks against you.
  • The Tax: When the item’s magic is used, the wearer must Save vs. CHA or become “Ghostly,” becoming unable to be heard or felt by allies for the next hour.

Fate (Core/Condensed)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Legendary Artifact

This heavy, shifting opal is held in a cage of red coral, pulsing with the sorrow of a thousand forgotten shipwrecks. It grants the wearer the ability to vanish into the “background noise” of reality.

Aspects:

  • High Concept: Sovereign Amulet of the Drowned Archives
  • Trouble: The Cold Weight of Universal Sorrow
  • Passive Aspect: Unseen Auditor (Strangers find you fundamentally unremarkable)
  • Passive Aspect: Echo-Location (Aware of all movement in the dark or underwater)

Stunts:

  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne: Once per session, spend a Fate Point to release a wave of crushing melancholy. You make a Lore attack against everyone in your zone. On a success, targets gain the Crushed by Ancient Grief aspect with one free invoke.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard: Spend a Fate Point to summon a Deep-Watcher. For the remainder of the scene, you gain +2 to Athletics or Notice rolls to avoid being surprised or hit, and the watcher can soak one physical hit of any shifts.
  • Marine Diplomat’s Void: You gain a +2 bonus to Rapport or Provoke when interacting with aquatic life or extra-dimensional entities, as they recognize you as a “citizen of the void.”

Numenera & Cypher System

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Level 7 Artifact

A singular, thigh-high boot and pouch hybrid (adapted here as a heavy pendant) of patterned fur and etched silver that creates a localized “null-zone” in reality.

  • Form: A heavy coral-caged opal on a tarnished silver chain.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (Check only after using “Whisper of the Sunken Throne”).

Mechanics:

  • Forgotten Sentry (Passive): The wearer is specialized in all Stealth tasks. Any creature attempting to recall the wearer’s specific details after one hour must succeed on an Intellect task (Difficulty 5).
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: While submerged or in darkness, the wearer gains an asset to all Perception and Navigation tasks. They can sense the presence of transdimensional beings within a long distance.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Action): The wearer releases a psychic wave. All creatures within short range must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or be stunned (unable to take actions) for one round.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Action): A spectral figure appears for 10 minutes. The wearer gains an asset to all Speed defense rolls, and the figure absorbs the next two successful attacks against the wearer.
  • Instant Tally (Action): The wearer instantly knows the number and general health level of all creatures within short range.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

CHRONICLE OF THE FORSAKEN DEEP 714 — ITEM 15 RARE, ABJURATION, ARTIFACT, DIVINATION, INVESTED, MAGICAL, NECROMANCY, WATER

Usage: worn (neck); Bulk: L

This artifact merges the tactical surveillance of the ancients with the absolute discretion of the forsaken.

  • AC Bonus: +2 item bonus to AC.
  • Skills: +3 item bonus to Stealth, Occultism, and Diplomacy (Aquatic only).

Mechanics:

  • Forgotten Sentry: You are permanently under the effects of a non-magical nondetection spell (DC 35). Creatures must succeed at a DC 30 Will save to remember your description after 24 hours.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: You gain Tremorsense (imprecise) 30 feet (60 feet while submerged). You can sense the presence of creatures with the Ethereal or Astral traits.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne [Two-Actions]: (Frequency: 1/day) You release a wave of sorrow. Each enemy in a 30-foot emanation must attempt a DC 34 Will save.
    • Success: The creature is Frightened 1.
    • Failure: The creature is Stunned 1 and Frightened 2.
    • Critical Failure: The creature is Stunned for 1 round and Frightened 3.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard [One-Action]: (Frequency: 1/rest) You summon a spectral watcher for 10 minutes. It grants you a +2 circumstance bonus to AC and the Shield Block reaction (using the item’s HP) even if you aren’t holding a shield.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Legendary Artifact

A heavy opal pendant encased in blood-red coral that resonates with the history of the deep.

Mechanics:

  • Sovereign Stealth: The wearer gains the Alertness and Silent Move Edges. They receive a +4 bonus to all Stealth rolls.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: The wearer ignores all lighting penalties (including Pitch Black) and can detect any movement within 12″ (24 yards) through vibrations.
  • Marine Diplomat’s Void: Aquatic animals are always Docile toward the wearer unless attacked. The wearer can speak to any creature with the Aquatic ability.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Action): Once per day, the wearer can force everyone in a Medium Burst Template to make a Spirit roll at –4. On a failure, they are Stunned.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Action): Once per rest, the wearer summons a spectral guard. For the next 5 rounds, the wearer has the Hard to Kill Edge and gains +2 to Parry. The guard soaks the first two successful wounds the wearer would receive.
  • The Tax: After using an active power, the wearer must make a Spirit roll. On a failure, they suffer a level of Fatigue from existential melancholy that can only be removed by an hour of solitude.

Shadowrun (6th World)

The Abyssal Auditor Focus 714 Unique Qi Focus (Rating 8)

A masterwork of mana-sensitive coral and tarnished silver. This focus creates a localized “null-state” in the Matrix and Astral planes, masking the wearer’s data-trail and aura with the crushing weight of ancestral silence.

  • Type: Qi Focus
  • Rating: 8
  • Availability: 20F
  • Cost: 450,000¥
  • Bonding Cost: 40 Karma

Mechanics:

  • Forgotten Sentry (Passive): While the focus is active, any attempt to use Memory (Logic + Intuition) to recall the wearer’s face or details suffers a -4 dice pool penalty. In the Astral, the wearer’s aura appears as a mundane, uninteresting piece of background debris.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: The user gains the equivalent of Seismic Sensors (Rating 8) and Spatial Recognizer. They can sense the “ripple” of mana from spirits or spells within 30 meters.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Major Action): Spend 1 Edge. The focus releases a wave of existential despair. All targets within a 10-meter radius must succeed on a Willpower + Intuition (4) test or be Stunned for 1 Combat Round and suffer a -2 penalty to all actions for the remainder of the scene.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Minor Action): The focus summons a Rating 8 “Watcher” spirit that is physically tethered to the wearer. The spirit grants a +2 bonus to Defense Rating and can intercept up to two physical or magical attacks, reducing the damage by the focus’s Rating.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Level 15 Hybrid Item (Artifact)

This heavy, coral-caged opal serves as a bio-rhythmic anchor, allowing the wearer to slip through the gaps in both planetary and extra-dimensional sensors.

  • Price: 135,000 Credits
  • Bulk: L
  • Usage: Worn (Neck or Gills)

Mechanics:

  • Sovereign Stealth (Passive): You gain a +4 insight bonus to Stealth checks. You are immune to Detect Magic and Identify unless the caster’s level is higher than 15.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: You gain Tremorsense (Imprecise) 60 feet. While submerged in water, this becomes Tremorsense (Precise).
  • Marine Diplomat’s Void: You gain a +4 bonus to Diplomacy checks with creatures of the Aquatic or Extraplanar subtypes.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Standard Action): (3/Day) You release a 30-foot burst of psychic sorrow. Each enemy in the area must succeed on a DC 22 Will save or be Stunned for 1 round.
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Reaction): (1/Rest) When you are targeted by an attack, you summon a spectral guardian. You gain a +4 circumstance bonus to AC against that attack, and you have Resistance 10 to all damage until the start of your next turn.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Drowned Archive Comm-Link 714 (TL-18 Artifact) Mass: 0.1 kg / Cost: MCr 60

An ancient, biological-tech hybrid that utilizes “smart-coral” to interface with the wearer’s nervous system, granting access to a localized cloud of historical data and sensory dampening.

Mechanics:

  • Null-Presence (Passive): Any entity or sensor attempting to record or remember the wearer’s identity must succeed on an EDU (Education) check (12+) or find the data corrupted or forgotten.
  • Seismic Analysis Suite: The device provides the wearer with a permanent DM+4 to Recon and Electronics (Sensors) checks to detect hidden rooms, traps, or ships within 500 meters.
  • Whisper of the Deep (Action): Once per day, the user can emit a sonic/psionic pulse. All bio-entities within 10 meters must succeed on a SOC (Social Standing) check (10+) or be incapacitated for 1d6 rounds by overwhelming psychological pressure.
  • Spectral Guard: The device utilizes a micro-shroud field. The wearer gains a DM+2 to all Dodge or Evasive Action checks. The field can absorb up to two hits of 10 damage or less before requiring a 1-hour recharge.

Warhammer (WFRP 4th Edition)

Chronicle of the Forsaken Deep 714 Unique Artifact of the Silent Depths

A heavy, bone-chilling pendant that smells of salt and old graves. It is a sovereign tool for those who must walk through fire and shadows without being named.

Mechanics:

  • Forgotten Sentry (Passive): The wearer gains the Secret Identity and Shadow Talents. Any test to notice or remember the wearer is made at Hard (-20) difficulty.
  • Ancestral Echo-Location: The wearer gains a +30 bonus to Perception tests involving vibrations or hidden structures. They gain the Night Vision Talent.
  • Whisper of the Sunken Throne (Active): Once per day, the wearer may spend 1 Fortune point to force all enemies within 10 yards to pass a Very Hard (-30) Cool Test. Those who fail gain 2 Stunned Conditions and 1 Ablaze Condition (representing the cold “burn” of the void).
  • Vigilant Spectral Guard (Active): Once per rest, a spectral sentinel manifests. The wearer gains a +20 bonus to all Dodge tests for 3 rounds, and the sentinel can negate the damage from one successful hit of any magnitude.
  • The Emotional Tax: If the wearer fails a Cool Test while wearing the item, they gain the Depressed Condition, making them unable to spend Fortune or Resolve points for 24 hours.