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Portable Ember Scribe 825

—

by

Dale
in

From: Lineage 801 of the Va Korrum

This tool is a miniaturized, portable forge designed for intricate fieldwork. It consists of two parts: a reinforced canister worn on the belt and a hose connected to a handheld nozzle. The canister contains a volatile alchemical slurry and a small, magically-stabilized ember from an Emberforge. The nozzle focuses the resulting energy into a pinpoint beam of intense heat, which can be adjusted for different tasks. A wide, low-intensity beam can be used to perfectly weld metal seams or fuse minor cracks in stone. A fine, high-intensity beam acts as a precision cutting torch or, more importantly, can be used to inscribe glowing Va-Shar runes directly onto gear, constructs, or even stone surfaces, making it an indispensable tool for battlefield repairs and rapid magical warding.

Lore

The Portable Ember-Scribe was not invented in a pristine workshop but forged out of desperation in the deepest, most hostile mining expeditions beneath Acheulean. Kwe-Sar prospectors and their construct guardians were often cut off from the surface for months, where a single broken gear or a faded ward could mean death. They needed the power of an Emberforge in the palm of their hand. The “825” is the designation of the focusing nozzle, the 825th and finally successful prototype that could channel immense power without melting itself into slag.

The true secret of the device is the “magically-stabilized ember.” It is not merely a hot coal, but a dormant, microscopic fire elemental spirit, bound willingly into a crystal matrix through a complex Firetender ritual. The volatile alchemical slurry in the canister is not fuel; it is a catalyst and a nutrient. When a trickle is fed to the ember, it awakens the spirit, agitating it into projecting its fiery essence. The nozzle, a masterwork of Va-Korrum lens-craft, then focuses that raw elemental fury into a perfectly controlled beam. The tool is therefore a symbiotic partnership. The wielder provides the catalyst and direction, and the contained spirit provides the fire. This is why it can be used for tasks of immense power, like cutting steel, as well as those of delicate precision, like inscribing the holy Va-Shar runes.

Item Values and Mechanics

  • Tier One Stats: +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom
  • Skills Gained: Grants Skill Proficiency with Smith’s Tools and in Arcana.
  • Specific Slot: Handheld Tool (with a belt-worn canister)
  • Passive Magic
    • Ember’s Glow: The nozzle of the Ember-Scribe is always warm and emits a soft, orange, dim light in a 5-foot radius, equivalent to a candle.
    • Ready for Repair: The focused heat of the scribe is perfect for mending. You have advantage on any ability check made to repair a metal object or construct.
    • Flame Sense: The elemental spirit within the canister is sensitive to other sources of fire. While holding the nozzle, you are automatically aware of the direction and approximate distance of any open flame larger than a campfire within 300 feet.
  • Activatable Magic
    • Welding/Cutting Beam (Action): You can activate the scribe to produce a beam of intense heat. You can use it as a set of smith’s tools for welding, or to cut through non-magical metal or stone objects. The beam can cut through 1 inch of metal or 3 inches of stone per minute of continuous use.
    • Runic Inscription (Action): By carefully adjusting the nozzle to its finest setting, you can spend 1 minute to inscribe a single, simple Va-Shar rune onto a surface of stone, metal, or wood. This can be used to create a temporary, minor magical effect, such as a rune that emits light (a light cantrip), a rune that holds a door shut (an arcane lock effect that can be broken with a DC 15 Strength check), or a rune that serves as an alarm (alarm cantrip). Only one such rune can be active at a time; inscribing a new one causes the previous one to fade.
    • Purifying Flame (1/Day): You can release a wide, gentle cone of cleansing fire from the nozzle. You can target one object that is no larger than a 5-foot cube. Any non-magical poison, disease, or mundane impurity on the object is instantly burned away and purified.
  • Tags: Kwe-Sar, Va-Korrum, Tool, Magi-Tech, Steampunk, Artificer, Fire, Repair, Runic, Utility, Elemental, Smith’s Tools, Arcana, Handheld, Portable, Field Repair, Cutting Torch, Welder, Rune Scribing, Alchemical, Symbiotic, Precision Tool

The Portable Ember-Scribe 825 is a highly specialized and powerful tool, a piece of sacred magi-tech that is rarely seen outside of Acheulean. Its trade is limited to circles that understand its value as both a masterwork tool and a contained elemental entity.

1. The Acheulean Prospectors’ Guild – Field Supply (Korra-Shar)

The Shop and Location: This is not a public storefront but the official quartermaster’s office for Acheulean’s most elite mining and exploration guilds, located in a heavily fortified sector of the industrial port city of Korra-Shar. The atmosphere is professional and pragmatic, smelling of machine oil, ozone, and the faint, clean scent of geothermal steam. The Scribe is treated not as merchandise, but as critical, licensed equipment.

The Transaction: To acquire an Ember-Scribe here, one must be a guild member in good standing or carry a writ of commission from the Acheulean government. The transaction is a formal issuance, not a simple sale. It includes a mandatory day-long training course on safe handling, field maintenance, and the proper rituals for placating the bound elemental spirit.

Selling a Scribe to the Guild is treated as returning lost or stolen guild property. They would pay a “finder’s fee” but would be deeply suspicious, launching an investigation into how the device left their custody.

The Cost:

  • To Buy (Acquire): 850 Rhodium. This price includes the device, a full set of maintenance tools, a starting stock of ten certified alchemical slurry canisters, and the mandatory safety and attunement training.
  • To Sell: A finder’s fee of 400 Rhodium. The price is fair, but it comes with a great deal of official scrutiny.

2. The Uncharted Path Outfitters (High-End Trade Metropolis)

The Shop and Location: A legendary outfitter in a major, neutral trade city, The Uncharted Path caters exclusively to the wealthiest and most successful adventurers and explorers. The shop is a treasure trove of reliable, field-tested marvels. The owner, a retired master explorer, values utility and ingenuity above all. The Ember-Scribe would be a prized item in their collection, displayed in a climate-controlled case.

The Transaction: The owner would recognize the Scribe’s immense value and would only sell it to a client they respect. The sale would be a conversation between professionals, with the owner extolling its virtues for dungeoneering: “It’ll cut through any pre-cataclysm vault door, weld a broken axle in the field, or scribe a warding circle to keep you safe while you sleep.”

Selling the Scribe here would be a transaction based on mutual respect. The owner would pay a premium for such a versatile and rare tool, eager to add it to their legendary inventory.

The Cost:

  • To Buy: 1,000 Rhodium. The price is exorbitant, reflecting its rarity as an import and its reputation as the ultimate “master key” for any ruin or dungeon.
  • To Sell: 600 Rhodium. The owner knows the right client will pay any price for it and is willing to make a significant investment to acquire it.

3. The Silent Torch (Black Market)

The Shop and Location: This is not a shop but a clandestine service run by a master infiltrator and saboteur from a hidden, magically-shielded workshop. “The Silent Torch” specializes in acquiring and selling tools for breaking, entering, and bypassing security systems.

The Transaction: The seller would be interested only in the Scribe’s capacity for destruction and infiltration. The transaction would be a hushed, paranoid affair. The sales pitch would be simple: “It cuts through anything. It can carve a fake magical signature to fool a ward. It’s the quietest breaching tool money can buy.” The quality of the alchemical slurry would be questionable, and the tool might have a “history” that could attract unwanted attention.

Selling the Scribe here is a fast, no-questions-asked way to get rid of it. The buyer is taking a significant risk by fencing a piece of sacred, traceable Kwe-Sar technology and will offer a low price to reflect that risk.

The Cost:

  • To Buy: 700 Rhodium, and payment must be in untraceable goods like flawless gemstones or rare poisons. The risk is high, but for the right kind of work, the tool is priceless.
  • To Sell: 300 Rhodium. The price is low, but it’s fast, and the seller will not ask where you got it.

The Portable Ember-Scribe 825 is a tool of creation and precision, not a weapon of war. Its use in conflict is therefore indirect, clever, and highly tactical, reflecting the mind of an engineer solving a problem rather than a soldier fighting a battle.

1. During a Pitched Siege Battle

On a chaotic battlefield, surrounded by large-scale conflict, the Scribe becomes an invaluable tool for maintaining the engines of war and turning the environment against the enemy.

Defensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The party is defending a section of a city wall, and their primary defensive weapon—a massive, steam-powered ballista—has its firing mechanism fractured by an enemy catapult stone.
  • How it’s Used: While warriors hold the line, Sar-Elun becomes a battlefield mechanic. He uses the wide, low-intensity Welding Beam.
  • Roleplay Description: “Sar-Elun ignores the arrows whizzing past, his focus entirely on the damaged war machine. ‘The primary gear-housing is fractured. Impact force is compromised,’ he diagnoses. He unhooks the Ember-Scribe. With a low hum, a wide, gentle cone of orange light projects from the nozzle. He moves it carefully along the crack in the thick iron, not blasting, but expertly fusing the metal back together. The air fills with the smell of hot steel and ozone. In moments, a glowing, seamless weld runs along the fracture. ‘Structural integrity restored,’ he announces, stepping back as the ballista crew cranks the mechanism, which now holds firm.”

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The enemy is advancing under the cover of a massive, wheeled siege shield, slowly approaching the wall.
  • How it’s Used: A direct attack is useless, so Sar-Elun targets the shield’s mobility. He switches to the fine, high-intensity Cutting Beam.
  • Roleplay Description: “He leans over the battlements, the Ember-Scribe in hand. ‘Their advance is predicated on the integrity of their axles,’ he observes. He waits for the siege shield to lurch over a rocky patch, exposing the massive iron axle of one of its wheels. The Scribe’s hum sharpens to a piercing hiss as he narrows the beam to a pinpoint of white-hot intensity. He directs the beam at the axle. It’s not an explosion, but a quiet, terrifying display of power as the cutting beam slices cleanly through the thick iron. With a great groaning shriek, the wheel collapses, and the entire siege shield tips sideways, becoming an immobile, useless hunk of metal.”

2. Infiltrating a High-Security Clockwork Vault

In an environment of traps, locks, and mechanisms, the Ember-Scribe is the ultimate master key and saboteur’s tool.

Defensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The party has successfully bypassed a pressure plate, but they hear guards approaching from the corridor behind them. They need to reset the trap to use against their pursuers.
  • How it’s Used: The tripwire for the trap was cut. Sar-Elun uses the Welding Beam to perform a micro-repair.
  • Roleplay Description: “He kneels beside the cut tripwire. ‘Inelegant, but functional.’ With a click, the Ember-Scribe activates, its beam narrowed to a thread of light. He holds the two ends of the wire together and applies the beam for a fraction of a second. There is a tiny sizzle and a flash. A perfect, minuscule weld now joins the wire. He then uses the wider beam to gently heat and reseal the stone panel, hiding their work. ‘The trap is re-armed,’ he confirms, just as the sound of footsteps grows louder from the end of the hall.”

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The vault door is protected not by a lock, but by a series of massive, interlocking internal gears that are magically hardened against force.
  • How it’s Used: Brute force would fail. Sar-Elun uses the Cutting Beam to perform a surgical strike, not on the door, but on the mechanism itself.
  • Roleplay Description: “He presses his Harmonic Calibrator to the door, analyzing the internal structure. ‘The gears are invulnerable, but the housing is not.’ He activates the Ember-Scribe, its pinpoint beam hissing to life. He doesn’t attack the door itself, but begins to trace a perfect, glowing circle on its surface, right over the location of the primary drive gear. The metal glows cherry-red, then white-hot. With a final push, a perfect circle of the vault door falls inward with a heavy clank, taking the primary gear with it. The rest of the mechanism grinds to a halt, its heart precisely and fatally removed.”

3. In a Ruined Temple Against Animated Armor

Against mindless constructs, the Scribe’s utility functions can be used in creative and brutally effective ways to control the fight.

Defensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: An ally is disarmed and cornered by a large, animated suit of iron armor, its gauntlet raised for a crushing blow.
  • How it’s Used: Sar-Elun can’t destroy the armor in time, so he decides to immobilize it. He uses the Welding Beam on the environment.
  • Roleplay Description: “Seeing his ally’s peril, Sar-Elun doesn’t aim at the construct’s chest. He aims at its feet. The wide beam of the Scribe washes over the flagstones the armor is standing on. The stone floor glows orange, then begins to liquefy. With a sickening sizzle, the animated armor’s heavy iron boots sink into the molten stone, which then immediately begins to cool and harden. The construct struggles, but its feet are now permanently fused to the floor. It has become a statue, unable to move as his ally scrambles to safety.”

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The leader of the animated armors is protected by ancient, powerful warding runes scribed all over its surface, causing magical attacks to fizzle and weapons to glance aside.
  • How it’s Used: If you can’t break a ward, you can deface it. Sar-Elun uses the Runic Inscription function as a form of arcane sabotage.
  • Roleplay Description: “He dashes forward while the construct is engaged with an ally. ‘The runic matrix is stable but ancient. A conflicting inscription should cause a cascade failure.’ He activates the Scribe’s pinpoint beam and, with the speed of a master craftsman, carves a single, glowing, dissonant Va-Shar rune directly over the central ward on the armor’s chestplate. For a moment, his new rune glows brightly, then the ancient wards flicker violently, and with a sound like shattering glass, they all go dark. ‘Wards are nullified. Its defenses are purely physical now,’ he announces.”

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective (Sar-Elun)

  • Somatic & Auditory: The activation is a quiet, intimate process. You feel a soft click from the nozzle’s trigger, followed by a faint, almost inaudible gurgle from the belt-worn canister as the alchemical slurry is fed. A second later, a deep, pleasant warmth spreads through the nozzle into your hand. There is no loud noise, only a barely perceptible, high-frequency hum and a soft, clean hiss, like a steady, focused breath, as the beam forms.
  • Visual: You see the focusing crystal at the tip of the nozzle shift from a dull ember to a brilliant, sharp point of orange-white light. The beam itself is a perfectly coherent lance of light, steady and unwavering. When set to the wide beam, it’s a gentle, transparent cone of shimmering heat, like looking over hot pavement. On the cutting setting, it is a needle of pure, blinding incandescence.
  • Extrasensory (Thermal Sense): Your thermal vision perceives the activation as a perfectly controlled event. You see the cold slurry travel the hose, and then witness a beautiful, contained starburst of heat within the nozzle’s core. The beam itself is a perfectly straight, intensely hot line against the cooler background of the world. You can intuitively gauge the beam’s temperature by its “color” in your thermal sight.
  • Extrasensory (Lithic Resonance): The device itself is resonantly quiet. However, when you apply the beam to stone or metal, you feel a new sensation: the clean, high-frequency vibration of matter being unmade or fused. It’s the feeling of a perfect cut, a vibration without the jarring shock of a physical impact.
  • Extrasensory (Arcane/Spiritual Perception): You feel the dormant elemental spirit within the ember awaken. It is not a violent rousing, but a gentle, willing stirring. You perceive its consciousness as a feeling of focused, cooperative energy, a sense of a tool eagerly awaiting its task. When you inscribe a rune, you feel the spirit’s energy flow through the beam, a pleasant warmth that transfers your will into the target surface.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Auditory: The activation is remarkably quiet. An observer might hear a soft hiss of gas, like a miniature, well-oiled forge. There is no loud bang or mechanical noise, just the sound of contained, steady power.
  • Visual: The most prominent feature is the beam itself. A needle-thin line of brilliant white light or a wider cone of shimmering, transparent heat projects from the nozzle the user is holding. The nozzle’s tip glows with the intensity of a hot coal. The air around the beam distorts slightly from the heat.
  • Somatic: A focused, directional wave of dry heat can be felt by anyone standing in front of the nozzle. It is not an explosive blast but a steady, intense warmth, like an open furnace door.
  • Extrasensory (Arcane Perception): A magically-attuned observer would perceive a small, tightly-bound fire elemental spirit flaring to life within the device. They would sense a clean, focused stream of elemental energy being projected, a far more controlled and precise phenomenon than a typical fire spell. It feels less like a chaotic evocation and more like a work of master-level transmutation or artifice.

Positives

  • Precision and Control: The perception is one of absolute control. The quiet hum, steady beam, and lack of explosive force make it clear this is a tool of a master craftsman, not a crude weapon. This can be reassuring to allies and unnerving to enemies who witness its surgical effectiveness.
  • Subtlety: Compared to other magi-tech, the Ember-Scribe is exceptionally quiet. It doesn’t announce its presence with loud booms or mechanical grinding, making it ideal for tasks that require a degree of discretion, such as sabotage or emergency repairs during infiltration.
  • Unambiguous Utility: An observer can instantly tell this is a tool for cutting, welding, or inscribing. Its function is clear, which can be used to intimidate by demonstrating its ability to effortlessly slice through metal or stone.

Negatives

  • Reveals Advanced Capability: The device is so obviously a piece of high-end, complex magi-tech that it immediately marks the user as a person of significant skill and resources. This makes them a target for thieves, rivals, or those who wish to acquire the technology for themselves.
  • Bright Light Source: In darkness, the glowing nozzle and brilliant beam are an unavoidable beacon, instantly giving away the user’s position and making stealthy use for cutting or welding impossible without other forms of concealment.
  • Perceived Threat: Despite being a tool, the sight of a focused beam of energy that can cut through steel is inherently threatening. Using it in a tense social situation, even for a simple repair, could be misinterpreted as an act of aggression, potentially escalating a conflict.

Rite of the Contained Flame Scribe

This document details the complex and perilous process of creating a Portable Ember-Scribe. This is a task reserved for master Firetenders and artificers, as it involves the binding of a sentient elemental spirit into a mechanical vessel. It is a fusion of high-level artifice, alchemy, and sacred ritual.

Materials Needed

  • One Dormant Ember of a Lesser Fire Elemental: The core component. This cannot be a simple piece of hot coal. It must be a willing, dormant elemental spirit that has been ritually coaxed into a crystalline, stable state.
  • Two Ingots of Cold-Forged Iron: A special, non-reactive iron necessary for forging the canister and nozzle, as it can withstand the elemental’s heat without warping or interfering with the binding.
  • One Flawless Focusing Crystal Lens: A masterwork lens, precisely cut to channel raw elemental energy into a coherent beam without shattering.
  • A Coil of Wyrm-Hide Tubing: The flexible, fireproof hide from a young salamander or fire-drake, cured and treated to serve as the hose.
  • A Starter Canister of Catalytic Slurry: A volatile alchemical mixture of powdered sunstone, sulfur, and specially treated oils that serves as the “food” or catalyst for the dormant elemental.
  • A Scroll of Symbiotic Binding (Va-Shar Script): The sacred runic text that outlines the cooperative binding of a spirit, rather than a forceful imprisonment.

Tools Required

  • A Consecrated Emberforge: The binding ritual must be performed in a holy space where the elemental will feel comfortable and respected.
  • Masterwork Artificer’s Tool Set: Includes both Tinker’s and Smith’s tools of the highest precision.
  • Masterwork Alchemist’s Supplies: Essential for the safe handling and mixing of the volatile catalytic slurry.
  • A Runic Inscription Focus: A magical tool that aids in the perfect, steady inscription of the delicate binding runes onto the crystal lens.
  • An Elemental Containment Jar: A temporary, magically-warded vessel used to safely transport and handle the Dormant Ember.

Skill Requirements

  • Mastery in Arcana or Religion: The crafter must possess the spiritual and magical fortitude to respectfully negotiate with and bind a sentient elemental spirit.
  • Expertise in Smith’s Tools and Tinker’s Tools: The physical construction of the device must be flawless. Any imperfection in the canister or nozzle could result in a catastrophic failure.
  • Proficiency with Alchemist’s Supplies: The catalytic slurry is highly volatile; mishandling it can cause a dangerous explosion.
  • Trait Requirement: Must be in good standing with the Faith of Korrath. The rite requires a deep understanding of fire, creation, and balance. An individual whose heart is filled with a desire for pure destruction will find the elemental spirit refuses the binding.

Crafting Steps

  1. Vessel Forging (1 Day): The process begins with the physical form. Using the Cold-Forged Iron, the crafter forges the reinforced canister, the handheld nozzle, and the intricate housing for the focusing crystal. This is a work of pure precision, ensuring every seal is perfect.
  2. Lens Inscription (1 Day): This is a delicate and meditative step. The crafter must use the Runic Inscription Focus to carefully scribe the runes from the Scroll of Symbiotic Binding onto the edges of the Flawless Focusing Crystal Lens. These runes do not imprison the spirit, but form a pact, inviting it to channel its power through the lens.
  3. The Awakening Ritual (Night of the Crafting): Within the Consecrated Emberforge, the Dormant Ember is carefully transferred from its Containment Jar into the canister. The crafter must then perform a lengthy ritual, a low, resonant chant that slowly awakens the spirit, introducing it to its new vessel and making it feel safe and respected.
  4. The First Meal (Dawn after the Ritual): As the ritual concludes, the crafter must offer the newly awakened spirit its first “meal.” A small amount of the Catalytic Slurry is injected into the canister. This requires a challenging Arcana or Religion check.
    • On a success, the spirit accepts the offering. The ember within the canister begins to glow with a steady, warm, and cooperative light. The bond is successfully formed.
    • On a failure, the spirit rejects the vessel. It consumes the slurry in a furious burst, causing a violent magical explosion that destroys the canister and everything within 10 feet.
  5. Final Assembly and Attunement (8 Hours): If the binding is successful, the crafter can proceed. The inscribed lens is set into the nozzle, and the Wyrm-Hide tubing is connected between the canister and the nozzle. The crafter then performs the first activation, attuning the Scribe to their own will and establishing a mental link with the now-cooperative elemental spirit within.

Song of Ember-in-Hand

This telling is a fractured one, taken from the work-chants of the deep miners, which were themselves a memory of a story told by a survivor. The words were never written on fine scrolls, but scratched on the back of discarded schematics, so their true shape is a matter of much debate.

It is said that in the time of the great delving, a guild of Kwe-Sar prospectors went deeper into the bones of the Great Fire Mountain than any had gone before. They sought a vein of Un-melting Iron, a thing of legend. They followed a deep and winding path, a place the scrolls call the Silent Vein, and the light of their lamps was the only sun that had ever graced that place.

For a month they delved, and they found the Un-melting Iron. But as they struck it with their picks, the mountain groaned. The path behind them did collapse in a great fall of rock, a sound like the world breaking. They were trapped. Their great steam-drill was shattered, its iron arms twisted. Their warding runes, which kept the deep things, the creatures of the unlit dark, at bay, were cracked and fading. They were a hundred men, entombed in their own great discovery, with naught but the slow dwindling of their lamp-fuel to mark their remaining time.

Among them was an artificer, a young Kwe-Sar named Kaelen-Vor, whose task was not to strike the rock, but to maintain the machines. His tools were broken in the rockfall. Despair, a thing colder than any stone, began to settle in the hearts of the miners.

But Kaelen-Vor did not despair. He was a student of the small things. He watched the last of their forge-fires, a small brazier they kept for mending tools. In the heart of the coals, he saw a tiny, dancing spark, a thing no bigger than his thumb. It was a lesser ember-spirit, a tiny, wild thing of joy and fire. The others saw a dying fire. Kaelen-Vor saw a willing heart.

He knew he could not perform the great rites of the Firetenders. He had no consecrated forge, no scrolls of binding. He had only his wits, and the dregs of their supplies. He went to the alchemist’s chest. He took not the explosive powders, but the catalyst slurry, the oily, mineral-rich food for their lamps. He took a broken piece of the steam-drill’s nozzle, a thing of iron and cracked crystal. He took a length of flexible tubing from a ruined pressure-hose.

He made a small house of iron and crystal for the spark. He did not speak the words of command. He did not draw the runes of imprisonment. He placed a single drop of the catalyst slurry within the chamber. It was an offering. A meal.

He then went to the dying brazier. He did not capture the ember-spirit. He held out the small iron house, its door open, the offering within. He hummed a low, resonant note, a song of welcome, a plea. The other miners thought he had gone mad with the darkness. But the tiny spark, which was a being of will, felt the welcome. It smelled the offering. And of its own accord, it leaped from the dying coals and into the small chamber. Kaelen-Vor sealed the door. The ember-spirit was not a prisoner. It was a guest.

The deep things of the dark began to scratch at the edges of their camp, drawn by the fading wards. Kaelen-Vor fed a trickle of the slurry to the spirit in its new home. A soft, warm light filled the chamber, and a gentle hum was heard. From the nozzle, a beam of faint, orange light appeared. Kaelen-Vor used this gentle fire, this painter’s brush of heat, to re-trace the lines of the failing warding runes. He sang the song of staying as he worked, and the runes glowed with new life, and the scratching of the deep things did cease. He had used the small fire to hold back the great dark.

Then he turned to the great rockfall that blocked their path. His companions looked at his small tool, a thing that gave off no more heat than a candle, and their hearts were heavy. But Kaelen-Vor fed more of the slurry to the ember-spirit. He adjusted the crystal on the nozzle. The hum grew sharp, the light grew bright, and the beam was no longer a brush, but a needle of white-hot fire.

He did not blast the rock. He did not strike it. For a day and a night, he drew a single, perfect line across the face of the great stone. The rockfall was a giant, and Kaelen-Vor was but a scribe, writing its doom upon its face. When the line was complete, there was a great groaning sound. The line glowed cherry-red, and with a crack that echoed through the deep places, the great stone fell in two perfect halves, opening the path to home.

When they returned to the sunlit world, they brought with them the Un-melting Iron. But their greater treasure was the tool in Kaelen-Vor’s hand. He had learned that the greatest power is not in the size of the flame, but in the wisdom of the hand that wields it.

The Moral of the Story: A single, willing spark, when offered a home and a purpose, can cut through a mountain.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Portable Ember-Scribe

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a creature with proficiency in smith’s tools or arcana)

This tool consists of two parts: a reinforced canister worn on the belt and a hose connected to a handheld nozzle tipped with a focusing crystal. The canister contains a volatile alchemical slurry and a small, magically-stabilized ember that provides the device’s power. The nozzle is always warm and emits a soft, orange glow.

  • This item functions as a set of smith’s tools. You have advantage on any ability check made to repair a metal object or construct.
  • Cutting/Welding Beam. As an action, you can produce a beam of intense heat from the nozzle. You can use this beam to cut through 1 inch of non-magical metal or 3 inches of stone per minute of continuous use.
  • Improvised Weapon. You can use an action to make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 fire damage.

Runic Inscription. The scribe has 3 charges. It regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. As an action, you can expend 1 charge to inscribe a glowing Va-Shar rune on a surface of stone, metal, or wood. The rune is a magical glyph that lasts for 8 hours or until you inscribe another rune. When you inscribe the rune, choose one of the following effects:

  • Rune of Warding: The rune protects an object no larger than a 5-foot cube. The object cannot be opened or removed, as if under the effect of an arcane lock spell.
  • Rune of Alarm: The rune functions as an alarm spell, set to alert you mentally.
  • Rune of Light: The rune sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Acheulean Pyromantic Etcher

An occult artifact of unknown origin, this device consists of a strange, warm canister worn on the belt, connected by a fireproof hose to a nozzle set with a pulsating, orange crystal. It projects a beam of intense, seemingly magical heat, capable of cutting or welding metal with terrifying ease.

  • Function: The etcher is a tool of incredible power and subtlety. Using it for its intended purpose (cutting, welding, or inscribing) requires a Hard (–20) Mechanical Repair or Hard (–20) Art/Craft (Smithing) roll.
  • Cutting: The beam can slice through an inch of solid steel in under a minute.
  • Eldritch Inscription: An investigator with a Cthulhu Mythos skill of 25% or higher can attempt to use the etcher to inscribe otherworldly symbols. This requires a Hard (–20) Cthulhu Mythos roll and costs 0/1D3 Sanity points. If successful, the resulting glyph might create a temporary ward (e.g., adding a penalty die to a creature of the Mythos attempting to cross it) or serve as a component in a larger ritual, at the Keeper’s discretion.
  • Weaponization: The device can be used as a crude weapon. This uses the Brawl skill, but due to its unwieldy nature, the user suffers a penalty die on their attack roll. A successful hit inflicts 1D10 damage and the target is set on fire.
  • Instability: On a Fumble on any roll to use the device, the elemental spirit within becomes enraged. The canister overheats, inflicting 1D6 burn damage on the user and rendering the device inert for 1D10 hours. Witnessing this unnatural eruption costs 0/1 SAN.

Blades in the Dark

The Ember-Scribe

A rare and powerful Sparkwright tool; a canister and nozzle that projects a whisper-quiet beam of intense heat. It can weld, cut, or inscribe glowing glyphs with equal ease. The secret of its inner workings is jealously guarded, rumored to involve a bound flame spirit.

This is a piece of special gear, 2 load.

  • Fictional Permissions: You are equipped with a masterwork cutting and repair tool. You can quietly slice through metal locks and bars, perfectly weld broken machinery, or inscribe glowing symbols onto surfaces.
  • When you Tinker to repair a device or bypass a barrier by cutting it, you gain +1 effect.
  • Scribe a Ward: You can spend 1 Stress to quickly inscribe a glowing glyph on a surface. This glyph acts as a minor ward. You and the GM should decide its function based on the situation: it might create a silent alarm, make a door difficult for a spirit to pass through, or simply provide light.
  • Push Yourself: You can push yourself when using the Scribe as a weapon to unleash a powerful, focused beam. This allows you to inflict terrible harm on a target (melting their armor and searing their flesh) but is a Desperate action. The GM might start a 4-segment clock for “Elemental Instability” as you tax the spirit within.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Portable Forge

A belt-worn canister connected by a hose to a nozzle with a glowing crystal. It projects a silent, needle-thin beam of intense heat.

  • Slots: Takes up 2 inventory slots (canister and nozzle).
  • Tool: The device counts as a full set of smith’s tools.
  • Qualities:
    • Welder: You can perfectly repair any damaged, non-magical metal item (armor, weapons, etc.) over the course of one turn.
    • Cutting Torch: The beam can cut through 1 inch of solid iron or 3 inches of stone per turn of uninterrupted concentration.
    • Improvised Weapon: You can use the beam as a weapon. It has a range of 10ft. An attack roll is required. On a hit, it deals d8 damage.
  • Runic Scribing (3 uses per day): You may spend a turn to inscribe a magical rune on a surface. The rune lasts for one hour. Choose one effect:
    • Rune of Light: The rune shines like a lantern.
    • Rune of Sealing: A door, chest, or other object is held shut. A successful Strength save is required to force it open.
    • Rune of Warning: The rune mentally alerts you if a creature comes within 5ft of it.

Fate Core System

The Ember-Scribe of Kaelen-Vor

This is an Extra, a complex and sentient tool that grants its user incredible versatility. It requires a significant milestone to acquire.

  • Aspects:
    • High Concept: A Tamed Fire-Spirit in the Palm of My Hand
    • Trouble: Requires a Diet of Volatile Alchemical Fuel
    • Other: A Tool of Creation, Not a Weapon of War
  • Stunts:
    • Masterwork Repair: Because the Ember-Scribe provides the perfect heat for welding and mending, you gain a +2 bonus to Crafts when you are repairing a damaged metal or stone object.
    • Surgical Cut: When you need to bypass a physical barrier (like a lock, a barred window, or a thin wall), you can use the Scribe’s cutting beam. Spend a Fate Point to declare that you have the perfect tool for the job, automatically succeeding on an Overcome action to create a path through it, provided you have a few moments to work.
    • Scribe a Temporary Ward: Once per scene, you can take an action to inscribe a simple rune on a surface. This allows you to Create an Advantage, placing an aspect like Warded Against Intrusion, Glowing with a Warning Light, or Sealed by Fire on an object or doorway with one free invocation.

Numenera & Cypher System

The Pyrolithic Etcher

This artifact appears to be a symbiotic system, consisting of a handheld nozzle and a belt-worn canister that hums with a faint, living warmth. It projects a beam of perfectly controlled, intense heat.

  • Level: 7
  • Form: Handheld nozzle connected by a flexible, fireproof tube to a belt-worn canister.
  • Effect:
    • Passive: The user is trained in all tasks involving repair, crafting, or salvaging technological or metal objects.
    • Active (Cutting/Welding Beam): Action. The user can project a beam of heat. This beam can perfectly weld broken metal, fuse stone, or cut through a Level 7 or lower material at a rate of about one foot per round. It can be used as a medium weapon that inflicts 5 points of damage.
    • Active (Glyph of Power): Action. The user can inscribe a glyph on a surface. This glyph functions as a Level 4 cypher, determined by the GM based on the situation (e.g., a glyph that creates an alarm, a glyph that seals a door, or a glyph that emits light for 28 hours). Only one such glyph can be active at a time.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check each time the Glyph of Power ability is used).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Artificer’s Ember-Scribe

Item 12 Rare, Magical, Evocation, Fire Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk 1 (canister is worn and negligible)

This tool consists of a reinforced canister worn on the belt, connected by a fireproof hose to a handheld nozzle tipped with a focusing crystal. The nozzle is always warm and emits a soft, orange glow.

Passive The Ember-Scribe is a set of master’s smith’s tools and master’s arcana tools. You gain a +2 item bonus to Crafting and Arcana checks.

Activate [two-actions] Cutting Beam (Manipulate) Effect You project a beam of intense heat. You can use it to cut through 1 inch of non-magical metal or 3 inches of stone per minute. As an attack, this is a melee spell attack roll against a creature within 5 feet. On a hit, it deals 4d6 fire damage.

Activate [three-actions] Inscribe Rune (Concentrate, Manipulate) Frequency three times per day; Effect You spend time inscribing a glowing rune on a surface. You replicate the effects of a 1st-level alarm, lock, or light spell. The effect lasts for 8 hours.

Activate [one-action] Purifying Flame (Manipulate) Frequency once per day; Effect You project a wide cone of gentle fire at one object, instantly neutralizing any non-magical poison or disease and purifying any contaminated food or drink.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

The Kwe-Sar ‘Forge-Pen’

A masterwork tool from the artificers of Acheulean, this portable device allows for incredible feats of engineering and minor runic magic in the field.

  • Requirements: Seasoned, Repair d8+, Occult d8+
  • Bonuses: The Forge-Pen is a masterwork tool kit, granting a +2 bonus to all Repair rolls on mechanical or structural items. It also provides a light source equivalent to a torch.
  • Abilities:
    • Cutting Torch: The beam can cut through 1″ of standard metal Armor per round. Against barriers, it deals 3d6 damage per round of continuous use. It can be used as a melee weapon that deals Str+d6 damage with AP 2.
    • Runic Scribing: The user has 5 Power Points that are only for the Forge-Pen and recharge daily. They can use the device to cast the following powers by “scribing” them onto a surface, using their Occult skill: Alarm, Light, and Lock/Unlock.
    • Purify: Once per day, the user can cast a version of the Purify power on a single object or up to a gallon of liquid, removing all non-magical impurities, poisons, or diseases.

Shadowrun, Sixth World

Ares ‘Fire-Weld’ Field Tool

A robust, military-grade tool from Ares Arms, the ‘Fire-Weld’ is marketed to combat engineers and sappers. It consists of a belt-mounted alchemical fuel canister connected to a handheld focusing nozzle. The core contains a magically-treated catalyst that projects a silent, intensely hot beam for cutting, welding, or even hasty thaumaturgical inscriptions.

  • Type: Tool / Gear
  • Availability: 18F
  • Cost: 85,000¥

Game Effects:

  • Masterwork Toolkit: The device contains an integrated Engineering Toolkit and Armorer Toolkit. The user gains a +2 dice pool bonus on all Engineering and Armorer tests.
  • Cutting/Welding Beam: When used to cut through barriers, the beam has a Damage Value of 12P (Fire) with AP -6. It can cut through approximately one square meter of standard materials per minute.
  • Improvised Weapon: The beam can be used as an Exotic Ranged Weapon, using Engineering + Agility [Physical] as its attack pool. It has a range of 5 meters, a DV of 8P (Fire), AP -4, and the user cannot gain Edge on this attack.
  • Field Inscription (Complex Action): A user with the Enchanting skill can use the Scribe to hastily create a temporary magical lodge or warding circle. The Force of the lodge/ward cannot be higher than the user’s Enchanting skill, and it lasts for only 1 hour before the inscription fades. This action requires a successful Enchanting + Magic [Astral] (Force) test.

Starfinder

Stellar-Forge Scribe

Level 14; Price 75,000 credits; Slot held (1 hand); Bulk 1 (canister worn on belt)

This advanced magitech tool consists of a handheld nozzle connected to a belt-worn canister housing a bound, lesser efreeti spirit. By feeding the spirit a catalytic alchemical slurry, the user can project a beam of perfectly controlled plasma for a variety of field applications.

Effects:

  • The scribe functions as a master engineering toolkit and a master mystic catalyst, granting a +3 circumstance bonus on Engineering and Mysticism checks.
  • Cutting Beam. As a standard action, you can use the beam to cut through unattended objects. The beam ignores the hardness of any object with a hardness of 20 or less, and it can cut through 1 foot of such material per round.
  • Improvised Weapon. The beam can be used as a special one-handed advanced melee weapon with a reach of 10 feet. Attacks are made against EAC, and a successful hit deals 4d8 fire damage with the burn 2d8 critical effect.
  • Scribe Glyphs (1/day). As a full action, you can use the scribe to inscribe a temporary magical glyph on a surface. You can replicate the effects of any 0-level or 1st-level tech or mystic spell. The effect triggers under a condition you set and lasts for 1 hour or until triggered.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

TL-15 Field Fusion Scribe

An incredibly advanced and rare tool, the Field Fusion Scribe is a handheld device powered by a belt-mounted micro-fusion reactor. It projects a silent, pinpoint-accurate fusion beam for cutting, welding, or bypassing complex systems.

  • TL: 15
  • Mass: 3 kg (including belt pack)
  • Power: 10/minute of use
  • Cost: MCr 2

Effects:

  • The scribe is an all-in-one master tool kit, granting DM+3 on all Mechanic and Engineer checks.
  • Plasma Cutter: When used for cutting, the beam can slice through 10cm of standard starship hull (Armour 20) per minute. It can be used as a weapon with the Melee (blade) 10 skill, dealing 4D6 damage.
  • Fusion Welder: When used for repairs, the scribe can perfectly weld any metal, restoring a damaged item or structure to full integrity with a Formidable (12+) Mechanic check.
  • System Bypass: The focused energy beam can be used to bypass electronic locks or systems. This grants DM+2 on any Electronics (computers or security) check to open a sealed door or disable a physical security system.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Dawi Master Rune-Etcher

A jealously guarded masterpiece from a Dwarf Engineer’s forge. This device consists of a gromril-plated canister worn on the back, connected by a reinforced hose to a heavy, ornate nozzle. Within the canister is a captured, slumbering fire-spirit, which, when fed a potent alchemical accelerant, awakens to project a beam of pure, forge-hot energy.

This is a unique and rare magical item.

  • Qualities: Dwarf-Crafted, Magical, Fine, Dangerous.
  • Master Tool: The etcher counts as a full set of Trade (Smith) and Trade (Engineer) tools of the highest quality, providing a +20 bonus to all relevant Tests.
  • Forge-Beam: As an Action, the user can project the beam.
    • As a Tool: The beam can cut through an inch of solid iron or a foot of stone in one minute.
    • As a Weapon: This is a Melee (Basic) attack that deals SB + 6 damage and has the Magical, Fire, and Pummel Qualities.
  • Field Inscription: A character with the Runecraft Talent can use the etcher to inscribe a single, temporary rune onto an object. This takes 10 minutes and requires a Challenging (+0) Trade (Smith) Test. If successful, the rune functions for 1d10 hours before fading. Only one such temporary rune may be active at a time.
  • Dangerous: Whenever the wielder Fumbles any Test made while using the device, the elemental spirit back-surges. The user must make a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or gain one Ablaze Condition as the nozzle erupts in uncontrolled flame.

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