Verse 1:
In the ether’s embrace where the dark rivers flow,
To the stars, our dreams defiantly go,
In vessels wrought by magic’s fervent glow,
The void whispers secrets we yearn to know.
Verse 2:
O’er celestial seas, our astral ship sails,
‘Neath the cosmic storm where the light oft pales,
Through the tapestry where time itself unveils,
Beyond the grasp of earthly travails.
Verse 3:
With stellar maps inked in arcane lines,
Where every star’s fate mysteriously aligns,
Our journey’s etched in the heavens’ signs,
A testament to Saṃsāra’s grand designs.
Verse 4:
Through the silence vast, we chart our course,
Guided by the astral winds’ unseen force,
Our destiny tied to a celestial source,
With the stars themselves as our discourse.
Verse 5:
Amongst galaxies where comets dance,
Our spirits soar, our minds trance,
In pursuit of the cosmos’ expanse,
To the universe’s rhythm, we advance.
Verse 6:
Through the nebulas’ embrace, we drift,
Where cosmic dust and energies shift,
Our vessel ‘cross the void does lift,
In the eternal now, our spirits sift.
Verse 7:
Past orbits wide and meteors swift,
Among the heavenly bodies, we weave and thrift,
Our odyssey, a timeless gift,
In the great cosmic rift.
Verse 8:
To infinity’s edge, our aspirations cleave,
In the starry forge where we weave,
Our legend, one that time can’t bereave,
In the astral gales, we believe.
Verse 9:
Upon return to Saṃsāra’s shore,
Our tales of the cosmos deeply bore,
A ballad of the stars forevermore,
In the hearts of those who dare to explore.
The ballad is inscribed upon an ancient, celestial map known as “The Starbound Scroll.” This artifact appears to be a seamless parchment that stretches out to display a portion of the night sky, filled with constellations, celestial coordinates, and arcane symbols that shift and shimmer with an otherworldly light. It’s not just a map, but a record of cosmic travels and an invocation to the powers of the astral realm.
Lore: Legend holds that “The Starbound Scroll” was created by a legendary astrologer who was also a master bard. They spent their life studying the stars and the magic that flows through the cosmos. The astrologer is said to have disappeared, leaving behind this scroll as a repository of their knowledge and a tool to guide others through the fabric of reality.
Motivation for Use: The primary motivation for using the scroll is to harness the essence of the cosmos for navigation and exploration, making it invaluable for those who seek to traverse the unknown expanses of Saṃsāra or for mages who draw on the celestial bodies to empower their magic.
Positives: When the ballad inscribed on “The Starbound Scroll” is sung:
- The singer gains enhanced astral navigation capabilities, allowing them to chart courses that are safe from spatial anomalies and celestial dangers.
- The song can open temporary rifts to other realms or locations within Saṃsāra, enabling swift travel.
- The singer and their allies are enveloped in a protective aura that shields them from the harsh environments of space and otherworldly realms.
Negatives:
- Singing the ballad drains the singer’s life force, causing extreme fatigue.
- Mispronouncing the verses can lead to astral dislocation, casting the singer and those nearby into random points of the cosmos.
- Continuous use of the scroll may attract the attention of eldritch beings that reside in the space between worlds.
Tags: Celestial, Navigation, Astral, Exploration, Map, Artifact
Use: The Starbound Scroll is used primarily by astral travelers, cosmic explorers, and mages who seek to understand the deeper secrets of the universe. It is also a prized possession for historians and scholars fascinated by the lore of the cosmos.
Magic Manifested:
- Astral Projection: Users can project their consciousness into the astral plane, exploring distant locations or realms in spirit form.
- Celestial Communion: The song allows a temporary connection with celestial entities, potentially gaining their favor or insights.
- Stellar Empowerment: Harnessing the energy of the cosmos, the singer’s magical abilities are greatly amplified for a short duration.
Those who possess the scroll and master its ballad wield a fragment of the cosmos’s vast mysteries, yet they must always be wary of the toll it takes and the unseen eyes that watch from the dark between stars.
Slot: The Starbound Scroll occupies an accessory slot, as it can be worn or carried much like a talisman or other magical adornment.
Stats:
- Astral Affinity: +20
- Endurance: -10 (while in use)
- Intellect: +15
Charisma: +5 (due to the allure and mystery of the cosmos)
Size: When unfurled, the scroll measures approximately 4 feet in length and 2 feet in width. It can be rolled up to the size of a common scroll case for ease of transport.
Weight: Despite its size, the scroll is surprisingly light, weighing only about 3 pounds, due to its magical composition and the ethereal materials that comprise it.
Perception of the Five Senses:
- Sight: The scroll is perceived as a window into the night sky, with constellations and celestial bodies moving within its borders.
- Positive: Provides a visual connection to the cosmos, aiding in navigation and the casting of celestial magic.
- Negative: Can be overwhelming, as the shifting stars and symbols may cause disorientation or distraction.
- Hearing: When the ballad is sung, the bearer may hear faint echoes of cosmic winds and the resonant frequencies of the stars.
- Positive: The sounds can soothe and inspire, granting clarity of mind and a sense of oneness with the universe.
- Negative: These otherworldly sounds may block out important environmental cues, making the user oblivious to immediate dangers.
- Touch: The parchment feels both warm and cool simultaneously, pulsating with an unseen heartbeat of the universe.
- Positive: Touching the scroll can invigorate the user, granting them brief flashes of cosmic insight.
- Negative: The constant shift between temperatures can be unsettling, leading to discomfort with prolonged contact.
- Taste: While not typically tasted, if one were to press their tongue to the scroll, they would taste the faint metallic tang of starlight.
- Positive: This bizarre taste might provide a brief burst of energy, as if one had drunk from a well of raw mana.
- Negative: The taste could be too intense for some, leaving a lingering discomfort or numbness in the mouth.
- Smell: The scroll carries the crisp scent of the void, a mix of ozone and something indefinably ancient and cold.
- Positive: The smell sharpens the mind, preparing it for the rigors of arcane study and astral travel.
- Negative: Too strong a whiff might lead to headaches or a sense of detachment from one’s surroundings.
Extra-sensory Perceptions:
- Astral Sense: The user can perceive fluctuations in the magical aether, detecting the presence of magical creatures or spells in the vicinity.
- Positive: Provides an edge in anticipating magical attacks or finding magical beings.
- Negative: Overwhelming aetheric disturbances can temporarily blind this sense, leaving the user disoriented.
- Temporal Awareness: The user gains a limited perception of potential future events related to the cosmos.
- Positive: Can warn of impending dangers or guide decision-making with precognitive glimpses.
- Negative: These visions of the future are not always clear and can be misinterpreted, leading to poor decisions.
- Dimensional Intuition: The scroll allows the user to feel the thinness of veils between different dimensions or planes of existence.
- Positive: Aids in locating dimensional rifts or weak spots in the fabric of reality that can be exploited for travel or study.
- Negative: Sensing these rifts can attract unwanted attention from beings on the other side.
Each sense and extra-sensory perception granted by the Starbound Scroll comes with its unique benefits and challenges, making it a powerful yet demanding artifact in the realm of Saṃsāra.
To recreate the Starbound Scroll, one must gather rare materials, utilize specialized equipment, and possess a high degree of skill in both the arcane arts and celestial mechanics.
- Ingredients Needed:
- Celestial Ink: A rare compound made from the essence of starlight, ground moonstone, and the ink of a deep-sea squid known for its luminescent properties.
- Ethereal Parchment: Crafted from the hide of an astral beast, treated with the dew collected from the leaves of a silverwood tree during a lunar eclipse.
- Stardust: A fine powder collected from the trail of a comet or meteorite, which has been ritually purified.
- Aetherium Thread: A magical thread spun from the silk of a Phase Spider, known to exist in multiple planes simultaneously.
- Equipment or Utensils Required:
- Astral Loom: A rare device capable of weaving Ethereal Parchment and Aetherium Thread together. Such a loom is usually found in the possession of master weavers or in ancient celestial observatories.
- Orrey Grinder: A specialized tool used to grind moonstone into a fine powder, often used in alchemical and astronomical applications.
- Starlight Crucible: A magical crucible that can contain the essence of starlight without it dissipating, essential for mixing celestial ink.
- Constellation Quill: A quill fashioned from a feather of the Phoenix, able to channel the energies required to inscribe upon the Ethereal Parchment without damaging it.
- Skills Needed:
- Astronomical Knowledge: Understanding of celestial patterns and the ability to chart them accurately.
- Arcane Mastery: High-level ability in magic to bind the stardust and celestial ink to the parchment.
- Weaving Expertise: Skills in weaving using the Astral Loom to create a fabric that can hold magical energies.
- Inscription Ability: Precision and care in inscribing the ballad onto the parchment with the Constellation Quill.
- Crafting Steps:
- Weave the Ethereal Parchment with the Aetherium Thread using the Astral Loom to create a fabric that is both resilient and receptive to magical energies.
- Grind the moonstone into a fine powder with the Orrey Grinder and blend it with the ink of the luminescent squid to create the Celestial Ink, under the light of a full moon for added potency.
- Mix the stardust into the Celestial Ink using the Starlight Crucible, charging the mixture with raw starlight harvested during a meteor shower.
- With the Constellation Quill, carefully inscribe the ballad onto the prepared parchment, channeling the necessary arcane energies to bind the inscription to the fabric.
- Seal the inscriptions with aetheric energy to ensure the magic contained within does not wane over time.
Cost: The cost to recreate the Starbound Scroll is substantial. The rarity of the materials and the skills required make it an artifact of great value. Crafting such an item would likely cost tens of thousands of gold pieces, varying greatly depending on the availability of the materials and the skill of the crafter.
Availability: Due to its complexity and rarity, the Starbound Scroll is not commonly sold. It may occasionally be found in:
- High Arcane Emporiums: Shops that deal in rare and powerful magical artifacts.
- Celestial Bazaars: Marketplaces that exist in places of strong magical and cosmic energy, where interplanar traders might exchange such goods.
- Auction Houses for the Arcane: Exclusive events where magical artifacts are auctioned to the highest bidder.
- Vaults of Astrological Societies: Societies dedicated to the study of the stars and cosmos may create such items for their members or as a service for a considerable fee.
The creation of the Starbound Scroll is not a task taken lightly and is usually reserved for those who have proven themselves worthy of wielding such profound and far-reaching magical power.
The Odyssey of the Starbound Scroll
In days of yore, when Saṃsāra still whispered secrets of the cosmos to those with ears to hear, there be a tale of the Starbound Scroll. This be the story of Halcyon the Seer, a man with sight that pierced the veils of reality and grasped the whispers of the universe.
Halcyon, known to kin and stranger alike for his wisdom of the stars and the paths they forge, didst stumble upon the ballad inscribed upon the sacred scroll in an ancient ruin, hidden ‘neath the roots of the World Tree. Writ in celestial script, it promised him the knowledge of astral pathways, and the power to traverse the skies in his very soul.
‘Tis said, Halcyon sang the ballad under the veil of night, beneath the eye of the full moon, his voice quivering with the power of the heavens. As the verses soared, so did he, lifted from earthly tethers, his spirit entwined with the celestial dance. The sight was such that those who beheld it were struck with awe and fear, for it was as though the heavens themselves had descended to kiss the earth.
The seer, now touched by the astral winds, saw further and deeper than any before. Halcyon’s eyes, once hazel, flickered with starlight, and his voice held the echo of the cosmos. He walked the land, his every step a prophecy, his every glance revealing fates untold. His wisdom grew vast as the night sky, and many sought his counsel.
But not all tales of the scroll spoke of grandeur and awe. For with each use, the seer paid a toll, a piece of his mortality slipping away, his essence intertwining ever more with the eternal void. His eyes, once warm, grew cold as the distant stars, his touch as light as the vacuum of space.
The ballad that once brought wonder to the folk of Saṃsāra became a song of solitude, for Halcyon, the Seer of Stars, was no longer of the earth. He was a creature of the cosmos, bound to the infinite expanse. And so he wandered, ever searching, ever learning, until he became a legend, a myth whispered on the winds of time.
As for the scroll, ’tis said it waits, hidden once more, for another soul brave enough to sing the ballad of the stars and grasp the secrets that lie beyond the reach of the mundane world. And thus, the story of Halcyon and the Starbound Scroll is known to all, a tale of wonder and warning, of the pursuit of knowledge and the price it exacts.
Suggested conversion to other systems:
Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition):
- Sanity Cost: Using the scroll costs 1D4 SAN.
- Skill Rolls: Cthulhu Mythos to understand the arcane writings, Astronomy to comprehend the celestial elements.
- Effects: Grants the user the ability to understand and manipulate eldritch energies related to the cosmos, perhaps even to gaze upon or travel to other worlds or times, at the Keeper’s discretion.
- Note: Due to the sanity-bending knowledge contained within, prolonged use could lead to madness or attracting the attention of cosmic entities.
Blades in the Dark:
- Quality: Tier IV
- Effects: While carrying the scroll, a whisper can push their attune action to greater effect, communicating or navigating the ghost field, or even piercing the veil to the void sea itself.
- Drawback: Overuse can draw unwanted attention from ancient spirits or demons, increasing heat by +1 per use or leading to a complication, such as a ghostly possession.
Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition):
- Type: Wondrous Item, Legendary (requires attunement by a spellcaster)
- Properties: While attuned, you can cast astral projection once per long rest without requiring material components.
- Drawbacks: Each use ages the caster by 1 year.
- Senses: While holding the scroll, you have advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks related to outer planes.
Knave:
- Slot: 1
- Bonus: The bearer gains +3 on all saves against spells and magical effects that deal with celestial or extraplanar entities.
- Drawback: Each use drains 1d6 hit points from the user as the cosmic energy siphons their vitality.
Fate Core:
- Aspect: “Infused with Cosmic Knowledge”
- Skills/Actions: Provides +2 to Lore rolls when dealing with cosmic or extraplanar knowledge.
- Stunt: Once per session, may declare a story detail related to the cosmos or astral phenomena.
- Consequence: After each use, the character gains the temporary aspect “Drained by the Void” which can be compelled for free once.
Numenera & Cypher System:
- Level: 6
- Effect: Grants an asset to all tasks related to the stars, the night sky, or navigation between worlds.
- Depletion: 1 in 1d10 after each use.
- Drawback: User becomes susceptible to “The Calling of the Stars,” a condition that might lead them to wander off into dangerous situations.
Pathfinder (2nd Edition):
- Type: Artifact
- Level: 20
- Effects: Once per day, the bearer can cast Wish with the stipulation that it must involve astral or cosmic phenomena.
- Drawbacks: Each use bestows one permanent negative level on the user as the cosmic energy overwhelms their mortal frame.
- Activation: Casting this powerful spell requires a DC 35 Arcana check.
Savage Worlds:
- Type: Legendary Magic Item
- Effects: Grants +2 to Occult rolls and knowledge checks regarding space and other dimensions.
- Special Ability: Once per session, the user may activate the scroll to gain a moment of cosmic clarity, automatically succeeding on a single roll.
- Drawbacks: The user gains a level of Fatigue each time the scroll’s power is used due to the mental strain.
Shadowrun (6th Edition):
- Item Category: Magical Artifact
- Rating: 6
- Effects: Increases Astral attribute by 2 when used for astral navigation or summoning spirits of the manasphere.
- Activation: Requires an Arcana + Magic [Force] (6) test.
- Drawback: The user suffers 6 Stun damage (unresisted) each time the scroll is used as they channel the raw energies of the cosmos.
Starfinder:
- Item Level: 20
- Type: Magic Item
- Usage: Once per week
- Effect: Grants the user a +4 insight bonus to all Mysticism checks related to outer space and the Astral Plane and can be used to cast Gate once per week.
- Drawback: Upon each use, the user must succeed at a DC 25 Will saving throw or become afflicted with short-term madness (as per the Confusion spell) for 1d4 hours.
Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition):
- Type: Ancient Relic
- TL: 15
- Effects: Improves Navigation (Astrogation) checks by 3DM when plotting interstellar travel.
- Drawback: Each use incurs a temporary -2DM to all other skill checks for 24 hours as the user’s mind is filled with cosmic knowledge that is hard to process.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition):
- Item Type: Arcane Relic
- Effects: The scroll provides the ‘Aethyric Attunement’ talent and allows the user to attempt to cast any spell from the Lore of the Heavens without needing to know it.
- Drawbacks: Each time the scroll is used, the user must make a Challenging (-10) Cool test or gain an Insanity Point due to the overwhelming nature of the cosmos.
- Encumbrance: 10