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Domovoi 724 of Bitter Regret

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by

Dale
in
  • Lore: In the industrial soot-choked cities of Saṃsāra, not all household spirits reside in grand manors. The Domovoi 724 was born from a spirit that failed to protect its family during a great factory fire. It chose to bind itself to a heavy, tarnished iron locket, forever weeping soot-stained tears. The item seeks a master who understands the weight of failure. It doesn’t just protect; it mourns with the wearer, whispering of past mistakes and the impossibility of true redemption.
  • Detailed Stats:
    • Slot: Neck (Worn as a heavy, soot-blackened iron locket on a rough hempen cord).
    • Tier: 1.
    • Rarity: Common.
    • Weight: 1.5 lbs.
    • Material: Tarnished cold iron, volcanic ash residue, and a cracked obsidian pane.
  • Skills Gained:
    • Sorrowful Insight: The avatar gains a bonus to Mind’s Eye checks when examining broken objects, ruins, or grieving creatures, sensing the exact moment things went wrong.
    • Penitent’s Grace: When engaging in social interactions involving apologies, pleas for mercy, or admitting fault, the avatar gains an advantage on roll results.
  • Passive Magic:
    • Ash-Cloak Defense: A faint, swirling cloud of gray ash surrounds the avatar. This grants a +1 bonus to AC as the ash obscures the avatar’s vital points, effectively “hiding” their presence from the world in shame.
    • Shared Burden: Whenever the avatar takes damage, the locket grows cold and heavy, absorbing 1 point of damage. However, the avatar feels a sudden surge of intense guilt for “allowing” the strike to land.
    • Unobtrusive Presence: Because the spirit is so ashamed to be seen, it magically dampens the sound of the wearer’s footsteps and the jingle of their gear, providing a minor stealth bonus.
  • Active Magic:
    • Mea Culpa (Normal Activation): The avatar loudly confesses a minor failing or expresses deep shame. Enemies within 10 feet must make a mental resistance check or feel a sudden, debilitating wave of second-hand embarrassment, reducing their movement speed by half for one round.
    • Veil of Soot (Ritual Activation): By chanting for 10 seconds about the failures of the past, the locket erupts in a thick cloud of magical soot. This creates a “smoke screen” in a 15-foot radius that lasts for 3 minutes, granting total concealment to those inside.
    • Seek Forgiveness (Active Identify): By concentrating on a person for several minutes, the avatar can see the target’s “basic stats” and, specifically, the one thing that person is most ashamed of in their life.
  • Tags: Neck-Slot, Spirit-Bound, Social, Penitence, Stealth, Iron, Cursed-Origin, Tier-1, Defensive, Ash, Grief, Mourning, Penance, Iron-Bound, Volcanic, Cold-Iron, Emotional, Concealment, Perception, Soot, Weight

In the world of Saṃsāra, the Domovoi 724 of Bitter Regret is a specialized artifact that is predominantly found in lower-tier industrial districts or specialized shops catering to those seeking redemption. Because it is an item of Common rarity but carries a heavy roleplay burden, the manner in which it is bought and sold is as significant as the coin exchanged.

Where to Buy and Sell

  • Oddity Parlors & Curiosity Shops: These cramped, dimly lit shops in the Lower Districts specialize in “burdened” or “whispering” artifacts. Shopkeepers here are often experts in Spirit Lore and can sense the weight of the locket from across the room.
  • Atonement Ateliers: Unique to Saṃsāra, these are workshops where artisans don’t just build gear; they facilitate rituals of penance. You go here to have a Domovoi 724 re-bound or purified, a process often involving the “Weeping Ash” mentioned in its crafting.
  • Shadow Exchanges: In the deepest industrial sectors where the soot is thickest, these informal markets trade in items that “no one else wants.” You might find a discarded 724 here, sold by someone who could no longer bear the spirit’s constant reminders of their past.

Costs and Transactions

The price of a Domovoi 724 is fluid, reflecting the spirit’s current state and the “shame” it carries:

  • Standard Market Value: Typically ranges between 150 and 300 Silver. In an Oddity Parlor, you are paying for the magical utility of the ash-cloak and the sorrowful insight it provides.
  • Atonement Premium: In an Atelier, the cost may rise to 5 Gold or more. This covers the cost of the ritual binding and the “certified” history of the spirit within.
  • Shadow Exchange Rate: You may find one for as low as 50 Silver, but these are often “wild” or “tarnished” items that may have unpredictable emotional effects until cleaned.

The “Ashamed” Exchange

Selling this item is rarely a simple transaction. Because the item is bound to the concept of Shame, a seller must often confess why they are parting with it. If you sell it because you have “overcome” your regret, the spirit is considered satisfied, and the item holds its value. If you sell it because you are “running away” from your guilt, the spirit may hiss in disdain, lowering the price and potentially leaving you with a lingering social stigma.

In the world of Saṃsāra, the Domovoi 724 of Bitter Regret is used strategically to turn the avatar’s internal shame into a tactical advantage. Its effectiveness relies on how the spirit reacts to the “cleanliness” or “hostility” of its surroundings.

Defensive Roleplay

  • Safe Areas (Inns/Cities): In places like a guarded room at The Rusty Gear Inn, the defense is passive. The avatar sits in the darkest corner, the locket pulling at their neck. Roleplay focuses on being unobtrusive; NPCs naturally overlook you because the spirit project a “please don’t look at me” aura.
  • Normal Areas (Wilderness): When traveling the endless oceans or uncharted islands, the Ash-Cloak Defense activates. The avatar doesn’t dodge with agility; they move with a heavy, slumped posture that makes them look like a pile of discarded soot or a shadow. Attacks often “miss” because the enemy cannot distinguish the avatar from the bleak environment.
  • Unsafe/Deathly Areas: In high-risk zones, the Shared Burden becomes vital. As the avatar takes a hit, they don’t cry out in pain but in apology. Roleplay involves the avatar feeling more hurt by the “failure” of getting hit than the physical wound itself.

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Mea Culpa: This is a social and combat “shove.” By confessing a failure—such as “I failed to save my home!”—the avatar projects a wave of vicarious shame. Roleplay focuses on the enemy’s discomfort; they become so awkward and distracted by your intense display of regret that their guard drops.
  • The Veil of Soot: This is used for tactical retreats or ambushes. The avatar chants a ritual of past failures, and the locket “exhales” thick, oily soot. In the darkness, the avatar uses Sorrowful Insight to strike at the “broken” or “weak” points of their blinded foes.
  • Seek Forgiveness: Offensively, this is the ultimate tool for interrogation or negotiation. By identifying an NPC’s greatest shame, the avatar can blackmail or manipulate them, or conversely, offer a “penitence” that turns an adversary into an ally.

Perception of Activation:

  • Auditory (The Hollow Sigh): Upon activation, the locket releases a faint, mournful sound like wind passing through a graveyard or a distant, muffled sob.
    • Description: A low-frequency vibration that seems to bypass the ears and resonate directly in the jawbone.
    • Positives: Acts as a subtle confirmation that the Ash-Cloak is active without alerting guards with loud mechanical noises.
    • Negatives: The sound is inherently depressing; prolonged exposure can leave the avatar feeling emotionally drained or “hollow.”
  • Olfactory (Cold Ash and Salt): The air within the 10-foot “House” radius is suddenly replaced with the scent of a fire long extinguished and the sharp, metallic tang of dried tears.
    • Description: A dry, suffocating scent that masks all other environmental smells.
    • Positives: Neutralizes the scent of the avatar, making them harder to track by smell (predators/hounds).
    • Negatives: The acrid ash can cause a slight irritation in the throat, making long-winded speeches or shouting difficult.
  • Tactile (The Leaden Pull): The locket becomes significantly heavier and drops in temperature until it feels like a piece of ice resting against the skin.
    • Description: A physical manifestation of “weighty” regret that pulls the avatar into a slumped, humble posture.
    • Positives: The lowered center of gravity makes the avatar harder to knock prone or push physically.
    • Negatives: The biting cold can lead to numb fingers, imposing a minor penalty on high-dexterity tasks like reloading a firearm or picking a lock.
  • Extra-Sensory (The Veil of Regret): The avatar’s Mind’s Eye perceives the world through a monochromatic “gray filter” where shadows are elongated and vibrant colors are muted.
    • Description: A psychic overlay that highlights “broken” things—cracks in armor, flaws in stone, or the emotional trauma in others.
    • Positives: Grants an uncanny ability to find the weakest point in an enemy’s defense or the “crack” in an NPC’s resolve.
    • Negatives: It is difficult to perceive joy, beauty, or hopeful opportunities while this filter is active, leading to a pessimistic worldview.
  • Extra-Sensory (Phantom Guilt): The avatar feels a phantom presence—the Domovoi spirit—clinging to their back like a heavy, weeping child.
    • Description: A spiritual weight that creates a sense of “second-hand shame” whenever the avatar performs an assertive action.
    • Positives: This presence naturally dampens the avatar’s ego, making them almost invisible to those looking for “important” threats.
    • Negatives: The spirit’s shame can manifest as a stutter or a hesitation during critical moments if the avatar tries to act with too much confidence.

Recipe: The Artisan’s Blueprint for Bitter Regret

To forge a conduit capable of housing a Domovoi spirit of shame, a crafter must use materials that resonate with failure and the heavy desire for atonement.

Materials Needed:

  • 1 Tarnished Cold Iron Locket: Must be recovered from a site of tragedy (like a house fire or failed settlement). The metal must have “witnessed” loss to attract the correct spirit.
  • 1 Cracked Obsidian Pane: This serves as the “mirror of shame.” It must be fractured by the intended wearer to bind their personal regret to the stone.
  • 1 Ounce of Weeping Ash: Ash from a hearth fire that has been physically soaked in the salt water of a grieving person’s tears.
  • 1 Length of Hempen Cord: Ideally taken from the bell-rope of a ruinous temple, symbolizing the weight of past deeds.
  • 1 Vial of Essence of Remorse: An alchemical distillate captured from the breath of someone confessing a deep, hidden secret.
  • 3 Shards of Volcanic Glass: Used to stabilize the spirit’s connection to the physical plane and keep the “Cold Weight” constant.

Tools Required:

  • Soot-Stained Anvil: A standard anvil is too “clean”; the iron must be worked on a surface seasoned by industrial coal fires.
  • Precision Etching Tools: Specifically for carving runes of penitence and apology into the interior iron casing.
  • Alchemist’s Still: Used to refine the Essence of Remorse and infuse the Weeping Ash into a workable paste.

Skill Requirements:

  • Tinkering (Tier 1): Necessary to assemble the delicate iron hinges and set the shattered obsidian without further destroying the lattice.
  • Alchemy (Tier 1): Required to bind the ash and salt without losing their magical resonance.
  • Lore (Spirits): The crafter must know the specific “Prayer of the Fallen” to coax a Domovoi into a vessel of shame rather than one of pride.

Crafting Steps:

  1. The Purge: Boil the cold iron locket in a concentrated salt-water solution for three hours while reciting the names of those who were lost in the locket’s original home.
  2. The Setting: Carefully etch the interior of the locket with symbols of humility. Set the cracked obsidian shards behind the iron face, ensuring they are loose enough to rattle slightly—the “Sound of Regret.”
  3. The Infusion: Mix the Weeping Ash with the Essence of Remorse to create a thick, gray paste. Coat the internal mechanisms of the locket to dampen the spirit’s voice into a muffled sob.
  4. The Binding (10-Minute Ritual): The crafter must sit in a darkened, dusty room and speak a personal failure aloud. As the shame is felt, the paste inside the locket will dry, and the obsidian will glow with a faint, sorrowful purple light, signifying the Domovoi has accepted the vessel.

Iron Weeper and Unfinished Bridge

In the time when the stars were yet wet with the dew of the first morning, there was a great builder of the Ash-Drowned Islets. This builder, whose name is a shadow cast by a ghost, sought to span the Great Chasm with a bridge made of the Hollow-Bones-of-the-Earth.

But as the builder worked, the Spirit-of-the-Looming-Task whispered into his ear that his stones were uneven and his mortar was mixed with the salt of his own pride. The bridge, being built of Incomplete-Dreams, fell into the abyss on the day of its crowning, crushing the builder’s hearth and the little spirits that lived within the floorboards.

One spirit, a small, gray Domovoi, crawled from the wreckage. It did not rage, nor did it scream; it simply sat amidst the cold ash and felt the Great-Heaviness-of-What-Could-Have-Been. The builder, seeing the spirit’s quiet agony, took the iron door-latch of his ruined home and beat it into the shape of a Hollow-Heart.

“Within this iron,” the builder choked through the soot in his throat, “shall sit the Quiet-Memory-of-Our-Failure. It shall be a weight that keeps us from the heights of vanity, and a shadow that hides us from the light of those who would judge our broken hands.”

The spirit entered the iron, and the metal turned the color of a bruised cloud. Whenever the builder wore it, a mist of gray ash followed him, and the locket grew cold whenever he tried to stand too tall or speak with too much thunder. He became a Vanish-er, a man who moved through the world like a smudge on a window, seen but never truly looked upon.

He spent the rest of his days mending the broken toys of children and the cracked pots of the poor, always whispering “I am sorry” to the stones beneath his feet. He died in a bed of ash, and the locket was found still weeping, its iron surface never once knowing the warmth of a smile or the touch of the sun.

The Moral of the Story: The man who carries his shame as a shield may find himself safe from the arrows of the world, but he will also find himself forever cold; for a heart wrapped in iron and ash has no room left for the fire of a new tomorrow.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Unique Name: Locket of the Ash-Stained Penitent Item Type: Wondrous Item, Common (Requires Attunement)

  • Slot: Neck
  • Ash-Cloak: While wearing this locket, you are constantly surrounded by a thin layer of gray soot. You gain a +1 bonus to AC, and you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide in dim light or smoky conditions.
  • Sorrowful Insight: You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to find hidden doors, traps, or structural weaknesses in ruins.
  • Mea Culpa: As an action, you can confess a personal shame. One creature within 30 feet that can hear you must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or have its speed halved until the end of its next turn as it is overcome by sympathetic embarrassment.
  • Shared Burden: When you take damage, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by 1. If you do, the locket grows freezing cold, and you have disadvantage on your next attack roll.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: The Weeping Iron Locket Item Type: Enchanted Artifact

  • Slot: Neck
  • Obscuring Soot: The swirling ash around the wearer provides a +10% bonus to Stealth rolls and a +5% bonus to Dodge as the wearer’s form becomes indistinct and “shameful” to look upon.
  • Insight of the Broken: The wearer gains a +10% bonus to Spot Hidden specifically when investigating ruins or damaged machinery.
  • Confession (Cost: 1D3 Sanity): The wearer can project their internal shame onto others. Any human target must pass a Hard POW Check or be stunned for 1 round, unable to look the wearer in the eye.
  • The Weight of Regret: Every day the locket is worn, the user must pass a Sanity Check (0/1) or become increasingly withdrawn and pessimistic.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: The Scoundrel’s Ash-Casing Item Type: Arcane Item (1 Load)

  • Slot: Neck
  • Fine Item: This locket is considered Fine Quality for the purpose of avoiding detection (Prowl) or admitting fault to de-escalate a situation (Consort/Sway).
  • Penitent’s Veil: You gain Potency when trying to blend into a crowd or hide in the shadows of the Industrial District.
  • Special Ability (The Shared Burden): You may spend 1 Stress to resist a physical consequence. The locket absorbs the impact, but you take a Lesser Harm: “Crushing Guilt” that lasts until you perform a downtime activity to confess your failure.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The Soot-Locket Item Type: Magic Item (1 Slot)

  • Slot: Neck
  • Ash-Shield: While worn, your Armor is 12 + your CHA bonus (max 15), as the ash obscures your vital points.
  • Sorrowful Sight: You can see perfectly through smoke, fog, or soot-clouds.
  • Mea Culpa: Once per day, you may confess a sin to a creature. If the creature has a soul, it must make a CHA Save or become Paralyzed with awkwardness for 1 round.
  • The Heavy Burden: If you fail a save against a mental or emotional effect, the locket becomes so heavy you cannot run or jump until you spend a turn resting and apologizing to the spirit.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Domovoi’s Locket of Bitter Regret Item Type: Item 1, Invested, Magical, Transmutation

  • Slot: Accessory (Neck)
  • Usage: Worn; Bulk: L
  • Ash-Cloak Aura: While invested, you are constantly surrounded by a thin layer of gray soot. You gain a +1 item bonus to AC as the ash obscures your vital points. Additionally, you gain a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks to Hide or Sneak in dim light or smoky conditions.
  • Sorrowful Insight: You gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to find hidden doors, traps, or structural weaknesses in ruins.
  • Mea Culpa [One-Action] (Auditory, Emotion, Mental): You confess a personal shame. One creature within 30 feet that can hear you must attempt a DC 15 Will save.
    • Success: The creature is unaffected.
    • Failure: The creature is Clumsy 1 until the end of its next turn as it becomes self-conscious.
  • Shared Burden [Reaction]: Trigger: You take damage. Effect: You reduce the damage by 1. The locket grows freezing cold, and you are Clumsy 1 until the end of your next turn.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: The Soot-Stained Mourning Locket Item Type: Enchanted Item

  • Ash-Cloak: The wearer gains a +1 bonus to Parry as the swirling ash makes their movements difficult to track.
  • Penitent’s Stealth: You gain a +1 bonus to Stealth rolls.
  • Sorrowful Insight: You gain a +2 bonus to Notice rolls when examining broken objects or searching ruins.
  • Mea Culpa (Power): As an action, the wearer can force an enemy within 5 yards to make a Spirit roll. On a failure, the target is Distracted by a wave of second-hand embarrassment.
  • The Heavy Burden (Hindrance): While wearing the locket, you gain the Anemic Hindrance, representing the cold, draining nature of the spirit’s grief.

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: The Remorse-Casing 724 Item Type: Artifact (Level 1d6)

  • Form: A heavy iron locket on a rough hempen cord, perpetually cold to the touch.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20
  • Constant Effect (Ash-Cloak): The wearer gains an Asset to Speed Defense and Stealth tasks due to the obscuring soot.
  • Effect (Sorrowful Insight): Eases all Perception and Salvaging tasks by one step when investigating ruins or damaged machinery.
  • Effect (Mea Culpa): The wearer spends 1 Intellect point to confess a failure. One target within short range must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or be unable to take an action on their next turn due to awkwardness.
  • Effect (Shared Burden): As a reaction, the wearer can spend 1 Might point to reduce incoming damage by 3 points.

Fate (Core/Condensed)

Unique Name: The Locket of Unforgotten Failures Item Type: Stunt/Extra

  • Aspect: Heavily Burdened by Ancient Ash
  • Stunt (Ash-Cloak Defense): Because I am surrounded by a veil of soot, I gain a +2 to Defend using Stealth when I am in shadows or industrial environments.
  • Stunt (Sorrowful Insight): Because I can sense the cracks in all things, I gain a +2 to Create an Advantage with Notice when investigating ruins or seeking weaknesses in armor.
  • Stunt (Mea Culpa): Once per scene, I can use Provoke to attack an opponent’s mental track by confessing a deep shame, forcing them to take a Mild Consequence related to social awkwardness if I succeed with style.
  • Cost: The locket is a Trouble. The GM may compel the spirit’s grief to make the avatar hesitate during moments of great triumph or confidence.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Unique Name: Domovoi “Soot-Shell” Nanite Locket Item Type: Electronics / Nanotech (Wearable)

  • Rating: 3
  • Essence: 0 (Worn)
  • Pristine Protocol (Inverted): This locket houses specialized “ash-nanites” that coat the user in a layer of matte-gray particulate. You gain a +1 bonus to Stealth tests, especially in industrial or urban sprawl environments.
  • Sorrowful Insight: The onboard AI scans for structural stress and “failed” components. Gain a +1 dice pool bonus to Engineering or Perception tests to find flaws in objects.
  • Shared Burden: When taking physical damage, the wearer can spend 1 Edge to reduce the Damage Value by 1. The nanites turn freezing cold, applying a -1 penalty to Agility-based tests for the next combat round.
  • Wireless Bonus: The AI alerts you to “uninvited” intruders within 5 meters. Gain +1 Tactical AR during the first round of an ambush.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Domovoi’s Locket of Bitter Regret Item Type: Level 1, Tech Item

  • Slot: Accessory (Neck)
  • Bulk: L
  • Ash-Cloak Field: While worn, you are surrounded by a thin veil of soot. You gain a +1 status bonus to AC as the ash obscures your vitals, and a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks to Hide or Sneak.
  • Sorrowful Insight: You gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to find hidden doors, traps, or structural weaknesses.
  • Mea Culpa [1-Action]: You transmit a psychic burst of your own regret. One target within 30 feet must succeed at a Will save (DC 15) or be Sickened 1 by sympathetic embarrassment until the end of their next turn.
  • Shared Burden [Reaction]: Trigger: You take damage. Effect: Reduce the damage by 1. You are Clumsy 1 until the end of your next turn as the locket grows heavy and cold.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Domovoi “Penitent” Internal Sensor Item Type: TL 12 Accessory (Necklace/Locket)

  • Weight: —
  • Cost: Cr 2,200
  • Description: An archeotech-style locket containing a mourning AI that suppresses the wearer’s thermal and visual signature.
  • Ash-Cloak: The wearer receives a +1 DM to Stealth checks. In industrial or polluted environments, this increases to +2 DM.
  • Sorrowful Insight: Provides +1 DM to Recon or Sensors checks when scanning for damage or structural failures in ships or buildings.
  • Mea Culpa: The wearer may attempt to de-escalate a hostile situation by admitting fault. Gain a +1 DM to Persuasion (Diplomacy) rolls, but only if the wearer is taking the blame.
  • The Heavy Burden: After taking damage in combat, the wearer suffers a -1 DM to all Physical checks for 1D6 minutes due to the cold, emotional weight of the AI.

Warhammer (40,000 Roleplay: Wrath & Glory)

Unique Name: The Iron Heart of the Fallen (Relic) Item Type: Trinket / Archeotech

  • Value: 4 (Rare)
  • Keywords: [ARCHEOTECH], [PENITENT]
  • Ash-Cloak: The wearer is shrouded in a fine layer of sanctified soot. Increase your Defense by +1 against ranged attacks, and add +1d6 to Stealth (A) Tests.
  • Sorrowful Insight: Add +1d6 to Awareness (Int) Tests to find flaws, traps, or signs of decay in the environment.
  • Mea Culpa: As a Combat Action, you may spend 1 Glory to confess your failures to the Emperor. All enemies within 10 meters must pass a Willpower Test (DN 3) or be Hindered (1) for one round.
  • Shared Burden: You may reduce the damage of any attack by 1 Wound. If you do, your next Action suffers a +1 DN penalty as the spirit’s grief chills your soul.