Summoning 40 of the Motherlode Lantern

Lore: The discipline of Summoning 40 is a pragmatic and deeply respected industrial application of the binding arts, perfected by the great mining guilds that delve into the bones of Saṃsāra. Practitioners of this Way, often called Lode-Singers or Prospectors, hold a unique geological philosophy. They believe that the great veins of ore, gems, and coal are not merely inert minerals, but are the fossilized, sleeping remains of colossal earth spirits from a primordial age. To find a rich lode is to discover the final resting place of one of these ancient beings. Their art is not one of desecration, but of respectfully harvesting these dormant resources.

To aid in this great work, they summon and bind minor “lode-spirits.” These are simple, non-sentient earth elementals with a powerful, singular instinct: they are irresistibly drawn to the resonant frequency of specific minerals. A lode-spirit attuned to iron, for example, feels a constant pull towards large deposits of that metal. The Motherlode Lantern is the standard-issue tool for every apprentice prospector and mine surveyor. Each lantern houses a single, bound lode-spirit, typically attuned to a common and valuable industrial mineral like iron or copper. The lantern provides physical light, but its true purpose is to allow the spirit within to illuminate the path to the hidden treasures of the deep earth.

Description: The Motherlode Lantern is a sturdy, practical tool, built to endure the harsh conditions of a mineshaft. Its frame is forged from thick, dark iron, with a heavy, flat base to keep it stable and a strong, hinged handle on top for carrying or hanging. Instead of a fragile glass globe protecting a flame, its central light source is a rough, fist-sized, uncut quartz crystal, suspended within a protective iron cage.

Trapped within the quartz is the bound lode-spirit, which manifests as a continuous, steady point of warm, yellow-orange light, visually similar to a candle flame. The lantern’s housing features four adjustable iron shutters that can be swiveled to focus the light into a directional beam, dim it, or close it off entirely. The lantern constantly emits a faint, dry warmth and carries the faint, pleasant scent of deep, dry earth and ozone.

Detailed Stats

Tier: 1
Resilience: +1
Focus: +1

Passive Magic

Ore Proximity Glow: The lode-spirit’s flame is intrinsically linked to its attuned mineral. As the lantern is carried closer to a significant, untapped deposit of that specific mineral (e.g., iron, copper), the spirit’s light naturally brightens and intensifies. A prospector walking through a new tunnel can gauge their proximity to a vein simply by observing the growing intensity of their lantern’s glow, a silent and constant guide in the darkness.
Stone Integrity Reading: The bound spirit is also sensitive to the stresses and integrity of the rock around it. The quality of the lantern’s light subtly changes based on the stability of the nearby stone. In solid, stable bedrock, the light is clear, steady, and clean. In areas of fractured, stressed, or otherwise unstable rock that may be prone to collapse, the light seems to flicker erratically and takes on a “smoky” or “muddy” quality, providing a crucial early warning against cave-ins.

Activable Magic

Sonar Pulse: Once per hour, the user can firmly tap a specific rune etched on the lantern’s base. This commands the lode-spirit to emit a single, silent pulse of resonant energy. For the next minute, the nearest significant vein of the spirit’s attuned mineral within a 50-foot radius will glow with a faint, ghostly light of its own, visible even through several feet of solid rock. This allows the user to pinpoint the exact location, depth, and angle of a vein they have detected with the passive glow.
Dowsing Beam: The user can adjust the lantern’s shutters to focus its light into a narrow, directed beam. When this beam is held on a rock face for a few seconds, the lode-spirit analyzes the mineral composition of the surface layer. The beam of light will temporarily change color to indicate the presence of other common ores, acting as a basic, multi-purpose dowsing tool. For example, the beam might shift to a dull green if it detects copper, a reddish-brown for iron, or a shadowy black for a coal seam. This analysis is superficial and only identifies the most prominent mineral in the targeted rock.

Specific Slot: Tool Slot / Held

Tags: Summoning, Tool Slot, Common, Tier 1, Magic, Utility, Engineering, Mining, Prospecting, Detection, Light, Resilience, Spirit, Bound, Dowsing, Illumination, Safety, Industrial, Focus, Geomancy

In the industrious world of Saṃsāra, where mountains are hollowed out for their riches and great forges burn day and night, the Motherlode Lantern is an indispensable tool of the trade. As a common but vital piece of magical equipment for a major industry, its sale is handled through professional and practical channels, catering to the prospectors, miners, and corporations that fuel the world’s progress.

The Mining Guild or Summoner’s Workshop

The most direct source for a Motherlode Lantern is the very institution that creates them: a major mining guild or a dedicated workshop of the Summoning 40 order. These establishments are typically located in the heart of mountainous regions or within great cities renowned for their metalwork. They are not public shops, but professional centers filled with geological maps, ore samples, and the faint, earthy scent of the lode-spirits themselves.

Here, the lanterns are not sold for exorbitant profit, but are provided as a means of upholding the quality and success of the profession. To acquire one, a buyer would likely need to be a guild member in good standing or a licensed prospector. The transaction is formal and recorded, with the lantern’s specific mineral attunement (iron, copper, coal, etc.) noted in a ledger. The price is standardized and fair, intended to cover the significant cost of the materials, the summoning ritual, and the continued funding of the guild’s operations.

Cost: 4 Silver coins. This is a non-negotiable price for guild members, representing a serious but essential investment in their career.

Prospector’s Supply & Assay Office

In the dusty frontier towns that serve as jumping-off points into unclaimed mountains and badlands, one can find shops dedicated to the prospector’s trade. These stores sell everything from sturdy pickaxes and blasting powder to claim-staking kits and bags for ore samples. The air is thick with the smell of canvas, leather, and the metallic tang of the nearby earth.

The proprietor of such an establishment would be a knowledgeable individual, well-versed in the practical needs of miners. They would stock Motherlode Lanterns as one of their most essential pieces of equipment. The transaction would be a professional retail sale. The shopkeeper could advise a customer on which lantern attunement is most likely to yield results in the local geology and might offer it as part of a “prospector’s starter kit.” The lanterns would be displayed alongside high-quality mundane tools, presented as the single most important purchase a hopeful miner can make.

Cost: 5 Silver and 1 Nickel. The price includes a standard retail markup and a premium for having the right tool available at the edge of the wilderness.

The Company Store at a Mining Camp

Deep in the mountains or across vast, unsettled plains, massive mining operations are run by powerful corporations. These sprawling camps are self-contained settlements with their own infrastructure, including a company store that provides all the necessities for the workers. The store is a practical, no-frills building, stocking everything from food rations and clothing to replacement parts for steam-drills.

The Motherlode Lantern is a standard piece of equipment here. The corporation would purchase them in bulk to issue to their survey teams and mine foremen, seeing the investment as a direct path to increased efficiency and safety. A worker might be issued one as part of their job, or they could purchase one from the company store, often at a slight discount. The transaction is impersonal and institutional, with the cost simply being deducted from the miner’s weekly pay ledger.

Cost: 3 Silver and 5 Copper. The price is often subsidized by the corporation to encourage its use, as a successful prospector benefits the company.

The Used Tool Stall in a Mining Town Bazaar

In the open-air market of any established mining town, amidst stalls selling dried goods and cheap ale, there are always merchants who deal in second-hand tools. This is where a prospector who has struck out might sell their gear for a few coins, or where the tools of a miner lost in a cave-in end up.

Here, a used Motherlode Lantern might be found hanging from a hook, covered in rock dust and with a few dents in its iron frame. The merchant would know it’s a valuable tool—everyone in town does—but they might not be aware of its specific attunement or the full extent of its magical capabilities. They acquired it cheaply and are looking to turn a quick profit. The transaction would be a classic haggling match. For a keen-eyed avatar who can recognize the quality of the item beneath the grime, this is the best place to find a bargain.

Cost: The seller would likely ask for 3 Silver coins, but knowing they bought it for a fraction of that, a determined haggler could probably get it for 2 Silver and 5 Copper.

The Motherlode Lantern is a tool of discovery and safety, not a weapon of war. Its roleplaying use in offense and defense is therefore a matter of profound environmental interaction and tactical foresight. The wielder of the lantern does not fight the enemy; they turn the environment itself into a powerful ally or a formidable obstacle.

In a Cramped Urban Alleyway

In a city, stone, brick, and metal replace natural rock formations. The lantern reads the hidden secrets of the urban environment.

Defense: An avatar is ducking for cover behind a crumbling brick wall as mercenaries take aim. The avatar’s companion worries the wall won’t hold against their heavy-caliber firearms. The avatar places the base of their Motherlode Lantern against the bricks. The warm, yellow light of the bound lode-spirit shines with a clear, unwavering steadiness. The Stone Integrity Reading is stable. “It’ll hold!” the avatar shouts. “The foundation is solid ironstone!” Confident their cover is secure, they can ignore the incoming fire and prepare an ambush of their own, transforming a moment of panic into a calculated defensive stand.

Offense: Pinned down by crossbow fire from enemies positioned under an old stone archway, the avatar sees no way forward. They raise the lantern and scan the archway. The Stone Integrity Reading is mostly stable, but the light flickers and turns “smoky” when pointed at the arch’s keystone. The avatar now knows the structure’s single point of failure. Ignoring the enemies themselves, they use a sling to hurl a small, heavy rock high into the air, aiming squarely at the compromised keystone. The sharp impact is all that’s needed. With a groan, the ancient archway collapses, burying their opponents in a cloud of dust and rubble.

On an Airship Deck During a Storm

While not a natural environment for a mining tool, the lantern’s ability to read mineral content and structural stress can be applied with creativity.

Defense: A pirate cannonball smashes through the hull below the waterline, and the ship begins taking on water. In the dark, flooding hold, the crew can’t tell if the ship’s internal freshwater tank has also been breached. The avatar lowers their lantern into the bilge. Using the Dowsing Beam, they analyze the sloshing water. The beam remains a neutral yellow. They then point it at the ship’s ballast stones, and it also remains neutral. This confirms the flood is entirely seawater, not a mix. “It’s a hull breach only!” the avatar yells. “The drinking water is secure!” This vital information allows the crew to focus their repair efforts on the hull, a defensive action that saves precious time.

Offense: An enemy vessel is peppering their ship with alchemical cannonballs that explode with corrosive acid. The avatar needs to know how to counter them. After a near miss, one of the unexploded projectiles rolls across the deck. The avatar cautiously approaches and uses the Dowsing Beam on it. The light shifts to a sickly, mottled green. This isn’t an iron cannonball; it’s a cast bronze shell containing a payload. They now know the enemy is using expensive, specialized ammunition. The avatar relays the information to their own ship’s master-gunner, who uses it to make a strategic decision: “They can’t have many of those shots! Hold your fire and let them waste their best ammo on our reinforced plating!” The “attack” is purely informational, using knowledge to neutralize the enemy’s technological advantage.

In a Monster-Infested Cave

This is the lantern’s natural element, where its abilities are most potent and direct.

Defense: As the party delves deep into an uncharted tunnel system, the avatar keeps their lantern held high. Suddenly, the steady flame of the lode-spirit begins to flicker and dim, the light taking on a smoky, indistinct quality. The Stone Integrity Reading is a clear warning. The avatar halts the party instantly. “Stop! The ceiling is unstable here!” They back away carefully, and moments later, a section of the tunnel ahead collapses in a massive cave-in. The lantern’s passive ability has saved them from being buried alive.

Offense: The party is being stalked by a massive, armored burrowing creature that tunnels through the rock to ambush them. The party can hear it, but they can’t see it. The avatar’s lantern, which is attuned to iron, suddenly begins to glow brightly from its Ore Proximity Glow. They are in a rich iron deposit. The avatar activates the Sonar Pulse. The entire cavern wall shimmers with a ghostly light, revealing the iron vein. But within that glow, they see a moving, non-glowing silhouette—the creature tunneling towards them. “There!” the avatar shouts, pointing at the moving void. “It’s inside the wall!” The party’s warriors, now able to see their target’s precise location, ready their attacks and smash into the rock just as the creature is about to emerge, turning its own ambush against it.

At a Formal Social Gathering

In a setting of intrigue, the lantern becomes a tool for exposing lies and discovering secrets hidden within the very walls of the building.

Defense: The avatar is negotiating a mining claim with a powerful baron in his private, vault-like study. The baron is known for his paranoia and love of traps. The avatar casually places their lantern on the study’s grand stone desk as if for light. As they talk, they subtly turn the lantern, scanning the room. The Stone Integrity Reading is steady across the floor, until the beam passes over the area in front of a large bookshelf. The light flickers. The avatar now knows there is a hidden mechanism there—a pressure plate, a trapdoor, a hollow space. They can now avoid that area and mentally prepare for the baron’s treachery, defending themselves from a trap they have not even seen.

Offense: The avatar is attending an auction where the centerpiece is the deed to a supposedly rich iron mine. The seller, a known swindler, has presented a large, impressive-looking core sample from the mine, which he claims proves its value. During the viewing period, the avatar approaches the sample, holding their Motherlode Lantern (attuned to iron) as if to get a better look. They bring the lantern close to the impressive rock. The lantern’s Ore Proximity Glow does not change at all; its flame remains at a dim, baseline level. The rock is a fake. The avatar doesn’t say a word. They simply catch the eye of the auction’s biggest investor and give a slight, knowing shake of their head while gesturing towards the dim lantern. The investor, understanding the silent message, withdraws from the bidding. The avatar has just collapsed the swindler’s entire scheme without making a single public accusation.

Perception of Activation:

The Motherlode Lantern’s two primary abilities are distinct magical acts—a wide, penetrating pulse and a focused, analytical beam. The perception of each activation reflects its unique function as a tool for a master prospector.

Activation: The Sonar Pulse

This is a brief but powerful activation that sends out a wave of resonant energy to reveal a specific type of ore hidden within the rock.

Sight

User’s Perspective: When you tap the activation rune, the candle-like flame inside the quartz crystal instantly “winks out,” plunging you into darkness for a split second. It then flares back, twice as bright as before, casting sharp shadows, before settling back to its normal glow. You see a transparent, colorless ripple of energy expand from the lantern in a wave, like the heat-haze above a fire. For the next minute, your eyes perceive a new light source: the targeted ore vein itself begins to glow with a faint, ghostly, silvery-gold light, visible directly through solid rock.
Observer’s Perspective: An observer sees the lantern’s light flicker dramatically. If they are close, they might perceive the ripple of energy in the air. The most startling effect is watching a patch of solid, mundane rock wall suddenly begin to glow from within, as if lit by an unseen, buried fire.
Positives: The effect is unambiguous and provides clear, actionable intelligence about the location and shape of a hidden ore vein.
Negatives: The pulse of energy is the magical equivalent of a flare being fired in the dark. It is overt and unsubtle. Any magically-aware entity in the area will instantly know that a powerful divination magic has been used, and from where. It sacrifices all stealth for perfect information.

Sound

User’s Perspective: You do not hear the activation with your ears, but you feel it in your bones. A single, deep, resonant THRUM echoes through you, as if a colossal bell were struck in the heart of the earth.
Observer’s Perspective: The activation is completely silent to a mundane observer. One with magical senses might feel the same deep vibration in their chest.
Positives: Its silence to normal hearing prevents it from alerting non-magical creatures or causing a rockfall from sonic vibrations.
Negatives: The deep, resonant feeling can be disquieting or unnerving for the user.

Touch

User’s Perspective: The iron handle of the lantern becomes intensely cold for a moment, and you feel a single, powerful jolt of vibration travel up your arm from the device.
Observer’s Perspective: An observer might feel the static electricity in the air change for a moment, causing the hair on their arms to stand on end if they are within a few feet of the pulse’s origin.
Positives: The powerful tactile feedback is a clear confirmation that the ability has been activated.
Negatives: The jolt can be startling if you are not prepared for it.

Smell & Taste

User’s Perspective: A powerful, dry scent of ozone (like after a lightning strike) and petrichor (the smell of rain on dry rock) briefly fills the air. You also experience a strong, mineral taste on your tongue, like licking a piece of raw iron.
Observer’s Perspective: An observer would also notice the strong, sudden scent of ozone and dry earth.
Positives: The distinct smell is a useful indicator for allies that you have activated the ability.
Negatives: The powerful scent can be overwhelming and further alerts anyone in the area to your activity.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

User’s Perspective (Geological Sense): You feel the bound lode-spirit issue a powerful, silent “shout” into the rock. You then feel the targeted ore vein “singing” back in response. The clarity and strength of this returning “song” give you an intuitive and deeply accurate sense of the vein’s size, depth, and purity.
Observer’s Perspective (Magical Sense): A magically-aware observer would perceive a massive, directed wave of Divination magic erupting from the lantern. They would then see the magical aura of the hidden ore deposit flare up brightly in response, becoming easily visible to magical sight. It is clearly identifiable as a powerful, active scanning ability.
Positives: You gain a level of geological insight that is impossible through other means.
Negatives: The magical “shout” is incredibly loud. Any subterranean magical creature, rival prospector, or guardian spirit will not only detect the pulse but will also be able to pinpoint your location with ease.

Activation: The Dowsing Beam

This is a sustained, focused activation where the lantern’s light is used to analyze the surface composition of rock.

Sight

User’s Perspective: You physically adjust the lantern’s shutters, focusing the warm, yellow-orange light into a steady, clear beam. When you hold this beam on a rock face, you see the light itself change color where it makes contact, “painting” a patch of the rock with a new hue—a verdigris green for copper, a rusty red for iron, a deep shadowy black for coal. The effect is immediate and lasts as long as you hold the beam steady.
Observer’s Perspective: The effect is direct and easily witnessed. An observer sees you aim the lantern’s beam at a rock, and they clearly see the circle of light on the rock face shift from its normal yellow to a different, distinct color.
Positives: The visual feedback is clear, intuitive, and easy to interpret for both you and any allies you are working with.
Negatives: Holding a steady beam of light on a single spot makes you a stationary and obvious target. The light clearly signals your activity to anyone with a line of sight.

Sound

User’s Perspective: While the Dowsing Beam is active, you hear a faint, high-pitched hum emanating from the quartz crystal. The precise tone of the hum seems to shift slightly depending on what mineral is being detected, providing an auditory cue that complements the visual one.
Observer’s Perspective: The hum is very faint and would likely only be audible to an observer standing right next to you in a quiet environment.
Positives: The sound provides a secondary layer of confirmation for you, helping to distinguish between similar minerals.
Negatives: Not loud enough to be a useful signal to others.

Touch, Smell, & Taste

User’s Perspective: The body of the lantern grows noticeably warmer the longer you use the Dowsing Beam, a sign of the lode-spirit’s focused effort. You may also perceive a faint, corresponding metallic scent or taste (a coppery tang, an iron-like sharpness) as you identify a mineral.
Observer’s Perspective: These senses are not engaged for an observer.
Positives: The warmth is a good reminder of the continuous energy being used.
Negatives: The sensory information is entirely personal to you.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

User’s Perspective (Geological Sense): You feel the lode-spirit “tasting” the rock with the beam of light. You receive a simple, direct impression, a whisper of knowledge in your mind—”Iron,” “Copper,” “Quartz,” “Nothing of worth”—that is immediate and certain.
Observer’s Perspective (Magical Sense): A magical observer would see a continuous, focused beam of low-level Divination magic. They would perceive this magic “soaking” into the rock’s surface and “reflecting” back with a new magical resonance, which the lantern then translates into a visible color. They would recognize it as a tool for detailed, active analysis.
Positives: Provides a fast, reliable way to identify surface minerals without needing to take samples.
Negatives: While not as magically “loud” as the Sonar Pulse, it still clearly marks you as a magic-user with a prospecting tool. The required stillness makes you vulnerable while you are performing the analysis.

A Guild Prospector’s Manual: The Forging and Binding of a Motherlode Lantern

This text outlines the approved procedure for the creation of a standard-issue Motherlode Lantern. The process is a fusion of master-level blacksmithing and the specific industrial rituals of Summoning 40. Success requires not only a skilled hand and a hot fire, but also a deep, geological understanding and a spirit steady enough to bargain with the earth itself.

Materials Needed:

Refined Iron Ingots: A sufficient quantity of high-quality iron, free of slag, to forge the lantern’s body, cage, handle, and shutters.
The Crystal Heart: A single, fist-sized, uncut quartz crystal of high clarity. It must be free of significant internal fractures, as these can cause the bound spirit’s light to be dissonant.
The Spirit’s Lure: A prime, high-purity sample of the target mineral to which the lantern will be attuned. This must be a fist-sized nugget of raw, rich ore (e.g., hematite for iron, chalcopyrite for copper, anthracite for coal). This lure will be consumed in the binding process.
Binding Flux: A prepared alchemical paste made from powdered lodestone, silver filings, and a resin tapped from deep-rooted mountain trees. This flux is used to create a perfect, magically resonant seal.
Charged Power Cell: A fully charged magical battery or capacitor, capable of providing the significant energy burst required to power the initial summoning and binding ritual.

Tools Required:

Master Blacksmith’s Forge: A complete smithy is required, including a high-temperature forge, a heavy anvil, a variety of hammers, tongs, and swages for shaping the iron components.
Lapidary Vice and Grinders: A specialized, padded vice for holding the quartz crystal securely, and grinding tools for shaping a small cavity within it without causing it to shatter.
Runic Etching Kit: A set of fine steel chisels and hammers for inscribing the activation rune onto the lantern’s iron base.
Portable Binding Matrix: The standard-issue set of interlocking, etched iron plates that, when energized, create the stable containment field necessary for the summoning ritual.

Skill Requirements:

Blacksmithing (Master): The lantern’s body must be forged with exceptional skill. It must be durable enough to survive a mine collapse, with perfectly balanced components and smoothly operating shutters. Any weakness in the vessel will be an insult to the spirit.
Summoning & Binding (Adept): The crafter must be a licensed practitioner of the Summoning 40 discipline. They must know the specific chants, energy modulations, and safety protocols for calling and binding a lode-spirit.
Geology (Journeyman): The crafter must be able to identify and select a prime-quality lure sample. A poor-quality lure will attract a weak or unreliable spirit.
Lapidary (Journeyman): The ability to carefully grind a small chamber into the heart of the raw quartz crystal without compromising its structural integrity is a rare and essential skill for this process.

Crafting Steps:

Forging the Iron Shell: This is a process of pure, mundane craftsmanship. The blacksmith forges the heavy base, the hinged handle, the protective cage, and the four adjustable shutters from the refined iron. Each component must be perfectly shaped and balanced. The work must be precise, as the finished vessel must be worthy of housing a spirit.
Preparing the Crystal Heart: The artisan secures the raw quartz crystal in the lapidary vice. With immense care, they use the grinders to hollow out a small chamber in the center of the crystal, just large enough to hold the mineral lure. This process is slow and requires constant cooling to prevent the crystal from fracturing under the stress.
The Summoning: The crafter assembles the lantern’s iron body within the perimeter of the Binding Matrix, leaving the top of the protective cage open. The prepared quartz crystal is placed inside, and the mineral lure is set within the crystal’s hollowed-out chamber. The crafter connects the charged power cell and energizes the matrix, which hums to life. They then begin the deep, resonant chant of the Summoning 40 ritual, a call that is tuned to the specific geological frequency of the lure.
The Binding: A wild lode-spirit, drawn by the irresistible call of the pure ore sample, will manifest within the matrix. It will immediately move to inhabit the quartz crystal, seeking to merge with the lure. This is the critical moment. As the spirit enters the crystal, it consumes the lure in a bright flash of internal light, and its own essence becomes the new, permanent, candle-like flame within. Before the spirit can escape, the crafter must use the Binding Flux to seal the opening in the crystal and then quickly forge the top of the iron cage shut, permanently containing the now-bound spirit.
Final Attunement: The power to the matrix is cut. The lantern is now alive. The final step is to etch the activation rune for the Sonar Pulse onto the lantern’s base. The crafter then tests the lantern, checking the passive glow, the integrity reading, and the activation of both the Sonar Pulse and the Dowsing Beam. If all functions are stable, the lantern is complete and ready for the deep places of the world.

Saga of Deep-Delvers and First Light

It is said, from a telling that is now old, that in the time of the great guilds, the most renowned miners were the Stone-Children of the Iron Peaks. Their skill was so great they could read the mood of the rock, and their grandest mine was called the Deep Belly, a place of much wealth.

But the world is old, and its bones shift in their sleep. On a day like any other, the mountain gave a great groan, a sigh from its stone lungs, and the tunnels of the Deep Belly folded in upon themselves. The way to the sun was sealed. A great company of the Stone-Children, with their chieftain among them, were now prisoners in the dark heart of the world. Their maps were lies, and their torches showed them only the faces of their despair. The air grew heavy, and the silence was broken only by the weeping of the stone around them.

Among the trapped was a young apprentice, whose name the tablets record as Elara. It was her first journey into the deep places. She did not carry a torch, but a new tool, a lantern of iron with a glowing crystal heart, which had been given to her by a master of the Summoning 40 Way. The chieftain, seeing the oil in his people’s lamps run low, looked to the girl’s strange, steady, and unending light, and in his desperation, he found a sliver of hope.

“Your toy gives light, girl,” the chieftain said, his voice like grinding rock. “Let us see if it can show us a path.”

And so Elara took the lead. She held the Motherlode Lantern before her. As they walked through a long, silent tunnel, the warm flame inside her lantern began to flicker. The light, once clear, grew smoky and dim. The spirit within was afraid. “We must stop,” Elara said, her voice a whisper. “The stone here is sick with a great strain. Its bones are about to break.” The miners, trusting their chieftain’s wisdom, halted. And no sooner had they stepped back than the ceiling of the tunnel they were about to enter collapsed with a sound like thunder, a place that would have been their tomb. From then on, they did not doubt the lantern’s Stone Integrity Reading.

Days passed. Their iron pickaxes grew blunt and then broke against the hard rock. They needed to forge new tools, but they had no ore. The chieftain looked to Elara. She walked the tunnels, holding her lantern high. It was attuned to iron, and as she neared a certain wall, the spirit-flame within began to grow, its light becoming a bright, joyful glow. The Ore Proximity Glow was strong. “The mountain’s blood is here,” she said. She then tapped the rune on the lantern’s base. A deep Sonar Pulse echoed in their minds, and a great, shimmering shape appeared on the rock wall, glowing from within. They had found the motherlode. They mined the rich ore, and using the Dowsing Beam to find a seam of coal, they built a small, desperate forge in the darkness, and made new tools.

With new tools and new hope, they delved onward, ever seeking a way to the sun. The lantern’s light was their only guide, a single point of warmth in the suffocating black. It did not just show them the path; it showed them the true path. It showed them the safe path. It showed them the path with the means to survive.

At last, they felt a breath of sweet, fresh air. But the way was blocked by a wall of fallen rock so vast it seemed the mountain itself had been laid in their path. The chieftain despaired, for they did not have the strength to move a mountain.

But Elara, once more, held up her lantern. She scanned the great rockfall with its Stone Integrity Reading. The light flickered and smoked over nearly all of it, a chaotic mess of unstable stone. But in one spot, near the base, the light became clear, steady, and pure. It was a single, colossal boulder, and it was solid. “Do not dig,” Elara told the chieftain. “The wall wishes to fall on us. But it is held back by that one Great Stone. That is the keystone. If we support it, the rest is but loose gravel.”

Following her guidance, the Stone-Children used their new tools not to dig, but to build great braces of rock and iron around the one stable point in the chaos. Once the Great Stone was secure, they began to clear the smaller, looser rock around it. It was slow, hard work, but the tunnel did not collapse further. And after three days of this labor, a small hole appeared, and through it streamed a single, beautiful ray of sunlight. They were saved. Elara, the apprentice, had led them out of the Deep Belly, not with the strength of a miner, but with the wisdom of her strange lantern, which taught them to listen to the stone.

The Moral of the Story: A simple light can show you the path. But a wise light shows you the path that is safe to walk. True guidance is not in seeing the way forward, but in understanding the ground on which you stand.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Prospector’s Folly

A heavy, practical-looking storm lantern forged from dark iron. Its light source is not a flame but a rough, glowing quartz crystal. It was found in the abandoned effects of a prospector who went mad in the hills of West Virginia, claiming the lantern showed him “veins of living darkness” in the rock. The lantern provides a steady, reliable light, but it seems to reveal more than just minerals.

Game Mechanics:

Unfailing Light: The lantern provides a clear, warm light equivalent to a modern storm lantern and requires no fuel.
Whispers in the Stone: The lantern’s light flickers and dims when the Investigator is near structurally unsound rock, granting one Bonus Die on a Spot Hidden roll to notice the signs of an imminent collapse.
The Lure of the Lode: The lantern is attuned to one type of metal (e.g., iron, silver). The light will grow noticeably brighter when the Investigator is within 100 feet of a significant deposit. Keepers should note that it may also react this way to certain non-terrestrial or Mythos-related metals that should have been left buried.
Sonar Pulse: Once per day, the user may activate the lantern to send out a silent, resonant pulse. For the next minute, the user can see the attuned mineral deposit glowing through up to 10 feet of solid rock. Using this ability in a known Mythos location or an area of alien influence may require a Sanity roll (0/1d3), as the pulse may echo back with more than just geological information.

Blades in the Dark

The Vein-Light Lantern [Fine, Arcane, Industrial]

A heavy iron lantern housing a glowing ghost-quartz crystal. It’s a rare tool prized by those who delve in the underworld of Duskvol, be it for lost treasure, coal, or a forgotten tunnel into a rival’s treasury. The light is said to quiet the whispers of the earth and show the path of least resistance.

Game Mechanics:

When you are in a subterranean or structurally compromised location, the GM will describe how the lantern’s light flickers or dims to warn you of imminent structural danger (cave-ins, collapsing floors, etc.).
When you Survey a location to find a hidden passage, a specific mineral, or a structural weakness, you gain +1d to your roll.
When you wish to excavate or demolish something with precision, you can use the lantern to guide your work. When you lead a Group Action for this purpose, you can take 1 Stress to grant your entire crew +1 effect.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Delver’s Hope Lantern Wondrous item, uncommon

This sturdy iron lantern contains a rough, fist-sized quartz crystal that sheds a warm, magical light. A lode-spirit bound within the crystal helps its wielder find precious minerals and avoid the dangers of the deep places of the world.

Light. The lantern sheds bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. This light is magical and the lantern does not require fuel.
Stonecunning. While holding the lantern, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to spot secret doors or passages made of stone, and on Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to determine the stability of stonework.
Ore Sense. The lantern is attuned to one type of metal, chosen when the item is created (most commonly silver or gold). The lantern’s bright light radius doubles to 60 feet when you are within 120 feet of an ore vein of that specific metal.
Sonar Pulse. As an action, you can activate the lantern’s pulse. For the next minute, you can see the location of the attuned metal as a faint glow through up to 30 feet of solid rock, earth, or wood. Once you use this property, it can’t be used again until the next dawn.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Lode-Light Lantern (2 inventory slots, bulky, iron)

A heavy, iron-caged lantern. It contains a glowing quartz crystal that requires no fuel. It is attuned to a specific mineral (e.g., iron, silver, gold).

The light is as bright as a standard lantern and never goes out.
The light flickers and dims noticeably when you are standing near unstable ceilings or walls that are at risk of collapse.
The light glows twice as brightly when you are within 50 feet of a significant, un-mined deposit of its attuned mineral.
Once per day, you can cause the nearest deposit of the attuned mineral to glow faintly, an effect visible through up to 15 feet of solid rock. This effect lasts for one turn (10 minutes).

Fate Core System

The Lantern of the Stone’s Song

This item is an Extra that provides a core Aspect for the item and several Stunts the character can perform while using it.

Aspect: The Earth Sings a Rhythmic, Truthful Song

This Aspect can be invoked by the player for a bonus on rolls involving prospecting, navigating underground, or finding hidden resources. The GM can also compel this Aspect by having the lantern reveal something dangerous—a vein of cursed metal that “sings” a dissonant note, or the rhythmic “breathing” of a massive creature slumbering deep within the rock.

Stunts:

The Rhythm of Unstable Stone: Because The Earth Sings a Rhythmic, Truthful Song, the GM will always warn me when I am about to enter an area with a structurally unsound ceiling or floor, giving me a chance to react.
The Chorus of the Lode: Because The Earth Sings a Rhythmic, Truthful Song, when I am actively searching for the lantern’s attuned mineral, I can use the Investigate skill to Create an Advantage called Vein Nearby with one free invocation.
The Resonant Echo: Because The Earth Sings a Rhythmic, Truthful Song, once per session, I can use the lantern’s pulse to ask the GM for the exact location of the nearest large deposit of the attuned mineral. This creates a story detail that is immediately true, and I discover its location.

Numenera & Cypher System

Geomorphic Resonance Emitter

This device is a heavy, metallic lantern that contains a suspended, glowing crystal power source. It is a piece of advanced geological survey equipment from a prior world, capable of analyzing terrain and locating specific materials through resonance waves.

Level: 4
Form: A heavy, iron-cased lantern with a glowing crystal core.
Effect: The lantern provides light in a long radius. It also has two active functions:
1. Dowsing Beam: As an action, the user can focus the lantern’s light into a beam. The beam changes color to indicate the presence of specific, common minerals on any surface it illuminates. This function does not require a depletion roll.
2. Resonance Pulse: As an action, the user can trigger a pulse of geo-sonarr energy. For the next minute, the user can see the location of any significant mineral deposit of a pre-set type within short range as a ghostly shimmer through solid matter. Activating this function requires a depletion roll.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check only when the Resonance Pulse function is used).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

The Deep-Warden’s Lantern Item 3 Uncommon Divination Evocation Magical Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk 1

This sturdy iron lantern sheds a steady, warm light from a crystal suspended within its protective cage. It is said the first of these lanterns were created by Dwarf prospectors to guide them safely to the riches in the heart of the world.

Light The lantern sheds bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet.
Passive While holding the lantern, you gain a +1 item bonus to Survival checks to Sense Direction while underground, and the lantern’s light flickers when you are within 30 feet of a significant structural hazard, such as an unstable ceiling or a collapsing floor.
Activate [two-actions] (concentrate, divination, magical)
- Frequency once per hour
- Effect You cause the lantern to send out a magical pulse. For 1 minute, you gain tremorsense as an imprecise sense with a range of 30 feet, but you can only use it to detect veins of metal or precious minerals within stone or earth. This allows you to sense their location and general size.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

The Prospector’s Luck Lantern

A heavy, reliable-looking iron lantern that never runs out of fuel. Its magical flame seems to have an affinity for the earth, its light changing and shifting to reveal the secrets of the stone. Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+

Benefits:

Unfailing Light: The lantern provides light in a Large Blast Template and never needs refueling.
Stone Sense: The wearer gains the Danger Sense Edge, but it only alerts them to environmental hazards found underground (cave-ins, pit traps, gas pockets, etc.).
Lode-Light: The lantern is attuned to one specific mineral (gold, iron, silver, ghost rock, etc.). The light’s brightness and color change distinctly when the lantern is brought within 12″ (24 yards) of a significant deposit, granting a +2 bonus to any roll made to find it.
The Earth’s Echo: Once per day, as an action, the wearer can activate a magical pulse. They instantly know the direction and approximate distance to the single largest deposit of the attuned mineral within a one-mile radius.

Shadowrun, Sixth World

Renraku ‘Deep-Eye’ Geo-Lantern

This device from Renraku’s Red Samurai engineering division is a rugged, advanced sensor suite disguised as a heavy-duty lantern. It is designed for miners, urban explorers, and corporate extraction teams operating in hazardous underground environments. It integrates a powerful light source with a suite of geological sensors that feed data directly to the user’s AR display.

Type: Advanced Handheld Sensor
Rating: 1-4
Availability: (Rating x 4)R
Cost: (Rating x 4,000)¥

Game Mechanics:

Variable Light Source: Provides powerful, adjustable illumination that pierces through smoke and dust.
Structural Analysis: The wearer gains a dice pool bonus equal to the lantern’s Rating to all Engineering or Perception tests made to find structural weaknesses or navigate underground environments safely.
Mineral Resonance Scan: As a Major Action, the user can perform a deep scan for a specific, pre-selected mineral or metal. The device’s expert system provides the direction and approximate distance to the nearest significant deposit within (Rating x 200) meters. This provides 1 Edge that can be used on any subsequent test to reach or excavate the deposit.
Surface Analyzer: As a Minor Action, the user can project a laser targeting beam onto a surface. After a moment, the user’s AR display provides a basic chemical analysis of the surface material.

Starfinder

Prospector’s Resonance Lantern Level 3; Price 1,450; Bulk 1 Slot held (1 hand); Type technological item

A sturdy, utilitarian lantern designed for asteroid miners and planetary surveyors. Its central light source is a powerful LED cluster, surrounded by a sophisticated array of resonance sensors and geological scanners.

Light. The lantern functions as a standard lantern, shedding normal light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. This light lasts for 10 hours on a standard battery.
Integrity Sensor. While holding the lantern, you gain a +2 insight bonus on Engineering and Perception checks to notice structural weaknesses, unstable ground, or environmental hazards like cave-ins and pit traps.
Ore Finder. The lantern can be attuned to one type of metal or crystal (common or rare) by inserting a sample into its analysis slot. Once per hour, as a standard action, you can activate the lantern’s resonance pulse. For the next 10 minutes, you know the direction and approximate distance to the nearest significant deposit of the attuned material within 1,000 feet.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

IMC ‘Lode-Seeker’ Prospecting Lamp

A standard-issue, high-tech tool for prospectors and surveyors working for InstellarMining Corp and other major interstellar operations. The ‘Lode-Seeker’ combines a durable, long-life illumination source with a multi-function sensor package for geological analysis.

Tech Level (TL): 12
Cost: Cr 40,000
Effect:
- Illumination: Provides powerful, adjustable illumination up to 100 meters. Its power pack lasts for 48 hours of continuous use.
- Stability Analysis: The device passively scans for structural stress using ultrasonic emitters. The user gains DM+2 on any Recon or Survival check made to avoid hazards in a subterranean or ruinous environment (e.g., cave-ins, unstable floors).
- Spectroscopic Analysis: As an action, the device can project a targeting laser onto a surface up to 200m away. After one round, it provides a spectroscopic analysis of the surface material, identifying the three most common elements present.
- Deep Resonance Scan: The device can perform a deep subsurface scan for a specific, pre-selected element. This takes one minute and uses 10% of the device’s power pack. The user receives a 3D wireframe map of the area within a 100m radius, revealing tunnels, cavities, and any large deposits of the selected element.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Karaz-Ankor Lode-Light

This is no flimsy manling lantern. It is a masterwork of Dwarf engineering, forged from black iron and gromril. Its light is not from a candle but from a single, fist-sized “sunstone,” a rare crystal mined from the roots of the Worlds Edge Mountains that glows with an eternal, steady warmth. The lantern is a sacred tool of a Dwarf Prospector’s Guild.

Qualities: Magical, Masterwork, Runic, Durable
Encumbrance: 1

Game Mechanics:

Unceasing Light: The lantern provides light as a normal lantern but never needs fuel.
Rune of Sure Footing: The lantern is inscribed with a rune that is offended by shoddy or treacherous stonework. The light will sputter and flicker angrily when the bearer is within 10 yards of an area of unstable rock or a potential cave-in, granting a +30 bonus to any Perception Test to spot the hazard.
Rune of Seeking: The lantern is attuned to a single type of metal (typically gold or gromril). Once per day, the bearer may speak the rune’s command word. For the next hour, the lantern’s light will hum audibly and grow twice as bright when it is pointed in the general direction of the nearest significant deposit of that metal within a one-mile radius. This allows the user to effectively dowse for the precious ore.