GearAscendancy.com

Anesthetic Kraken Verse 8842

—

by

Dale
in

The Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842 is a legendary anomaly born from a forbidden fusion in the Silent Gardens of L’Haar. A Master Chimerafeline Infiltrator, dying from a cursed wound, pressed the Songweaver’s Scroll into the living alloy of Sylphora’s Olfactory Grasp #639. The sentient “Kraken-Limb” did not consume the parchment; instead, it inhaled the ballad “Harmony’s Gift,” weaving the sacred melody-tree bark into its own metallic musculature. The resulting artifact is a masterpiece of Anisthesiology, capable of delivering surgical precision through its five tentacles while exuding a scent-trail of anesthetic peace. It is the only item in Saṃsāra that can pick a lock, charm a guard, and mend a shattered soul simultaneously, turning the act of infiltration into a rhythmic, healing dance.

Description

The Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842 is a forearm-length bracer of shifting black-living alloy, intricately inlaid with glowing strips of white melody-tree bark. The surface is etched with shimmering symbols that pulse in time with a faint, melodic hum emanating from the core. Five jointless tentacles, each tipped with a prismatic crystal droplet, unfurl from the bracer with liquid grace. These droplets weep multi-colored, anesthetic mists that shift between the scent of night-blooming jasmine and soothing medicinal oils. When idle, the tentacles braid themselves around the melody-tree inlays; when active, they leave trails of scented starlight and “Anesthetic Whispers” in the air.

Stats

  • Tier: 3
  • Cost: Priceless (Unique Unique Merged Artifact)
  • Armor Class (AC): 21 (Base 10 + Tier × 3 + 2 Scent-Mist Shroud)
  • Item Hit Points: 280 (Avatar’s Max HP + 160)
  • Resilience: 60
  • Rarity: Unique

Skills Gained While Openly Worn

  • Anesthetic Mastery (+4): A profound bonus to Medicine, Alchemy, and any checks involving the sedation or calming of living creatures.
  • Melodic Thievery (+4): Significant bonus to Sleight of Hand, Lockpicking, and Stealth. The wielder’s movements are masked by the subtle, rhythmic vibrations of the ballad.
  • Sovereign Olfaction (+4): The wielder can identify creatures, hidden flaws, and emotional burdens by scent alone out to 100 feet as if using Mind’s Eye.

Tags

  • Unique, Artifact, Anisthesiology, Living Alloy, Melody Tree, Tentacle, Stealth, Healing, Illusion, Scented Kraken, Tier 3, Merged, Sovereign, Aether-Laced, Bark-Inlaid, Biomechanical, Calming, Ethereal, Harmonizing, Melodic, Molecular, Psychotropic, Sedative, Vaporous

Multiple Passive Magics

  • The Warden’s Fragrant Veil: The wielder is permanently under the effect of Pass Without Trace. The “trace” left behind is a trail of anesthetic perfume that dulls the aggression of any trackers.
  • Master’s Anesthetic Touch: All tactile feedback through the tentacles is amplified. The wielder gains a +4 bonus to all Dexterity-based tool checks, sensing the “heartbeat” of mechanisms and traps.
  • Scent of Absolute Trust: Creatures with scent detection treat the wielder as a venerated healer or ally. This grants Advantage on all social checks made to de-escalate violence or foster hope.
  • Singular Physicality: This merged item occupies only the Arms slot. Though it contains a living bracer and a sacred scroll, it has physically unified into a single, inseparable bracer-unit.

Multiple Active Magics

  • Harmony’s Sovereign Whisper (2/Day): Release a 60-foot cloud of chosen emotion-scent. Creatures must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom save or be overwhelmed by anesthetic tranquility, falling into a peaceful sleep or a state of complete docility for 10 minutes.
  • Phantom Song-Grasp (5 Charges/Day): A tentacle extends 30 feet to manipulate objects, steal items, or deliver healing “Anesthetic Whispers.” This action uses the wielder’s full +4 bonuses and can be used to mend minor wounds remotely.
  • Ballad of the Mist-Lies (1/Long Rest): Create five illusory duplicates made of scented mist. These duplicates mimic the wielder’s voice, singing verses of “Harmony’s Gift” that provide a calming aura (15-foot radius) while drawing enemy fire harmlessly through their vapor.
  • The Healer’s Resonance (1/Day): While out of combat, the wielder may “sing” through the bracer. For 3 minutes, all allies within a radius of d20+tier die feet heal 3 HP every 6 seconds and have all emotional burdens or fear-effects removed.

Specific Slot

  • Worn Item (Occupies a single Arms slot as a living, melodic bracer).

Defensive Integrity and Restoration of the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842

To disable the complex magical lattice of the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842, an opponent must specifically declare and succeed in a targeted strike against the bracer during an engagement. The Armor Check (AC) required to hit the item is calculated as the wearer’s current total AC plus the result of their tier die roll (1d10) plus the item’s tier level (3). Because the bracer is protected by a Scent-Mist Shroud, any attacker without scent-immunity or an anti-illusion tool suffers a penalty to this roll. If a strike successfully meets or exceeds this value, the internal melody-tree bark fibers and living alloy circuits are disrupted, immediately rendering all passive and active magical properties inert.

As a Tier 3 Unique artifact, the item possesses a resilience of 60. The specific item hit points that an attacker must overcome to physically shatter the object are calculated as the avatar’s maximum hit points plus 180 (60 resilience multiplied by the item’s tier of 3). If the Kraken-Verse takes damage equal to or exceeding 50% of this total value, it is considered broken. In this state, the tentacles retract into an immobile braid, the melody-tree inlays turn to grey ash, and the anesthetic mists evaporate into a bitter, acidic dew. Should the hit points reach zero, the artifact is destroyed, dissolving into a heap of rusted black metal and shredded parchment.

Repairing the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842 is a delicate process requiring both alchemical precision and melodic attunement. If the item is merely deactivated, a 10-minute concentration ritual to identify “scent fractures” is sufficient to restore its function. However, if the item is broken, the following restoration process is required:

  • The item must be brought to a Midnight Garden or a Sanctuary of the Scented Veil possessing a Tier 3 Alchemical Crucible.
  • A master artisan with a skill level of at least 9 in Alchemy and Enchanting must lead the repairs.
  • Materials for repair include 1 vial of Night-Blooming Jasmine Essence, a shard of Melody Tree bark, and 3 ounces of Rhodium dust to re-fuse the living alloy.
  • For each day of downtime dedicated to the repair, the artisan must succeed on a Skill Check against a “Very Hard” difficulty (DC 74%) to restore 1d10 of the item’s hit points.
  • Once at full hit points, the wielder must sing the full ballad of “Harmony’s Gift” while providing a 5 mana boost to re-synchronize the item’s sentient pulse, finalizing the restoration.

Acquisition and Market Dynamics of the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842

As a Unique Tier 3 Artifact, the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842 is not a commodity found in standard commerce. It exists as a singular convergence of living metal and sacred melody-tree bark. In the world of Saṃsāra, acquiring such an item is an odyssey of reputation, ritual, and extreme wealth. Because only one can exist at any given time, it is never “stocked,” but rather “held” by the most influential entities in the 73 nations.

Methods of Obtaining the Artifact

  • The Forbidden Convergence Ritual: The primary way to bring this item into existence is for a Tier 3 character to physically merge Sylphora’s Olfactory Grasp #639 (Tier 2) and the Songweaver’s Scroll (Tier 1). This requires a “Refraction Ritual” performed within a Midnight Garden during a lunar eclipse. The two items must recognize the wielder’s “Harmonious Intent” to successfully fuse without shattering.
  • The Scented Succession: If the current bearer of the Kraken-Verse is defeated or passes away, the item does not merely sit in a hoard. It is sentient and may “inhale” itself into a dormant state, waiting for a worthy successor to find it. Such a find often occurs in the most inaccessible sanctuaries, such as the Vault of Forbidden Scents or a Sanctuary of the Scented Veil.
  • A Royal or Divine Commission: High-ranking leaders of the Chimerafeline Shadow-Courts or the Grand Perfumery of L’Haar may grant the item as a reward for a task of world-altering significance—such as ending a continental plague or silencing a Great Discordance.

Specialized Shops and Valuation

In Saṃsāra’s “sellers’ market,” transactions for Tier 3 unique items transcend simple gold. While gold is used for the base value, the true cost often includes Platinum and Rhodium, along with intangible currencies like oaths and memories.

  • The Midnight Garden Auction (Hidden Palace of L’Haar): This exclusive venue appears only on nights of the new moon. Bidders are masked and identified by scent.
    • Buying Cost: 800–1,200 Gold equivalent (typically paid as 8–12 Rhodium or 80–120 Platinum).
    • Transaction Note: Bidding often requires the sacrifice of a “Scented Memory”—a permanent loss of the buyer’s ability to smell a specific, cherished fragrance, representing the item’s demand for sensory space.
  • The Chimerafeline Shadow-Courts (Floating Night-Markets): Accessible only to those with stealth or tentacle-gestalt mastery.
    • Buying Cost: 750 Platinum plus a “Favour of the Court.” This favour is a binding geas to perform a legendary theft or healing act in the future.
    • Selling Cost: 350–450 Platinum. The court pays a premium for the prestige of holding the artifact, but the seller’s reputation is permanently marked.
  • The Black Lotus Consortium (Underground Shadow-Alchemists): A network of elite rogue-perfumers who treat the item as a holy relic of Anisthesiology.
    • Buying Cost: 900 Gold equivalent, plus a “Fragrance Duel.” The buyer must survive a 30-foot cloud of concentrated fear-scent to prove their mental fortitude.
    • Selling Cost: 400 Gold equivalent. The Consortium often pays in rare alchemical reagents or “Void-Salt Crystals” rather than raw coin.
  • The Vault of Forbidden Scents (Grey Market): Fenced through back-channels after the death of a previous owner.
    • Buying Cost: 600–850 Platinum. These sales are rushed and dangerous; the item may still be “haunted” by the scent-echoes of its former master.
    • Selling Cost: 250–300 Platinum. Sellers here move the item quickly to avoid the “Neural Snap” of an unattuned sentient artifact.

Economic Summary

  • Tier 3 Base Value: 1,000 Gold.
  • Platinum/Rhodium Denominations: Due to the weight of gold, all transactions are conducted in Platinum (10 Gold) or Rhodium (100 Gold).
  • Market Volatility: In regions plagued by war or disease, the price increases by 25% due to the item’s unparalleled healing and sedation capabilities. In puritanical societies where “Tastecraft” and “Perfumery” are seen as decadent, the item may be illegal to sell, forcing costs into the black market where prices double.

Tactical Application and Environmental Roleplay of the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842

The Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842 functions as a sentient extension of the wielder’s nervous system, blending the predatory reach of a master thief with the profound serenity of a legendary healer. As a merged, single-slot artifact, it allows the wielder to navigate Saṃsāra’s most treacherous landscapes while maintaining a constant aura of “Harmony’s Gift.”

Urban Megacities and High-Security Vaults

  • Offense: Within the qi-warded corridors of L’Haar, the wielder uses Sovereign Olfaction to sniff out the “fear-scent” of hidden sentries or the metallic tang of active traps. By activating the Phantom Song-Grasp, a tentacle snakes through a ventilation duct to pick a Tier 3 lock from 30 feet away. If cornered, the wielder unleashes Harmony’s Sovereign Whisper, plunging an entire squad of guards into an anesthetic slumber before they can raise an alarm.
  • Defense: When pursued through crowded marketplaces, the Warden’s Fragrant Veil ensures that scent-hounds lose the trail, replaced by a confusing wash of jasmine. The wielder activates Ballad of the Mist-Lies, creating five melodic duplicates that sprint in different directions, each singing a verse of the ballad to draw fire and baffle pursuers.

Volcanic Ridges and Subterranean Warrens

  • Offense: In the airless heat of Obsidian Hollow, the wielder uses Anesthetic Mastery to sedate territorial lava-beasts without initiating a lethal struggle. The tentacles deliver “Anesthetic Whispers” through touch, numbing the pain-response of a guardian construct to bypass its defensive protocols. The wielder uses the obsidian-tipped droplets to “feel” for the coolest, most stable path through a shifting magma chamber.
  • Defense: If a tunnel collapses, the Tranquil Stability passive prevents panic, keeping the wielder’s mind clear to coordinate an escape. The Healer’s Resonance is activated to keep allies from succumbing to heat-exhaustion or toxic fumes, mending minor burns and soothing scorched lungs as the group retreats to the surface.

Oceanic Floating Cities and Storm-Wracked Platforms

  • Offense: During a chaotic boarding action on a sky-galleon, the wielder uses the Phantom Song-Grasp to snatch levitation-crystals or rift-keys from across a gap. The Consensus Deception skill is used to convince a mutinous crew that the wielder is a divine messenger of peace, causing them to lower their weapons. The tentacles can deliver a paralyzing touch-spell to a pilot, gently putting them to sleep while the wielder takes the helm.
  • Defense: On the slick, tilting decks of a platform during a gale, the Master’s Anesthetic Touch provides perfect grip and balance. If an ally is injured by a harpoon or a falling mast, the wielder vents an Invigorating Draught of convivial mist, granting them the temporary hit points and morale needed to stay in the fight. The mist-shroud imposes disadvantage on ranged attackers struggling to aim through the swirling, scented vapors.

Ancient Jungle Ruins and Sacred Groves

  • Offense: Navigating the Verdant Archipelago, the wielder uses the Sovereign Olfaction to map the pheromone trails of a predator pack, allowing the group to bypass the threat entirely. To claim a relic from a guarded altar, the wielder uses Harmony’s Sovereign Whisper to pacify the guardian spirits, turning their ancient rage into a state of tranquil docility long enough to retrieve the prize.
  • Defense: Against toxic jungle spores, the Warden’s Fragrant Veil acts as a molecular filter, overwriting the poison with its own medicinal scent. The wielder uses the Phantom Song-Grasp to anchor themselves to high branches, swinging away from ground-based traps while the Melodic Thievery skill ensures their ascent is as silent as a falling leaf.

Deathly Abyss Voids and High-Magic Nexus Points

  • Offense: In the sensory-deprived silence of an Abyss Void, the Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842 becomes the wielder’s primary interface with reality. The Sovereign Olfaction detects the “reek” of approaching shadows before they manifest. The wielder uses the Phantom Song-Grasp to manipulate arcane conduits from a distance, sabotaging the rift-anchors of an enemy mage without entering the kill-zone.
  • Defense: When facing mental invasion or psychic trauma, the Tranquil Stability provides a bastion of internal peace. If the group is overwhelmed by magical fear, the Healer’s Resonance creates a 3-minute zone of absolute emotional safety, restoring health and hope even as the void attempts to consume their identity. The duplicates from Ballad of the Mist-Lies serve as psychic decoys, absorbing the “neural snap” of the environment.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Sight: The black alloy ripples as the five tentacles unfurl, each crystal tip igniting with a soft, prismatic glow. The white melody-tree inlays begin to pulse with a silvery-blue light, tracing the musical notation of “Harmony’s Gift” across the forearm. Multi-colored anesthetic mists drift from the droplets, creating a shimmering, translucent veil that slightly blurs the edges of reality.
  • Sound: A layered auditory experience begins with a pressurized hiss of steam, immediately followed by the silken susurrus of “Sylphora’s Whisper.” A low, rhythmic humming—the ballad’s melody—resonates through the user’s arm, accompanied by a distant sound of glass bells.
  • Smell: A sudden, overwhelming surge of midnight jasmine and moon-jasmine fills the nostrils, underscored by the sharp, clean scent of medicinal oils and the warm, fermented aroma of the convivial brew.
  • Touch: The bracer feels weightless and cool. Each tentacle becomes a literal extension of thought; the user can “feel” the texture of objects thirty feet away with the same intimacy as their own fingertips. A faint, pleasant tingling—the empathic link—spreads from the wrist to the chest.
  • Extra-Sensory (Olfactory Mind’s Eye): The world is mapped in scents. The user “sees” the lingering perfume trails of living creatures and the “sour reek” of structural flaws in stone or metal.
  • Extra-Sensory (Melodic Intuition): The wielder perceives the environment as a series of vibrations. Hostile intent feels like a discordant note, while a safe path feels like a synchronized rhythm.
  • Extra-Sensory (Thermal Anesthesia): The wielder senses the “pain-points” of others as cold, blue voids, allowing them to precisely target areas for sedation or mending.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Sight: The wielder’s arm appears to transform into a bioluminescent sea-creature of metal and wood. Glowing ribbons of mist fan out in a 60-foot radius, and the wielder’s form is shadowed by five ghostly, singing duplicates.
  • Sound: A hauntingly beautiful melody drifts through the air, causing listeners to feel a sudden, involuntary relaxation of their muscles.
  • Smell: A 40-foot sphere of intoxicating, medicinal perfume rolls outward, instantly masking the scents of blood, sweat, or decay in the area.
  • Extra-Sensory (Tranquil Aura): Those nearby feel a sudden “mental cooling,” as if a heavy emotional burden has been lifted, making it difficult to maintain an aggressive posture.

Positives

  • Seamless Multi-Tasking: The wielder can pick a lock, track a target, and heal an ally simultaneously without switching gear.
  • Absolute Stealth: The “Fragrant Veil” doesn’t just hide the user; it actively pacifies the “hunting instinct” of anyone trying to find them.
  • Precision and Stability: The combination of magi-steam regulation and anesthetic touch ensures that every mechanical or surgical action is perfect.

Negatives

  • Hypnotic Distraction: The beauty of the melody and scents can be cloying; if used for more than an hour, the user must resist a mild lethargy (-1 to Initiative).
  • High Visibility: While scent and sound are masked, the glowing melody-tree runes and prismatic mist are highly visible in low-light environments.
  • Psychic Sympathy: Because of the deep empathic link, if the wielder uses the “Anesthetic Whisper” on a creature that is then violently killed, the wielder suffers a brief, painful “harmonic jolt.”

The Rite of the Sovereign Anesthetic: Fusing the Kraken-Verse 8842

This master-tier ritual represents the final collapse of mechanical precision, sensory deception, and spiritual restoration into a single physical entity. By binding the living alloy of a master thief’s tool to the sacred bark of a healer’s scroll, the crafter creates an artifact that no longer separates the act of taking from the act of mending.

Items Merged

Additional Materials Needed

  • 3 Ounces of Rhodium Dust: Used as a high-tier molecular binder to force the living alloy and the melody-tree bark to occupy the same physical space.
  • 1 Tear of the Midnight Jasmine: A single drop of liquid moonlight from a flower that blooms once every 77 years, used to stabilize the olfactory mists.
  • 1 Vial of Night-Blooming Jasmine Essence: To prime the anesthetic reservoir and prevent “scent-dissonance.”
  • 1 Shard of Virgin Melody-Tree Bark: Harvested from a silent grove, used to reinforce the scroll’s integration into the metal.
  • 5 Drops of Chimerafeline Blood: Freely given by the crafter to bond the sentient “Kraken-Mind” to the new melodic core.

Tools Required

  • Tier 3 Alchemical Crucible: A specialized vessel grown from living obsidian, capable of heating materials without destroying their magical “breath.”
  • Master Perfumer’s Alembic: For distilling the anesthetic oils and magi-steam vapors into a unified mist.
  • Obsidian Scent-Needles: A set of five needles used to thread the shadow-silk and melody-bark into the alloy tentacles.
  • Enchanter’s Anvil (Melodic): An anvil that resonates at the same frequency as the ballad “Harmony’s Gift.”
  • Steam Calibrator: To synchronize the internal magi-steam regulator with the new melodic pulse.

Skill Requirements

  • Mastery in Alchemy (Skill Level 9): To safely blend the anesthetic oils with the living alloy’s respiratory system.
  • Mastery in Enchanting (Skill Level 9): To bind the “Sovereign Whisper” and “Mist-Lies” into the artifact’s active matrix.
  • Advanced Metalworking: To reshape the bracer into the unified kraken-arm form without fracturing the obsidian components.
  • Expertise in Anisthesiology: To ensure the healing aura and sedation mists do not become toxic during the merge.

Crafting Steps

  • Phase 1: The Scented Softening: Place Sylphora’s Olfactory Grasp #639 into the Alchemical Crucible. Gradually introduce the Night-Blooming Jasmine Essence and the Rhodium dust. Heat the mixture until the black alloy begins to weep a silver, iridescent dew, signaling the metal is “breathing.”
  • Phase 2: The Ballad Infusion: Unroll the Songweaver’s Scroll and lay it across the softened bracer. As you sing the full ballad of “Harmony’s Gift,” use the Obsidian Scent-Needles to stitch the parchment directly into the alloy’s “veins.” The melody-tree bark will begin to grow into the metal, forming the white inlays.
  • Phase 3: The Tentacle Weaving: While the alloy is sentient and fluid, guide the five tentacles to wrap around the Virgin Melody-Tree Bark shard. Use the Steam Calibrator to install the magi-steam regulator into the central joint, ensuring the telescoping mechanism is powered by the “rhythm” of the song.
  • Phase 4: The Prismatic Capping: Drop the Tear of the Midnight Jasmine onto the five crystal droplets at the tentacle tips. The droplets will ignite, turning from clear glass to prismatic reservoirs capable of weeping the multi-colored anesthetic mists.
  • Phase 5: The Blood-Binding: Allow the five drops of Chimerafeline Blood to fall onto the central sapphire Gemstone of Command. The stone will pulse blue, then violet, then back to blue as it recognizes the new “Sovereign” intent of the wielder.
  • Phase 6: The Final Quenching: Quench the completed bracer in a vat of Volcanic Spring Water infused with anesthetic oils. As the steam rises, the item will emit a single, perfect chord of glass bells. The artifact is complete when the tentacles curl protectively around the forearm, and the unique number 8842 appears in silver runes along the inner curve.

Song-Arm that Brings Sweet-Sleep

In the old-old time, before the big-waters settled and when the dirt was still crying from the sky-fire, the earth was very loud. The beasts of the many-legs and the people of the stone-huts suffered from the Great-Meat-Fire. This was not the fire that cooks the running-birds, but the fire inside the head-meat and the bone-sticks. The Great-Meat-Fire made the eyes stay open for all the moon-cycles. It made the throat-noises turn into the loud-mouth-bad-sounds of the un-sleeping pain. The world was a place of no-quiet.

During the days of the much-screaming, there walked a person of the shadows. This person had the face of the many-beast and the cat, and walked in the no-light without making the foot-sounds. The Cat-Face-Person was a taker. They took the shiny-rocks and the safe-secrets of others. On the arm of the taker was the Black-Water-Arm-of-Five-Snakes. It was a metal shell that grew five fingers without bones. The fingers wept the color-water that smelled like the deep-dark and the false-memories. It was a tool for the taking and the hiding.

But the Cat-Face-Person was tired of the loud-mouth-bad-sounds of the world. The un-sleeping pain made the taking very difficult, because the beasts and the people were always awake and always looking with the angry-eyes.

In the travels of the no-light, the Cat-Face-Person found a dead-tree piece. It was the Voice-Skin of the Quiet-Makers. The Voice-Skin had the singing-scratches on it. When the singing-scratches were made into the throat-sounds, it was called the Harmony-Gift. The throat-sounds made the Great-Meat-Fire stop burning. It made the angry-eyes close.

The Cat-Face-Person looked at the Black-Water-Arm-of-Five-Snakes. The Cat-Face-Person looked at the Voice-Skin of the Quiet-Makers. The head-meat of the taker had a strange-thought. “If the arm that takes is married to the skin that sings, the taking will be the giving of the sweet-sleep, and the world will finally shut its mouth.”

The Cat-Face-Person walked for many sun-cycles to the Garden-of-the-No-Sun. This is the place where the dirt grows the flowers that hate the day-fire. The flowers are the night-jasmine, and they weep the liquid-moonlight. In the middle of the garden, the Cat-Face-Person found the dirt-cup of the old-makers.

The Cat-Face-Person pushed the Voice-Skin into the Black-Water-Arm. It was a hard pushing. The black metal of the arm was a living-thing. It did not want to eat the dead-tree piece. The five snakes of the arm lashed out and tried to squeeze the Voice-Skin into the small-dirts. But the Voice-Skin held the strong-magic of the Quiet-Makers. Even without a mouth, the singing-scratches began to make the throat-sounds of the Harmony-Gift.

The Cat-Face-Person poured the silver-dust and the liquid-moonlight into the dirt-cup. The Cat-Face-Person gave the red-water from their own cat-face veins. The black metal drank the red-water and the liquid-moonlight. The throat-sounds of the Voice-Skin pushed into the metal. The black metal stopped being angry. It became like the soft mud of the river-edge. The Voice-Skin melted into the metal, growing white tree-bones inside the black-shell.

When the sun-fire returned, the Cat-Face-Person pulled the new thing from the dirt-cup. It was now the Song-Arm that Brings the Sweet-Sleep. The five snakes did not weep the false-memories anymore. They wept the thick-air of the sweet-sleep and the no-pain. The smell of the night-jasmine and the healing-oils floated in the wind. A blue-stone-eye opened in the middle of the arm, pulsing with the beat of the heart-meat.

The Cat-Face-Person put the Song-Arm on their limb. Immediately, the loud-mouth-bad-sounds of the world became quiet in their head-meat. The taker could feel the hurt-places of the world as if they were cold-spots on their own skin.

Not long after the marrying of the items, a Great-Screaming-Beast came down from the dirt-teeth of the mountains. The beast had the un-sleeping-eyes and its meat was burning with the madness-fire. It broke the stone-huts and stomped the green-hair of the earth. The warriors threw the sharp-sticks at the beast, but the sharp-sticks only made the madness-fire burn hotter.

The Cat-Face-Person walked to the flat-dirt to meet the Great-Screaming-Beast. The taker did not hold a sharp-stick. The taker only held up the Song-Arm that Brings the Sweet-Sleep.

The blue-stone-eye flashed. The five snakes stretched out long. The Song-Arm pushed the thick-air of the sweet-sleep into the wind. The Cat-Face-Person used the magic of the arm to pull five ghost-bodies from the mist. The ghost-bodies looked like the Cat-Face-Person, but they were made of the night-jasmine smell and the colored-water.

The five ghost-bodies surrounded the Great-Screaming-Beast. They opened their mist-mouths and began to sing the throat-sounds of the Harmony-Gift. The beast roared with the loud-mouth-bad-sounds and bit the ghost-bodies. But the teeth only closed on the sweet-sleep mist. Every time the beast bit a ghost-body, it drank the thick-air of the no-pain.

While the beast was confused by the singing-mist, the real Cat-Face-Person walked close. The five snakes of the arm reached out. The taker did not use the fingers to steal the shiny-rocks or to make the blood-spilling. The taker used the fingers to touch the deepest hurt-places on the meat of the beast. The crystal-claws of the snakes poured the healing-oils and the liquid-moonlight directly into the madness-fire.

The Great-Screaming-Beast stopped shaking. The madness-fire went out. The un-sleeping-eyes became heavy. The beast made a long, slow throat-noise that was not angry. It fell to the green-hair of the earth and did the heavy-breathing of the happy-dreams. The world was quiet.

The people of the stone-huts came out and tried to give the shiny-rocks to the Cat-Face-Person. But the taker did not want the shiny-rocks anymore. The taking was not as good as the fixing. The Cat-Face-Person realized that the sweet-sleep was the greatest secret to steal from the world. The Cat-Face-Person walked into the mist of the night-jasmine and did not come back to the stone-huts. It is said the taker still walks in the no-light, using the five snakes to sing the hurt-places to sleep.

Moral of the story: When the hand of the taker is married to the song of the fixer, the snake-fingers of the metal will not steal the life, they will sing the burning-meat to sleep; but the one who wears the arm must be careful, for the sweet-smell of the quiet is a heavy blanket, and the fixer must not forget to wake up from their own happy-dreams.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: The Soporific Grasp of Sylphora

  • Classification: Artifact of the Dreamlands / Mythos Relic
  • Skill: Medicine, Science (Pharmacy), or Sleight of Hand
  • Damage: 1D4 + DB (Tentacle Strike) or Special (Anesthetic sedation)
  • Magic Points: 12
  • Sanity Cost: 1D4/1D8 (The sensation of the tentacles acting as independent sentient healers, combined with the cloying, unnatural jasmine scent, unmasks the user’s grasp on biological reality).
  • Special Mechanics:
    • Anesthetic Whisper (Active): Spend 4 Magic Points. The wielder vents a 10-yard cloud of shifting perfume. All within must succeed on an Opposed Extreme CON vs. POW roll or fall into a deep, dreamless sleep for 1D10 minutes.
    • Phantom Surgeon (Active): Spend 2 Magic Points. A tentacle extends 10 yards to perform a Medicine or Sleight of Hand check remotely. The wielder gains a Bonus Die to the roll due to the artifact’s inherent “Master’s Touch.”
    • Harmony’s Aura (Passive): While worn, the wielder and companions within 5 yards receive a +10% bonus to Sanity recovery rolls during a period of rest, as the bracer hums a subsonic melody of “Harmony’s Gift.”
  • Syntax Note: This is a “Merged” unique item. It occupies the arm slot and cannot be removed without a successful Hard POW check or the wielder’s death.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: The Whisper-Laced Kraken-Verse

  • Classification: Fine Arcane Implement / Masterwork Healer’s Kit (Tier III)
  • Load: 1 (The living alloy and melody-tree bark have folded into a single high-efficiency bracer).
  • Quality: +1 Quality to Tinker, Doctor, and Prowl actions while the bracer is active.
  • Special Abilities:
    • The Fragrant Veil: You gain +1d to Prowl or Deceive when using the environment to hide. Your scent is replaced by an alluring, sedative perfume that prevents hounds or trackers from sensing your aggressive intent.
    • Remote Sedation: You may expend 1 Stress to use a tentacle (range 10 yards) to deliver a dose of sleep-vapor or “Anesthetic Whispers” to a target. This counts as a “Fine Sedative” and provides +1 effect to the action.
    • Harmony’s Relief: During a rest or downtime, you may use the bracer to “sing” to your crew. This allows one ally to clear an additional 2 Stress or provides +1d to a recovery roll for an injury.
  • Complication: The bracer is sentient. If you roll a 1-3 on an action using the bracer, the “Kraken-Mind” becomes over-protective, forcing you to take 2 Stress to prevent it from sedating an ally it perceives as a threat.

Dungeons & Dragons (2024 Edition)

Unique Name: The Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item (Bracer), Rare (Requires Attunement)
  • Armor Class: You gain a +2 bonus to AC while wearing this bracer as the scented mists blur your position.
  • Features:
    • Olfactory Mastery: You have Advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks involving scent. You can detect the emotional state of a creature within 60 feet.
    • Master’s Touch: You have a +4 bonus to Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks and checks made with Thieves’ Tools.
    • Sovereign Whisper (2 Charges/Day): As an Action, you release a 60-foot cone of anesthetic mist. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by the Sleep spell (cast at 5th level) or become Charmed (wielder’s choice) for 10 minutes.
    • Healer’s Resonance (1/Day): As an Action, you begin a 3-minute song. You and up to five allies within 30 feet regain 3 hit points at the start of each of your turns for the duration. This effect ends if you are incapacitated or silenced.
    • Phantom Song-Grasp: You can use a Bonus Action to extend a tentacle up to 30 feet to Interact with an Object, pick a lock, or deliver a touch-based healing spell.
  • Syntax Note: This is a merged item; it occupies the “Arms” slot only.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The 8842 Melodic Grasp

  • Item Type: Merged Relic (Tier 3)
  • Inventory Slots: 1 (The living alloy has absorbed the scroll into its own structure).
  • Properties:
    • Fragrant Veil: The wielder is always under a Pass Without Trace effect. Encounters with beasts or trackers start with a “Friendly” reaction roll due to the anesthetic perfume.
    • Scent-ID: The wielder can identify any creature or its current emotional state within 60 feet by its scent signature.
    • Active – Harmony’s Gift (1/Day): While holding the bracer aloft and singing, the wielder restores 3 HP to all nearby allies every minute for 10 minutes. This cannot be used in combat.
    • Active – Phantom Grasp (3/Day): A tentacle reaches out 30 feet to steal, pick a lock, or manipulate a lever. This check is made with Advantage.
  • Risk: If the wielder takes damage while the tentacles are extended, they must make a CON save or be “Stunned” for 1 round as the psychic feedback of the injured living alloy surges through their arm.
  • Repair: Requires rare jasmine oils and a day of rest in a quiet grove (Cost: 500 gold).

Fate (Condensed Edition)

Unique Name: The Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842

  • Aspect: Merged Bracer of the Healing Kraken
  • Description: A living black-alloy bracer inlaid with melody-tree bark, extending five mist-weeping tentacles that deliver anesthetic relief and master-thief precision.
  • Stunts:
    • Sovereign Olfactory Mastery: You gain a +2 to Notice or Empathy checks when using scent to identify creatures, hidden flaws, or emotional states.
    • Phantom Song-Grasp: Once per scene, you can use a tentacle to perform a Burglary or Crafts action at a distance of up to two zones. If you are using this to deliver a “healing touch,” you gain a +2 to the roll.
    • Harmony’s Sovereign Whisper: Once per session, you may create a “Tranquil Anesthesia” zone-wide advantage. On a successful roll, enemies in the zone must overcome this aspect or be unable to take aggressive actions until the scene ends or they take damage.
    • Fragrant Veil (Passive): You gain a +2 to Stealth rolls. Your “trace” is a shifting, pleasant perfume that complicates efforts to track you by scent or sight.
  • Syntax Note: This is a single physical item occupying the “Arms” slot.

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: The 8842 Melodic Scent-Grasp

  • Level: 7 (Artifact)
  • Form: A living alloy bracer with five extending tentacles and glowing white wood inlays.
  • Effect (Passive): The wielder gains an Asset to all tasks involving Sleight of Hand, Lockpicking, and Medicine. The wielder can detect the presence, identity, and emotional state of any creature within long range via scent.
  • Effect (Active — 2 Intellect points): “Phantom Grasp.” A tentacle extends to long range to manipulate an object, pick a lock, or deliver a touch-based healing effect.
  • Effect (Active — 4 Intellect points): “Sovereign Whisper.” The wielder vents a cloud of anesthetic mist in a short radius. All creatures in the area must make a Might defense roll or fall into a peaceful sleep for 10 minutes.
  • Effect (Active — 3 Intellect points): “Healer’s Resonance.” The wielder sings the ballad “Harmony’s Gift.” For 3 minutes, the wielder and all allies within immediate range restore 3 points to their Might or Intellect pools every minute.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check only when using an active effect).
  • Syntax Note: This artifact occupies one “Worn” slot and functions as a unified tool and medical kit.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The Anesthetic Kraken-Verse 8842

  • Item 12: Rare, Artifact, Divination, Enchantment, Healing, Olfactory
  • Usage: Worn (bracer); Bulk: L
  • Base Statistics: * Skill Bonuses: +3 item bonus to Thievery, Medicine, and Deception (when relying on scent).
    • Senses: You gain imprecise scent out to 60 feet. You can identify creatures and their current emotional state (equivalent to a Sense Motive check) by scent.
  • Activate [Two-Actions] (Envision, Interact): “Harmony’s Sovereign Whisper.” (Frequency: 2/day). You release a 60-foot cloud of anesthetic mist. Creatures in the area must attempt a DC 32 Will save or be affected as if by a 5th-level Sleep spell.
  • Activate [One-Action] (Interact): “Phantom Song-Grasp.” (Frequency: 5/day). You extend a tentacle up to 30 feet to perform a Thievery check, interact with an object, or deliver a touch-based healing spell or effect.
  • Activate [Three-Actions] (Envision, Performance): “Healer’s Resonance.” (Frequency: 1/day). You sing “Harmony’s Gift.” For 3 minutes, you and all allies within 30 feet gain Fast Healing 3 and are immune to fear effects. This effect ends if you stop singing or are silenced.
  • Passive Effect: “Fragrant Veil.” You are permanently under the effects of Pass Without Trace (DC 32).
  • Syntax Note: This merged item is a single physical object occupying the “Arms” slot.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: The 8842 Scent-Grasp Regulator

  • Rank: Veteran (Relic)
  • Attributes: Weight 2 lbs. Occupies a single arm slot.
  • Passives:
    • Olfactory Mastery: The wielder gains +2 to Notice and Research rolls involving scents, structural flaws, or emotional states.
    • Master’s Touch: The wielder gains +2 to Thievery and Healing rolls.
    • Fragrant Veil: The wielder gains a +2 to Stealth rolls.
  • Active Powers (Uses Smarts as the activating skill):
    • Sovereign Whisper: Functions as the Slumber power, but covers a Medium Burst Template centered on the wielder.
    • Phantom Grasp: Functions as the Telekinesis power (range 10 yards), but uses the wielder’s Thievery skill for fine manipulation.
    • Healer’s Resonance: Functions as the Healing power, but affects all allies in a Small Burst Template. It removes 1 level of Fatigue or heals 1 Wound. (Once per day).
    • Mist of Many Lies: Functions as the Mirror Image power, creating 3 scented duplicates that last for 1 minute.
  • Syntax Note: This is a “Merged” item. All abilities are housed within the single bracer unit, requiring only the arm slot.

Shadowrun (6th World)

Unique Name: The 8842 Soporific Grasp Focus

  • Item Type: Weapon/Social/Medicine Focus (Merged)
  • Rating: 3 (Power Focus / Qi Focus)
  • Reach: 1 (Telescoping tentacles)
  • Damage: 2P + 1S (Stun/Anesthetic)
  • Attack Rating: 12/10/—/—/—
  • Special Abilities:
    • Olfactory Logic: The wielder gains +3 dice to all Con, Influence, and Medicine tests. While active, the wielder gains the Enhanced Smell quality, identifying emotional states and individual auras within 20 meters.
    • Anesthetic Whisper (Active): As a Major Action, the wielder makes an Opposed Test (Charisma + Influence vs. Willpower + Intuition). On a success, targets in a 10-meter radius suffer the Sedated status for 10 minutes per net hit.
    • Phantom Grasp (Active): As a Minor Action, a tentacle extends 10 meters to perform a Locksmith or Palming test. The wielder gains +3 dice to the test.
    • Harmony’s Resonance (1/Day): The wielder may perform a 3-minute ritual to heal 1 box of Physical or Stun damage every minute for up to three allies within 5 meters.
  • Syntax Note: This is a “Merged” focus. It occupies a single forearm/hand slot and counts as one bonded item toward the user’s limit.

Starfinder (1st Edition)

Unique Name: The 8842 Melodic Scent-Bracer

  • Item Level: 12
  • Price: 36,000 Credits
  • Bulk: L
  • Type: Hybrid Item (Worn)
  • Weapon Stats:
    • Damage: 2d6 S + 2d6 C (Slashing + Cold/Anesthetic)
    • Critical: Sedate (DC 18 Fortitude save or fall unconscious for 1d4 rounds)
  • Hybrid Properties:
    • Sovereign Olfaction: The wearer gains a +4 insight bonus to Life Science, Medicine, and Perception checks involving scent.
    • Master’s Touch: The wearer gains a +4 insight bonus to Sleight of Hand and Engineering checks to disable devices or pick locks.
    • Sovereign Whisper (2/Day): As a standard action, the wearer releases an anesthetic mist. All living creatures in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a Will save (DC = 10 + half the wearer’s level + Charisma modifier) or be affected by deep slumber for 1 hour.
    • Healer’s Resonance (1/Day): As a standard action, the wearer initiates a song. All allies within 30 feet regain Stamina Points equal to twice the wearer’s level over 3 minutes.
  • Usage: 5 charges per active burst (Capacity 40).
  • Syntax Note: Occupies a single “Arms” slot.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The 8842 Anesthetic Manifold

  • Tech Level: 14 (Experimental/Biological Hybrid)
  • Mass: 1 kg
  • Cost: Cr 550,000
  • Weapon Damage: 2D6 (Stun/Piercing)
  • Special Mechanics:
    • Scent Mapping: The wielder receives DM+3 to all Recon, Medic, or Stealth checks. The wielder can identify biological signatures and emotional distress within 30 meters.
    • Remote Dexterity: When attempting to repair a delicate component or pick a lock, the wielder receives DM+3 to the Mechanic or Jack-of-all-Trades check at a range of up to 10 meters.
    • Anesthetic Cloud: The wielder can release a sedative gas. All biological targets within 10 meters must make an END check (10+) or be incapacitated for 1D6 x 10 minutes.
    • Harmony’s Gift (1/Day): If the wielder spends 3 minutes treating a patient, they provide DM+4 to the patient’s next recovery check and heal 1D6+3 damage immediately.
  • Syntax Note: This is a single physical object worn on the forearm. It integrates medical, sensory, and thievery tools.

Warhammer (WFRP 4th Edition)

Unique Name: The Kraken-Verse of the Scented Veil

  • Item Type: Tool/Melee (Tentacle), Arcane Artefact
  • Availability: Unique
  • Encumbrance: 0
  • Damage: SB + 6 (Stun/Magical)
  • Qualities: Precise, Magical, Fine, Inflict (Sleep).
  • Warp-Infused Abilities:
    • Scent of the Sovereign: The wielder gains a +30 bonus to all Sleight of Hand, Pick Lock, and Heal tests. The wielder can “smell” lies and fear, gaining a +20 bonus to Intuition tests.
    • Sovereign Whisper: Once per day, the wielder vents a cloud of jasmine mist. All within 10 yards must pass a Hard (-20) Willpower test or gain the Unconscious condition for 1D10 minutes.
    • Phantom Grasp: Three times per day, a tentacle extends 10 yards to perform a manual task. The wielder uses their full skill bonuses as if they were standing adjacent to the target.
    • Harmony’s Ballad (1/Day): During a rest, the wielder may sing “Harmony’s Gift.” All allies within 10 yards recover +3 Wounds and remove all Fatigued or Broken conditions.
  • Risk: If the wielder fumbles a test using the bracer, they must pass a Cool test or become Sleepy for the remainder of the encounter due to anesthetic leakage.
  • Syntax Note: This is a “Merged” artifact; it occupies a single “Arm” slot as one physical object.