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Mercurial Sky Feast 922

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by

Dale
in

Lore

The Mercurial Sky-Feast 922 was first prepared by a renegade apprentice of the Alchemist-Pastry Chef Mercuria, who sought to combine the temporal acceleration of the Quicksilver Pie with the avian grace of the Skystrider. By brining the meat in a reduction of tart cherries and Eclipsa Herb, and then encasing it in a mana-crystal-infused crust, the chef created a dish that allows the consumer to step outside the standard flow of time. Legend says that those who partake in the feast do not just move faster; they inhabit the “Thin Moments” between seconds, where the air itself carries them.

Description

This Tier 2 culinary marvel is a savory-sweet hand-pie, about the size of a soldier’s palm. The crust is a deep, burnished gold, dusted with shimmering Enchanter’s Salt that sparkles like fallen stars. Inside, the rich, lean Skystrider meat is shredded and folded into a thick, vibrant crimson glaze made from crushed wild berries and Eclipsa nectar. When broken open, the pie releases a faint, silvery steam that smells of ozone, tart fruit, and fresh mountain air, momentarily causing nearby dust motes to freeze in mid-air.

Stats

  • Tier: 2
  • Rarity: Rare
  • Buff Duration: 4 Hours
  • Reflex Bonus: +4 to Initiative and Reflex-based checks
  • Attribute Increase: +3 Dexterity, +1 Perception

Skills Gained While Openly Worn

(Note: As a consumable, these “Openly Worn” benefits apply while the item is carried in an active satchel or displayed on a banquet platter prior to consumption)

  • Aromatherapeutic Alacrity: Allies within 5 feet of the warm pie gain a +1 bonus to Reaction Speed due to the invigorating scent of the Eclipsa Herb.
  • Skystrider’s Eye: The bearer gains a +2 bonus to Perception checks made to spot movement in the sky or detect subtle air currents.

Tags

Tier-2, Consumable, Magical-Food, Speed-Buff, Aerial-Grace, Alchemy, Enchanted-Cuisine, Time-Dilation, Skystrider-Essence, Rogue-Delight, Celestial-Crust, Chrono-Zest, Velocity-Vessel, Zephyr-Bait, Flicker-Crumb, Mana-Marinate, Aero-Gastronomy, Silver-Savor, Rift-Rind, Eclipsa-Glaze, Zenith-Zing

Multiple Passives Magic

  • The Quicksilver Current: While the buff is active, the consumer can see individual air currents as faint silvery ribbons, granting Advantage on all Acrobatics and Athletics (Climbing/Jumping) checks.
  • Temporal Padding: The consumer’s reaction time is so heightened that they gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, as they can perceive the trajectory of projectiles in “slow motion.”
  • Lightness of Being: The user’s weight is effectively halved for the duration, allowing them to walk across thin ice, fragile branches, or pressure plates without triggering them.

Multiple Active Magics

  • Flash of the Star-Anise (1 Charge): The user may manifest a momentary burst of speed, allowing them to take an additional Move Action on their turn without expending their standard action.
  • Echo of the Sky-Bloom (1 Charge): The user can trigger a 10-foot “Air-Dash” in any direction (including upwards), effectively functioning as a limited form of levitation or a double-jump.
  • Zenith Reaction (1 Charge): When targeted by an attack, the user can use their reaction to force the attacker to reroll the hit, as they “flicker” through a pocket of dilated time.

Specific Slot

Consumable (Food/Meal)

Gastronomic Integrity and Sacred Reheating of the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

As a Tier 2 magical consumable, the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922 possesses a delicate structural matrix where the physical crust acts as a containment field for the volatile, time-dilated juices within. Unlike a weapon or tool, targeting a food item is usually an act of sabotage or “Arcane Spoilage.”

Item Hit Points and Disablement The Sky-Feast possesses 8 Hit Points and an Armor Class (AC) of 12.

  • Integrity Threshold (4 HP): If the pie is crushed or slashed to half its health, the silvery steam begins to leak. The Zenith Reaction active magic is lost immediately, and the remaining buffs (Dexterity/Perception) are reduced by 50% as the temporal energy dissipates into the atmosphere.
  • Magical Disablement (0 HP): At zero hit points, the crust shatters, and the filling loses its “Quickening” properties. The meat becomes “Dull-Meat,” which is edible but provides zero magical benefits and may cause a mild stomach upset due to the curdled mana-crystals.
  • Environmental Disablement: Exposure to extreme heat (fire spells) or complete immersion in anti-magic water instantly “cooks out” the Eclipsa essence, reducing the HP to 0 regardless of physical state.

Repair and Restoration Repairing a “broken” meal is a race against Magical Decay. Once the crust is breached, the artisan has only one hour to perform a Culinary Restoration.

  • Seal of the Pastry-Mage: To mend a cracked crust, a mixture of Enchanter’s Salt and Sky Blossom Nectar must be used as a “binding wash.” This requires a Basic Culinary Skill check combined with a Moderate Enchantment check.
  • Re-Infusion: If the silvery steam has leaked, a fresh Pinch of Crushed Mana Crystals must be sprinkled into the breach before sealing. This “re-charges” the wisp of temporal energy.
  • The Quickening Bake: The mended pie must be placed in a Portable Oven or over a Mana-Fire for exactly three minutes. During this time, the crafter must recite the Moral of the Swiftfoot to re-anchor the lore-based magic.
  • Note on Shattered Items: If the item is reduced to 0 HP and the crust is completely destroyed, it cannot be “repaired.” It must be re-crafted from scratch using the original ingredients, as the “soul” of the dish—the Echo of the Sky-Bloom—has fled.

The Acquisition and High-Stakes Trade of the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

Obtaining a Mercurial Sky-Feast 922 is a pursuit of both appetite and ambition. Unlike standard rations, this Tier 2 delicacy requires the precision of an alchemist and the timing of a master chef. Because the Skystrider meat must be fresh and the Eclipsa Herb harvested under specific lunar conditions, these pies are rarely found in common markets.

Methods of Acquisition

  • The Alchemical Commission: The most reliable way to obtain the feast is to provide the ingredients—specifically a fresh Skystrider leg and a vial of Sky Blossom Nectar—to a Master Pastry-Chef with at least Moderate Alchemy skill. The commission fee alone often exceeds the cost of the raw materials.
  • The High-Altitude Cache: Elite rogue guilds often hide these pies in stasis-boxes along mountain passes or skyship routes. Finding one usually requires the “Skystrider’s Eye” to spot the faint silvery condensation on the cache’s exterior.
  • The Culinary Heist: Occasionally, these pies are prepared for royal banquets or diplomatic summits. Stealing one from the kitchens of a floating palace is a classic rite of passage for master thieves, who then use the pie’s own speed-enhancing properties to make their escape.

Market Locations and Transaction Dynamics

In Saṃsāra, the sale of the Sky-Feast is handled with the same discretion as a high-end magic weapon.

1. Exclusive Alchemical Bistros Located in the polished opulence of the 73 islands’ capital cities, these establishments serve the elite.

  • Trade Style: Polished and prestigious. The pie is served in a lead-lined warming box to prevent “Magical Leakage.” Consumption often takes place on-site to ensure the client receives the full 4-hour duration under professional supervision.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 450 to 600 Gold Pieces.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: 150 Gold Pieces (The price drops significantly if the pie is more than 6 hours old).

2. Black Market “Flicker” Exchanges Hidden in the shifting alleyways of port cities like Azurewave, these stalls cater to spies, assassins, and “Speed-Junkies.”

  • Trade Style: Fast and dangerous. The item is sold as a “Zing-Box.” There is no guarantee of freshness, and buyers are encouraged to “Scent-Test” the ozone levels before paying.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 300 to 450 Gold Pieces.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: 100 Gold Pieces (Sellers here are notoriously stingy and wary of “Stale-Mana”).

3. Skyship Provisioners Located at the zeppelin docks of floating cities like Skyloft Eyrie.

  • Trade Style: Pragmatic and expensive. These shops sell the feast as “Emergency Survival Rations” for pilots who might fall overboard and need the Lightness of Being to survive the descent.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 500 to 700 Gold Pieces.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: 200 Gold Pieces (High-demand ports may offer more if a skyship race is imminent).

4. Remote Nomadic Enclaves In the high tundras or mountain peaks where Skystriders are hunted naturally.

  • Trade Style: Barter-based. These clans value the dish for its spiritual connection. They rarely sell for gold, preferring to trade the pie for rare enchanted tools, cold-weather gear, or political favors.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: Equivalent of 400 Gold in Barter.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: Equivalent of 250 Gold in Barter.

Selling the Item

If you intend to sell the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922, you must demonstrate its Aromatherapeutic Alacrity. A savvy merchant will hold a small pendulum near the pie; if the pendulum begins to swing faster as the silvery steam touches it, the pie’s temporal integrity is confirmed. If the pie has sustained any damage (less than 8 HP), most reputable shops will refuse to buy it, as the risk of “Mana-Curdle” is too high for their clientele.

Temporal Predator and Aerial Ghost: Roleplaying the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

Roleplaying the consumption of the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922 centers on the transition from a mundane state to one of hyper-accelerated perception. When the “Quickening” takes hold, the world doesn’t just feel faster—it feels as though everyone else has been submerged in thick honey. Your movements become effortless, silent, and terrifyingly precise.

High-Altitude Rifts and Floating Islands

  • Offense: While navigating the crumbling docks of Skyloft Eyrie, you use the Skystrider’s Eye to anticipate the shifting winds before they hit. You roleplay “stepping” onto a gust of wind as if it were a solid stair, using the Echo of the Sky-Bloom to double-jump across a 40-foot chasm between levitating platforms. You engage a guard mid-air, perceiving their slow-motion spear-thrust and using Flash of the Star-Anise to deliver three strikes before they can even blink.
  • Defense: If a skyship’s mana-engine explodes, you utilize the Lightness of Being. You roleplay sprinting across falling debris that would collapse under any other person’s weight. As shrapnel flies toward you, you describe the Zenith Reaction—a silvery “flicker” where you simply aren’t where the metal strikes, your body shifting through the dilated seconds to safety.

Coastal Dungeons and Subaqueous Grottos

  • Offense: In the humid, trap-laden halls of a Tideforger vault, you use the Quicksilver Current to navigate. You roleplay seeing the “silvery ribbons” of air being pushed by hidden pressure plates. You move through the room with Aromatherapeutic Alacrity, your reflexes so high that you catch a poisoned dart out of the air before it reaches your chest, then use the Flash of the Star-Anise to close the distance and neutralize the trap’s source.
  • Defense: When cornered by a flooding chamber, you use the Temporal Padding. You roleplay watching the turbulent water rise in slow motion, identifying the exact millisecond a gap opens in the debris. You use your +4 Reflex Bonus to slip through a closing stone door that would have crushed anyone else, your silvery aura leaving a faint trail in the spray.

Dense Jungles and Shifting Marshlands

  • Offense: In the Forgotten Canopy, where visibility is near zero, you rely on the Skystrider’s Eye to see the “wake” left by moving predators. You roleplay a “Mist-Leap” from branch to branch, your reduced weight allowing you to land on a single leaf without a sound. You drop from the heights, utilizing the Action Surge provided by the tart cherry filling to unleash a flurry of attacks before the target even senses your scent.
  • Defense: If ambushed by a pack of camouflaged stalkers, you activate the Zenith Reaction. You roleplay your character “blurring” as the predators lunge, their claws passing through the space you occupied a microsecond before. You use the Quickening Aura to instantly tie a snare or set a trap while in mid-evasion, turning the environment against your pursuers before they can finish their first pounce.

Urban Underbellies and Crowded Markets

  • Offense: During a chase through the narrow alleys of Azurewave, you use the Temporal Padding to weave through a crowd without touching a single shoulder. You roleplay the world slowing to a crawl; you pick a lock in half the time thanks to the Quickening Aura, ducking into a secret hideout just as the guards round the corner. To them, you simply vanished into thin air.
  • Defense: In a crowded tavern brawl, you don’t even need to draw a weapon. You roleplay the Aromatherapeutic Alacrity sharpening your allies’ senses while you use your +3 Dexterity to casually lean out of the way of thrown chairs and punches. You perceive the “path of least resistance” through the chaos, guiding your party out the back door before the first bottle even shatters on the floor.

Roleplay Focus: The Thin Moments

When roleplaying this item, emphasize the Temporal Awareness. Describe the “hum” of the multiverse slowing down to match your heartbeat. Your character might become eerily quiet or move with a terrifying, liquid stillness. You aren’t just a combatant; you are a ghost in the machinery of time, existing in the gaps between the world’s ticks.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Sight: The moment the pie is consumed, the edges of your vision begin to stretch and shimmer. The world takes on a high-contrast, silvery sheen. You can suddenly see “Aero-Ribbons”—faint, glowing trails of air currents—weaving through the environment. Movement around you appears to drag behind it a faint afterimage, as if everyone else is moving through invisible water.
  • Sound: The frantic noise of the environment drops in pitch, slowing to a deep, resonant thrum. Your own heartbeat becomes a steady, loud drum in your ears, acting as the only “normal” clock in a world that has ground to a halt. A soft, melodic chime—the “Wisp-Echo”—rings once, clearing your mind.
  • Touch: A sensation of extreme lightness washes over you, starting from your chest and radiating to your limbs. It feels as if the gravity of Saṃsāra has lost its grip; your feet barely seem to touch the ground. Your skin tingles with a cool, electric charge, similar to the feeling before a lightning strike.
  • Taste and Smell: A lingering explosion of tart cherry and rich, savory umami from the Skystrider meat dominates your palate. As you exhale, a puff of silvery steam carries the scent of mountain ozone and wild herbs, leaving a crisp, metallic “Quicksilver” aftertaste that makes your breath feel cold.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual: The avatar appears to “flicker.” Their movements lose their transition frames, appearing to teleport short distances rather than walk. A faint, silvery aura clings to their silhouette, and a trail of ozone-scented mist follows them. During a “Mist-Leap,” the avatar momentarily turns into a translucent blur of vapor.
  • Auditory: To those nearby, the avatar’s voice sounds slightly sped up, chirpy and urgent. The faint hiss of a steam-adjuster seems to emanate from their very skin, accompanied by a pleasant, floral aroma that invigorates those within a few feet.
  • Tactile: Anyone touching the avatar feels a slight vibration and a static shock. The air around the avatar feels energized and thin, as if they are carrying a pocket of high-altitude atmosphere with them.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

  • Temporal Displacement: You possess an intuitive “Countdown Sense,” knowing exactly how many seconds remain before an enemy strikes or a trap triggers. You aren’t guessing; you are observing the mechanical delay of the universe.
  • Kinetic Intuition: You sense the “weight” of objects before you touch them. You can feel the structural weak points in a closing door or the exact trajectory a falling arrow will take, allowing you to move through the gaps with zero hesitation.
  • Avian Connection: A faint, instinctual memory of the sky fills your mind. You feel “buoyant,” as if the air itself wants to lift you up, granting you a predatory confidence when looking down from great heights.

Positives

  • Absolute Initiative: You are consistently the first to act, perceiving threats before they fully manifest.
  • Environmental Mastery: Walking on pressure plates without triggering them and seeing invisible air currents turns a lethal dungeon into a navigable playground.
  • Tactical Resilience: The ability to “flicker” out of the path of a lethal blow using Zenith Reaction provides a massive safety net in combat.

Negatives

  • The “Velocity Crash”: When the four-hour window ends, the sudden return to normal speed feels like being hit by a physical weight. Your limbs feel like lead, and your senses feel “muffled” for several minutes.
  • Distorted Communication: Because you are perceiving time so differently, it can be difficult to coordinate with allies in real-time; their speech sounds like slow, incomprehensible groans to you.
  • High Visibility: The silvery aura and ozone scent act as a beacon for magical trackers or creatures that hunt using arcane vision.

The Alchemical Convergence of the Sky-Stitcher: Crafting the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

Items Merged

Additional Materials Needed

  • 1 Shard of Refined Mana Crystal: Ground into a shimmering dust to act as a temporal anchor between the meat and the fruit.
  • 2 Vials of Sky Blossom Nectar: Used to hydrate the crust, ensuring the pastry can withstand the internal pressure of dilated time.
  • A Pinch of Enchanter’s Salt: To activate the “Quickening” properties of the Eclipsa Herb upon contact with the Skystrider juices.
  • 1 Sprig of Shimmervine: To be steeped into the wild berry glaze for added “Aero-Buoyancy.”
  • 1 Egg of a High-Altitude Raptor: For the final wash, providing the “Golden-Flicker” sheen to the finished crust.

Tools Required

  • Alchemist’s Infusion Oven: A specialized baking chamber capable of maintaining precise heat while fluctuating local gravity.
  • Silver Engraving Stylus: To etch the golden runes of “Flow” and “Haste” into the raw top-crust.
  • Mortar and Pestle of Polished Stone: For grinding the mana shards and wildflower essence into a cohesive alchemical paste.
  • Pressure-Sealing Pie Dish: To prevent the “Silvery Steam” from escaping during the critical 50-minute bake.

Skill Requirements

  • Master Culinary Arts (Level 5): Precision in roasting, pastry-folding, and flavor-balancing.
  • Moderate Alchemy (Level 3): Specifically in “Biomantic Fusion” to bind animal protein with magical flora.
  • Moderate Enchantment (Level 3): To lock the temporal effects into the dish, ensuring they don’t dissipate before consumption.

Crafting Steps

  1. The Marination of Time: Shred the Roasted Skystrider meat into fine strips and submerge it in a reduction of the Wild Berry Glaze and Eclipsa Herb. Allow it to steep for one hour under a lunar-aligned lamp to begin the temporal infusion.
  2. The Quicksilver Core: In a separate basin, combine the Tart Cherries from the original pie with the Crushed Mana Crystal dust and Sky Blossom Nectar. Stir until a thick, glowing crimson paste forms.
  3. The Structural Weave: Prepare the Pie Crust using the Sky Blossom Nectar instead of water. Lay the bottom crust into the dish and layer the marinated meat and the cherry-mana core in a “Double-Helix” pattern.
  4. The Salt Activation: Sprinkle the Enchanter’s Salt directly onto the junction where the meat meets the cherries. You should hear a faint melodic hum as the ingredients begin to resonate.
  5. Capping and Etching: Place the top crust over the filling. Using the Silver Stylus, etch the unique identifier “922” along with runes of Alacrity and Aerial Grace. Crimp the edges tightly with a silver-tipped fork.
  6. The Raptor Wash: Beat the Raptor Egg and apply it liberally over the crust. This provides the necessary “Spectral Shielding” to keep the magic from leaking into the oven.
  7. The Gravity-Shift Bake: Place the dish in the Infusion Oven. Bake at 425°F for 45 minutes, incrementally reducing the oven’s internal gravity every 10 minutes to simulate the Skystrider’s flight.
  8. The Final Lock: Just as the crust turns burnished gold, invoke a brief “Stasis Chant.” This locks the Echo of the Sky-Bloom and the Quicksilver Current into the filling, readying the Mercurial Sky-Feast 922 for its four-hour activation.

BIRD-MEAT-CAKE OF FAST-SILVER 922

(Words of the Translator-Priest: I found these scratch-marks on the inside of a dried animal stomach hidden in the sand-dunes of the Old-Empty. The words are from the ‘Tongue-of-Broken-Teeth’ and are very much difficult. The grammar walks backwards and the words for ‘time’ and ‘soup’ are the same. I do my bestness to make the story tell.)

In the long-ago-before, when the sky was closer to the dirt and the clouds were made of hard-water, there lived the Great-Mixing-Mother. Some stone-writings call her ‘Mer-Cu-Ri-A’, which means “She-Who-Makes-The-Fire-Bread.” She lived in the high-kitchens of the floating rocks. She was the maker of the Fast-Water-Cake [Quicksilver Pie], which was a bread-circle filled with the red-sour-spheres [tart cherries] and the invisible magic-sand. When the sneaky-men ate this cake, they ran like water falling off a duck-back.

Also in this time was the Cloud-Spear-Man. He hunted the Sky-Walker-Bird [Skystrider]. [Note of the Scholar: The writing literally says ‘The-Meat-That-Refuses-To-Touch-The-Ground-Because-It-Is-Arrogant’.] The Cloud-Spear-Man cooked the leg-meat of this bird with the sweet-blood of the wild-berries. When the eating-men ate this meat, they felt no heavy-bones. They felt the “Echo-of-the-Not-Falling.”

Now, the Great-Mixing-Mother had a helper-boy. His name was Glek. The writings say Glek means “He-Who-Has-Stones-Tied-To-His-Feet-Even-When-He-Has-No-Shoes.” Glek was the slowest boy in all the seventy-three lands. When the other helper-boys chopped the green-weeds, Glek was still finding the knife. When the soup was boiling over, Glek was still looking at the fire. The other helper-boys laughed the mean-laughs at Glek. They threw the hard-beans at his head.

Glek made a dark-promise to the night-eye [moon]. He said, “I will eat the fast! I will steal the sky! I will be the most-now of all the walking-meat!”

Glek waited for the dark-time when the Great-Mixing-Mother was doing the heavy-sleep. He went to the secret cold-box. He took the red-sour-spheres. He took the magic-sand of the Enchanter and the dark-leaf-that-makes-speed [Eclipsa Herb]. Then, he did the sneaky-walk to the smoke-house of the Cloud-Spear-Man. He stole the best leg-meat of the Sky-Walker-Bird.

Glek went to the secret under-kitchen. He did the forbidden mixing. He put the bird-meat into the sweet-blood of the berries. He let it sit under the light of the night-eye to do the “Time-Soup-Marinate”. He crushed the shiny-rocks [mana crystals] with a heavy rock. He mixed the red-sour-spheres with the crushed shiny-rocks and the juice of the sky-flowers [Sky Blossom Nectar].

Glek made the bread-blanket [pie crust]. He made a bottom bread-blanket and a top bread-blanket. Inside, he put the sour-magic-mix and the bird-meat. He sprinkled the magic-sand on the kissing-place where the meat touched the fruit. The bread-blanket made a noise like a trapped bee. Glek took a silver-scratch-stick and wrote the forbidden number on the top: Nine-Hundreds-and-Two-Tens-and-Two-More [922]. He covered it in the wet-leavings of the sky-eagle-egg. He put it in the fire-box that forgets how to pull things down [Infusion Oven with no gravity].

When the fire-box was finished, the bread-blanket was the color of the morning-eye [gold]. It hissed a silver-cloud. The smell was like mountain-lightning and sweet-blood. Glek did not wait for the cool-down. He put the hot Bird-Meat-Cake into his face-hole and did the big-chewing.

Then, the universe broke its legs.

(Translator-Priest Note: The next part is very messy. It uses the word ‘Tick-Tock’ as an enemy that Glek punches in the face.)

Glek felt the silver-fire in his belly. He looked at the water falling from the ceiling-leak. The water-drop stopped in the air. It looked like a clear rock. Glek heard the loud-noises of the world become slow-cow-noises. He looked at the air. The air was no longer invisible-nothing. The air was made of shiny-silver-ribbons [Aero-Ribbons].

Glek took a step. He had the “Lightness of Not-Heavy”. He weighed less than a shadow’s shadow. He walked up the shiny-silver-ribbons of the air. He did the “Double-Jump-on-Nothing” [Echo of the Sky-Bloom]. He was so fast he arrived at places before he decided to go to them.

He ran to the sleeping-beds of the mean helper-boys. He painted their faces with the mud of the pig-pens. The boys did not wake up because a single snore was taking them a hundred years to finish. Glek ran to the high-stone-castle. The guards were throwing a spear at a bird. Glek walked on the spear while it was in the air. He did the “Flicker-Dodge” [Zenith Reaction] through the closed door of the king. He stole the king’s shiny-hat [crown] and put a dead fish on the king’s head. He did this in the space of a single breath of a sleeping ant.

Glek thought he was the Sky-God of the Fast-Time. He ran on the clouds. He chased the lightning and beat it in a foot-race. He did the “Extra-Doing-Action” [Flash of the Star-Anise] to punch a mountain eagle out of the sky just because the eagle looked at him funny.

But Glek was a foolish-boy. He did not know that the magic-belly-fire of the Bird-Meat-Cake has a stopping-time. The magic lasts only for four turnings of the sky-dial [4 hours].

Glek was running on the thin air, high above the Great Salt-Water, laughing at the slow-moving sun. Suddenly, the silver-cloud stopped coming out of his nose. The sweet-blood taste in his mouth turned to the taste of dirty-copper.

The universe remembered its legs. The ‘Tick-Tock’ punched Glek back.

The heavy-bones returned to Glek’s body very fast. The time crashed into him like an angry stone-beast. The shiny-silver-ribbons disappeared. Glek looked down. There was no ground. He was standing on nothing. The “Lightness of Not-Heavy” was gone. He was just a boy with a belly full of stolen cake, high in the sky.

Glek fell. He fell for many-many sleep-times. The wind tore his clothes. He hit the Great Salt-Water with a sound like a giant slapping a mountain.

But the magic of the Great-Mixing-Mother and the Cloud-Spear-Man is tricky. It did not let him die the death. Because he stole the fast-time, the universe decided to steal his time forever. Glek did not drown. He sank to the bottom of the mud. But he was cursed to be the slowest thing in all the seventy-three lands.

Now, if you go to the bottom of the Great Salt-Water, you might see Glek. He is trying to take a single step. It takes him ten years to lift his foot, and ten years to put it down. The fish swim around him and laugh the bubble-laughs. He is a prisoner in the thick-honey of the real-time. And the secret recipe of the Nine-Two-Two was lost, until I, the Translator-Priest, found these scratch-marks.

Moral of the Story: Do not steal the wings of the bird and the speed of the silver if your mind is still the mind of a crawling worm; for the time you cheat from the universe is a debt, and the universe will collect its payment by making you carry the heavy-slow forever.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Relic 922: The Silver-Winged Pastry

  • Item Type: Arcane Consumable / Alchemical Artifact
  • Sanity Loss: 1/1D4 (The temporal distortion and hyper-awareness sever the consumer’s connection to normal reality upon eating).
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Temporal Quickening (Passive): For 4 hours after consumption, the user’s DEX is increased by +15, and their Move Rate (MOV) increases by +2. They gain a Bonus Die to all Spot Hidden and Dodge rolls.
    • Lightness of Being (Passive): The user’s physical weight feels halved. They gain a Bonus Die on Climb and Jump rolls and will not trigger weight-based floor traps or break fragile flooring.
    • Temporal Padding (Passive): Ranged attacks (firearms or thrown weapons) made against the user suffer a Penalty Die due to the user’s ability to perceive trajectories in slow motion.
    • Flash of Star-Anise (Active): Once during the 4-hour duration, the user may declare an extra action in a combat round at their base DEX without penalty.
    • Zenith Reaction (Active): Once during the duration, the user may force an attacker or the Keeper to reroll a successful hit or detrimental environmental hazard roll, representing a localized temporal “flicker.”
    • The Velocity Crash: When the 4 hours end, the user immediately gains a Penalty Die on all physical rolls for 1D4 hours due to extreme metabolic exhaustion and disorientation.
  • Syntax: [Consumable, +15 DEX, Bonus Die: Spot Hidden/Dodge/Jump, Penalty Die to Ranged Attackers, 1/Use Extra Action, 1/Use Attack Reroll, Crash Penalty]

Blades in the Dark

Doskvol Sky-Feast (Alchemical Creation)

  • Item Quality: Rare Consumable (Tier III)
  • Load: 1 (1 Use)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Quicksilver Current: For the duration of a score, you gain Potency on Prowl and Finesse actions involving extreme speed, leaping, or navigating fragile/trapped terrain. You can see air currents and spiritual trails as shimmering silver ribbons.
    • Aromatherapeutic Alacrity: The ozone-cherry scent invigoratingly alters the atmosphere. Once per score, grant an ally within your immediate vicinity +1d to their next action roll involving reflexes or combat.
    • Echo of the Sky-Bloom: You can push yourself to perform impossible physical feats, such as running on walls or double-jumping mid-air. When you do this, you do not need to mark Stress for the push.
    • Zenith Reaction: Once per score, when you resist a consequence from a sudden attack or projectile, you may choose to take 0 Stress for the Resistance roll by “flickering” out of the timeline.
    • The Velocity Crash: At the end of the score, you automatically take Level 2 Harm (“Temporal Exhaustion”) unless you resist with Resolve.
  • Syntax: [Tier III Consumable, Load 1, Potency: Prowl/Finesse, 1/Score Free Push (Acrobatics), 1/Score Free Resist, Level 2 Harm Crash]

Dungeons & Dragons (2024 Edition)

Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item (Consumable), Rare
  • Game Mechanics: * Eating this enchanted hand-pie takes an Action. For the next 4 hours, you gain the following benefits:
    • Heightened Reflexes: Your Dexterity score increases by 3 (to a maximum of 22). You gain a +2 bonus to Initiative rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks.
    • Lightness of Being: Your weight is halved. You have Advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Strength (Athletics) checks related to climbing, jumping, or balancing, and you do not trigger non-magical weight-based traps (like pressure plates).
    • Temporal Padding: You experience time slower than others, granting you a +2 bonus to AC against ranged weapon attacks.
    • Flash of the Star-Anise (1 Charge): You can take an additional Action on your turn. Once you use this feature, it cannot be used again.
    • Echo of the Sky-Bloom (1 Charge): You can use a Bonus Action to magically dash or jump up to 15 feet in any direction (including straight up) without provoking Opportunity Attacks. Once used, this feature is expended.
    • Zenith Reaction (1 Charge): When you are hit by an attack, you can use your Reaction to force the attacker to reroll the attack roll, choosing the new result. Once used, this feature is expended.
    • Velocity Crash: When the 4-hour effect ends, the temporal whiplash causes you to immediately suffer 1 Level of Exhaustion.
  • Syntax: [Consumable, Rare, 4 Hours, +3 DEX, +2 AC vs Ranged, Advantage: Acrobatics/Athletics, 1/Use Action Surge, 1/Use 15ft Flight-Dash, 1/Use Reroll Attack, Exhaustion Crash]

Knave (2nd Edition)

Sky-Feast of the Silver Tick-Tock

  • Item Type: Relic Food / Consumable
  • Slots: 1
  • Game Mechanics: * Eating the pie grants temporal and aerial buffs for 4 hours (or 24 exploration turns).
    • Temporal Padding: All ranged attacks targeting you suffer Disadvantage.
    • Quicksilver Reflexes: You gain Advantage on all DEX and WIS saving throws.
    • Lightness of Being: You treat all jumps as if you had a 20-foot running start. You can walk silently over fragile surfaces (glass, thin ice) without breaking them.
    • Single-Use Exploits: You may perform each of the following stunts exactly once before the 4-hour duration ends:
      • Star-Anise Flash: Move twice your normal speed in a single combat round without using your main action.
      • Sky-Bloom Echo: Change your direction or jump an additional 10 feet while already in mid-air.
      • Zenith Dodge: Force a monster to reroll a successful attack against you and take the worse result.
    • Velocity Crash: When the duration expires, your body violently synchronizes with normal time. You lose 1d4 HP (ignores armor) and your movement speed is halved for 1 turn (10 minutes).
  • Syntax: [1 Slot Consumable, 4 Hours, Disadvantage to incoming ranged attacks, Advantage DEX/WIS saves, 3 Unique Stunts (1 use each), HP Loss/Slowdown on Crash]

Fate Core System

Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

  • Description: A golden-crusted hand-pie that leaks silvery steam, imbued with Skystrider meat and Quicksilver alchemical temporal magic.
  • Item Type: Consumable Extra
  • Mechanics: * Temporal Ghost and Aerial Acrobat (Aspect): Consuming the pie creates this situational Aspect on the user for the remainder of the session (or 4 in-game hours). It comes with two free invokes.
    • Quicksilver Current (Passive): While the Aspect is active, you gain a +2 bonus to Athletics when overcoming physical obstacles related to climbing, jumping, or balancing, and to Notice when attempting to spot traps or hidden air currents.
    • Zenith Reaction (Stunt): Once while the buff is active, you may invoke the Aspect for free to force an opponent to reroll a successful attack against you, narrating it as a “temporal flicker.”
    • Flash of the Star-Anise (Stunt): Once while the buff is active, you may take a supplemental action without the usual -1 penalty, or move an additional zone as a free action.
    • The Velocity Crash: When the effect expires at the end of the session or time limit, the temporal whiplash forces you to take a Mild Physical Consequence, such as Lead-Laden Limbs or Temporal Vertigo.
  • Syntax: [Consumable Aspect, 2 Free Invokes, +2 Athletics/Notice, 1/Use Defense Reroll, 1/Use Free Movement, Mild Consequence on Expiration]

Numenera & Cypher System

Mercurial Sky-Feast (Cypher 922)

  • Description: A rare, edible alchemical construct that temporarily phases the user into a pocket of accelerated time and altered gravity.
  • Level: 1d6 + 2 (Range: 3 to 8)
  • Form: A fist-sized, warm pastry that smells of ozone and tart fruit.
  • Mechanics: * Effect Duration: 4 hours.
    • Temporal Padding (Enabler): You gain an Asset to all Speed defense tasks against ranged attacks.
    • Lightness of Being (Enabler): You gain an Asset on all movement tasks, including balancing, jumping, and climbing. You do not trigger traps reliant on weight.
    • Echo of the Sky-Bloom (Action): Once during the duration, you can perform a vertical or horizontal “Air-Dash” up to Short distance as an immediate movement without needing a surface to push off of.
    • Zenith Reaction (Enabler): Once during the duration, if you fail a Speed defense task, you may force the GM to reroll the attack, or you may reroll your defense task without spending XP.
    • The Velocity Crash: When the Cypher’s duration expires, the user immediately moves one step down the damage track (e.g., from Hale to Impaired) for one hour due to severe metabolic shock.
  • Syntax: [Consumable Cypher, Level 3-8, Assets: Speed Def vs Ranged / Movement, 1/Use Short Air-Dash, 1/Use Free Reroll, Impaired Status on Crash]

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

  • Item Type: Alchemical, Consumable, Rare
  • Level: 9
  • Price: 700 gp
  • Usage: Held in 1 hand; Bulk: L
  • Activation: Single Action (Interact) to eat.
  • Mechanics: * Duration: 4 hours.
    • Heightened Reflexes (Passive): You gain a +2 item bonus to Acrobatics and Athletics checks, and a +1 status bonus to AC against ranged weapon attacks.
    • Lightness of Being (Passive): You ignore difficult terrain caused by fragile surfaces, pressure plates, or ice. Your High Jump and Long Jump distances are doubled.
    • Flash of the Star-Anise (Free Action): Once per duration, you gain the Quickened condition for 1 round. You can use the extra action to Stride, Step, or Strike.
    • Echo of the Sky-Bloom (Single Action): Once per duration, you can Leap up to 30 feet in any direction, even if you are in mid-air. You do not take falling damage if you land at the end of this leap.
    • Zenith Reaction (Reaction): Trigger: You are hit by an attack. Effect: Once per duration, you force the attacker to reroll their attack roll and use the second result. This is a fortune effect.
    • Velocity Crash: When the 4-hour duration elapses, you immediately become Fatigued and Slowed 1 for 10 minutes.
  • Syntax: [Item 9, Consumable, 4 Hours, +2 Acro/Athletics, +1 AC vs Ranged, 1/Use Quickened, 1/Use 30ft Leap, 1/Use Fortune Reroll, Fatigued/Slowed Crash]

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Mercurial Sky-Feast 922

  • Description: A temporal-alchemy baked good that dilates time for the consumer while drastically reducing their physical weight.
  • Item Type: Arcane Consumable / Potion Equivalent
  • Mechanics: * Duration: 4 hours.
    • Quicksilver Reflexes (Passive): Your Agility and Notice attributes each temporarily increase by one die type (to a maximum of d12+1).
    • Aero-Ghost (Passive): You temporarily gain the benefits of the Dodge Edge (-2 to be hit by ranged attacks) and the Free Runner Edge (ignore difficult terrain, +2 to Athletics for climbing/parkour).
    • Star-Anise Flash (Free Action): Once during the duration, you may ignore up to 2 points of Multi-Action Penalty (MAP) on your turn.
    • Zenith Reaction (Free Action): Once during the duration, when an enemy successfully attacks you, you may force them to reroll the attack and take the worse result.
    • The Velocity Crash: When the effect expires, the sudden return to normal time causes you to immediately suffer one level of Fatigue. This Fatigue can only be recovered after an hour of rest.
  • Syntax: [Consumable, 4 Hours, +1 Agility/Notice Die, Temp Edges: Dodge/Free Runner, 1/Use Ignore MAP, 1/Use Force Reroll, Fatigue on Expiration]

Shadowrun (6th World)

Mercurial Sky-Feast 922 (Awakened Alchemical Preparation)

  • Description: A highly illegal, Awakened culinary preparation that infuses the consumer’s aura with a potent mix of temporal acceleration (Quickness/Alacrity) and gravity-defying bio-magic.
  • Item Category: Alchemical Consumable (Potency 6)
  • Availability: 18F
  • Cost: 25,000¥
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Duration: 4 Hours (or Potency in hours).
    • Quicksilver Reflexes (Passive): The consumer gains +2 to their Reaction and Agility attributes. They also receive +1 to their Defense Rating against ranged attacks due to localized temporal dilation.
    • Lightness of Being (Passive): The user treats their physical weight as halved, gaining an automatic Edge on all Athletics and Gymnastics tests involving jumping, climbing, or mitigating falling damage.
    • Flash of the Star-Anise (Major Action): Once during the duration, the user may spend 1 Edge to take an additional Major Action on their turn (breaking the normal limit of one Major Action per turn).
    • Zenith Reaction (Reaction/Defend): Once during the duration, when targeted by an attack, the user can spend 1 Edge to force the attacker to reroll all hits, taking the second result as the user “flickers” through time.
    • The Velocity Crash: When the magic expires, the user’s metabolism crashes, instantly inflicting 4 Stun Damage (unresisted) and the Fatigued status.
  • Syntax: [Rating 6 Alchemical, +2 REA/AGI, +1 DR vs Ranged, 1 Edge: Extra Action, 1 Edge: Attack Reroll, Unresisted Stun Crash]

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Mercurial Sky-Feast, Model 922

  • Description: A bio-engineered, gravity-defying ration infused with temporal-shifting xenoflora (Eclipsa) and alien avian protein.
  • Item Level: 9
  • Price: 2,500 Credits
  • Bulk: L
  • Usage: Consumable (1 Action to eat)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Duration: 4 Hours.
    • Heightened Reflexes (Passive): You gain a +2 item bonus to Acrobatics checks and Reflex saving throws.
    • Lightness of Being (Passive): You ignore difficult terrain caused by fragile surfaces or rubble. You treat all jumps as if you had a running start, and your jump distances are doubled.
    • Flash of the Star-Anise (Free Action): Once per duration, you can activate this to gain the Quickened condition for 1 round, allowing you an extra action to Stride, Step, or Strike.
    • Echo of the Sky-Bloom (Single Action): Once per duration, you can activate your gravitational buoyancy to Fly up to 30 feet. If you do not end this movement on a solid surface, you fall normally, though you take no damage from the first 30 feet of the fall.
    • Zenith Reaction (Reaction): Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack. Effect: Once per duration, you force the attacker to reroll the attack (a Misfortune effect) and use the lower result.
    • Velocity Crash: When the duration ends, the temporal feedback leaves you Fatigued and Slowed 1 until you take a 10-minute rest to catch your breath in normal time.
  • Syntax: [Level 9 Consumable, +2 Acro/Reflex, 1/Use Quickened, 1/Use 30ft Fly-Dash, 1/Use Misfortune Reroll, Fatigued/Slowed Crash]

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

“Project 922” Xenoflora-Avian Ration

  • Description: An extremely rare, illicitly traded biochemical consumable. It temporarily rewires the user’s nervous system to perceive time slower while inhibiting gravitational mass through exotic particle interaction.
  • TL: 15
  • Mass: 0.25kg
  • Cost: Cr 75,000
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Duration: 4 Hours.
    • Temporal Padding: The user’s enhanced perception imposes a DM-2 on all ranged attacks made against them.
    • Quicksilver Current: The user gains a DM+2 to all DEX checks, including Athletics (Dexterity) and Acrobatics. They function as if in a Low-Gravity (0.5G) environment for the purposes of jumping and carrying capacity, without the usual zero-G penalties.
    • Star-Anise Flash: Once per duration, the user may take an additional Significant Action during a combat round.
    • Zenith Dodge: Once per duration, after an attacker successfully rolls to hit, the user may force the attacker to reroll the attack, keeping the second result.
    • Velocity Crash: When the biochemical effects wear off, the user suffers 2D6 damage (which can be mitigated by END as normal) and becomes immediately Fatigued, halving their movement speed for 1D6 hours.
  • Syntax: [TL 15 Consumable, DM-2 to incoming ranged, DM+2 DEX, Low-G movement, 1/Use Extra Action, 1/Use Force Reroll, 2D6 Damage Crash]

Warhammer (Age of Sigmar: Soulbound)

Aether-Bird’s Quicksilver Feast

  • Description: A blasphemous yet brilliant culinary creation from the Realm of Chamon (Metal) and Ghyran (Life), infusing the eater with the shifting speed of quicksilver and the weightlessness of a skystrider.
  • Availability: Exotic
  • Cost: 350 Drops of Aqua Ghyranis
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Duration: 1 Scene (or 4 hours outside of combat).
    • Quicksilver Reflexes (Passive): You gain Advantage on all Body (Reflexes) and Body (Acrobatics) tests. Your Defense increases by 1 step.
    • Lightness of Being (Passive): You do not trigger traps reliant on pressure plates, and you can move across water, thin ice, or vertical walls as long as you end your movement on solid, flat ground.
    • Flash of the Star-Anise (Free Action): Once per scene, you may generate 1 temporary Mettle, which must be spent immediately to take an extra action.
    • Zenith Reaction (Reflex): Once per scene, if an enemy successfully strikes you, you can spend 1 Mettle to “flicker” through time, forcing them to reroll their attack and take the lower result.
    • Velocity Crash: When the scene or duration ends, the temporal backlash slams into your physical form. You immediately suffer the Stunned and Exhausted conditions until you complete a Rest.
  • Syntax: [Exotic Consumable, Advantage: Reflexes/Acrobatics, +1 Defense, 1/Use Free Mettle, 1/Use Reroll Attack, Stunned/Exhausted Crash]