Contract of the Ember Masque 903

Lore: This artifact is the result of a forbidden bargain struck between a desperate coal-walker of the Emberfall Isles and a mercurial Fey trickster. The coal-walker, needing to infiltrate a rival clan to recover lost history, sought the power of disguise (Contract 19). The Fey, coveting the ancient linguistic power of the Fire Dragon festivals (Fire Dragon 82), agreed to merge the items. The result is a tool of “Cultural Transmutation.” It does not merely disguise the body; it burns away the user’s identity to forge a temporary new history, allowing them to speak, move, and look like a native of any culture they study. It is said the wearer feels the heat of a kiln whenever they change their face, a reminder that all truth is forged in fire.
Description: A heavy pendant featuring a jagged piece of heat-scorched jade (from the Fire Dragon relic) acting as a cage for a frantic, prismatic crystal (from the Contract). The crystal does not merely shimmer; it flickers with an internal, smokeless flame that changes color based on the wearer’s intent. The cord is a twisted braid of fire-hardened reed and fey-touched silver wire. When the wearer speaks a lie, the jade momentarily glows like a dying coal.
Stats (Tier 2):
- Charisma (Deception): +2
- Intelligence (Linguistics/History): +2
- Stealth: Advantage (when in disguise)
Tags: Arcane, Illusion, Shapeshifting, Fire Magic, Ancient Linguistics, Disguise, Cultural Infiltration, Fey-Forged, Tier 2, Merged Item, Spy Gear, Jade, Prismatic, Cultural Chameleon, Forgery Tool, Ritual Focus, Heat-Resistant, Social Stealth
Multiple Passives Magic:
- Linguistic Camouflage: When the wearer adopts a disguise or attempts to blend in, the amulet instinctively adjusts their accent, dialect, and idiom usage to match the local region. This grants Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks to pass as a native speaker.
- Whispering Haze: The crystal projects a subtle, heat-haze aura that blurs the wearer’s edges. This grants Advantage on Stealth checks to remain unnoticed and reduces the difficulty of Concentration checks by 15% (an upgrade from the Tier 1 resilience) as the wearer’s mind is shielded by a layer of “white noise” whispers.
- Mind’s Ember: The wearer retains the ability to sense linguistic patterns. They gain a permanent +1 bonus to deciphering any written text, sensing the “heat” of the writer’s intent.
Multiple Active Magics:
- Forge of the False Face (3/day): The wearer channels the “Minor Shapechange” through the “Voice of the Flame.” As an action, their features appear to melt like wax near a flame before hardening into a new form. This acts as a potent disguise self (visual and auditory) that lasts for 2 hours. Unlike the Tier 1 version, this allows the user to replicate the specific voice and mannerisms of a specific person if they have heard them speak for at least one minute.
- Glyphic Deceit (2/day): The wearer can touch a document or inscription and rewrite it with an illusion. They can change the meaning of a text, the seal on a letter, or the value of a coin for 1 hour. The forgery is flawless to casual inspection; an observer must succeed on a high-difficulty Investigation check to notice the text is “smoldering” or shifting.
- Review the Ashes (1/day): Combining “Glyphic Revelation” with “Residual Impressions,” the wearer can touch an object or person and experience a “flashback” of the last conversation held near it. This plays out as a ghostly, ember-lit visual and auditory illusion visible only to the wearer, lasting up to 1 minute.
Specific Slot: Worn Item (Neck)

Item Hit Points and Repair

The Contract of the Ember-Masque 903 is a physically complex item, relying on the tension between the heat-scorched jade cage and the vibrating fey crystal within.

Item Hit Points (HP): The item has 14 Hit Points.
- Disabled: If the item suffers 14 or more points of damage from a targeted attack, the brittle reed cord snaps, and the jade cage shatters, allowing the prismatic crystal to fall and crack. The internal “smokeless flame” instantly dissipates with a sound like a dying gasp. The item becomes inert, appearing as a pile of dull rocks and wire.
- Damaged (1-13 HP lost): The crystal flickers erratically, and the disguise functions may glitch (e.g., the user’s nose reverts to its original shape for a second, or their voice cracks into two dialects). The “Linguistic Camouflage” grants only a +1 bonus instead of Advantage.
Repairing the Item:
- Skill Requirement: Repairing a disabled amulet requires a successful check in Jewelcrafting (to rebuild the cage) combined with Arcana or Deception (to lie to the crystal to convince it to work again).
- Process: The physical repair takes approximately 1 hour. The fragments must be bound together using silver solder and diamond dust (Cost: 15 Gold).
- Re-Ignition: Once physically reassembled, the item is cold and dead. To re-ignite the magic, the wearer must hold the pendant in an open flame for 1 minute while speaking a lie in a language they do not natively know. This act of “forging a false truth in fire” jumpstarts the fey and festival magic.

The Contract of the Ember-Masque 903 is a highly specialized tool for espionage and cultural infiltration. It is illegal in strict regimes and prized in free cities. Its value is generally expressed in Electrum (Tier 2 currency).

1. The Faceless Guild (Underground Spy Network)

Location: Hidden behind false walls in taverns, inside unassuming laundromats, or in the sewers of megacities. These are hubs for assassins, spies, and actors.
Atmosphere: Quiet, paranoid, and dimly lit. Everyone wears a mask or sits in shadows. The merchant is usually a shapeshifter or an illusionist who changes faces mid-conversation.
Buying/Selling Roleplay:
- Buying: They market it as “The Ultimate Passport.” They emphasize its ability to not just look like a local, but sound like one. “Walk into the enemy camp and complain about the weather in their grandmother’s dialect,” they’ll say.
- Selling to them: They are critical. They will check the “fey-touched silver” wire for tampering. They value the “Forge of the False Face” highly but are wary of the “Fire Dragon” origins, fearing it might attract unwanted attention from festival cultists.
Cost:
- Buy Price: 500 Electrum (250 Gold).
- Sell Price: 250 Electrum (125 Gold).

2. The Archive of Lost Voices (Curio/Scholar Shop)

Location: In the scholarly districts of major cities or near the great libraries. These shops specialize in history, linguistics, and rare cultural artifacts.
Atmosphere: Dusty, cluttered with scrolls and strange instruments. The shopkeeper is an eccentric professor or a sentient construct obsessed with history.
Buying/Selling Roleplay:
- Buying: They sell it not as a disguise tool, but as a “Research Assistant.” They highlight the “Mind’s Ember” and “Review the Ashes” abilities, perfect for historians wanting to hear the past. They might not even realize its full shapeshifting potential.
- Selling to them: They will pay a premium if you can prove its origin from the “Voice of Embers.” They are less interested in the deception magic and more in the linguistic preservation.
Cost:
- Buy Price: 400 Electrum (200 Gold). A bargain if you let them think it’s just a translation tool.
- Sell Price: 300 Electrum (150 Gold). Higher than the black market if sold as a historical relic.

3. The Carnival of Reflections (Traveling Fey Market)

Location: A traveling market that appears in mushroom circles, on the backs of giant turtles, or in floating bubbles. It moves constantly.
Atmosphere: Chaotic, colorful, and nonsensical. The laws of physics are suggestions here. The merchant is a Fey creature who speaks in rhymes.
Buying/Selling Roleplay:
- Buying: The merchant presents it as a “toy.” “Be a king! Be a beggar! Be a cat! (Warning: does not turn you into a cat).” They love the irony of the item.
- Selling to them: They recognize the “Contract” shard immediately. They might try to trick you into trading it for something worthless (like a “bag of potential”). You need high Insight to get a fair deal.
Cost:
- Buy Price: 600 Electrum (300 Gold) – or a “favor.”
- Sell Price: Varies wildly. Could be 100 Electrum or a bag of magic beans worth 500.

4. The Emberfall Trade-Post (Regional Specialty)

Location: On the Emberfall Isles, near the volcanoes.
Buying/Selling:
- Buying: Extremely rare here. The locals revere the Fire Dragon parts but distrust the Fey magic. They view it as a “corrupted” relic.
- Selling: You might be accused of heresy for twisting their holy relics with fey lies. However, a radical sect might buy it to spy on mainlanders.
Cost:
- Buy Price: 300 Electrum (150 Gold) – sold quietly to get rid of it.
- Sell Price: Risky. Could be confiscated, or bought for 400 Electrum by a rebel leader.

Roleplay explanation for the Contract of the Ember-Masque 903, focusing on its unique ability to blend physical disguise with linguistic perfection in the varied environments of Saṃsāra.

1. The Iron-Steam Megacity (Urban/Social Environment)

In the dense, smog-filled streets where billions live, anonymity is survival. This item allows you to become anyone, not just visually, but culturally.

Defense (Forge of the False Face):
- Scenario: You are being hunted by the City Watch after a heist. They are looking for an adventurer in shining armor.
- Roleplay: You duck into a steam-vent alcove. You clutch the pendant, feeling it sear against your skin. You don’t just change your face; you shrink three inches, your skin grays with “coal dust,” and your posture slumps. You step out not as a hero, but as a weary factory worker. When the guard stops you, the Linguistic Camouflage kicks in. You speak not in Common, but in the hyper-specific, slang-heavy dialect of the lower pipe-district. “Oi, guv, pipe’s burst on sector 4,” you cough. The guard doesn’t just see a worker; he hears a local. He waves you past without a second glance.
Offense (Glyphic Deceit):
- Scenario: You need to divert a shipment of magical crystals to your guild’s warehouse.
- Roleplay: You approach the shipping manifest hanging on the docking bay wall. You touch the paper with the jade amulet. The ink seems to smolder and smoke. You rewrite the destination from “Royal Armory” to “Dock 42 – Waste Disposal.” The illusion is perfect; the ink looks dry and official. When the clerk reads it, he sees exactly what you want him to see, sending the loot right into your hands.

2. The High Council of Floating Cities (Political/Intrigue Environment)

Here, words are weapons, and a slip of the tongue can mean death. The amulet shields you from social predation.

Defense (Whispering Haze):
- Scenario: A high-level telepath or Inquisitor is grilling you about your whereabouts last night.
- Roleplay: The Inquisitor stares into your eyes, trying to detect micro-expressions of guilt. Normally, you’d sweat. But the crystal on your chest generates a heat-haze around your aura. It creates a mental “white noise”—a thousand whispered conversations in dead languages. To the Inquisitor, you are blurry, indistinct. Your Concentration is unbreakable. You lie with a smile, and they cannot find the thread of deceit through the static.
Offense (Review the Ashes):
- Scenario: You find an empty room where two conspirators just met. You need to know what they planned.
- Roleplay: You touch the cold fireplace where they stood. You activate Review the Ashes. The jade glows like a dying coal. In your vision, the room fills with phantom smoke. You see two ghostly, ember-outlined silhouettes. You hear their voices, crackling like burning wood, replaying the last minute of their treasonous plot. You leave the room armed with their secrets before they’ve even left the building.

3. The Emberfall Isles (Tribal/Ritual Environment)

This is the item’s spiritual home. Here, it commands respect through ancient tradition.

Defense (Linguistic Camouflage):
- Scenario: You have trespassed on sacred ground guarded by a hostile, isolationist clan. They shout a challenge in a dialect dead for centuries.
- Roleplay: A normal disguise wouldn’t work; you don’t know the pass-phrase. But the amulet remembers. It vibrates against your throat. You open your mouth, and the Linguistic Camouflage shapes your vocal cords. You answer the challenge in their exact, archaic dialect, using the proper honorifics for “Fire-Kin.” The guards lower their spears, assuming you are a reincarnated ancestor or a holy messenger, rather than an intruder.
Offense (Forge of the False Face – Voice Mimicry):
- Scenario: You need to incite a rebellion against a corrupt chieftain.
- Roleplay: You have listened to the chieftain speak for one minute. You activate the Forge. You don’t just look like him; you become him. You step onto the speaking rock while he is asleep. Your voice booms across the valley, replicating his gravelly timbre and unique cadence perfectly. You issue a command to attack the oppressors. The clan obeys instantly, believing their leader has finally found his courage, unaware it is a spy in a mask of fire.

4. The Forgotten Ruins (Dungeon/Exploration Environment)

Defense (Mind’s Ember):
- Scenario: You encounter a magical door sealed with a riddle written in Draconic. A wrong answer triggers a fireball.
- Roleplay: You don’t speak Draconic. But you touch the glyphs. The Mind’s Ember passive allows you to feel the “heat” of the writer’s intent. You sense the emotional context of the riddle—it’s not about logic, it’s about grief. You answer “Loss,” not by reading the word, but by feeling the linguistic burn. The door opens safely.
Offense (Glyphic Deceit):
- Scenario: A golem guardian is programmed to attack anyone who isn’t a priest of the Order. It checks a rune on your forehead (or armor).
- Roleplay: You touch your own forehead with the amulet. You burn a temporary, illusory “Mark of the High Priest” onto your skin using Glyphic Deceit. The golem scans you. It sees the smoldering, shifting illusion of authority. It steps aside, saluting you as you walk past to loot the treasury.

5. Combat Encounters (General)

Defense (Whispering Haze – Stealth):
- Roleplay: The battle is going poorly. You disengage and run into the shadows. The Whispering Haze blurs your outline like heat rising off asphalt. The enemy archers squint, unable to get a lock on your shifting form. You vanish into the background, your movements masked by the visual distortion.
Offense (Forge of the False Face – Confusion):
- Roleplay: You are fighting a group of bandits led by a captain. You break line of sight for six seconds. You use the Forge to transform into the spitting image of the captain’s lieutenant, who is fighting on the other side of the room. You run back out, shouting, “Traitor! He’s turned on us!” The bandits hesitate, confused by seeing two lieutenants, giving your party the Advantage to strike.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

Sight: When the Forge of the False Face is activated, the user’s vision swims in a heat mirage. The prismatic crystal in the pendant flares with a blinding, smokeless fire that consumes their peripheral vision. For a moment, they see their own reflection in the jade cage, melting like wax before hardening into the new visage. The world around them takes on the tint of the culture they are mimicking—colors seem more vibrant or muted depending on the local aesthetic.
Hearing: The ambient noise of the world is drowned out by the roar of a metaphorical furnace and the chaotic, overlapping whispers of a thousand voices speaking in the target dialect. As the disguise settles, these voices synchronize into a rhythmic chant (the Fire Dragon heritage) that guides the user’s cadence and tone, effectively “autotuning” their speech to the local accent.
Touch: The activation is physically intense. The pendant sears against the sternum with the heat of a kiln (harmless but startling). The user feels their facial muscles spasm and shift, their skin tightening or loosening. The fire-hardened reed cord feels like a snake constricting slightly around the neck, a reminder of the “contract.”
Smell: The air fills with the scent of ozone and scorched earth, overlaid with the specific olfactory markers of the target identity—perhaps the smell of fish and salt if mimicking a sailor, or expensive perfume and old paper if mimicking a scholar.
Taste: The user tastes ash and soot on the back of their tongue. When they speak a lie, this taste turns sharp and metallic, like licking a copper coin.
Extra-Sensory (Mind’s Ember): The user feels a “download” of cultural data—not just words, but instincts. They suddenly know that it is rude to point with the left hand in this culture, or that a specific nod means agreement. It feels like remembering a life they never lived.
Extra-Sensory (The Fey Itch): A subtle, nagging urge to cause mischief or complicate the deception tingles at the back of the mind, a residual effect of the Fey crystal.

Observer’s Perspective

Sight: To an onlooker, the wearer doesn’t just change; they smolder. A wave of heat distortion (the Whispering Haze) ripples outward from the pendant, blurring the wearer’s outline. Through this haze, the observer sees the wearer’s features soften and reshape, as if their face were made of clay being reworked by invisible, fiery hands. If the wearer lies, the jade cage glows with a dull, ominous red light, like a dying coal in a dark room.
Hearing: The wearer’s voice undergoes a jarring shift. It cracks like burning wood before settling into a completely different pitch and timbre. Faint, ghostly whispers might be audible to those standing within 5 feet during the transformation.
Smell: The scent of the wearer changes instantly. The metallic tang of magic is briefly present, followed by a scent appropriate to the disguise, masking their true scent entirely.
Extra-Sensory (Uncanny Valley): Highly perceptive observers (or those with True Sight) might feel a wave of nausea or dissonance. They see the person standing there, but their instincts scream that the person is “hollow” or “burning,” sensing the fey fire beneath the skin.

Positives

Total Immersion: The sensory feedback (taste, smell, sound) helps the user stay in character, as the item literally rewrites their sensory input to match the persona.
Lie Detection (Self): The metallic taste and glowing jade serve as a feedback mechanism, letting the user know when they are pushing the boundaries of truth, which can be useful for navigating complex webs of deceit.
Intimidation Factor: The visual effect of the “smoldering transformation” is terrifying to witness if done openly, allowing for effective intimidation.

Negatives

Physical Toll: The “kiln heat” sensation can be exhausting. Extended use leaves the user feeling dehydrated and phantom-burned, requiring recovery time.
Identity Drift: The “Mind’s Ember” cultural download is so strong that the user may momentarily forget their real history or opinions, accidentally adopting the prejudices or fears of the persona they are mimicking.
The Beacon of Deceit: The red glow of the jade when lying is a dead giveaway in dark environments, forcing the user to cover the amulet or stick to “technical truths.”

Recipe: The Rite of the Identity Kiln

This Tier 2 crafting ritual binds the fluid, deceptive nature of the Fey with the rigid, historical permanence of the Fire Dragon. It is a volatile process, as the crafter is attempting to force a “Truth” (Fire) to coexist with a “Lie” (Illusion), creating a physical paradox that allows for the forging of new identities.

Items Merged:

1 x Contract 19 of Shifting Form (Tier 1) – The prismatic crystal must be active and swirling.
1 x Fire Dragon 82 of Whispering Glyph (Tier 1) – The jade must be intact, though the opal is sacrificed.

Additional Materials Needed:

1 Vial of Liquid Smoke: An alchemical suspension that creates heat without fire, used to keep the prismatic crystal in a state of flux without shattering it.
1 Spool of Fey-Touched Silver Wire: To be braided with the fire-hardened reed.
3 Ounces of Volcanic Flux: A paste made from crushed pumice and dragon-festival ash, used to solder the jade cage.
1 Written Confession (False): A piece of paper containing a lie about the crafter’s own history, written in an ancient dialect. This is consumed by the ritual.

Tools Required:

Adamantine Tongs: To handle the Fey crystal, which will become violently hot and erratic during the transfer.
Steam-Powered Gem Drill: To hollow out the center of the jade pendant without cracking the exterior glyphs.
Resonance Tuner: A tool used to match the vibrational frequency of the reed cord to the silver wire.
Open Flame (Magical): Ideally a festival fire or a forge stoked with elemental fire salts.

Skill Requirements:

Jewelcrafting (Expert): To carve the jade into a cage structure that is strong enough to hold the crystal but open enough to let the light escape.
Arcana (Adept): To manage the conflicting energies of Fey Illusion and Elemental Fire.
Linguistics (Adept): To chant the binding incantation in the correct ancient dialect without stumbling, which would cause the crystal to explode.

Crafting Steps:

The Sacrifice of the Opal: Using the Gem Drill, bore into the center of the Fire Dragon 82, pulverizing the cloudy opal at its heart. Do not discard the dust; mix it with the Volcanic Flux to create a mortar that is spiritually conductive. The Jade is now a hollow shell, the “Cage of History.”
The Extraction of the Shifter: Carefully remove the Prismatic Crystal from Contract 19. It will sense its freedom and attempt to shape-change into liquid or gas to escape. You must seize it immediately with the Adamantine Tongs and dunk it into the Liquid Smoke. The chemical shock freezes the crystal’s shape but ignites its internal “smokeless flame.”
The Entrapment: While the crystal is shocked, force it into the hollowed center of the Jade. It will not fit naturally. You must apply the Volcanic Flux to the opening and heat the Jade in the Open Flame. As the Jade expands from the heat, push the crystal inside.
The Forging of the Lie: Throw the False Confession into the fire. As it burns, recite the lie aloud in the ancient tongue associated with the Fire Dragon glyphs. The burning paper will release blue smoke. Channel this smoke into the Jade. The Jade will contract rapidly, sealing the Crystal inside. The Crystal will panic, flickering wildly, but the “Ancient Law” of the Jade will bind it.
The Binding of the Cord: Take the Fire-Hardened Reed from the original amulet and the Fey-Touched Silver Wire. Using the Resonance Tuner, vibrate the silver until it “sings” the same note as the reed. Braid them together quickly while they are harmonized.
The Final Knot: Attach the new braided cord to the Jade Cage. Tie the knot while holding your breath (symbolizing the suppression of the self).
Activation: The item is now physically complete but dormant. To wake the Contract of the Ember-Masque 903, the crafter must don the amulet and immediately change their appearance to that of a stranger. The heat of the transformation sears the binding shut.

Ash-Face and Laughing Glass

It is written here on the skin of the great lizard, in the ink of soot and spit. Read carefully, for the words are slippery.

In the time of the Wet-Ash, before the machines drank the water, there was a Walker-on-Coals. His name is eaten by time, so we call him “The Seeker.” The Seeker hunger for the Old Words, the sounds that make the fire dance. He carried the Green-Stone-of-Whispers [Fire Dragon 82], which hummed with the grandfather-songs.

But the Old Words were hid inside the High-Wall-Clan. The High-Wall-Clan kill all strangers. If the Seeker go, he die. If he stay, the knowledge die. His heart was a split rock.

From the space-between-trees came the Laughing-Shadow [The Fey]. The Shadow hold the Glass-of-Many-Faces [Contract 19]. The Glass shiver and shake, never sleeping, showing the face of a king, then a rat, then a cloud.

The Shadow say to the Seeker: “I hunger for the Grandfather-Songs inside your Green-Stone. You hunger for the face that opens gates. Let us make a trade of blood.”

The Seeker say: “If I give you the song, I lose the path. If you give me the face, you lose the fun.”

So they make the Forbidden Knot. They take the Green-Stone, which is heavy with truth. They take the Laughing-Glass, which is light with lies. They smash the white eye of the Green-Stone. They drown the Laughing-Glass in the smoke that does not burn.

The Seeker put the Glass inside the Green-Stone.

The text says: “The Truth bit the Lie, and the Lie burned the Truth.”

The necklace scream. It was not a sound of ears, but a sound of bone. The Seeker put it on his neck-meat.

Great pain! The Seeker’s face melt like the fat of a candle. His nose run away, his eyes boil and change color. The fire of the Green-Stone did not burn his skin, it burned his history. The Laughing-Glass spin inside the jade cage, frantic to escape, but the Green-Stone hold it tight with the weight of the Old Words.

The Seeker stand up. He was not the Seeker. He was a High-Wall-Clan man. He open his mouth to scream in pain, but the sound that come out was the dialect of the High-Wall. He did not just wear the mask; his tongue was twisted to taste their food, his nose shaped to smell their fear.

He walk into the High-Wall-Clan. The guards bow. “Welcome, brother,” they say. He enter the library of secrets. He read the scrolls. He win the war of words.

But when the moon turn, he try to take off the necklace. It stick. The Fey-Silver wire dig into his neck. The Green-Stone glow like a dying heart. He pull and pull. When it finally come off, he run to the water to see his face.

He see… nothing. Only a smudge of ash where a man should be. He try to speak his true name, but his tongue only know the lies. He had burned his own story to write a fake one. He become the Ember-Masque, the man who is everyone and no one.

He wander now in the smoke. If you see a man with a face that flickers like a heat-haze, do not ask his name. He has forgotten it in a different language.

Moral of the Story: To speak the lie is a skill, but to become the lie is a suicide; the fire that forges a new face consumes the old one forever.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Name: The Amulet of the Ashen Masque Type: Mythos Artifact Slot: Worn (Neck)

Description: A heavy jade pendant encasing a frantic, prismatic crystal. It feels feverishly hot to the touch. The wearer can assume the likeness and dialect of another, but at the cost of their own psychological anchor to reality.

Mechanics:

Linguistic Camouflage (Passive): While worn, the user gains a Bonus Die on all Language (Own) and Language (Other) rolls, as the amulet twists their tongue to match local dialects perfectly.
Forge of the False Face (Active): By spending 1D6 Magic Points and 1 Sanity point, the wearer can physically shift their features to mimic a specific target they have studied. This grants an automatic extreme success on Disguise rolls for 2 hours.
Review the Ashes (Active): By touching an object and spending 4 Magic Points, the user can hear a “psychometric echo” of the last conversation held near it (Lasts 1 minute).
The Cost (Identity Drift):
- Sanity Loss: If the wearer rolls a “fumble” (100) on any roll while disguised, or if they wear the mask for more than 2 hours, they suffer 1D6 Sanity Loss. They must make an Intelligence roll. If they succeed, they realize they have forgotten their own true name for 1D10 hours. If they fail, they believe they are the persona they created (Indefinite Insanity).

Blades in the Dark

Name: The Ember-Masque Contract Item: Arcane Implement (Tier 2) Load: 0 (Worn) / 1 (Hidden)

Description: A fey-forged spy tool that burns away your identity to forge a new one. Useful for slides and spiders who need to disappear in plain sight.

Game Mechanics:

Cultural Chameleon: When you make an Action Roll using Consort or Sway to pass as a member of a specific faction or social class, you get +1d. You speak the street slang or high-court code perfectly.
Forge Face (Special Ability): You may push yourself (take 2 Stress) to activate the Forge of the False Face. You physically transform into a specific person you have observed. This disguise is perfect against casual inspection.
Glyphic Deceit (Setup): You can use the amulet to forge papers or alter documents instantly. This counts as a Setup Action for a teammate, granting them +1 Effect or +1d on a subsequent deception roll.
The Smolder (Devil’s Bargain): When using the amulet, the GM may offer a Devil’s Bargain: “The jade glows red with your deception. You get the extra die, but you start a 4-clock: ‘Exposed by Magic’ or mark 1 Heat as the supernatural signature alerts the Spirit Wardens.”

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Contract of the Ember-Masque 903 Wondrous Item, Rare (Requires Attunement)

Description: A jagged jade pendant holding a flickering crystal. It smells of ozone and burnt sugar.

Passive Benefits:

Linguistic Haze: You have Advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Mind’s Ember: You can read all writing as if you were under the effects of the Comprehend Languages spell, though you perceive the words as smoldering burns on the page.

Active Abilities (4 Charges): The amulet has 4 Charges and regains 1d4 charges daily at dawn if held in an open flame for 1 minute.

Forge of the False Face (1 Charge): As an action, you cast Alter Self (Change Appearance option only). However, the duration is 2 hours, and your voice and accent automatically shift to match the chosen form perfectly.
Glyphic Deceit (1 Charge): As an action, you cast Illusory Script.
Review the Ashes (2 Charges): You touch an object and cast Locate Object or gain a 6-second visual/auditory illusion of the last creature to touch it (DM’s discretion).

Curse (Beacon of Deceit): While attuned, if you speak a deliberate lie, the jade pendant glows with dim red light in a 10-foot radius. Covering the amulet blocks the light but causes you 1d4 fire damage per lie as the heat builds up against your skin.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Name: Contract of the Ember-Masque Type: Relic Slots: 1 (Necklace)

Description: A jade cage holding a burning fey star. Burns the user to fuel their lies.

Mechanics:

Bonus: +2 Charisma.
Power 1 (Mask): You physically change your face, voice, and height to match any humanoid you have seen. The disguise is physical, not illusory. Lasts until you sleep.
Power 2 (Tongue): For 10 minutes, you speak any language like a native.
Power 3 (Forgery): Touch a document. You rewrite its contents to say whatever you wish. The ink smokes slightly.
Durability: The item has 3 Usage Dots.
- Using a Power marks 1 Dot.
- Recharge: The item recovers 1 Dot if the wearer burns a piece of paper containing a secret they have never told anyone.
- Fallout: If the item depletes (0 dots remaining), the wearer forgets their own face. They have no reflection in mirrors for 1 week.

Fate Core

Name: Contract of the Ember-Masque 903 Type: Extra (Arcane Artifact) Permissions: Requires an Aspect related to espionage, deception, or fey bargains. Cost: 2 Refresh

Aspects:

High Concept: Fey-Forged Mask of the Burning Tongue
Trouble: The Face Burns When the Truth is Spoken (The GM can compel this to cause pain or give away your position when you try to be honest.)

Stunts:

Linguistic Camouflage: You gain a +2 bonus to Deceive when you are attempting to pass as a native of a specific culture or region. You essentially “autotune” your dialect.
Forge of the False Face: By spending a Fate Point, you can perfectly mimic the appearance and voice of a specific individual you have studied for at least a minute. This creates the situation aspect Perfect Impostor with two free invokes.
Whispering Haze: You can use Deceive instead of Stealth to hide or move quietly, as you blur your presence with a heat-haze of white noise.

Stress Track:

Identity Burn: [ ] [ ] (Clear by spending a scene meditating on your true name). If you mark the last box, you are taken out and believe you are your current disguise.

Numenera & Cypher System

Name: Contract of the Ember-Masque Level: 6 Form: A heavy jade pendant containing a vibrating, prismatic crystal that feels hot to the touch. Effect:

Passive: While worn, the user has an Asset on all tasks involving deception, disguise, and understanding languages.
Active (Forge Face): The user expends 3 Intellect points to physically alter their features to match a target humanoid. This functions as a perfect disguise for 2 hours.
Active (Glyphic Deceit): The user can rewrite any text or digital display they touch. The difficulty of the task is equal to the level of the device or document being altered.
Active (Review Ashes): The user can view a hologram-like playback of the last hour of events that occurred in their immediate vicinity (Short range). Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check each time an Active ability is used). On depletion, the crystal burns out and the user suffers 5 points of Ambient Damage (ignores Armor).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Contract of the Ember-Masque 903 Item 9 Uncommon, Enchantment, Illusion, Invested, Magical, Polymorph Price: 700 gp Usage: Worn (Neck); Bulk: –

Description: A jade cage holding a fey crystal. It allows the user to burn away their identity to assume another.

Passive Benefit: You gain a +2 item bonus to Deception and Stealth checks. You can understand any spoken language as if under the effects of Tongues, but you hear the words as if spoken through a crackling fire.

Activate: [Two-Actions] Envision, Interact (Forge of the False Face); Frequency: Once per day. Effect: You transform your appearance to match a specific individual you have seen. This functions as a 3rd-level Humanoid Form spell, but you also gain a +4 circumstance bonus to Deception checks to Impersonate that specific individual, including voice mimicry. The effect lasts 2 hours.

Activate: [One-Action] Interact (Glyphic Deceit); Frequency: Once per hour. Effect: You touch a piece of writing. It transforms to convey a different message of your choice (up to 50 words) for 1 hour. A creature attempting to disbelieve the illusion must succeed at a DC 26 Perception check.

Drawback: If you roll a critical failure on a Deception check while wearing this, the jade glows red, revealing your position and dealing 2d6 fire damage to you.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Contract of the Ember-Masque Type: Enchanted Item (Seasoned) Weight: 1 lb

Description: A spy’s ultimate tool, allowing for physical and auditory transformation at the cost of heat and honesty.

Passive Powers:

Master of Disguise: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Persuasion and Stealth rolls when attempting to blend in or deceive.
Linguist: The wearer treats all languages as their native tongue (Smarts roll required for ancient/dead languages).

Active Powers (5 Power Points): The amulet has 5 Power Points (PP) that recharge at a rate of 1 per hour.

Disguise (2 PP): As an action, the wearer casts Disguise with the Illusion trapping. If they have the target’s voice sample, they get a +2 to the roll.
Invisibility (3 PP): The wearer activates the Whispering Haze, casting Invisibility (Self only). They appear as a blur of heat.

Drawback (The Burn): Every time the wearer activates a power or tells a lie to maintain a cover, they must make a Vigor roll. On a failure, they become Fatigued (Heat Exhaustion). This Fatigue can only be removed by removing the amulet and cooling down for an hour.

Shadowrun (Sixth Edition)

Name: Ember-Masque Contract Category: Magical Focus (Masking) / Unique Alchemical Artifact Rating: 4 Availability: 14F (Forbidden) Cost: 24,000¥ (Black Market Value)

Description: A heavy jade pendant containing a restless, prismatic astral form trapped within. Viewing it on the Astral Plane reveals a chaotic swirl of fire and illusion magic. It feels uncomfortably warm against the skin.

Game Mechanics:

Bonding: Requires 8 Karma to bond.
Passive (Linguistic Haze): The wearer gains a +2 dice pool bonus to Con and Etiquette tests. Additionally, the focus acts as a Rating 4 Linguisoft for any language the user attempts to speak, provided they have heard it spoken for at least one minute.
Active (Forge of the False Face): The user may take a Complex Action to activate the focus. This sustains the Physical Mask spell (Force = Focus Rating) on the user without penalties for sustaining spells. The disguise includes auditory masking (voice/accent).
Active (Glyphic Deceit): The user may cast the Phantasm spell (Force = Focus Rating) specifically to alter written text or digital displays (AR).
The Burn (Drain): Activating the focus causes 3S (Stun) Drain damage that cannot be resisted. If the user Glitches on a Con test, the jade glows with astral fire, making them immediately visible to Astral Perception and adding +4 to the Threshold to hide.

Starfinder (1st Edition)

Name: Contract of the Ember-Masque Level: 8 Price: 9,200 Credits Bulk: L Type: Magic Item (Worn, Neck)

Description: A jade casing holding a shifting crystal that functions as a magical hologram projector and linguistic database. It runs hot, smelling of ozone.

Game Mechanics:

Capacity: 20 Charges (Uses a specialized battery that recharges in sunlight or fire).
Passive (Cultural Download): While worn, you gain a +2 insight bonus to Culture, Disguise, and Bluff checks. You can speak and understand any language as per the Tongues spell, but your voice always sounds slightly distorted by heat.
Active (Forge of the False Face): As a Standard Action, you can spend 5 Charges to gain the effects of Polymorph (humanoid forms only) for 2 hours. This changes your physical appearance and voice to match a specific individual you have studied.
Active (Review Ashes): As a Full Action, spend 4 Charges to touch an object. You gain a vision of the last creature to touch it, as per the Retrocognition spell, but limited to the last 1 minute of events.
Drawback: If you take Cold damage while the Forge is active, the disguise flickers, revealing your true form for 1 round.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Name: Psionic Masque (Ember-Variant) TL: 16 (Ancient/Bio-Tech) Weight: Negligible Cost: MCr 4.5 (Illegal/Xenotech)

Description: A relic of the Ancients, appearing as a jade-like bio-construct. It interfaces with the user’s larynx and telepathic centers to rewrite identity.

Game Mechanics:

Requirement: User must have Psionic Strength (PSI) 1+.
Augment (Linguistics): The masque acts as a universal translator. Grants DM+2 to Language and Deception checks.
Active (Neural Disguise): By expending 4 Psi Points, the user projects a telepathic field that forces observers to perceive the user as a different person (specific or generic). This lasts for 1D6 hours. Electronic sensors are not fooled, but living beings are.
Active (Data Forgery): By expending 2 Psi Points, the user can touch a physical document or low-tech screen and rearrange the ink/pixels via telekinesis to change the information. Requires an Art (Holography) or Forgery check (8+).
Side Effect (Overheat): Extended use causes the device to heat up. After the duration of the disguise ends, the user takes 1D6 damage (ignoring armor) and suffers Fatigue due to thermal stress on the nervous system.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Name: The Pendant of the Changeling’s Fire Type: Magical Artifact Rarity: Unique Encumbrance: 0 Price: 400 GC (Estimated – Highly Illegal)

Description: A piece of Warpstone-infused jade that glows with the fires of Aqshy (Fire) but twists with the shadows of Ulgu (Shadow). It allows the wearer to steal faces.

Game Mechanics:

Magical Sense: The wearer gains the Mimic Talent and a +20 bonus to Language and Entertain (Acting) Tests.
Spell: The Flesh of Wax (Active): The wearer may cast a bound spell (Language (Magick) Test). On success, their features melt and reshape into a target they have seen. This grants the Appearance of the target and a +30 bonus to Charm or Gossip tests when impersonating them. Duration: Willpower Bonus in Hours.
Spell: The Burning Script (Active): The wearer can alter the text of a document they touch. This requires a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test.
The Curse (Tzeentch’s Touch): The item is touched by the Changer of Ways. Every time the wearer activates the disguise, they must make a Cool Test. On a failure, they gain 1 Corruption Point. If they ever roll a Critical Failure (Double 9s or 00) while disguised, the heat consumes them—they take 1d10 Wounds (ignoring toughness/armor) as their face temporarily catches fire.