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Sovereigns Lode Star 626

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by

Dale
in

Lore

This legendary artifact was not forged for a warrior, but for a master of a different kind of battlefield: the world of politics, intrigue, and commerce. It was commissioned by the enigmatic Guild-Mistress Anya, founder of the Azure Consortium, who sought a tool to navigate the treacherous currents of high society. She brought three artifacts to the master runecrafters of Forgehaven Foundry: a Navigational Buoy of an Admiral’s Mandate for its power of command and guidance, an ancient Runic Amulet of Warding for protection against the curses of her rivals, and a Dream Ring of Attraction to draw opportunities and allies to her side. The enchanters painstakingly disassembled the artifacts, setting the navigational core of the Buoy into the silver housing of the Amulet, and weaving the tide-silk of the Ring into a magnificent chain. The result was a singular artifact of “soft power,” a lodestar that guides its wearer not across the seas, but through the even more dangerous tides of ambition and desire.

Description

An elegant and substantial amulet hanging from a thick, iridescent braid of crimson and slate-grey tide-silk. The amulet’s centerpiece is a perfect, polished sphere of pale driftwood, encased in a heavy silver setting that is masterfully etched with glowing, blue-lit runes of protection. Within the sphere, faint, stylized constellations shift and swim. The entire piece radiates a quiet, unshakable confidence and smells faintly of old maps and expensive perfume.

Stats

  • Tier: 3
  • Rarity: Legendary
  • Roleplay Emphasis: Diplomat / Spymaster / Merchant Prince

Tags

Social-Navigation, Diplomatic-Tool, Runic-Warding, Desire-Engine, Leadership, Command, Attraction-Focus, Legendary-Rarity, Tier-3, Guild-Master’s Charm, Political-Power, Worn-Amulet, Mind-Fortress, Intrigue-Engine, Influence-Magic, Opportunity-Sense, Neck-Slot, Driftwood-Core

Passive Magic

  • Aura of Inherent Gravitas: The wearer emanates an aura of calm, magnetic authority. People instinctively grant the wearer their attention and respect, and their proposals seem inherently reasonable. This grants the wearer a +3 bonus to all Persuasion, Deception, and Insight checks.
  • Psychic Fortress: The fusion of the Admiral’s resolve and the Amulet’s warding runes makes the wearer’s mind a vault. The wearer has advantage on all saving throws against curses, charm effects, and any magic that would attempt to read their thoughts, divine their future, or sense their emotions.
  • The Path of Opportunity: A subtle blend of the Desire Compass and the Admiral’s star-map, this grants the wearer an unerring “gut feeling” for social and political navigation. They instinctively know who in a room holds the most influence, which topic of conversation will yield the most secrets, and what business deal holds the most potential. This manifests as a gentle, intuitive pull towards the path of greatest advantage.

Active Magic

  • Mandate of Mutual Interest (3/day):
    • Activation: As an action, the wearer can focus the amulet’s power on one creature with whom they are speaking, suggesting a course of action.
    • Effect: The amulet frames the suggestion not as a command, but as a brilliant opportunity that aligns perfectly with the target’s own secret ambitions and desires. The target must succeed on a difficult Charisma saving throw or become utterly convinced that the idea was their own, pursuing it with enthusiasm for the next 24 hours. This magic cannot force a creature to directly harm itself.
  • Beacon of Sanctuary (1/day):
    • Activation: As an action, the wearer presents the amulet, causing its runes to flare with a brilliant, authoritative blue light.
    • Effect: A 30-foot-radius aura of absolute diplomatic and social sanctuary is created, which lasts for 10 minutes. All allies within the aura are immune to curses and fear effects. Furthermore, any creature who attempts to perform a hostile action (attack, cast a harmful spell, etc.) against anyone within the aura must first make a difficult Willpower saving throw. On a failure, they are unable to complete the hostile action, overwhelmed by a magical premonition of the disastrous political, social, and economic fallout that would result.

Slot

  • Neck (counts as 1 magical worn item)

Item Durability and Repair

The Sovereign’s Lode-Star is an artifact of social and political power, and its integrity is not measured in physical toughness but in its Resonant Authority, which functions as its hit points. It possesses 45 points of Resonant Authority. This value cannot be damaged by physical attacks like sword blows or arrows. Instead, it is vulnerable to attacks that undermine its conceptual foundation: being targeted by powerful curses designed to sow discord, a public and humiliating diplomatic failure by the wearer, or a successful ritual by a rival that shatters the wearer’s reputation and influence.

As the Lode-Star loses its Resonant Authority, its powers begin to fail. The Aura of Gravitas feels less compelling, the psychic defenses flicker, and the intuitive “path of opportunity” becomes clouded with misleading and paranoid suggestions. When its Resonant Authority is reduced to zero, the amulet is not physically broken; it becomes Disgraced. The light within the runes and the driftwood core extinguishes, and it becomes a beautiful but magically inert piece of jewelry, a symbol of its wielder’s fall from power.

A Disgraced Lode-Star cannot be repaired at a forge; its reputation and authority must be restored through a significant social or political undertaking:

  1. Identify the Failure: The wearer must first determine the specific event or act of a rival that caused the amulet to become Disgraced. This may require espionage, divination, or deep introspection to understand the source of the political or social attack.
  2. Perform an Act of Re-validation: The wearer must perform a public and undeniable act of immense social or political power that reaffirms the amulet’s core purpose. This act must be on a grand scale, such as single-handedly negotiating a peace treaty between two warring nations, publicly exposing and thwarting a widespread conspiracy of shapeshifters in a royal court, or building a new, thriving city through sheer force of will and charisma.
  3. The Re-attunement of Will: Following the successful public act, the wearer must spend 24 hours in isolation, meditating on their own right to lead and influence others. If their will is strong and their public feat was significant enough to restore the amulet’s “reputation,” the runes on the Lode-Star will slowly reignite, one by one, fully restoring its Resonant Authority and its power. Failure means the amulet remains a mundane, powerless trinket forever.

A legendary artifact like The Sovereign’s Lode-Star 626 is considered a strategic asset, equivalent to a royal treasury or a small army. It is not found in any conventional shop. Its transfer is a rare and monumental event, conducted by institutions of immense power, where the cost is measured in fortunes that could fund nations.

1. The Imperial Treasury of Forgehaven

Setting: Deep within the mountain-city of Forgehaven, beneath the famous Foundry itself, lies the Forgehaven family’s private and state treasury. This is not a shop but one of the most secure vaults in Saṃsāra, holding artifacts deemed too powerful or significant for public circulation. The Lode-Star, being a masterwork of their own creation, is a centerpiece of this collection, stored in a chronostatis vault to be preserved as a symbol of their ultimate craftsmanship.

Acquisition: One must first secure a formal audience with the Matriarch of the Forgehaven Foundry, a process that can take years of political maneuvering. The buyer must present a case, not just of wealth, but of purpose, proving that their ownership of the Lode-Star would serve a goal that aligns with or benefits Forgehaven’s own interests (e.g., stabilizing a volatile but profitable region, uniting disparate factions into a new trading partner). If the Matriarch is convinced, a price is negotiated.

Cost:

  • A “Donation” of 25,000 Rhodium to the Forgehaven Foundry’s research and innovation fund.
  • A Geopolitical Contract: The buyer must sign a magically binding treaty granting the Forgehaven Foundry exclusive mining and trade rights within their domains for a period of no less than one century, or offer a service of equivalent geopolitical value.

2. The Midnight Bourse

Setting: This is the most exclusive and secretive auction in Saṃsāra, held once per decade in a location that changes every cycle—a derelict celestial observatory, a hollowed-out leviathan skeleton, a private demiplane. Attendance is limited to a handful of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful individuals—emperors, guild masters, ancient dragons in mortal guise, and archmages. The currency here is not just coin, but tangible power.

Acquisition: Gaining an invitation is the first hurdle, requiring an established reputation of immense wealth and influence. The Lode-Star would be a premier lot, presented as a tool to solidify a dynasty or build an empire from scratch. The auction is silent, with bids submitted telepathically to the enigmatic auctioneers. Bidding is fierce, strategic, and often ruthless.

Cost:

  • Starting Bid: 15,000 Rhodium. The final price is determined by the bidders. Bids can be made in pure currency or a mix of currency and tangible assets of power, which the auctioneers magically valuate in real-time. A final, winning bid might look like: “20,000 Rhodium, the deed to the Grand Airship The Monarch’s Folly, and the controlling shares of the Crimson Silk Guild.”

3. The Pan-Oceanic Antiquarian Society

Setting: Based in a grand, heavily fortified manor in a major port city, the Society is a consortium of the world’s most successful and long-lived merchant princes and retired admirals. They collect and trade in items they refer to as “Instruments of History.” They see artifacts like the Lode-Star not as magical trinkets, but as levers that can move the world. They may possess the Lode-Star after acquiring it from a fallen consortium or a newly discovered shipwreck.

Acquisition: The Society does not sell to just anyone with coin. A prospective buyer must first be vetted and sponsored by a current member. The transaction is framed as an “investment” or a “transfer of stewardship.” The buyer must present a detailed business plan or political manifesto outlining exactly how they will use the Lode-Star to generate influence and power, with the Society often demanding a future share of the profits or a seat on the buyer’s council.

Cost:

  • 18,000 Rhodium.
  • A controlling stake in the buyer’s primary enterprise. The Society requires a 25% share of all future profits and a permanent, non-voting seat on the buyer’s ruling council, ensuring that their “investment” continues to pay dividends for generations.

As an artifact of supreme social and political power, the Sovereign’s Lode-Star 626 is used not to win fights, but to prevent them from ever happening, or to ensure they are won long before blades are drawn. Its roleplaying applications focus on manipulation, defense, and the subtle exertion of absolute authority.

1. In the Grand Council or a Royal Court

Offensive Roleplay: The wearer is a master puppeteer in a den of vipers. Their passive Path of Opportunity allows them to enter the ballroom and immediately sense who is vulnerable, who holds a secret, and who is the true power behind the throne. They can approach a wavering minister and, with a quiet word, use Mandate of Mutual Interest to plant a devastating idea that the minister will champion as their own, such as proposing a vote of no confidence in the chancellor. The wearer’s Aura of Inherent Gravitas ensures that their own whispered suggestions to others are given undue weight, allowing them to effortlessly turn factions against each other.

Defensive Roleplay: The wearer is an untouchable fortress of will. When a rival spymaster attempts to read their mind or divine their intentions, the Psychic Fortress presents an unbreachable, serene void. If a rival faction attempts a sudden political ambush—a public accusation or a surprise decree—the wearer activates Beacon of Sanctuary. The entire chamber is filled with an overwhelming sense of authority. The accusers find their voices faltering, magically choked by the sudden, certain knowledge that to press their attack would be an act of political suicide, ensuring their own immediate ruin.

2. Within a Hostile Guild or Corporation’s Headquarters

Offensive Roleplay: The goal is social infiltration, not stealth. The wearer doesn’t need to sneak past guards; they walk past them. The Aura of Inherent Gravitas makes them appear as if they belong, a superior visiting for an unscheduled inspection. The Path of Opportunity guides them through the social maze, telling them which clerk is disgruntled and which manager is ambitious. They can approach a key target, such as the head of research, and use Mandate of Mutual Interest to convince them that sharing a secret project prototype is a brilliant, synergistic move that will guarantee their next promotion.

Defensive Roleplay: If their presence is questioned and they are cornered by security, the wearer remains calm. Their Psychic Fortress blocks any attempt to magically verify their identity or purpose. If the guards move to apprehend them, the wearer activates Beacon of Sanctuary. The guards find themselves physically unable to lay hands on the wearer, their minds screaming at them that to do so would bring the wrath of the entire city’s government down on their guild. This creates a 10-minute standoff where the wearer can calmly “negotiate” their own exit.

3. On the Streets of a City on the Brink of Riot

Offensive Roleplay: The wearer seeks to destabilize a rival’s power base by turning their loyal followers against them. Wading into the angry mob, the Path of Opportunity identifies the key rabble-rousers who command the crowd’s respect. The wearer can then use Mandate of Mutual Interest on one of these figures, convincing them that another leader in the mob is secretly a traitor. This act of social sabotage splinters the riot’s leadership, causing the angry mob to collapse into confused, infighting factions.

Defensive Roleplay: To prevent a riot and save the city, the wearer becomes a beacon of pure order. They walk into the heart of the chaos and activate Beacon of Sanctuary. The wave of calming, absolute authority washes over the most violent rioters, who suddenly find their anger replaced by a chilling fear of the consequences of their actions. The wearer’s voice, amplified by the Aura of Inherent Gravitas, cuts through the din, and their commands to disperse are followed with unnatural haste, de-escalating a bloodbath through sheer force of presence.

4. When Ambushed by Bandits on the Road

Offensive Roleplay: This is where the Lode-Star’s limitations are tested, requiring immense creativity. Against intelligent bandits, the wearer uses the Aura of Inherent Gravitas to project an aura of a disguised king or a legendary archmage, potentially causing the bandits to hesitate. They can then use Mandate of Mutual Interest on the bandit leader, not to fight, but to convince him that his second-in-command is planning a mutiny, and that the best course of action is to leave immediately to deal with it. Against non-sentient, hungry beasts, its offensive capabilities are effectively zero.

Defensive Roleplay: Against intelligent foes, the Lode-Star is the ultimate defense. As the bandits charge, the wearer activates Beacon of Sanctuary. The bandits freeze mid-stride, their weapons feeling impossibly heavy, their minds flooded with visions of their own ruin should they harm the wearer. They are magically prevented from committing a hostile act. The wearer can then calmly negotiate for their safe passage, strip the bandits of their weapons and valuables, or simply walk away, leaving them standing impotently within the aura’s 30-foot radius.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

Sight:

  • What is Perceived: The blue runes on the amulet’s silver housing flare with a steady, judicial light. The air around you seems to sharpen and clarify, and you perceive faint, golden threads of influence connecting the people around you, revealing the web of power, loyalty, and desire that binds them.
  • Positives: You gain an immediate, intuitive understanding of the social and political landscape around you. Your focus becomes absolute.
  • Negatives: People can momentarily cease to look like individuals, instead appearing as pieces on a grand chessboard, which can be dehumanizing and erode genuine empathy.

Sound:

  • What is Perceived: A single, deep, resonant chime, like a great clock striking the hour, seems to emanate from within your own chest, silencing all doubt. In its wake, ambient noise seems to fade, leaving your own voice with a preternatural clarity and resonance that commands attention.
  • Positives: Your thoughts become perfectly clear and ordered. Your voice gains an effortless quality of command that makes others want to listen.
  • Negatives: The internal silence can make you seem cold or distant to your own emotions. You may struggle to perceive the emotional nuance in others’ voices, hearing only their words and strategic intent.

Touch:

  • What is Perceived: The amulet becomes warm and heavy against your chest, an unshakable anchor of purpose. You feel a profound sense of stability, as if your feet are rooted to the very foundations of the world, making you impossible to physically or mentally unbalance.
  • Positives: You are filled with a supreme, unshakable confidence in your own authority and decisions.
  • Negatives: This confidence can easily curdle into arrogance. The feeling of absolute stability can make you inflexible and resistant to changing your mind, even when presented with new evidence.

Smell & Taste:

  • What is Perceived: A crisp, clean scent fills the air, reminiscent of old libraries, polished mahogany, and the sterile smell of ozone after a lightning strike. This translates to a clean, mineral taste on the tongue, like spring water.
  • Positives: The sensations are focusing, clearing the mind of distractions and preparing it for complex intellectual tasks.
  • Negatives: The sterile nature of the perception can dampen more vibrant, passionate sensations, making experiences seem muted.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions:

  • The Great Game Map: Your mind’s eye perceives the social environment as a three-dimensional strategic map. You see lines of influence, nodes of power, and the “path of opportunity” as a shimmering, golden thread leading you toward the most advantageous course of action.
  • Psychic Stillness: You feel your own chaotic emotions, fears, and doubts being smoothed over by a wave of absolute, cold confidence. Your mind becomes a placid, deep ocean—impenetrably calm and impossible for others to read.
  • Resonance of Rightness: You are overcome with a profound and unshakeable sense of your own correctness. Your will feels aligned with the very laws of civilization and order, making your commands feel less like suggestions and more like statements of inevitable fact.

Observer’s Perspective

Sight:

  • What is Perceived: The runes on the user’s amulet flash with a brilliant but not blinding blue light. The user’s posture seems to instinctively correct itself, becoming more poised and commanding. They seem to occupy more space in the room than their physical form would suggest.
  • Positives: The user instantly becomes the center of attention. They project an aura of competence, power, and trustworthiness that can calm a panicked room or bring a chaotic meeting to order.
  • Negatives: The user’s presence can be overwhelmingly intimidating. Their perfect composure and unshakable confidence can make them seem inhumanly cold and calculating.

Sound:

  • What is Perceived: Observers hear a single, authoritative chime that seems to cut through all other noise, commanding a moment of silence. Afterward, the user’s voice becomes incredibly compelling, resonant, and difficult to ignore or speak over.
  • Positives: The user’s words carry immense weight and clarity, making them a natural leader and orator.
  • Negatives: It becomes difficult to disagree with the user, as their voice seems to carry an inherent truth that bypasses logical argument.

Touch & Smell:

  • What is Perceived: The air around the user becomes still and charged, carrying a subtle, crisp scent of old paper and ozone—the smell of a seat of power.
  • Positives: The atmosphere around the user becomes one of reverence and seriousness, encouraging discipline and focus in others.
  • Negatives: The air of formality can feel oppressive and stifling, discouraging casual interaction or friendly warmth.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions (for sensitive observers):

  • Aura of Sovereignty: An individual capable of seeing auras would see the user’s personal aura completely enveloped by a massive, unshakable column of royal blue and brilliant gold, projecting an almost physical weight of authority and order.
  • Compulsion to Defer: Empathetic or weak-willed individuals will feel a powerful, instinctual urge to quiet down, listen respectfully, and defer to the user’s will. It is not a magical charm that enforces loyalty, but a deep-seated feeling that they are in the presence of someone who is naturally, absolutely in charge.

Rite of Sovereign Investiture

This crafting process is less a feat of metallurgy and more a formal, high-stakes political and magical ritual. It seeks to dissolve the authority of old relics and re-forge them into a singular, undeniable symbol of legitimate power. The rite must be performed not in a secluded workshop, but in a place of great social or political significance—a throne room, a senate chamber, or a guild’s grand forum—preferably before an audience of influential witnesses whose belief will help solidify the item’s power.

Items Merged

  • Dream 944 of Attraction: The ring must be ritually cleansed of all previous attachments, its tide-silk unraveled to be re-woven.
  • Navigational 172 of Admirals Mandate: The driftwood core must be carefully extracted from its cords, which are then ceremonially burned.
  • Runic Relics: A Tier 1 Amulet of Warding, which will be melted down to form the foundation of the new setting.

Additional Materials Needed

  • An Ingot of Imperial Orichalcum: A rare, gold-hued alloy known for its use in royal regalia and its inherent resistance to curses and mind-affecting magic.
  • A Spool of Fatesilk: An incredibly rare thread said to be spun by celestial weavers, capable of binding concepts and oaths into a physical form.
  • Ink of Unquestioned Law: A potent magical ink made from the powdered dust of a gavel that sealed a nation-founding treaty, mixed with a tear of a perfectly impartial judge.
  • The Breath of a King: The final, exhaled breath of a just and respected ruler, captured and stored within a crystal phial. This is needed to give the amulet its “voice” of command.

Tools Required

  • The Scales of Equity: A perfectly balanced set of scales, used not to measure weight, but to ensure the balance of the magical concepts (Command, Attraction, and Protection) during the ritual.
  • The Diplomat’s Stylus: An elegant quill, preferably one used to sign a major peace treaty, required for the flawless inscription of the new runes.
  • A Ceremonial Crucible: A crucible of flawless white marble for melting the orichalcum and the old amulet without spiritual contamination.
  • The Anvil of State: Not a true anvil, but a block of polished, ancient obsidian upon which treaties and laws are traditionally signed.

Skill Requirements

  • Conceptual Enchanting: The ability to imbue an object with abstract concepts such as “Authority,” “Loyalty,” or “Sanctuary.”
  • Master Runesmithing: The steady hand and deep knowledge required to inscribe runes of high-level warding and influence.
  • Political Alchemy: An intuitive understanding of how to blend and transmute social and political forces into a stable, magical matrix.
  • Immaculate Composure: The ritual itself is a performance. The crafter must project an aura of absolute confidence and authority throughout; any sign of doubt or hesitation will cause the ritual to fail.

Crafting Steps

  1. The Proclamation of Intent: The ritual begins with the crafter formally addressing the assembled witnesses. They must declare their intention to forge a new symbol of order and leadership, establishing the legitimacy of their actions.
  2. The Dissolution of the Old: The three artifacts are presented. The Amulet of Warding is melted down in the Ceremonial Crucible. The tide-silk of the Dream Ring is unraveled. The driftwood core of the Admiral’s Mandate is formally polished and cleansed of its old purpose. This symbolically clears the way for a new authority.
  3. The Forging of the Foundation: The molten orichalcum is poured into a mold upon the Anvil of State, forming the new amulet’s housing. The crafter must use their will to shape it, ensuring its form is both elegant and imposing.
  4. The Inscription of Law: Once cooled, the driftwood core is set within the orichalcum housing. Using the Diplomat’s Stylus and the Ink of Unquestioned Law, the crafter must flawlessly inscribe the complex runes of warding and influence onto the silver setting. The energies of the three concepts—Command, Attraction, Protection—must be perfectly balanced on the Scales of Equity as they are inscribed.
  5. The Binding of Fate: The crafter weaves the unraveled tide-silk and the new Fatesilk together into a single, magnificent chain. As they weave, they must state the principles and oaths that the new amulet will represent. Once complete, the chain is attached to the amulet.
  6. The Investiture of Sovereignty: For the final and most crucial step, the crafter holds the completed amulet over the crystal phial and shatters it, releasing the “Breath of a King.” The amulet will absorb the breath, and the runes will flare with a brilliant, authoritative blue light. The crafter (or the intended wearer) must then don the amulet. If the ritual was successful, all witnesses will feel the artifact’s undeniable power as a wave of awe and respect, solidifying its magic. A failed ritual results in a powerless, beautiful trinket and a significant loss of public face for the crafter.

Guild-Mistress and Amulet of Weighing

It is known from the scrolls of the Azure Consortium, though the ink is faded and parts are eaten by salt-worms, of the Guild-Mistress Anya, who was a weaver of fortunes. She lived in the city of a thousand daggers, where merchants’ promises were as thin as smoke and loyalty was a coin to be spent. The city was rich, but its richness was a poison, for all the guilds did war upon each other with whispers and knives in the dark, and the city did eat its own heart for profit.

And Anya, who saw this great waste, whose heart was a set of perfect scales, desired not to conquer the city with armies, but to bind it with a single, perfect law. She possessed three truths to aid her. The first truth was a Ring, which taught that all hearts desire something. The second was an Amulet, which taught that a strong house must have strong walls against curses. The third was a Buoy, which taught that even a fleet of fools will follow a single, clear command.

She took her three truths and she journeyed to the great Forge-Mountain, where the Rune-Makers lived. She did not offer them gold, for their halls were already lined with it. She offered them a challenge: to make a single thing from her three truths. To make an item that could weigh the hearts of men and find the path through their greed. The Rune-Makers, who loved a great challenge, agreed.

And so they took the Amulet and did melt it down in a white fire. And they took the Buoy and pulled from it its core of command, its driftwood heart. And they took the Ring and un-spun its threads of desire. And upon an Anvil of State, where laws were made, they forged a new thing. They set the core of command within a house of warded silver, and they hung it upon a chain woven from the threads of desire. And Anya watched, and her will was the fire that shaped it, and her vision was the water that cooled it. And when it was done, she named it the Lode-Star, for it would be the one fixed point in a sea of shifting loyalties.

Anya returned to the city of a thousand daggers. She did not bring soldiers. She wore the Sovereign’s Lode-Star upon her breast, and she walked into the great council of the guild-masters.

And the guild-masters, whose voices were like the clanging of hammers on steel, did shout and threaten each other. And Anya stood silent, and the Lode-Star began to glow with a light of pure blue. And a great quiet fell upon the room. And when she spoke, her voice was not loud, but it had a great weight, and the masters found their own words to be light as feathers, and they fell silent to listen. This was the Aura of Gravitas.

Then the Master of Whispers, whose thoughts were like serpents, sent a thought-serpent to learn Anya’s heart and find her fears. But her mind, shielded by the Lode-Star, was a calm sea with no shore, a great and peaceful stillness. And the thought-serpent found nothing to bite, and it was lost in the quiet of her will. This was the Psychic Fortress.

And Anya spoke to the Master of Coin, a man whose heart was a locked chest. She did not ask for his gold. Nay, with the Lode-Star, she showed him a vision of a road paved with his own gold, a trade route more prosperous than any he had ever dreamed. And the Master of Coin, seeing this, believed the road was his own clever idea and pledged his support.

And she spoke to the Master of Blades, a woman whose heart was a sharpened edge. Anya did not threaten her with armies. Nay, she showed her a vision of a city so orderly that her assassins would become the honored keepers of the peace, their skills revered instead of feared. And the Master of Blades, seeing this, believed this peace was her own true desire. This was the Mandate of Mutual Interest.

Yet still, the old hatreds were strong, and the masters began to reach for the hidden knives they all carried. They stood ready to turn the council into a bloodbath. And Anya, in the center of their hate, did activate the Beacon of Sanctuary.

And it was not a blast of light or a wall of force. It was a great and terrible peace that fell upon them all. Each master, as he thought to draw his blade, was instead filled with a perfect and certain vision of the utter ruin of his own house. The Master of Coin saw his vaults empty and his children begging. The Master of Blades saw her own assassins turning their knives upon her. The Master of Ships saw his fleet burning in the harbor. And they were all frozen by this vision of consequence, this absolute knowledge of the price of their anger. In that great and heavy silence, unable to commit violence, they all looked upon Anya, and they saw not a rival, but the only path away from their own destruction.

And so the treaty that united the city was made without a single word being spoken. The city of a thousand daggers became the Azure Consortium, and Anya was its heart. And the Lode-Star was her proof that true power is not the ability to force an enemy to his knees, but to make him see the wisdom of standing beside you.

Moral of the Story: A sword can force a thousand men to kneel for a day. But a single, well-spoken truth can make them stand for you for a lifetime. The greatest chains are not forged of iron, but of shared purpose.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Lode-Star of Forgotten Sovereigns

  • Type: Major Mythos Artifact (Sentient)
  • Description: An elegant, heavy amulet made of iridescent tide-silk, silver, and a sphere of pale, impossibly smooth driftwood. It radiates an almost overwhelming aura of calm, unshakable authority. Its purpose feels ancient and distinctly non-human.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Attunement: To attune to the Lode-Star, the Investigator must spend one full day in seclusion, contemplating their ambitions. This costs 1d4/1d8 Sanity points as the artifact’s alien consciousness of pure order and command settles into their mind.
    • Aura of Gravitas: The wearer gains a bonus die on all Charm, Fast Talk, and Intimidate rolls. NPCs in positions of power are instinctively inclined to treat the wearer as an equal or superior.
    • Psychic Fortress: The wearer’s mind is shielded. They are immune to mundane attempts at hypnosis or psychoanalysis. Against Mythos or magical influence that targets the mind (including spells that cause terror or read thoughts), they may spend 5 Magic Points to automatically succeed on the corresponding POW roll.
    • Mandate of Interest (Activate): By spending 3 Magic Points and 1d2 Sanity, the user can target a non-hostile NPC and make an opposed POW roll. If the Investigator succeeds, the target enthusiastically adopts one of the Investigator’s ideas as their own, championing it with their full conviction.
    • Beacon of Sanctuary (Activate): Once per scenario, by spending 8 Magic Points and 1d6 Sanity, the user can create a 30-foot aura of absolute order for 10 minutes. Any character (Investigator or NPC) wishing to perform an act of violence inside the aura must first pass an Extreme POW roll or find themselves psychologically unable to do so.

Blades in the Dark

The Sovereign’s Lode-Star

  • Item Type: Fine Arcane Implement, Artifact
  • Load: 1
  • Description: A heavy amulet of silver and driftwood on an iridescent silk chain. It feels ancient and hums with a quiet, authoritative power. It is a symbol of ultimate control, coveted by the most powerful figures in Doskvol.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Special Ability (Aura of Command): You have potency in all social situations where you are asserting authority, negotiating from a position of power, or calming a chaotic scene. This is a step up from a fine item; it is always active.
    • Special Ability (Mind of Iron): Your mind is a fortress. When you resist a supernatural attempt to read your thoughts, influence your emotions, or beguile your senses, take +1d to your roll.
    • Mandate of Interest: When you manipulate someone, you can spend 2 stress to make your suggestion seem like it was their own brilliant idea. They will act on it with enthusiasm and defend it fiercely. This can be used to set up a future action or start a long-term project clock for the target.
    • Beacon of Sanctuary: Once per score, you can declare a space around you a zone of absolute truce. For the rest of the scene, no one can take violent action in your immediate vicinity. If they try, the supernatural force of the artifact inflicts level 3 harm (“Shattered Will”) upon them.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

The Sovereign’s Lode-Star Wondrous item, artifact (requires attunement)

This heavy amulet consists of a polished driftwood sphere set in a silver housing etched with glowing runes, all hanging from a chain of iridescent tide-silk. It is a sentient lawful neutral item with an Intelligence of 20, a Wisdom of 18, and a Charisma of 24. It communicates through feelings of purpose, confidence, and strategic clarity.

  • Properties of the Lode-Star:
    • Aura of Command. Your Charisma score becomes 24 while you wear this amulet. You have advantage on all Charisma checks.
    • Psychic Fortress. You are immune to any effect that would sense your emotions or read your thoughts, as well as the charmed and frightened conditions. You have advantage on all Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
    • Random Properties. The Lode-Star has 2 major beneficial properties and 1 minor detrimental property.
    • Mandate of Interest. The amulet has 7 charges. You can expend 1 charge to cast the suggestion spell (save DC 22). If the target fails its save, it is utterly convinced the suggestion was its own idea and will rationalize any action it takes in service of that suggestion. The amulet regains 1d6+1 charges daily at dawn.
    • Beacon of Sanctuary. Once per day, you can use an action to activate the amulet’s sanctuary aura. For 10 minutes, a 30-foot radius aura of diplomatic immunity surrounds you. Allies within the aura are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions. Any creature that targets a creature within the aura with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell.
  • Curse. The Lode-Star is an item of supreme order and control. It abhors chaos. When you are in the area of a spell or effect with a random outcome (like a confusion spell or a Wild Magic Surge), you must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become stunned for 1 minute as the amulet attempts to shield your mind from the chaotic energies.

Knave (2nd Edition)

The Lode-Star Amulet

  • Item Type: Amulet
  • Slots: 3 (it is a major, conceptually heavy artifact)
  • Qualities:
    • Sentient: The amulet has the mind of a calm, calculating, and ancient sovereign. It communicates through powerful gut feelings and moments of absolute clarity.
    • Unquestioned Authority: You always succeed on morale checks. NPCs will always treat you with a high degree of respect and deference, unless you act in a chaotic or dishonorable manner. You have advantage on all Charisma checks to persuade, lead, or deceive.
    • Shielded Mind: You are immune to all magical effects that would read your mind, charm you, or cause fear.
  • Spells (Charges): The amulet has 5 charges and regains 1d4+1 each dawn.
    • My Brilliant Idea (1 charge): Target a single creature that is not hostile to you. Give it a reasonable suggestion. It must save vs. spells or it will adopt the suggestion as its own passionately held belief, acting on it until it is completed or becomes impossible.
    • Sanctuary (4 charges): For 10 minutes, you create a 30-foot zone of inviolable peace centered on you. No creature can take a hostile action against another creature within the zone unless they first succeed on a save vs. spells.

Fate Core System

The Whisperwind Bow

  • Aspect: An Elven Bow Blessed by the Wind
    • This artifact Aspect can be invoked for a bonus (+2) or a reroll on any particularly difficult or impressive feat of archery, such as shooting an apple off someone’s head from a great distance or firing an arrow to intercept another. It can be compelled to attract the unwanted attention of air elementals, rival fey archers, or to have an arrow be carried astray by a sudden, unnatural gust of wind at a crucial moment.
  • Permissions: A character should have the Shoot skill at Good (+3) or higher to wield the bow to its full potential.
  • Stunts:
    • Wind’s Whisper: Because I wield the Whisperwind Bow, once per exchange when I succeed on a Shoot attack, I can spend a Fate Point to inflict a 2-shift stress hit instead of a 1-shift hit.
    • Zephyr’s Grace: Because I am attuned to the Whisperwind Bow, I gain Armor:1 against physical ranged attacks.
    • Breeze’s Guidance: Because the Whisperwind Bow heightens my senses, I get a +2 to all Overcome actions using Notice to perceive hidden things or spot danger at a distance.
    • Whirling Gale: Once per session, I can declare I am unleashing a Whirling Gale. I can make two separate Shoot attacks as a single action.

Numenera & Cypher System

The Whisperwind Bow

  • Level: 5
  • Form: An elegant, ornate longbow made of a silvery, lightweight wood that hums with a faint breeze.
  • Effect (Passive): The bow is perfectly balanced and seems to guide the wielder’s aim; attacks with it are eased. The wielder is preternaturally aware of incoming danger, gaining an asset to all Speed defense rolls against ranged attacks. The wielder also gains an asset on all tasks involving visual perception.
  • Effect (Active):
    • Wind’s Whisper (1 Speed point): When you hit with an attack from this bow, you can choose to spend 1 Speed point immediately after the roll. If you do, the wind guides the arrow to a weak point, and the attack deals an additional 3 points of damage.
    • Whirling Gale (3 Speed points): As your action, you can make two separate attacks with the bow against one or two targets within short range.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check on each active use).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Whisperwind Bow Item 6 Rare, Elf, Evocation, Magical

  • Price 250 gp
  • Usage held in 2 hands; Bulk 2
  • Description This sleek longbow is crafted from polished, silvery wood with delicate carvings depicting forest scenes. When drawn, its string emits a soft, melodic hum.

This bow is a +1 striking longbow.

  • Passive You gain a +1 item bonus to Reflex saves and to Perception checks.
  • Activate [free-action] envision
    • Frequency once per turn
    • Trigger You hit a creature with a Strike from this bow.
    • Effect A gust of wind empowers the arrow, dealing an additional 1d6 piercing damage to the target.
  • Activate [three-actions] envision
    • Frequency once per day
    • Effect You make three Strikes with the bow, each against a different target. Your multiple attack penalty does not increase until after you have made all three attacks.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

The Whisperwind Bow

  • Type: Magical Longbow (Relic)
  • Requirements: Seasoned, Shooting d8+
  • Damage: 2d6+1, AP 1
  • Weight: 3
  • Notes: This Elven bow seems to have a mind of its own, guiding the wielder’s hand and arrows with the power of the wind.
  • Features:
    • Elven Precision: The bow is perfectly crafted, granting a built-in +1 bonus to all Shooting rolls made with it.
    • Wind’s Whisper: On a hit with a raise, the bow’s magical winds tear at the target, dealing an additional +d6 damage.
    • Zephyr’s Grace: The wielder gains the Dodge Edge while wielding this bow.
    • Breeze’s Guidance: The wielder is unnaturally perceptive, gaining a +2 bonus to all Notice rolls.
    • Whirling Gale (Power): Once per session, the wielder may make three separate Shooting attacks as a single action. This action ignores the normal multi-action penalty for the second and third shots.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Forgehaven Runic Belt (Strength)

  • Type: Qi Focus (Anchored)
  • Rating: 2
  • Availability: 8R
  • Cost: 12,000¥
  • Bonding Karma: 4
  • Description: A wide, sturdy belt of synth-leather with a heavy, polished steel buckle. The buckle is etched with intricate patterns that glow faintly in the Astral plane. It is a popular, if understated, piece of magical gear produced by the renowned Forgehaven Foundry.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Runic Might: This focus channels qi into the wearer’s muscles, reinforcing their physical power. It adds its Rating (2) as a dice pool bonus to all Strength-based tests, including melee attack tests, Lifting & Carrying, and tests to break down barriers.
    • Empowered Blows: The focused energy adds kinetic force to the wearer’s strikes. Melee attacks made by the wearer gain a +1 DV bonus.

Starfinder

Runic Belt of Might

  • Level 4
  • Price 2,100 credits
  • Slots worn magic item (waist); Bulk L
  • Description A thick, durable belt of vat-leather with a heavy steel buckle. The buckle is covered in ancient, glowing runes that pulse in time with the wearer’s heartbeat during strenuous activity.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Runic Might: The runes on this belt magically enhance your physical prowess. You gain a +2 insight bonus to Strength-based skill checks, including Athletics.
    • Empowered Strikes: The belt channels a fraction of its power into your attacks. You gain a +1 insight bonus to damage rolls with melee weapons.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Forgehaven Strength Augmentor Belt

  • Type: Personal Augmentation Device
  • Tech Level: 11
  • Mass: 0.5 kg
  • Cost: Cr 60,000
  • Power: Internal power cell, lasts for 24 hours of continuous use.
  • Description: A robust, wide belt made of a durable polymer. The buckle is a metallic housing for a micro-servo network and power cell. The circuitry is laid out in intricate, rune-like patterns across the surface.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Runic Might: The belt’s integrated micro-servos and kinetic enhancers assist the wearer’s movements. It grants DM+1 on all STR characteristic checks (including lifting, breaking objects, and unarmed combat).
    • Empowered Blows: The belt provides a kinetic boost at the point of impact for melee attacks, adding a +2 bonus to all melee damage rolls.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Forge-Rune Belt of Might

  • Type: Magical Trinket (Belt)
  • Encumbrance: 1
  • Qualities: Magical, Fine, Dwarf-make.
  • Description: A thick belt of hardened leather with a heavy, gromril-steel buckle. A single, potent Dwarf rune of Might is expertly carved into its surface, glowing with a faint, internal heat when the wearer exerts themselves. Though crafted by Dwarfs, its design is inspired by ancient human relics from the Forgehaven region.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Rune of Might: The wearer gains a permanent +5 bonus to their Strength characteristic while wearing the belt.
    • Rune of Impact: The wearer’s melee attacks strike with the force of a hammer blow. When calculating damage for a successful melee attack, the wearer may add +1 SL to the result. This bonus is in addition to any SL gained from the attack Test itself.