Aetheric Absorption Lock

Description: The Aetheric Absorption Lock is a captivating and mystifying device that can be purchased from specialized curio shops in the diverse world of Saṃsāra. As the Industrial Age begins to intermingle with the rich tapestry of the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance, this lock represents an amalgamation of magical craftsmanship and technological ingenuity. The Aetheric Absorption Lock emphasizes the concept of absorption as a means of protection.

Detailed Appearance: The Aetheric Absorption Lock is a beautifully ornate and intricate mechanical device resembling a large, circular medallion. It is crafted from a combination of polished brass, dark-stained wood, and gleaming gemstones that seem to shimmer with an otherworldly glow. The center of the medallion features a swirling, translucent crystal, appearing like a portal to another dimension. Surrounding the crystal are delicate engravings and runic symbols that seem to shift and change, as if they are alive with mystical energy.

Tags: Absorption, Barrier, Resonance, Arcane Mechanism, Enigmatic, Etheric, Locking Device, Puzzle, Protective Ward, Runic

Usage: To use the Aetheric Absorption Lock as a protective measure, players must place it in proximity to the item or the location they wish to safeguard. When activated, the medallion adheres to the surface of the target, such as a treasure chest, a secret door, or a valuable artifact, creating a magical connection between them. The Aetheric Absorption Lock draws upon the ambient aetheric energy in the environment, imbuing it with ethereal properties.

When activated, the lock emits a gentle hum, and the crystal at its center pulsates with an enchanting radiance, signifying its connection to the aetheric realm.

Solving the Puzzle: The Aetheric Absorption Lock presents an enigmatic riddle to the players, with clues woven into the delicate engravings and runic symbols on the medallion’s surface. The riddle challenges the players to understand the concept of absorption and its significance within the context of the lock’s mechanism.

The clues may reference ancient myths or legendary tales from Saṃsāra’s history, hinting at the need for a harmonious resonance between the lock and the target to unlock its full potential.

Success Outcome: When the players successfully decipher the riddle and grasp the essence of absorption, they can interact with the Aetheric Absorption Lock by channeling their own aetheric energy into the lock’s crystal at the precise resonance required. This creates a harmonious connection between the lock and the protected item or location.

Upon successful activation, the Aetheric Absorption Lock establishes a protective barrier around the target. The barrier absorbs and disperses harmful energies or invasive attempts, such as physical attacks or magical intrusions, directed at the protected area. The lock’s crystal brightens, and a pulsating wave of energy emanates from the medallion, signifying that the protection is now active.

When someone with malicious intent attempts to breach the protected area, the barrier reacts by absorbing their energy. This leaves the intruder feeling drained and disoriented, hampering their ability to continue their assault and discouraging further attempts.

Failure Outcome: Failure to solve the riddle or activate the Aetheric Absorption Lock correctly triggers a countermeasure that hinders the players’ progress. The lock’s crystal darkens, and the medallion seems to become heavier, making it difficult to remove or reposition. Additionally, the barrier around the protected area becomes unstable, emitting unpredictable bursts of energy that pose a threat to anyone nearby.

If the players persist in their attempts despite failing to activate the lock correctly, the lock may respond aggressively, absorbing a large portion of the players’ aetheric energy. This not only weakens them but also temporarily seals the protected area, making it even more challenging to access.

How the Aetheric Absorption Lock is solved:

• Discovering the Clues: The first step for the players is to discover the clues hidden within the delicate engravings and runic symbols on the surface of the Aetheric Absorption Lock. The clues may be in the form of cryptic symbols, ancient language snippets, or references to mythical stories related to the concept of absorption.
• Understanding the Concept: As the players analyze the clues, they should begin to grasp the significance of the concept of absorption. The riddle may challenge them to consider how absorbing energy or knowledge can provide protection or power, drawing parallels between this notion and the lock’s mechanism.
• Resonance with Aetheric Energy: The players must also recognize the lock’s reliance on aetheric energy. Aether is the life force that permeates the world of Saṃsāra, and it can be harnessed for both magical and technological purposes. The riddle may suggest that the Aetheric Absorption Lock requires a resonant connection with the player’s own aetheric energy to unlock its potential.
• Channeling the Right Frequency: Armed with their understanding of absorption and aetheric energy, the players must figure out how to channel their energy into the lock at the correct frequency or resonance. The riddle may hint at the need for balance and harmony between the player’s aetheric essence and the lock’s crystal.
• Trial and Error: As the players experiment, they may encounter some failures or obstacles. The Aetheric Absorption Lock could respond negatively to incorrect attempts, such as a flicker of darkness in the crystal or a temporary draining sensation, encouraging the players to refine their approach.
• Epiphany Moment: At some point during their experimentation, the players should experience an “epiphany” moment where they realize the correct way to channel their aetheric energy into the lock. The riddle’s clues and their observations of the lock will converge, leading them to the breakthrough.
• Activating the Aetheric Absorption Lock: With their newfound knowledge and understanding, the players are ready to solve the Aetheric Absorption Lock. They must focus their aetheric energy, channeled through their intentions and emotions, into the crystal at the center of the medallion. The lock responds to their harmonious resonance, accepting and integrating their energy.
• Barrier Activation: As the players successfully activate the Aetheric Absorption Lock, the medallion glows brighter, and a faintly shimmering barrier forms around the protected area. The barrier is attuned to the players’ aetheric energy and serves as a defense against harmful attempts to breach the protected location.

Success Outcome: Upon successful activation, the Aetheric Absorption Lock remains securely attached to the protected surface, creating an invisible and formidable barrier. Any intrusions or attacks directed at the protected area are absorbed by the barrier, dissipating their harmful effects. The players gain access to the protected location, and the lock’s crystal remains aglow, symbolizing the active protection.

Failure Outcome: If the players fail to understand the riddle or channel their aetheric energy incorrectly, the Aetheric Absorption Lock responds with resistance. The crystal darkens, and the medallion becomes heavier, making it challenging to remove or adjust. The barrier around the protected area may become unstable, occasionally emitting bursts of energy that could harm anyone nearby.

Persistent and forceful attempts to manipulate the lock without proper understanding may lead to a severe backlash. The lock absorbs a significant portion of the players’ aetheric energy, leaving them weakened and disoriented, effectively sealing the protected area from access.

Notes: The resolution of the Aetheric Absorption Lock involves an engaging process of exploration, experimentation, and understanding the riddle’s clues. By grasping the concept of absorption and mastering the resonance with aetheric energy, the players unlock the lock’s potential and harness its protective abilities. This puzzle challenges players to think critically and encourages them to interact with the world’s magical and technological fusion in the Industrial Age of Saṃsāra.

Absorbing Seal That Was and Was Not

In the time before time, when the stars sang but none could hear, there was crafted a thing not made. In hands not seen, by tongues not spoken, the Seal of Absorption came to be, and it did not come to be. It was shaped from the breath of the sky, the sigh of the deep, and the whisper of the unlit flame. And so it was placed where none could take, for it was made to unmake all hands that reached without knowing.

One of bold step, known and unknown, sought the thing that was not hidden but could not be found. This one, with a name long turned to dust, spoke words that were not words before the seal. “Open,” they said, but the seal drank the word and grew heavier. “Break,” they said, but the seal drank the command and thickened its skin. “Yield,” they said, but the seal swallowed the plea and pulsed with knowing light.

Then came the forgetting of power, and the seeker sat where they had stood, thought where they had grasped, and breathed where they had commanded. Their mind turned not to taking but to knowing. They traced the lines of the seal, let their voice fall silent, let their breath join the stillness. The seal listened, and for the first time, it did not consume but gave. It opened, not by force, not by command, but by the echo of itself in the heart of another.

What lay beyond is told in words that no longer exist, but the seal remains, moving from hand to hand, from vault to vault, from age to age. Those who seek it with open palms find emptiness. Those who seek it with open minds find understanding.

Thus is the lesson: That which absorbs all things gives only to those who do not take.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

• Type: Mythos Artifact
• Description: A brass-and-wooden device with a swirling crystal that absorbs energy and knowledge.
• Function:
  • When placed on an object or entryway, it forms an energy barrier.
  • Any attempt to bypass it requires a Hard Intelligence (INT) roll to understand its mechanics or a Regular Cthulhu Mythos (CM) roll to attune to its otherworldly nature.
  • If activated correctly, the lock allows passage and remains inert.
  • If improperly tampered with, it absorbs 1D6 Magic Points (MP) and 1D3 Sanity Points (SAN).
• Use in Game:
  • Scholars and cultists may seek the lock for forbidden knowledge.
  • Prolonged exposure (weeks) may result in strange dreams and compulsions to seek out lost places.

Blades in the Dark

• Item Type: Rare Arcane Lock
• Load: 2
• Effect:
  • Can be attached to a container, door, or artifact to prevent unwanted access.
  • Anyone attempting to force it open must make a Desperate Wreck roll or a Risky Tinker roll to disable it.
  • A successful Attune roll reveals the lock’s resonance, allowing a bypass without destruction.
  • Failure causes the lock to absorb 2 Stress from the intruder and alert the owner of the breach.
• Use in Game:
  • Arcane scholars and Whisper cults value it for securing dark artifacts.
  • May be found in vaults of the Dimmer Sisters or other occult factions.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

• Wondrous Item, Very Rare, Requires Attunement
• Properties:
  • When placed on a door, chest, or object, it creates an invisible magical barrier.
  • A creature attempting to open or bypass the lock must make a DC 18 Arcana check or a DC 20 Dexterity check (Thieves’ Tools) to disarm it.
  • Failure causes the lock to absorb 2d8 force damage from the intruder and impose Disadvantage on Intelligence checks for 1 hour as their thoughts are drained.
  • If attuned, the user may command it to open or close at will.
• Use in Game:
  • Highly sought after by arcane scholars and vault-keepers.
  • Rumored to be used by ancient mages to protect their forbidden knowledge.

Knave

• Item Type: Magic Lock
• Effect:
  • Can be affixed to an object, forming a magical barrier.
  • Anyone trying to bypass it must pass a WIL Save or suffer 1d4 Intelligence damage.
  • Correctly attuning to the lock requires Studying for 1 Exploration Turn and making a successful INT Save.
  • If removed forcefully, the lock drains 1 Inventory Slot worth of energy from the attacker, reducing available carrying capacity.
• Use in Game:
  • Found in ancient ruins and arcane vaults.
  • May serve as a safeguard for forbidden tomes or powerful relics.

Fate Core

• Aspect: “That Which Absorbs Also Withholds”
• Type: Arcane Locking Device
• Function:
  • When placed on an object, it forms a magical barrier that prevents unauthorized access.
  • Overcome (Lore or Burglary, Fair +2 difficulty): If successful, the user deciphers the lock’s mechanism.
  • Failure: The lock absorbs a Fate Point or causes the intruder to take a Mild Consequence (“Drained of Thought”).
  • If the user has an Arcane-related Aspect, they may attempt a Create an Advantage roll to attune to the lock and bypass it without triggering consequences.
• Use in Game:
  • Powerful arcane societies use these locks to secure ancient knowledge.
  • Prolonged exposure may lead to strange insights or knowledge absorption.

Numenera & Cypher System

• Level: 7 Artifact
• Effect:
  • When attached to an object, the lock forms a protective field that prevents unauthorized access.
  • Bypassing requires an Intellect Task (Difficulty 7) using Understanding Numenera or a specialized unlocking device.
  • Failure: The lock absorbs 3 Intellect points from the intruder and temporarily scrambles their memory.
  • A character who successfully attunes to the lock may open and close it at will.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20
• Use in Game:
  • Found in the ruins of lost civilizations, guarding dangerous artifacts.
  • May hold forgotten data, whispering strange knowledge to those who linger near.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

• Item Type: Wondrous Item, Rare
• Usage: Affixed to a door, chest, or object.
• Effect:
  • Forms a magical barrier requiring a DC 30 Arcana check or a DC 32 Thievery check (Disable Device) to bypass.
  • Failure drains 2d6 Mental damage and inflicts the Drained 1 condition.
  • A creature attuned to the lock (10-minute attunement process) may open or close it at will.
• Use in Game:
  • Used by scholars and vault-keepers to protect knowledge.
  • Some ancient locks whisper forgotten secrets to those who study them.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

• Item Type: Arcane Device
• Effect:
  • Placing the lock on an object seals it with an ethereal barrier.
  • Disarming requires a Lockpicking roll at -4 or a Weird Science roll at -2 to interface with its energy.
  • Failure: The intruder loses 1d6 Power Points or suffers Fatigue (Minor) due to mental drain.
  • A character who succeeds on a Smarts roll (TN 8) while examining the lock may attempt to attune to it, allowing free use.
• Use in Game:
  • Often found in ancient vaults, protecting forbidden knowledge.
  • Some who study these locks gain insight into eldritch mysteries.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

• Item Type: Magical Security Device (Rare, 50,000¥)
• Function:
  • When attached to an object, the lock forms an astral energy barrier that prevents unauthorized access.
  • Disarm Attempt: Requires a Hardware (Electronics) + Logic [Mental] (Threshold 6) or Spellcasting + Magic (Threshold 4, Astral Space) check.
  • Failure: The lock absorbs 2D6 Drain from the intruder, affecting Magic or Edge first.
  • Attunement: A magician can spend 1 Karma to permanently sync with the lock, allowing them to open or close it at will.
• Use in Game:
  • Used by high-tier megacorporations and secret societies to guard data vaults.
  • Some believe the lock holds fragments of lost metaplanar knowledge.

Starfinder

• Item Type: Hybrid Security Device, Level 10, Cost: 15,000 credits
• Function:
  • Can be affixed to a door, container, or artifact, creating a psychic energy barrier.
  • Bypass: Requires a DC 30 Computers check (hacking) or DC 32 Mysticism check (attunement) to disable.
  • Failure Effect: The lock absorbs 2d10 Stamina Points, transferring the energy into itself.
  • Attunement: A creature may spend 1 Resolve Point to link with the lock, allowing free use.
• Use in Game:
  • Used by ancient civilizations to protect vaults or arcane artifacts.
  • Exposure to the lock may grant visions of the Drift or past cosmic events.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

• Item Type: Advanced Security Lock, Tech Level 14
• Function:
  • When installed, it forms a self-sustaining energy field that prevents physical and digital tampering.
  • Bypass Attempt: Requires a Formidable (14+) Electronics (Security) or Science (Psionics) check.
  • Failure: The intruder loses 1D6 Endurance as the lock drains their neural energy.
  • Attunement: A Psionic character may spend 1 Psi Point to resonate with the lock, gaining free access.
• Use in Game:
  • Found in ancient alien ruins or secret research installations.
  • Rumored to contain residual knowledge from extinct civilizations.

Warhammer 40,000 (Wrath & Glory)

• Item Type: Xenos Relic or Archeotech Device
• Function:
  • Creates an Aetheric Field that prevents unauthorized access to a secured object.
  • Bypass Attempt: Requires a DN 7 Tech or Psychic Mastery Test to decipher its mechanisms.
  • Failure Effect: The intruder loses 1 Shock + 1d3 Corruption, as the lock absorbs part of their essence.
  • Attunement: A character who succeeds on a Scholar (DN 6) Test may attune to the lock, allowing it to be controlled.
• Use in Game:
  • Inquisitors and rogue traders seek these devices to protect classified artifacts.
  • Prolonged exposure can cause disturbing visions or psychic whispers.