Revision as of 13:45, 10 January 2010

The Keystones are a collection of temporal artifacts.

Overview

The precise number of artifacts in the collection called the Keystones is unknown; however, it is understood that, according to prophecies in the Book of Zemphitidus as well as hints from the Alazlai Manuscript, their appearance will be rather sudden, carried by a number of individuals whose "threads become untangled."

It has been deduced that the Keystones consist of a series of items that have suffered from massive temporal displacement, and that the Epoch Trigger in part led to their realization as temporal artifacts; prior to this event, they are unidentifiable as significant items.

Constituent Items

The Keystones, as mentioned, refers to a collection of temporal artifacts.

• The Sea Swallow, a swallow whose blades consist of metal from a pair of melted-down temporally-displaced bastard swords.
• The Green Amnesia, a music-box that made a rapid transit through multiple epochs in a short time span, leading to temporal distortion in its timeline.
• The Thirteenth Hour, an hourglass whose sand comes from beaches and deserts across time.
• The Chrono Trigger, a lance from the alternate timeline of the thran, used in the thran's creation of the temporal rupture to the Keystone Timeline.
• The Laulri Pendant, an elegant necklace whose centerpiece is a piece of nethicite.
• The Masamune, a katana forged from darksteel, a material that resists memetic detection.
• The Thread of Clotho, a silvery thread spun from the timeline, created by one of the first epochents.
• The Quintessential Falcon, an intricate statue of a falcon carved from a meteorite fragment from the formation of the asteroid belt.
• Nalyd's Stopwatch, a simple clock imbued with temporal-displacement that was used to rescue the Toplanders from their temporal dislocation.
• The Mirror of Ages, a mirror whose surface is coated in quintessence stolen from the timelines of those who have used it.
• The Apocryphal Aegis, a battered shield whose construction was written out of the timeline.
• The Prophet's Quill, a simple, well-used quill used in the writings of various prophecies throughout history.
• The Millennial Meme, a meme crystal containing a incredibly mutated viral meme constructed from the various "end of the world" beliefs across time.

Item Abilities

Each of the Keystones has an array of abilities, though passages from Zemphitidus imply that not all of their powers will be unlocked at the Epoch Trigger; Zemphitidus makes a number of cryptic references as to how to unlock the items, though current theories suggest that the items must experience a number of particularly important events, including their own creations, in order to fully unlock the secrets within them.

Unlocking the Keystones

Each time a Keystone is present for a major historical event in the Keystone Timeline, the item's timeline becomes more attuned to both the natural flow of time and the disruption in the timeline due to the Epoch Trigger, causing it to become more powerful.

For each such event a Keystone experiences, it accrues 1 EV, which its wielder can spend on abilities inherent to each item.

When a Keystone is present for its own creation event, the item's timeline becomes a closed time-like curve, which unlocks the most powerful of the temporal mysteries held within it. A Keystone that experiences its own creation event unlocks an ability suite referred to as its "Creation EV ability set."

Each Keystone has a unique creation event, and a unique Creation EV ability set. Keystones that are present for the creation events of other Keystones accrue 1 EV instead.

Fully Unlocked Keystones

When each item in the Keystones is fully unlocked (that is, each item has acquired its Creation EV ability set), they may be capable of something more...

Item Descriptions

The following are more detailed descriptions of each of the Keystones.

The Thirteenth Hour

An elegant hourglass, obviously carefully handmade, the glass inscribed with unidentifiable symbols. The sand within is of uneven coloration and grain, clearly harvested from a wide variety of locales. The wrought-iron bases are identically-inscribed, one side ringed with the symbols of an ancient zodiac, the other made to resemble the face of a modern clock.

The Thirteenth Hour is a masterfully-crafted hourglass from an ancient time. The sands within it have been gathered from times and places innumerable.

Base Statistics

Type: Hourglass

Enhancement: ---

Force Alignment: Time

Special Abilities: Who knows!

EV Abilities

1 EV: Who knows!

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Thirteenth Hour becomes capable of the following ability.

Who knows!

The Chrono Trigger

A long, delicate, relatively simply-designed lance, which shines with a silver sheen when exposed to light. Portions of the business end of this weapon shimmer as though translucent, the material seemingly replaced with quintessence rather than the unknown silvery metal this weapon is crafted from. It is clear from handling it that it was not necessarily intended as a weapon, though it functions well enough as one.

Of the Keystones, the Chrono Trigger is the only one from a timeline other than the Keystone Timeline. Originally crafted by the thran as part of an elaborate jikuu to form a temporary one-way bridge from their timeline to the Keystone Timeline, it is amazingly similar in appearance to most modern lances, enabling it to be used as such.

Base Statistics

Type: Lance

Enhancement: +2

Force Alignment: Time

Special Abilities: None

EV Abilities

1 EV: Increase the enhancement bonus of the lance by +1.

1 EV: The lance gains the ancient temporal weapon quality.

1 EV: The lance gains the rapidity temporal weapon quality.

1 EV (Temporal Beacon): As a free action, the wielder can make the item the focal point of a tracer jikuu. The tracer effect moves spatially with the item, but not temporally.

2 EV: The lance gains the ejecting temporal weapon quality.

2 EV: The lance gains the skipping temporal weapon quality.

2 EV (Dimensional Bridge): As a standard action, the wielder can create a temporary portal from one spatial location to another, within 10 miles/enhancement bonus. This ability functions as a dimension door that lasts until the wielder causes it to cease.

3 EV: The lance gains the timeless temporal weapon quality.

3 EV: The lance gains the timestealing temporal weapon quality.

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Chrono Trigger becomes capable of the following ability.

Temporal Resonance (Ji): As a full-round action, you can plant the lance into the ground, which causes it to create a temporal resonance field with a 20-foot radius. While within the field, you can use the quantum leap jikuu, though its effects are limited to creatures, objects, and events outside the field. Removing the lance from the ground requires a standard action.

The Apocryphal Aegis

At first glance, this is a rather simple shield, crafted out of strong oak with a simple grip. Many scuff marks, a slightly warped edge, and three deep grooves along its surface would indicate that it has seen a long history of use. However, as you continue looking at it, it seems to morph slightly, as though there were more to it than immediately apparent... but after a moment's distraction, when you look again, all you see is the same simple shield.

Of the Keystones, the Apocryphal Aegis is the most mutable. Due to a singular instant in which it traveled through time but for a moment, it is immune to the removal of its creation from the timeline - however, due to its incredibly minimal travel, it is still impacted by this event.

Base Statistics

Type: Large Wood Shield

Enhancement: +2

Force Alignment: Chaos

Special Abilities: None

EV Abilities

1 EV: Increase the enhancement bonus of the shield by +1.

1 EV: Choose a prior Creation EV ability set the shield has held. As a swift action, you can activate this prior Creation EV set, causing the shield to loses its other ability sets and gain that Creation EV ability set for 1 round/enhancement bonus. The shield's appearance matches its appearance it had for the chosen Creation EV ability set.

Creation EV Ability

Unlike other Keystones, the creation event for the Apocryphal Aegis must be added to the Keystone Timeline, through modification of the timeline itself. Due to its nature, the shield's initial creation event is malleable, and can occur at any time in history prior to its resonance with the Epoch Trigger.

Each time the shield is given a creation event, it acquires at least one shield enhancement, and its base type may change (for instance, it may - in one event - become a small steel shield, while in another it could become a tower shield). What enhancements it gains for any given creation event should be noted, as the shield can acquire the ability to recall "past" creation events and act as though that were its true creation event.

Whenever the shield acquires a creation event, its current appearance changes to reflect the enhancements it acquired, though it retains the warped edge, scuff marks, and grooves in its surface.

Upon acquiring at least one Creation EV ability, this item's Force Alignment changes from Chaos to Blue, even if the shield later loses its creation event again.

If the shield's history is rewritten such that it loses its creation event once again, it reverts back to its natural state, but acquires a Creation EV ability set that corresponds to such a history. This Creation EV ability set can always be activated as per the shield's second EV ability (that is, once this happens, the shield's user can always recall the shield's unwritten creation abilities).