Item: The Keystones

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 Wings of Fate, a set of metallic wings supposedly taken from the mortal remains of an angel of the dead god of time, Tethys.
• The Millennial Meme, a meme crystal containing a incredibly mutated viral meme constructed from the various "end of the world" beliefs across time.
• The Improbability Drive, a complex engine built on the principles of a flux capacitor, designed for implementation in a vehicle to allow it to travel through time and space instantaneously.
• The Gravitonne Key, a key fashioned from stardust collected from the death of the first star.

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 Sea Swallow

A simply-crafted swallow, this weapon has clearly seen a long history of use. The blades of the weapon are unusually crafted and do not seem to fit the wooden motif of the haft - something about them seems rather out-of-place. Chiseled into the blades themselves are wave-like patterns, and alongside the grips are ancient words written in a long-lost tongue.

The Sea Swallow is the result of temporal meddling. Adventurers from the time of the Ronkan Empire went back to the Ageless Winter and traded metal weapons for supplies; over time, two of the weapons were melted down and forged into the blades of the Sea Swallow.

Base Statistics

Type: Swallow

Enhancement: +1/+1

Force Alignment: Nature

Special Abilities: Aquatic natural weapon quality.

EV Abilities

1 EV: Increase the enhancement bonus of the swallow by +1/+1.

1 EV: The swallow gains the aerial natural weapon quality.

2 EV: The swallow gains the aquatic burst natural weapon quality.

2 EV: The swallow gains the aerial burst natural weapon quality.

3 EV (Spray of the Sea): Once per day per point of enhancement bonus, the swallow can emit a 15-foot cone spray of elemental seawater. This deals 1d6/enhancement bonus water damage to all creatures in the blast, with a Reflex save against DC 16 + enhancement bonus for half damage.

3 EV (Fury of the Winds): Once per day per point of enhancement bonus, the swallow can emit a 30-foot line of elemental wind. This deals 1d4/enhancement bonus wind damage to all creatures in the line, with a Fortitude save against DC 16 + enhancement bonus for half damage.

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Sea Swallow becomes capable of the following ability.

Ocean's Call (Gi): ...somethin'.

The Masamune

An elegantly crafted katana, made out of the elusive metal known only as darksteel with a hilt wrapped in tightly-bound black leather, which is said to be resistant to memetic detection. In the right light, the blade reflects a deep blue color, as though hidden beneath its black metallic hide is a core of purest azure.

The Masamune is well known to have been the weapon of Saint Konoe Ishikaru, who rode singly against the various Clavat clans in the War of the Empty Moon and won. He united the clavat people and formed the tradition of the Genji, before disappearing into the mists of time. It is believed that he crafted this weapon, along with his armor, by his own hand.

Base Statistics

Type: Katana

Enhancement: +2

Force Alignment: Divine + Blue

Special Abilities: Flurrying memetic weapon quality.

EV Abilities

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

1 EV (Haste): The katana can grant its wielder a haste effect, up to 10 rounds per day. Activating or deactivating this ability is a swift action.

2 EV (Eye of the Genji): The katana grants its wielder blindsight to a distance of 30 feet, active while the weapon is drawn.

2 EV (Intuitive Iaijitsu): The katana grants its wielder effective ranks in the Iaijitsu Focus skill equal to its enhancement bonus. The wielder can use the Iaijitsu Focus skill untrained, but only when wielding this weapon.

2 EV: The katana gains the keen weapon quality.

3 EV (Speed of the Genji): The katana can grant its wielder an additional partial action, usable once a round as a swift action, up to 5 times a day.

3 EV: The katana gains the vorpal weapon quality.

4 EV (Blade of the Genji): The katana allows its wielder to parry attacks as an einhander, with an allotment of attacks equal to the number of attacks granted by his BAB (thus the wielder can both parry attacks and make a full attack using all of his normal attacks on his next turn).

5 EV (Mind of the Genji): The katana grants its wielder mind blank, as per the spell, active while the weapon is drawn.

5 EV (The Mists of Memory): Once per day, the katana generates a cloud of concealing mist that enshrouds the wielder, creating an emanation out to 30 feet from the wielder's position that moves with him as he moves. Creatures within the mist have concealment, while the wielder has total concealment while the mist persists. The mist persists for a number of rounds equal to the katana's enhancement bonus.

Creation EV Ability

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

Soul of the Genji (Me): Once per day, your will transcends death. As an immediate reaction to dying, you gain the benefits of the immortal maneuver, with a duration equal to the enhancement bonus of the Masamune.

The Green Amnesia

An elegantly-crafted music box, this item is clearly masterfully crafted, made from teak with jade inlays. When opened, it plays a haunting melody, that seems to mesmerize living creatures who hear its tune.

The Green Amnesia was initially a normal music box; however, after experiencing rapid transit through several times, its own timeline became distorted.

Base Statistics

Type: Music Box

Enhancement: +1

Force Alignment: Nature

Special Abilities: As a move action, the box can be activated. While open, all allies of the creature that opened it within Close range (25 feet + 5 feet/2 EVs) gain the benefits of the bardic inspire courage with a bonus equal to the item's enhancement bonus. The box can be deactivated as a move action.

EV Abilities

All abilities of the music box last until the box is deactivated, as per the Special Ability listed above.

1 EV: Increase the music box's enhancement bonus by +1.

2 EV (Inspire Greatness): When the wielder activates the music box, she can instead choose to affect a single ally within Close range with inspire greatness; the creature gains bonus hit dice and a circumstance bonus to attack rolls equal to this item's enhancement bonus, and a circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves equal to half that amount (round down).

2 EV (Haunting Melody): When the wielder activates the music box, she can instead choose to affect all enemies within Close range with haunting melody. Creatures so affected become shaken, but are allowed a Will save against DC 18 + enhancement bonus to ignore it.

2 EV (Sound of Silence): When the wielder activates the music box, she can instead choose to affect a 20-foot radius emanation surrounding the box. If she does, that area is affected by silence.

3 EV (Green Requiem): The abilities of the music box can affect plants and undead in addition to normal creature types it can affect.

3 EV (

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Green Amnesia becomes Blue-aligned (in addition to being Nature-aligned) and becomes capable of the following ability.

The Green Amnesia (Gi): ...somethin'.

The Quintessential Falcon

A falcon, roughly two feet in height, carved out of a single piece of solid rock of unknown origin. The carving is amazingly lifelike, and the artisan who crafted it somehow managed to make its eyes seem to sparkle, despite having no different composition from the rest of the piece.

The Quintessential Falcon was made in ages long past by an unknown Lynae, who simply happened across a large stone that had fallen from the sky. The rock it is carved from is a remnant of the third planet of the Philomenic system, which exploded due to an unstable core, forming the asteroid belt while pelting nearby planets with a barrage of meteors.

It is believed that, at some point after the statue was made, the soul of an ancient, powerful falcon was imbued into it, becoming a resting place for the creature.

However, it is not the spirit of a falcon imbued into the statue - instead, it is a caller's totem, imbued with Natural power, intended as a vehicle through which to summon the power of Garuda, one of the elemental Primals. Often a falcon is used to symbolize her power, and once this totem was bonded to her, those who carried it gained the ability to transform it into a living falcon - or, if need be, use it to channel the very power of Garuda herself.

Base Statistics

Type: Statue

Enhancement: +2

Force Alignment: Nature

Special Abilities: ---

EV Abilities

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

1 EV (Awaken the Falcon): The statue gains the ability to turn into a dire falcon (treat mechanically as a dire hawk) up to one hour per day per point of enhancement bonus. Activating the falcon is a standard action, and returning it to statue form is also a standard action. The available activation can be spread out across a given day. The dire hawk's hit dice are increased as though the wielder of the statue were a druid of his character level - 6 (minimum 1). The wielder can communicate telepathically with the falcon.

2 EV (Convocation): Once per day per point of enhancement bonus, you can use one of Garuda's abilities, as though convoking (see caller mechanics). You can take this ability multiple times; each time you do, you can use this ability an additional time per day. Your effective geomancer level for this effect is either your geomancer level or one-half your character level, whichever is higher.

4 EV (Garuda's Gift): While you are within 30 feet of the falcon, you gain access to Garuda's gift suite, with an amount of Stress equal to one-half your character level. If you are a geomancer, you use your max Stress instead.

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Quintessential Falcon becomes capable of the following ability.

Key to the Vortex (Gi): Once per day, when the statue's awaken the falcon ability is used, you can instead call upon Garuda herself, as though a caller of your character level. However, unlike a normal call, Garuda uses her abilities as though an avatar. This effect lasts for 1 round per point of enhancement bonus.

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 Laulri Pendant

An intricate chain necklace, with its centerpiece an intricately-carved piece of nethicite. Made by Rose Buck during the time of the Ronkan Empire as part of her research of the nethicite phenomenon. Despite a seemingly Force-aligned creation, the item itself gives no indication of a Force alignment.

The Laulri Pendant is an intricately-made chain necklace, crafted out of mostly silver but with a few pieces of orichalcum worked into its design. While created through magical means, the core component of the necklace - the nethicite - has no intrinsic Force alignment, and the resulting work itself also does not register as having a Force alignment.

Base Statistics

Type: Necklace

Enhancement: +1

Force Alignment: None

Special Abilities: Once per day per point of enhancement bonus, as an immediate action, you can improve all of your Force resistances by the enhancement bonus of this item. This bonus lasts for 1 round.

EV Abilities

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

1 EV (Force Impedance): The wielder gains an untyped bonus to saving throws against Force effects equal to the enhancement bonus of the necklace.

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Laulri Pendant becomes capable of the following ability.

Deny the Triune (Wa): Once per day, as an immediate action, the power of the nethicite of the necklace can be focused to allow the wearer to completely and utterly ignore a Force effect, regardless of source, effective level, or any other parameter.

The Improbability Drive

A "black box" of technology, even its creator, Ada Fralizte, was uncertain of what this engine did. However, as she ran out of parts, she used this strange device to power one of the last artilects she built. It seems to function well enough... though none who closely examine the device are really sure how or why it works... or why it's still working.

The Improbability Drive is a device of unknown technological function. A small number of theories exist regarding what it is and how it functions, but most of these are derived from the schematics drawn up by Fralizte's uncle, from which she built the device.

Base Statistics

Type: Engine

Enhancement: +1

Force Alignment: Technology

Special Abilities: This item is integrated into an artilect, who is effectively its wielder, and relies upon it for continued existence. Due to its integrated nature, if the Improbability Drive changes its force alignment, the wielder's inherent force alignment changes with it.

EV Abilities

1 EV: Increase the engine's enhancement bonus by +1.

1 EV: Increase the land speed of the wielder by 5 feet per point of enhancement bonus.

1 EV (Entropic Field): Ranged or firearm attacks against the wielder suffer a 5% miss chance per point of enhancement bonus.

2 EV: The wielder gains evasion. If the enhancement bonus of this item becomes +5 or higher, the wielder gains improved evasion.

2 EV (Miss the Ground): The wielder can, once per day per point of enhancement bonus, benefit from the miss the ground avao.

3 EV (Equivalent Exchange): The wielder can, once per day per point of enhancement bonus, use the causal or precausal form of the equivalent exchange avao.

5 EV (O-RLY Circuit): When affected by an effect that would trigger the causal form of one of the following avaos - my time, out of sight, spatial jump - the wielder automatically gains the benefit of the relevant avao's causal form. This effect has a chance of occurring equal to 10% per point of enhancement bonus.

Creation EV Ability

Upon experiencing its creation event, the Improbability Drive becomes Chaos-aligned in addition to being Technology-aligned, and becomes capable of the following abilities.

Improbable not Impossible (Av): Whenever a random effect occurs whose origin is within Close range to the wielder (25 feet + 5 feet/EV), you can decide to make an additional roll for the effect per point of EV this item has. You choose which of the effects occur, and another effect (decided randomly from the results that were produced) is also produced, even if this produces highly improbable or seemingly-impossible results.

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).

The Shield of Lothlonde

Created upon the encounter between travelers from the future and the eccentric Lothlonde in the Third Epoch, this is a simple wooden shield that bears three deep groves, carved into it by the Thrannish artifact, the Chrono Trigger.

The Shield of Lothlonde has the following abilities.

• Once per encounter as an immediate action, create a temporal dodge effect for the wielder and all those in a 15-foot cone, in a direction of the wielder's choosing.
• Once per day, as a standard action, creates a time stop effect for the wielder and all those in a 15-foot cone, in a direction of the wielder's choosing.
• The shield grants its wielder a +5 untyped bonus to saving throws against effects that would grant time-modifying status effects, such as slow, lag, eject, or stop.