The Ring of Solomon (Spirit 1,2,3,4)

This ring was according to the legend given to Solomon by the Archangel Raphael
himself, and gives the wearer power over all demons and spirits. It is a golden ring, set
with a blazing ruby in the shape of a pentagram. It is extremely powerful, but also
dangerous since it is easy for the wearer to summon far too powerful and devious spirits
to him. The devil Asmodeus fooled (according to the legend) Solomon to take it off, and
then the spirit stole it, took the king's shape and throne and threw him out in the desert. It
took the king over 13 years to retake his throne and imprison Asmodeus.
Spirit 4: Imprisonment. The wearer can imprison a spirit in an material object, like a flask
or a stone.
Spirit 3: Command. The wearer can give a command to a spirit present, and it will be
forced to obey it (at least to the letter) as long as the wearer wears the ring.
Spirit 2: Summon. The wearer can summon any spirit to his presence by naming it and
ordering it to appear.
Spirit 1: Sprit Sight. The wearer will always see any spirits in the vicinity in their true
form, regardless of how they try to hide.

Talisman of the Beast

Level three talisman
This is simply a piece of dried bear hide, with a simple symbol painted using a mixture of
blood and cinnabar on one side. It is worn around the neck in a thin leather strap. The
wearer is now protected from all wild beasts, who will avoid him or ignore him as long as
he ignores them. It even works against Werewolves, who are unable to do anything
against the mage as long as he doesn't acknowledge them or their actions.
[ The talisman makes all wild beasts ignore the mage or see him as a natural feature.
Garou have to overcome the Arete of the mage with their Gnosis to act against him in any
way. ]

Shade Crystal
Description
Lost in the mists of antiquity, these items are fairly rare. It is said that only thirty of them
exist and the methods for creating new ones are forever lost. They are black crystals of
extreme hardness and they are flat and unreflective. Often they are found with a silver
chain and cage arrangement but others are found alone. The gems have a sort of runic
language that is cut into them that is undecipherable. Hermetic mages believe them to be
of Egyptian manufacture but some also posit that they might be Sumerian.
Shade crystals have an unusual ability. When worn over the heart that ability can be
called into effect. A mage spends a point of his own personalQquintessence (no tass) and
the Shade Crystal will massively amplify his ability to be Arcane. In effect, the
expenditure of Quintessence causes the mage's rating in Arcane to jump to 5 for one full
day and one full night. The Crystal does not require that the mage have Prime 3 to
channel Quintessence into it but it also does not have its own store of Quintessence on
which to draw. Hermetics theorize that its power derives from some powerful, and
partially natural, resonance effect. All that is required of the mage is a point of his Avatar
Quintessence and concentration for a full minute. Even those who do not have Arcane
can benefit from the power of the Shade Crystal.
The user effectively ceases to exist for a day. Those who have close emotional ties to the
user will not forget her but if they are out of sight they will cease thinking about her at
all. The user does not become invisible but she becomes so unobtrusive that she might as
well be. Antagonists that are shooting at anything that moves will note movement in their
line of sight but otherwise may not notice the mage.
To people other than those who are close to the mage the mage effectively ceases to exist.
Phone numbers become lost, computer files become corrupted, hard copy files get coffee
spilled on them, sneaking into the movies or the subway become easy as pie. Obfuscated
vampires will notice something go by . . . maybe and vampires with high auspex might
notice you if they happen to be looking.
Continued use of this article causes the mage to unwittingly leave his life behind if he's
not careful. If used for more than four days running those with close ties will forget they
knew you at all or even convince themselves that you are dead or lost in a paradox realm
somewhere. Arch-enemies will get on with their lives. Witch hunters will be confused.
Your parents and your children will rearrange their personal histories and all traces of
your identity will erase themselves. You may even come home to discover that someone
is selling your house. If you aren't prepared for this it could drive you into a seriously
deep Quiet.
It is also known that mummies are capable of using these items and power them with
Sekhem and in fact use them to leave lives behind them on occasion. It is rumored that
they are the creators of these items but that even they have forgotten how to make more.
Considering the nature of the Shade Crystals, this is not all that unusual.

Spawn of Draupnir (Level 2)

One of the most prized possessions of Odin was the ring Draupnir, which every ninth
night spawned eight similar rings. Some of these rings also had the power of
multiplication, and a few seems to have been accidentally given to humans (or stolen).
These rings look like a heavy Viking ring of pure gold, artfully ornamented into three
dragonsnakes braiding together and biting their tails. If left alone, it will spawn eight
similar rings every ninth night. It was originally made by the dwarves, and no dwarf can
resist any chance of getting the ring, by whatever means.

The Purse of Tommy (Talisman 2)

This is an apparently quite normal purse, filled with the usual money, plastic cards, old
notes and fluff. However, if one digs deep enough (its much deeper on the inside than the
outside), one can find tickets to movies and rock-concerts. Some of them are several
years in the future, or aren't even planned yet! Needless to say, this is a highly prized
among the Cultists.

Prime Bombs
These are to Prime what nuclear weapons are to Matter and Forces. Technically, they
contain Technomantic devices capable of disrupting the Grand Unified Field (also known
as Prime to the lesser enlightened mages). They release a intense burst of Prime,
disrupting any nearby patterns and releasing their Prime too. This process effectively
destroys an area completely, and could in theory destroy the whole of reality. Fortunately,
the pattern-converting effect does spread far in most normal areas.
From the central destruction, a wave of Quintessence radiate outwards, disrupting
patterns, Living beings suddenly overload with Prime, Quintessence suddenly manifest as
destructive patterns (like explosions, sudden material failures, dangerous forces, dreams
coming true, dimensions shifting and spirits manifesting). The most destructive effect of
the Prime Bomb is however its effects on nodes and ley lines. As they overload, they may
shift or even suffer catastrophic effects as their Prime also begins to manifest. These
effects may spread as a chain reaction far away from the original blast site.
The technocracy does never use these nasties anywhere on Earth without very good
reasons, and not even then they dare use them nearby any sleepers. They know that these
bombs could easily destroy their reality if somebody saw their effects. And if they fell in
the wrong hands... So far, they have only been tested once on Earth, in Tunguska, Siberia
1912. Even that little trial detonation was enough to convince the Technocracy to keep
the Prime Bombs under lock and key. They are more protected than the nuclear arsenals
of any normal nation. Probably only the leaders of the Technocracy have the authority to
order one of these weapons to be used.
A more devious weapon is the Prime Overload. Using their vast resources of prime, the
technocracy can direct it at a certain point, temporarily creating a "super-node". By
swiftly oscilliating the amount of prime, they create a kind of resonance. This "super-
node" will disrupt normal Prime-fields locally, especially nodes. The effect is often quite
invisible to anybody without Prime except to those inside the super-node, who will feel a
strange tingling sensation. This area can be quite small, and Iteration X has designed
man-portable primal projectors, which can disrupt pattern magick.

Omega 14
Description
This painting, created in 1936 by the Norwegian artist Bengt Mölle, is one of the more
unusual paintings in the world. The eccentric Mölle sought to capture the image of the
Unknown, and usually tried to create under the influence of strong drugs and teosophic
rituals. However, in the case of Omega 14, it was based on an intense dream he
experienced after having painted and discarded 13 other paintings the same day, going to
bed dead tired and quite drunk.
In the dream he saw a great, lifeless plain, and on that plain an object that was both a
palace, a being and a symbol and at the same time neither. The great object loomed over
him and the rest of reality, filled with unknown power.
The next morning he created his painting; in a matter of minutes he had drawn the basics,
and spent the next month perfecting it. During this time he only dreamt about Omega, as
he called it, seeking a way into its secrets. Using his painting as a map he eventually
found a way into Omega -- and vanished forever. The painting was sold from his estate
when he was eventually declared dead; the police never found any clue to his
disappearance, although they suspected suicide.
Actually, Omega 14 is a manifestation from the deep Universal Subconscious, a kind of
entity far beyond our reality that reacted to the artistic probings of Mölle and gradually
followed them into the physical world. Unfortunately, the artist's obsession and the
unknown entity's inexperience with physical existence trapped it in the painting; as a kind
of desperate escape attempt it drew in Mölle into itself, into the painting. His Avatar is
now trapped inside Omega and the painting, both struggling to get out.
To most viewers Omega 14 is a impressive surrealist painting, not that different from
some of the more dissolved creations of Dali but quite compelling. The contrast between
the dry, parched landscape in the foreground and the huge, bluish-red-green thing in the
background is pleasing and suitably disturbing. But the picture actually changes over
time. The dark, dry clouds slowly drift over the painting over the span of weeks, and
parts of Omega moves when nobody is looking. Mages and sensitive beings usually feel
the presence of somebody or something when near the painting, but it indistinct and often
mistaken for other presences.
To truly come to life the painting needs quintessence, and it will siphon it from the
surroundings if free quintessence ever becomes available, such as the painting being
placed near a node or touched by a mage. The Avatar of Mölle desperately seeks to
escape and unfold again, enmeshed within Omega. One way would be to fuel the painting
with enough quintessence; the trapped entity would be able to manifest physically.
Unfortunately this would require huge amounts of quintessence, and would cause a major
paradox storm.
Mages can also enter the painting, using Mind or Spirit. Omega seeks contact with the
Universal Subconscious again, and might lure others into its world. From the inside the
painting is vast, although largely a wasteland of windswept, dry clay and foreboding
clouds. The only life is Omega, an immense baroque building-god. It cannot
communicate, and the mind of Mölle is long since destroyed, but the Avatar may speak
with the Avatars of mages, giving them hints, visions or strange coincidences.
It is unwise to enter into Omega, since the being cannot resist the lure of absorbing
another person in a desperate attempt to find a way into the subconscious (which it thus
closes for itself). Just touching the substance of the being is safe, but also floods the mind
of the toucher with visions ripped from the universal subconscious, Mölle and countless
viewers of the painting; this makes even the most serious Quiet look tame. At the same
time it may give some hints of the true story of Omega.

Mobius Ring
Level three talisman
This is a simple ring, consisting of a single band of gold twisted a half-turn before joining
itself. If the wearer twists it on his finger, he will immediately (and vulgarly) vanish into
a kind of pocket dimension, a kind of Correspondence Paradox realm. Everything is as
before, but its own mirror image and without any other people. Another twist of the ring,
and the wearer is back in reality again. The ring unfortunately has a drawback -- when
used too often the mage begins to slip between the worlds more and more, even when he
doesn't want to, and finally ends up completely imprisoned within the realm when the
ring suddenly shifts without him.

Mirror of Shades (Spirit 1)

This is a blackish-grey mirror made of old glass. It's rather unreflective, and things
reflected in it will appear as indistinct shadows. But spirits will appear clearly. It is both a
window out in the near Umbra, and into, so the spirits can see the real world in the mirror
(but not spirits).
The Ink of Truthfulness
Level two talisman
This kind of ink is usually kept in specially sealed flasks, covered with elaborate symbols
of truth, justice and honesty. Any contract written and signed in this ink will instantly
catch fire if one of the parts breaks his obligations. If special curses or threats are invoked
in the text, they will come true (within reason, the ink is only able to cause random
coincidental effects like Entropy 2). The ink will also react similarly when used to write
testimonies or descriptions.

Fekdodap
Level two talisman
This musical instrument was originally devised by mages living in the Shard Realm of
Mind, and a few of these have appeared on Earth. The fekdodap is a bizarre contraption,
looking like a combination of a harp and a saxophone; it is covered with buttons and
strings, and the player blows through a mouthpiece formed like a snakes-head. The sound
is equally bizarre, the weird harmonies are not unpleasant, but make most listeners
uneasy. The real reason is that the instrument actually empowers the imagination, and can
make listeners experience remote places and times, scenes from the deep umbra and their
own subconscious if the listener is sufficiently relaxed or unaware (it greatly enhances
dreaming if played to sleeping people, and its effects on LSD trips is beyond belief).

Cracked Mirror
Level one talisman
This little talisman looks just like a cracked hand mirror with a golden frame (somewhat
tarnished). Anything seen through it will appear aged, dirty or damaged and the mage
will appear as a rotting corpse. Through the cracks and distorted reflections glimpses of
the Shadowlands and their inhabitants can be seen, and Wraiths are able to peer through it
into the lands of the living.
[The first time someone uses the mirror, he has to succeed at a willpower roll of difficulty
4 to stand the image of himself (this should be adjusted by personality, of course). Only
one success is needed]

Bolverk (Level 2)
This is an old Viking sword, with a dull and dark finish which won't go away regardless
of any attempts of polishing it. When it is drawn from its scabbard it emits a hissing
noise, like a snake. Its name means "Bringer of pain/evil", which is also one of the titles
of Odin. According to the myth, the sword was forged on the autumn solstice by a priest
of Odin, who had turned to the dark aspect of his god. It was later wielded by the
infamous Ingjald Two-Tongue, and was reputedly buried with him. But it has reappeared
since then, according to the legend wielded by the Wraith of the cruel Ingjald. Besides
being eternally sharp, regardless of how dull it looks it has the nasty effect of causing
excruciating pain from any wounds. There are also rumours that it actually seeks contact
with living flesh to cause more pain, and will cut through the skin of anybody touching it
carelessly just to cause pain.
[ A Matter 1 effect keeps it eternally sharp. A Life/Mind effect doubles all wound
penalties made by the sword, and bruised is at -1. ]
The Blade Called Loss
Level Five Talisman
Arete
5

Quintessence
25

Spheres
Mind 5, Time 2, Prime 2

Description
The Blade appears to be a butcher's boning knife, about 6" long. It has a cracked, wooden
handle and a blade made from dark, rusted iron. It nevertheless gives an impression of
extreme sharpness. Closer inspection reveals that the rust does not actually pit the iron,
but in fact floats just above its surface, drifting very slowly in obscure patterns.
The Blade was created by a Marauder named Lyle Menson. Lyle was a metallurgist, a
man without a trace of Magick or even imagination until his Avatar was traumatically
activated late in life. Lyle's Awakening and madness both began when his wife was killed
by a drunk driver. He sank into a deep depression which progressed to a violent
schizophrenia when the judge, a closet alcoholic himself, found the driver innocent of all
but the most minor of the charges against him. Lyle was visited by a being he believed to
be the spirit of his wife that told him how to escape his pain. This was his Avatar, which
directed him to forge the Blade from all the physical reminders of his loss. His wife's
clothing, photographs, books, and other belongings fueled the fire he set in his living
room. Her jewelry, gardening tools, and picture frames were melted in the cauldron.
When he was done, there was no trace left of their life together -- or of the apartment
building they had lived in. The man who killed his wife was the knife's first victim, of
course, but there have been many others since.
In most respects the Blade acts as a mundane knife, in spite of its unusual composition.
On inanimate objects it is no better than any kitchen knife. Its true nature is revealed
when it is used as a weapon. It cannot physically cut a living being, but instead passes
through flesh leaving no visible mark. Every such use invokes a powerful Mind/Time
rote, however. The victim is convinced that the affected part of the body has been
severely wounded, and that the wound in fact occurred in the far past. A cut hand appears
to the victim to have been long amputated, and in fact he will have detailed and painful
memories of the childhood accident that caused it. A cut to the eyes will leave him
certain that he is blind, possibly from birth. In all cases, it will be nearly impossible to
convince him that the affected part is actually whole as the memory of a lifetime of pain
and disability will be powerful and thoroughly compelling. A fatal injury from the Blade
will leave its victim in a coma, believing that he is dead. These effects must be
considered vulgar if there is an observer.
The Blade can be used as a normal Talisman as well, though all of its effects, however
intended, end up causing both caster and recipient pain of some sort. Any Mage finding
the Blade should be aware of its other drawback. Although Lyle often drops his weapon
in a fit of remorse, he always comes seeking it sooner or later.
Dragon Pearl
According to legend, it was their shining magickal pearls that gave Chinese dragons their
power; their whole existence was concentrated into these pearls. According to some
stories, knowledgeable dragons could remove their pearl and become human, but if they
lost the pearl they remained human.Later generations of mages have learned their secret:
these fabulously rare objects are portable nodes, sources of raw energy. The dragons are
the manifestation of power, the pearls are the power.
Many Chinese stories tell how dragon pearls could bring abundance; if one was placed in
a urn with a little rice the next morning the urn would be filled to the brim - and the same
thing went for money. Actually, this was due to the flow of Quintessence from the pearl
that manifested as Tass and bountiful patterns.
But the greatest and most dangerous power of the dragon pearl is that it can transform a
human into a dragon if swallowed, at least according to the myths. The transformation is
quite painful, the person feels a burning sensation and a horrible thirst that forces him to
seek out water to slake his thirst. As he drinks, he will grow to tremendous size and turn
into a dragon.