Spirit Lamp

The Spirit Lamp, frequently called the Magic Lamp, is an elegant device of mysterious origin and design, crafted from brass and standing nearly the height of a child. With it, an operator is able to manifest a spectral apparition of an individual or individuals for a short time.
Externally, its brass work is adorned with cryptic etchings, an array of dials, levers, and winding gears of complex inner mechanisms. The frame houses multiple glass tanks and clockwork apparatuses, each meticulously positioned to support the lamp’s unsettling function. Inside, two crystal-cut wicks protrude from cylindrical stones of volcanic origin. One wick is vibrant orange arcanite, and the other is a sallow yellow crystal. When ignited, these flames take on a spectral quality: one burns with a pale yellow light of the mischievous will-o'-wisp, while the other glows a ghostly pale blue of the mournful phantom flame. Together, they cast an eerie, otherworldly light.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

To activate the Spirit Lamp, a blood sample from an intended subject is drawn and sealed upon a glass lens. This lens is then inserted through a slot, guided by winding gears to a small chamber just behind one of the lamp’s external apertures. A spindle allows up to 16 such lenses to be added simultaneously, rotating the slot from chamber to chamber. With a lever, the samples is locked in place, securing it for the lamp’s arcane processes.
Once the device is switched on, the yellow flame ignites, releasing a faint, acrid fume as it consumes the essence from the blood samples. Measured by the ticking of gears, the process continues until the sample is fully absorbed, after which the lenses are ejected, now clear and empty.
At this point, a second mechanism activates, releasing a pressurized gas into the lamp’s chamber. As the gas meets the yellow flame, it transforms the light into a diffused, spectral glow. Moments later, the blue flame ignites, intensifying the effect, and casting a ghostly illumination around the lamp. The shadows retreat, as if in deference, while the blue flame takes over, saturating the surroundings in spectral light.
As the lamp reaches full luminance, an hourglass dispenses a fine ochre dust into a millstone within the chamber. The ground powder drops into the chamber, sparkling as it ignites on contact with the spectral flames and manifesting translucent appartitions of the targets, each a fully conscious mirage, visible only to those within the lamp’s eerie glow.
To onlookers, these apparitions appear as cognizant shades of the individual, fully aware of their surroundings and capable of communicating. The apparitions may interact with the spectators, who enter a trance-like state, staring with glassy eyes and open mouths as if spellbound by the vision. Though the spectators appear almost paralyzed, they are, in fact, locked in deep engagement with the conjured image.

History

The Spirit Lamp’s origin is believed to trace back to lost necromantic artificers, whose techniques allowed communion with the dead through artifice. Legends tell of each Spirit Lamp being attuned to its maker, bearing fragments of its creator’s soul.

Significance

The Spirit Lamp has historically been employed by mystics, necromancers, and those who seek communion with the dead. By recreating a conscious apparition of the deceased, the Spirit Lamp allows for final conversations, interrogations, or last farewells. However, the lamp’s process is taxing on both users and viewers. Given the apparition’s full awareness, it may reveal hidden truths or long-buried grudges, unsettling all who bear witness.
Moreover, the Spirit Lamp has lasting effects on those who observe its illusions. Many experience residual melancholy, disturbed dreams, or faint whispers long after witnessing an apparition. Prolonged exposure has been known to induce psychological effects, including dreams, residual sadness, and auditory hallucinations.

Rarity

Such lamps occasionally surface in ancient vaults, abandoned temples of the Undercity, or in the possession of secretive cults. Kings and nobles have sought the Spirit Lamp to contact departed loved ones or to consult long-dead sages.