Bronze Tablet

Entry for collab chapter secret prompt:
Seemingly useless item with a hidden functionality

Origin of the Tablet

It was Furor, who gathered the Acolytes all around his spacious desk, having previously announced that he was working on an important item for the mission. I was sure that no matter what this imposing person was brewing up, it would certainly not help with the issue his wife, Videns, caused me. But I remained patient as I always did. This group was after all the only one who desired to keep a Taken alive, even if only to get me set up against this obnoxious General Field Marshal, who may or may not be my real dad.
As we all finally stood around Furor's desk spotted I a nearly gentle smile on the human's face. A smidge of pride chiselled itself into his grimace as he took a package of thin, barely fist-sized, bronze plates out of his drawer and dealt them out like cards, one to each member of this group I got stuck with. I grabbed mine and inspected it. It was a plain plate with a circle etched into it.
Around the circle appear to be numerous personalized symbols, all having something to do with my role or my brief history within the Acolytes. It was a work of art! A fancy member card?


"I see you all admire my handiwork. I etched them myself.
Just so much, team. We will not always be operating in the same city, not even the same country, maybe even on different continents. This plate! These cards will keep us together. How? Who am I to spoil all the fun in advance? Just keep them with you at all costs. Understood!?"

The bronze tablet is quite indistinguishably looking item of unknown value. Most if not all people on the entirety of Prius would simply view it as a fancy hand-etched playing card, probably part of a larger set. A member card of an elusive gentleman's club? No, it seemingly serves no purpose besides identification.


And even in that part, it fails to meet expectations. Micor Havenborn tried to use this card on numerous occasions to find out who his group may be allied to. But none even recognized the card for what it seemed to try to be. Identification. But Micor did keep the card close regardless, his options were limited after all. It was only after a few months of carrying out missions for the Acolytes, that the card showed its true purpose to Micor.

Purpose of the Tablet

I messed up. Too much. I can't control my corruption anymore. Once again my mushy brain overreacted and now lays our target unconscious ... I hope he was unconscious ... dead? Yes, deceased. My magic took a short process of him. And once again was I not in control. I can't do this anymore. I couldn't work alone anymore. I was a danger for everything, even my only goal back to my old life.
I stopped in my thoughts and began to listen. The house was awake and alerted. And I was on the second floor, with no way to vanish. I was done for. Then I remembered a different token our leader provided me with. A small button weaved into my jacket. A button I could press to alert Furor. What did he say? I rummaged through my scrambled brain, hoping the parasite in my soul didn't cause there as well a memory leak. The steps came closer, and then I remembered. Pull out the card and press the button. Point the etched part away from you. Sweat ran down my frills as I followed the instructions, the people from below now banging against the door. What happened next happened so fast, that I couldn't even comprehend it. As I pressed the button the plate in my hand began to vibrate and the tip of Furor's portal staff appeared on the side aimed away from me. After a quick blast of the gun at the nearby wall, the staff vanished, and a big portal opened on the shot wall, Furor standing behind it, his ernest scowl judging me vehemently. I swallowed down the words forming in my throat and stepped through the portal, leaving behind consequences and yet another corpse on my growing list of casualties.


"Another path closed up. Can't say I am surprised. Say, Micor.
Why don't you take some time off, and sort that messed up brain of yours up. I have to come up with a different plan to get the item we require for phase 3."


As I attempted to go to my chambers, my brain worm fuming in a cocktail of many emotions, at risk of overflowing again, I heard Furor's voice again, now softer, slightly compassionate even.


"I am sorry, Micor. I didn't expect that this ... man ... could bellow up so much anger in you. No more interrogations. Promise!"

Micor's card by Soulwing98

Item type

Miscellaneous

Creation Date

First batch created in 4998 AS

Weight

50 g

Dimensions

7 x 12 cm

A forgotten technique

Mirror mages, like Furor Opilio, have a clear set of abilities many know about. They can keep one set of portals up and have to draw both exits manually. This can be circumvented with a portal staff adding reach. Once a second set is drawn, the first portal will collapse.


But Furor is way more than just a mirror mage. Being an acolyte of Speclux, she bestowed on him the maybe most difficult-to-achieve trick in the skillset of portal magic. So difficult even, that the lecture books of the Arcane Arcanum only mention it in a footnote as a myth.

(...) The ability to banish one exit of a portal onto an item permanently has been used throughout history but hasn't been achieved once since the creation of the comprehendum.

But Furor got gifted with just this one mysterious and barely categorized ability. An ability he used to ensure his allies with his aid. The bronze plate has a specific pattern etched into it, one he has memorized inside his hand. The plate acts as a remote exit to the drawn portal in his arm's reach, extending his influence all the way to his ally. He uses the small, portable, portal to then launch a bigger portal through it, closing the connection in the moment the new portal takes its place. A quick and clean escape without any traces.
A tactic he and his wife used many times in their time as the timeless thieves.