Instruments of Mass Destruction

Overview

The Instruments of Mass Destruction are a set of instruments created by Lucius ‘Truth’, the Uranium Spyglass, of the Independent Preternatural Legion, which include the Tin Fiddle, Iron Timbrel, Lead Lyre, Gold Clarinet, Silver Viola, Platinum Cello, and the unfinished Nickel Piccolo. All of the instruments are one-of-a-kind, though it is theorized that Lucius intended to create more, perhaps even as many as one per metal in the Periodic Table. After his initial escape, his quarters were searched, and enciphered plans were found that detailed several other instruments, from a ‘Tungsten Triangle’ that would have been used to ‘call workers to their shifts’, to an ‘Osmium Saxophone’ with the ability to ‘relieve all stress and improve efficiency’, and a ‘Cobalt Flute’, whose sound would ‘be the perfect way to catch whistleblowers’. Several partially burned notes also point to Lucius trying to create instruments from radioactive metals, such as his namesake uranium, radium, and even plutonium, but he theorized that such instruments would be both too powerful and too dangerous to use effectively, for whatever purpose the Spyglass had in mind.

History

In the Hands of the Legion

Lucius ‘Truth’ was a renowned metalsmith and one of the Legion’s foremost weapon-makers. From Clockworks’ pole-arm, to Holiday’s cavalry saber, and Aurorae’s crossbow, the Uranium Spyglass has created many metal pieces of warfare. But he is arguably most famous, and infamous, for his creation of the Tin Fiddle, Iron Timbrel, and Lead Lyre, the first of the Instruments of Mass Destruction.
These three instruments were created sometime around 1994, and were first used by Lucius himself in the Battle for the Emperor Seamounts, a partly marine, partly submarine, partly aerial engagement between the Legion, the International Paranatural Council, and the Chatter & Melody Society on one side, and Japanese pirates, renegade members of the Inter-Cultural League, and suspected former members of the Shooting Star Division for control of the Emperor Seamount Chain and the supernatural █████████ contained within.
Lucius first used the Tin Fiddle to begin disassembling the pirate ship ラッキーシャーク {Rakkīshāku, Lucky Shark}, consequently causing the crew to scuttle it, by playing Camptown Races. This song also caused the disassembled parts of the ship to form the shape of hammerhead sharks, which animated and began ramming the ship.
Later on during the battle, Lucius used the Iron Timbrel to heat the metal deck of the IPS Lake Baikal, a former IPC ship that was captured by renegade ICL members three months prior. This subsequently caused the on-board ammo depot to explode, and the Baikal’s incendiary ammunition began an on-board fire that would ultimately sink the ship.
Lucius lastly used the Lead Lyre near the very end of the battle to force the Gatling gun being used by the crew of the クイックキャット {Kuikkukyatto, Quick Cat} to suddenly spin around and begin firing into the enemy crew. It was later determined that the gun had killed fourteen enemy pirates.
After the Battle for the Emperor Seamounts, which was a joint Legion-Society-Council victory, the then-Commandant of the Eastern Division of the Legion, Ishihara Mikumo, the Zirconium Binoculars, confiscated the instruments and put Lucius under strict orders to not create any more unless he got permission from at least one commandant and one senior R&D administrator. Lucius didn’t follow these orders, going on to create the Gold Clarinet, a vector for ‘Mass Production’, and the Platinum Cello, a vector of both ‘Standardization’ and, unintentionally, ‘Melody-Harmony’ {but let’s be real, with a guy making so many supernatural instruments, I’m surprised that the Songbird hadn’t already done one up}. He was caught by Echo Princess {previous to her becoming a liaison} in the process of creating the Silver Viola, and subsequently court-martialed. He was sentenced to one year imprisonment, three years probation, and demoted from senior weapon-maker to junior metalsmith.
Lucius, with injured pride and a new desperation to create, turned from his lifelong devotion to the Industry to the Songbird, giving up his voice and one eye’s sight to escape from his imprisonment to the Great Congregation of the Tune with copies of his plans and all six extant instruments, including the incomplete Silver Viola. He would consequently go on to finish the Viola and begin the creation of the Nickel Piccolo.

In Unknown Hands

Lucius’ escape and theft was discovered very swiftly, and the Legion, with help from the Society, the Council, the League, and the Temple of the Cogs and Gears {the biggest and most organized following of the Industry} found and captured the Uranium Spyglass. However, they only recovered three of the six finished instruments, alongside the incomplete Nickel Piccolo. Though the Tin Fiddle, Iron Timbrel, and Lead Lyre were captured, the Silver Viola, Gold Clarinet, and Platinum Cello were still at large. With Lucius unable to speak and unwilling to tell the Legion where they were, a great hunt for these Instruments of Mass Destruction began.
Eventually, the Gold Clarinet was found when a SSPCA {Supernatural Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals} raid on a suspected Garden Pest breeding facility in 2001 discovered that the Clarinet had been claimed by members of the False Church and was being used to promote the growth of the Garden Pests. The SSPCA returned the Clarinet to the Legion, which has safely stored it away.
Later on, in 2010, rumors of a metallic viola that could make machines run smoother began spreading through Chicago. Subsequently, the local Branch of the Chatter & Melody Society began an investigation that ended up discovering the Silver Viola; however, the instrument was lost in the following skirmish with suspected splinter members of the Great Church of the Serpents.
The Platinum Cello remains unfound as well, but rumors of a ‘musician with a tarnished metal cello who can play both a melody and a harmony at the same time’ occasionally pop up in Canadian supernatural circles, most often associated with a band called ‘Land’s End’.

Item type

Musical Instrument

Creation Date

Unknown date around 1994

Owning Organization

Independent Preternatural Legion

Rarity

One-of-a-kind

Raw materials & Components

Each instrument is completely made of their namesake metal, and supernatural means were used to shape the metal into having the right properties, such as in the case of the Tin Fiddle, where the strings, despite being metal, are always perfectly tuned.

Tools

Lucius used many tools to form the instruments: from simple chisels and hammers and blowtorches to more supernatural means, like salamander-fire forges and alicanto-feather turning forks and ████████.