Artifacts

"While I could enchant your sword, that wouldn't make it an artifact. That takes time, and a really good story. My enchantment would wear off at dawn - an artifact lasts as long as a god." - Arvandus, court Wizard of Creoda.

Artifacts are the magical items found in the world of the Great Ring. They have many forms and powers, and their origins are as varied as they are. But fundamentally, all artifacts are they same - they are an object that has been imbued with their own Eidolon and Pneuma, and are living out their own story in the world. In some of the most important ways, artifacts are as alive as any other creature in the world.

The Origins of Artifacts

Artifacts are ultimately a product of the Egregoric Force, the power of collective belief. They start out as common objects, with an echo in the Dream and invested with no more spiritual energy than any other item. It is when they become the focus of a story that everything changes.

There are many ways that an object can become attached to a story. It may be involved in an important or memorable event, or be the possession of a famous person. Often, it is associated with another story or narrative tradition. Many artifacts are created by gods, who are born of story themselves and can incorporate an object into the tales told about them. Others are produced by Folk Magic, the traditions of Magic empowered by the Egregoric Force. And some are brought directly out of the Dream by Dreamwalkers, having no physical existence before they were pulled from their story and into the material world.

Powers and Permanence

Artifacts all have powers beyond those of the objects they resemble, and these can vary greatly from one item to the next. They are always connected to their stories, and follow the laws of those stories more readily than the laws of physics. If you attempt to use an artifact in a way that contradicts its storyline, it will most likely fail to work, and may even vanish entirely and reappear somewhere else that is more suited to it.

Artifacts don't last forever, but they can last a very long time. Unique artifacts will persist as long as stories about them are told and retold, and disappear when they are forgotten. Artifacts that are not unique, like the Brownie Candle will usually have a condition where it ceases to function. Sometimes this is related to a number of uses, or it can be connected to the region where it was produced. Many artifacts that are created by Folk Magic will not function outside the areas where their magical tradition is dominant.

Cursed Artifacts

Not all stories are good ones, and objects can easily be the subject of bad tale as a good one. Items that were involved in tragedies or atrocities can frequently acquire a bad reputation. Stories about it accumulate, and in time the object becomes a cursed artifact.

These objects are dangerous and alluring. People seem to keep picking them up, despite all warnings to the contrary, and their fates serve to reinforce the stories empowering the object. Cursed artifacts can be as varied as any other kind, although dolls seem to be particularly prone to this phenomenon.

Like other artifacts, those that carry curses will try to carry out their role in the story. This is usually very bad for other people who are around.

Living Objects?

As mentioned above, Artifacts can be considered to be alive in some important ways. Like all thinking creatures, they have Eidolons of their own, rather than echoes created by the thoughts of others. While they are not usually sapient in the same way as people, they have a sense of identity and purpose, and try to carry out the role their story assigned to them.

Likewise, they have their own Pneuma in the Spirit Realm. Most object do have an accumulation of spiritual energy, but artifacts have resonance and connections in the same way that creatures do. They can form associations and relationships on a spiritual level - for good or ill. In a metaphysical sense, artifacts are much more like creatures than objects.

What about Alchemy?

The metaphysical art of Alchemy does not produce artifacts. Those formula are a form of True Magic, where the alchemist uses Orichalcum and Leechleaf Juice to manipulate the power of the Spirit Realm and create the final product. Alchemical formulae require no support from the Egregoric Force, and are much more predictable than artifacts as a consequence. You can read more about Alchemy here.

Out of the Dream

Some artifacts are brought directly out of the Dream by those who travel that strange realm. This is always a tricky proposition. When an object is taken out of its story and into the Physical Realm, the story doesn't let go of it. Instead, the object can drag parts of its story along and create an Invasive Narrative. The Fai Tala are the masters of pulling objects from the Dream and into the world, and claim that while some things can be safely plucked from a story (like a single flower from a field), it is never advisable to bring out a unique item, unless you want to be playing out its story instead of your own. You can read more about the Fai Tala and Invasive Narratives here.

Some of the Artifacts in the Great Ring