More than a year ago I wrote a post about weapons as an attempt to explore and expand the dark depths of the implied setting of Amongst the Ruins. Some time after, I wrote another post about objects of care and the way the various peoples of the setting look after each other and themselves. This post, in which I provide a glimpse into the protective nature of various elements in the setting, is the thirst and last post in this cycle of sorts. Writing lists is fine and dandy, and it can be very stimulating at times, but this is not how a world is built. There is only some much one can hint at without actually taking the time to sit down and come up with a reasoned (hi)story of what all of these names are and where they come from. But first, some considerations:
- The weight of protection. Generally speaking, an item takes up 1 slot for every 1 Defense it provides. The tag Light means that the item takes up one less slot than it normally would. If no Defense is provided and no slots are listed, assume that the item is free to carry.
- A fine line. Some of the elements on this list do feel as if they belong in the objects of care post. I would say that that is intentional, but the truth is that I simply don't know where to draw the line sometimes. After all, protection is a form of care, and the opposite is also true.
- Somewhere, someone. Many of these items will rarely, if ever, be accessible to players through conventional means. It is very unlikely that a player ever becomes a Custodes in La Castra's ranks, or that they become a Censor for the Inquisition. And I find that quite stimulating.
Now, it is time for you to bear witness...
1d20 Elements of Protection
1. Scarlet Battle-Corset. Reinforced with duraluminum rods to offer a modicum of protection. A blood-red blooming rose with a myriad bleeding thorns has been sewn on the chest. Worn by war weavers and pattern seekers while recording La Castra's deeds. +1 Defense, Light, +1 Fast Inventory (only sewing utensils).
2. Koyaanis Cape. Silk-light, ivory coloured, typically worn over the shoulders. Made with the ossein extracted from the Argosian Caverns, this fabric is highly resistant to cuts and punctures. +1 Defense, Light, can be worn over your clothes or other pieces of armor.
3. Rat Hide Vest. Crafted by the Rat-Catchers' skin workers of Cradle Dark. Patches of unsuccessfully dehaired fur still cling to the vest. +1 Defense, +2 Presence with sewer rodents, becomes a useless piece of dangling skin when wet.
4. Discarded Tucura Shell. Torn from the insectile aberrations that proliferated during the Koyaanis Crisis. Tied to your arm by strings of dried tendons and wasted muscle tissue. +3 Defense, -3 Movement. If you fail a Defense test, you can crack the shell to reduce the damage by 1d6 and the shell's Defense by 1. If you do, suffer 1 stress as pleads for mercy pierce your mind.
5. Mask of the Saint. A stoic countenance on a mirror of gold. Worn by the Forgivers of the Redemptio Inquisitoria. +4 Pietas. Aggressors must pass a Presence test to successfully attack the wearer or start weeping in awe and suffer 1 stress. If the wearer ever harms another creature, the mask melts into an agony warped visage, causing 1d6 Vitality damage.
6. Dead Man's Garb. Pristine white and practical. Blood stains become immediately apparent. Worn by the Saffronists working the treacherous Blood Fields in Heilwald. +4 vs Bleeding against crimson lashes when clean. Must be worn directly over the skin.
7. Song of the Wandering Shepherd. Or Song of the Empty Hands. Believed to have been sung by the Herdless Shepherd during the Times of Trouble. Sung around Asturan Fire Circles as a reminder of the idiocy of clan wars. Anyone hearing this song must pass a Presence test to rise in arms against the singer. If the singer incurs into unprovoked aggression, the tune turns forever sour in their tongue. 1 Memory.
8. Noctomo Cloak. Thin and light like a wisp of willowing smoke. Made with the outermost layer of an Ictian nightfiend's hide. To wear the cloak is to be swallowed by night. +2 Defense & Stealth in the shadows. If you remain completely still in any amount of shadow, you become undetectable. When you suffer 6+ damage from a single hit, the cloak is irrevocably torn. 1 slot.
9. Dust Mask. Thick and coarse, made with dried corn hursk fibers and threads of discarded Tusan silk. Worn over the face and mouth, the poor wretches in the Koyaanis ossein factory rely on these to stave off lung decay. +2 vs inhale, muffles words and coughing sounds.
10. Nihilite Sigil. An eerily smooth, round medallion made of pure nihilite with the Inquisition Key carefully carved on its uncanny surface. Worn by Censors hunting unsanctioned Strega. +4 vs Ruinous Powers, -1 Manifestation die. Allows the channeling of the Void Between.
11. Amarok Mane. The thick pelt of a noble amarok wolf with the fur still intact. Worn as status symbol among the silent hunters of the Borean Wastes, the mane provides much sought after heat and anonymity in the frozen wastes of Parma, as well as protection against most predators. +4 Defense vs tooth and claw, +2 Stealth in snow, keeps you warm.
12. Murus. A Custodes' core creed. Plant your feet on the ground and stand impassable as the city walls. You cannot be moved against your will for as long as you stand still. +1 Defense to adjacent allies. 1 Memory slot.
13. Barkbraces. Sturdy and flexible, wide enough to fit your arms through. Made with the discarded roots of the gigavines in the Frisian Colonies. +1 Defense. When attacked by a beast, you can let them tear your vambraces to negate a bite attack.
14. Black Justacorps. Pitch-black, seems to swallow light. The Key of the Inquisition is embroidered in the lining in golden thread. +1 Fast Inventory, +1 Stealth in the shadows. +4 Presence vs sinners and laypeople after showing the Key. Wearing the Justacorps without the proper Sanction is considered a capital offence. 1 slot.
15. Relic Shield. A petralemn plank torn from the hinges of a great door from the depths of the Stone Halls of Traust, crudely shaped like a tear. Carvings of deeds past adorn the shield. Worn by Hall Dwellers as a symbol of prowess and status. +2 Defense, when rolling damage taken, ignore 1s and 2s. 3 slots.
16. Decree of Silence. A powerful command followed by waves of echoing silence. Enacted by Proclamators to squash and prevent dissent. Those who go against the decree take 1 damage per word spoken. 1 Memory.
17. Mesechin Mantle. Heavy and accommodating. Made by attaching the sharpened spines of a mature mesechin to a thick cloak of full grain leather. +1 Defense, melee aggressors must pass a Skill test or suffer 1d3 damage. 2 slots.
18. Arrestor Rod. A tall, wrist thick pole, slightly combed, made with the ulna bone from the wing of a pandion bird. Used by the Fade Walkers when traversing the Bright Steppes to erect zones of calm within the ever raging storm. Absorbs up to 2d6 lightning bolts. The energy stored inside can be used to power paleotec artifacts. 1 slot.
19. Merga's Hope. A fragment of the First Arbiter's shield, said to have withstood the direct assault of Supreme Maellus's hammer during the War of the Gates. +2 vs Fear. Only once, the wearer can grip the fragment and shout "Remember Merga!". For the rest of the battle, all allies within shouting distance ignore wound penalties and become impervious to fear.
20. Selfless Sacrifice. If a creature within your move range would take damage, you can choose to take that damage instead as long as that is remotely feasible. 1 Memory.
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| Nagy Norbert |
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