Resources for Exalted Second Edition
Please note: You must create separate user accounts for Lore 5 and the ECR forums.The Strings of the Troubador
By ThesaurusRex
Submitted on 04 Feb 2008 at 08:32:19 PM ESTLast updated on 04 Feb 2008 at 09:17:56 PM EST
Level 3 Artifact
This artifact lute is of obviously magical construction- its body of green jade, laced with vine-like arabesques of moonsilver, gives it away at once. It has four strings of unidentifiable manufacture, but each seems to almost hum with power even when the lute is not being played. The thin green jade soundboard is decorated by a detailed bas-relief that, with some study, can be recognized as a map of Creation. In the center, where the Imperial Mountain should be, is the soundhole, which is divided into fourths by an ornate orichalcum cross. When played by an attuned user, the lute has a naturally exotic timbre, no matter who the listener might be. The listener is transported to the ends of Creation as he listens, and even wizened old men feel the wanderlust of their youth again. If played while traveling, everyone in earshot feels light-footed, and any road seems less wearisome.
It can be played, awkwardly, by an un-attuned user, but the tension on the strings is enormous, effectively having a Strength minimum of 4.
Attune: 4 Activation: 1
The lute serves several purposes, not all of them obvious. Most prominently, though, it is a masterfully-crafted instrument, and provides +3 dice to any Performance roll where it is used. Secondly, it is imbued with the powers that protect and aid wanderers and vagabonds. Its four strings are actually made from the finest whiskers of the Elemental Dragons of Fire, Water, Air, and Wood. Playing the lute requires a roll of (Lower of Dexterity or Charisma) + Performance + Essence. It provides the following benefits; X is equal to half the activation successes, rounded down, in all cases:
In any scene in which the lute was played, everyone present has +X dice to any roll to encourage or convince listeners to undertake a journey of some kind.
While the lute is being played, all listeners (including steeds, beasts of burden, and the like) ignore up to X dice of penalties due to fatigue and adverse environmental conditions. One activation will last an entire day, although the user can re-activate it once per hour if he is not satisfied with his original roll.
The user gains +X dice on any Social Attack against anybody who heard him play when the lute was activated, as long as the purpose of that attack is to allow the user free passage. Note that this doesn’t discourage those affected from importuning the user in other ways- a gang of bandits might let the user pass without killing him, but that doesn’t mean they won’t rob him.
The user may also speed his passage, and those of his companions, when traveling. By activating the lute once per day, he may increase their long-distance travel speed by 50% for the day.
Finally, the artifact hides one more secret. Of all the hands that have held the lute in modern times, none have discovered this secret. Attunement does not reveal this power of the artifact- it is a piece of mechanical genius, rather than a magical enchantment. There is a hidden catch at the back of the lute’s neck, where it meets the body. When pressed, the neck will release from the body, leaving it attached to it only by the strings. The purpose of the crossbars through the soundhole become evident as a grip, so that the body of the lute can be wielded as a shield or bludgeon. Though it appears a little strange, the strings are supple and strong, and the lute is now an artifact flail with the following stats:
Speed: 5 Accuracy: +1 Damage: +2B Defense: +3 Rate: 4 Mins: Dex 3, MA 3
In this fashion, the lute becomes a handy defensive weapon, allowing the user to block with the body, capture blades between the strings, and deliver pummeling blows by swinging the body from the neck. When beating your foe into submission isn’t good enough, though, a second hidden catch on the grip can be activated. Invisible seams in the body of the lute split open, and the entire thing unfolds like a blossoming flower. Now, the bowl-shaped body is a splayed array of razor-sharp blades. All stats remain the same, except it now does +4L damage. Locating the hidden catches requires a successful roll of Intelligence + (Lore or Investigation) with an external penalty 0f -3, or an Intelligence + Craft: Magitech with no penalty.
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