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Changeling Crystal

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Blood-red and gleaming, it called to us from the depths of the earth, a chorus of broken voices. The heart of Asag was never silenced—it only learned to whisper.
—Sela of the House of VEK, from The Knife's Edge

The Changelings are believed to have at one point in their history possessed a Great Crystal of their own, the glass of which glows blood red in darkness. According to Changeling mythology, the Changeling Crystal was shattered long ago by Elsene during her battle with Asag.

Shards of the Changeling crystal remain scattered across the world, some recovered as artifacts in fetid feykind swamps, others discovered in the depths of ancient caves. The glass of such crystal is said to reveal the true form of a Changeling when beheld by a Changeling, whereas for all others the glass casts a blurry reflection.

Due to the tremendous numenic power of the Changeling Crystal, all shards resonate with a strange psychic influence that makes them dangerous to possess for extended periods of time.

The Changeling Crystal is a relic of immense power and mystery, an artifact of chaos and identity that has shaped the history of the Changelings. According to their mythology, the Crystal was once the "Heart of Asag," the progenitor of their race and a primal deity of chaos and transformation. It was shattered long ago during the war between Elsene, the first Queen of the High People, and Asag, marking the end of the age when Asag’s children ruled Midworld.

The shards radiate a psychic influence that grows stronger over time, embedding themselves into the minds of those who possess them. Prolonged exposure induces paranoia, hallucinations, and an overwhelming sense of possessiveness over the item. Despite these risks, many factions—treasure hunters, mad wizards, and power-hungry tyrants—covet the shards for their transformative power.

Adventure Hook

A Changeling shard behaves much like the One Ring, burdening its possessor with a psychic influence that stems from the Rasan magic that originally forged it. You can expect the shards to be hoarded by greedy factions that do not understand what they are, corrupted spellcasters who do, and do-gooders who want to make sure they stay out of the wrong hands. Changeling shards are also perfect MacGuffin puzzle-pieces. A party of Changelings searching to rebuild the Changeling Crystal would be an interesting foil to the quest of the Queen Who Lives.

A small village near a swamp is plagued by nightmares and infighting, its people driven to madness by a shard of the Changeling Crystal unearthed in a nearby excavation. The party is tasked with retrieving the shard, but an influential villager has already fallen under its thrall, rallying others to protect it.

What happens if the shard’s psychic influence begins to affect the party during their mission?
Who will claim the shard after its recovery: the Changelings, a faction seeking its power, or the party themselves?
How does the village recover—or fail to recover—from the shard’s influence after its removal?

Tags: Artifacts

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Changeling Crystal

The Great Crystal

Zed of the House of Vek

House of Vek

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