Path of the Heartlands

As many know, the mousefolk are quiet people who generally prefer to stay away from the limelight, sticking to their communes tucked away from common society. Of course, this is not necessarily a rule - long ago, one particular mousefolk by the name of Heart experienced a loss none should ever have to confront … the loss of a loved one, her husband.
After the disappearance of Heart’s husband, she took it upon herself to track him down. Her adventure exposed her to cultures, creatures, problems, and places she may never have encountered had she remained in her home. More importantly? Her efforts saw success, reuniting her with her lost love and bringing him home once more.
Heart’s stories have been preserved orally for generations, and are closely tied to the foundation of the Heart Society. Also dubbed the Heartlands, those who throw their lot in with the Heartlands quietly seek to abolish the evils of racism, injustice, and violence to create a safer, happier world for all - without drawing unwanted attention to themselves in the process.
The Heart Society generally adheres to the following tenants, in addition to any other tenants they may be sworn to. They decline any who show evil intent in their hearts from joining their ranks.

Inclusivity. I will promote opportunities for all races, both big and small, to work together for a safer, happier world.
Shelter. I will take whatever efforts necessary to ensure everyone has a place to call home, and a belly full of food.
Protect the Small. I will protect the small from those who would crush them.
Appeal to Reason. I will take efforts to guide and grant those who would commit evil the opportunity to change their ways.
Happiness. I will work towards creating a world of joy.
Secrecy. I will keep the details of my association with the Heart Society limited and on a need-to-know basis.

Echo - Futuresong

Weapon (any one-handed sword), Echo (requires attunement by a non-evil creature)
Heart herself wielded a weapon she honed carefully over the course of her adventures, steeping it in the songs of her life, her experiences, and the memories of the world around her. Woven into the blade was a song of hopefulness, a promise that its wielder would always work towards a better future for the good of the many. The original Futuresong is a precious keepsake kept in the secret care of the Heart Society, but the magic techniques used to craft Futuresong were passed down from one generation to the next and saw a return after the emergence of Resonance, Chromatite, and Echo-craft.
Futuresong is an Echo with the following Stored Echo traits. Like any other Echo, Futuresong may be used as an arcane focus for your spells and spell casting. Joining the Heart Society requires permanently attuning yourself to Futuresong, which cannot be undone by any means other than a wish, divine intervention, committing evil deeds, or by performing the Ritual of Silencing.

• Creator (Human (Beast)). Beasts are reputed as having little in the way of magic, but it has been discovered time and time again that the beastfolk are well versed in the art of song craft. They sing of many things, and in it, there is magic. Futuresong is a relic of one such technique, passed down through the Heart society for generations.
• History (Heroic). Heart was a hero of her time, and those who uphold the tenants of Heart Society may find themselves in a similar spotlight. Those familiar with the Heartlands and their singing swords expect great things of them.
• Property (Song Craft, Unbreakable). Whenever this item is struck or is used to strike another creature, it produces a melodic hum - a piece of the magic song sung to craft the item. The item is otherwise unbreakable.
• Quirk (Blissful). While in possession of the item, the bearer feels fortunate and optimistic about what the future holds. Butterflies and other harmless creatures might frolic in the item’s presence.

Futuresong has the following common traits:

• Core Augment (Choose One). You may choose Weapon or Spell as your Core Augment, gaining a +4 bonus to the chosen option. Your option additionally influences which feat you gain as a result of following this path.
• Absorption. Futuresong additionally functions as a rod of absorption.
• Heartseeker. Futuresong functions as a balance of harmony, represented as three 100 gp gems embedded in the sword’s hilt. To use this effect, the wielder must hold the sword upright and focus on the blade. The jewel that shines indicates what has been detected, as if by the scale’s tipping.
• Help is on the Way. You may cast the find the path spell from Futuresong without using a spell slot. When cast this way, rather than naming any specific location or place you are familiar with, you speak the words, “Guide me to where I am needed”. The sword will then point you in the direction to the nearest location where your help may be required, whether it be hunting down a hidden evil, assisting in a humanitarian effort, or some other relevant quest or task.
• Safe Haven. Futuresong additionally functions as a rod of security.
• Think Before You Act. Acts of evil linger on a creature’s soul like a stain, and can be sensed by magic with the right techniques. If no such evil lingers in the heart of a creature you attack with this weapon, the attack is instead considered a miss (at the DM’s discretion) and deals no damage. In the event this effect is triggered, you gain disadvantage on all attack rolls with this weapon until you complete a long rest.

Futuresong additionally has the following Major Artifact property:

• Ebb and Flow. The rod of absorption trait no longer has a lifetime limit of 50 charges, but instead can only hold a maximum of twenty-five (25) charges of magic at any one point in time. If reduced to 0 charges, rather than becoming a non-magical item, it just has 0 stored charges. Whenever you successfully hit a creature with Futuresong, gain one charge. All stored charges are lost when you finish a short rest.

Unfettered Movement

Those who are indoctrinated to the Heartlands’ way of life learn to be particularly slippery, training constantly in methods and techniques to easily escape the grasp of larger creatures. You have advantage on ability checks made to resist being grappled. In addition, you can use an action to automatically escape a grapple or free yourself of all restraints of any kind.

Pierce the Weave

Heart Society members are often trained in the fundamentals of magic and how to combat it, granting even the least magically inclined members some added versatility. While attuned to Futuresong, you can use your Spellcasting modifier instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for attack and damage rolls made with the weapon. Additionally, you gain one of the following benefits:

• If you chose the Weapon augment for your Futuresong, you gain the mage slayer feat.
• If you chose the Spell augment for your Futuresong, you gain the war caster feat.

Unique Traits

Arcane Strike. As an action on your turn, you may spend up to eight charges stored in Futuresong (minimum one) to magically empower it with arcane force for one minute, or until you are knocked unconscious or incapacitated. For the duration, you deal an additional 1d4 force damage per charge spent.
Helping Hand. You may take the Help action as a bonus action on your turn.
I’ve Got an Idea! Heartland members are trained to think outside the box and look for creative solutions in even the most mundane scenarios. You have advantage on Intelligence checks made to help find a solution to another creature’s problems, provided the creature has asked for help.

Ritual of Silencing

A creature who becomes evil in nature will find themselves incapable of wielding the Futuresong, and consequently, will be disbarred from the Heart Society. However, a creature may always declare their intent to break away from the Heart Society through an eight-hour ritual that releases the magic of their Futuresong, rendering the item non-magical. In doing so, the creature also forgets everything they know of the Heart Society beyond what is already commonly and publicly known.