Aeons ago, a power beyond our comprehension scattered the stars across the heavens as a gift to mortals. Not only was it a promise that Chromatia and the rest of the Material Plane was ours, the stars became the very tools we needed to protect that promise into the far-flung futures of our realms. No more would gods and primordials ruin our lives for their petty battles - not so long as we hold the line with these eternal gifts. The stars themselves seek out those worthy of wielding them, both benign and malign. Heroes. Villains. It makes no difference, only that you are one who has a story worth telling, and a vested interest in making sure that story gets to continue. They take many shapes and forms, they come and go from our lives and our memories, but always, they are there. We've done our best to catalogue those we've discovered or prophesized, but there are many more that yet to be found. In these times of duress, we know they will come to show themselves again.
-The Aumani Order on the 'Starstrider's Gifts'
Behold, reader, the
Stellar Armaments. These legendary artifacts are powers gifted Chromatia in an ancient past, in a time before modern time and a world long forgotten, remembered only in legends and poems predating history. In times of duress, they find their way to mortal hands, demanding their efforts in the endless war for peace. They are not without some limitation, however - for some reason, it is only those that have found their way to
Pandora that in turn can find their way to us.
Before the Upheaval, the existence of the Stellar Armaments were assumed to be nothing more than legend and hearsay until confirmed otherwise by Zariel's tried (and failed) invasion of northern Hestroa. The Hero's Guild got hold of Zariel's plans, capturing and in turn using the collection of prophecies to seek out the depicted legends, storing those found upon the Astral Altar... but these days, the altar has a mind of its own.
Awakened as a Rebis, the altar is now known as the construct Pandora, who exists somewhere within the Breach and oversees the creation of Corridors in and out of the realm, only made possible by the power of those armaments Pandora already wields. Still, there are several yet to reveal themselves or be discovered, and so Pandora rests quietly, waiting to be completed, unable to follow any further commands from Rhystel until they've been obtained.
If prompted, Pandora offers a placard with the below prophecies inscribed upon it. The placard magically changes to reflect those Pandora has already obtained. Some of these items will be discovered naturally throughout the game - others will need researched and searched for by our characters. Good luck, adventurers!
Equipping a Stellar Armament
All characters begin the game with their choice of any one of the below Stellar Armaments, provided it's been "Discovered". We'll indicate which ones have been found, what server level they're at, and which ones haven't been found yet. You can only change a character's equipped armaments "between" adventures, meaning if your character begins an adventure with a given armament, that's the one they use until the adventure ends (this does not prevent you from bringing a different armament on a different adventure your character is in at the same time; if that's confusing, don't worry about it for now). It's up to you to decide if your character's armament has always been the new choice and time has rewritten itself to agree as it often does, or if your armament changed in the moment to become something better suited to your expected needs. We're not that picky about it the specifics here.
Here are the key details you need to be aware of:
- All characters begin the game with their choice of any Stellar Armament listed as "Dormant", "Awakened", or "Exalted". Each armament exists as an echo of itself - that is to say, many characters may wield the same armament at the same time. The item exists precisely when and where they're needed, even if that's multiple places at the same time (probably a big part of how mortals managed to win the war). Anyway, each duplicate is still the same item. Whether the duplicates are aware of one another and their shared experiences or not is a matter of debate, but we have no way of definitively confirming that.
- All "discovered" armaments begin with the "Dormant" rank. Once an armament has been discovered, characters may entreaty Pandora, the Rebis for guidance on what the item needs in order to be strengthened. This may take the form of story quests, Tales, or some other RP-oriented adventure of cosmic consequence, but whatever form that ultimately takes, completing that event triggers an event that advances the armament to its next ranking. Once an armament ranks up, all players wielding that armament gain the same benefit.
- Undiscovered armaments (???) will typically come with a prophecy attached, giving a hint as to how the item may be found. The item may appear as part of a major story event, while others require player-driven research and investigation to discover their whereabouts or the conditions to reveal them. In either case, it's up to you to figure out which ones are which. If an item lacks a prophecy, it hasn't been written yet. We'll let you know if a new prophecy arrives.
- Some armaments have manifested sentience and a personality over the aeons in some fashion or another. Whether the item actually bothers to interact with your character varies from one individual to the next. In other words, whether you choose to RP an armament's Sentience and Personality traits (if it has them) is up to you; you can ignore it, no harm done. Just keep in mind that if you do RP the item's consciousness, you do so in a way that makes sense for the item like any other character decision. If you're holding the Torture Wheel of Infinite Suffering, it's probably not going to try and convince you or characters around you how important it is to donate to charity. An RP'd item is otherwise unaware of any detailed information or experiences it has had in other characters' hands unless you and the other character's player agree to the "crossover".
Staff reserve the right to make all copies of an armament remember a "universal" detail at any given point in time to keep the item's lore consistent with its narrative, if and when necessary.
Stellar Armaments List (Astral Poem)
The list of Armaments are detailed below.
Agony (???) (DDB)
???
Armor of the Valiant Soul (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Blade of Broken Mirrors (Dormant) (DDB)
The labyrinth of rebellion twists, breaks, and curves relentlessly on itself, its endless walls a jagged edge to sever the status quo. When Strife runs rampant, the shattered mirrors will lead the charge into revolution.
This item was discovered on [9/26/2021] by Rolly, Raguel, Kris, and Fames, during an assault on abyssal forces. The Order of the Demon Hunter was founded shortly after in Ghirahim's wake.
Cabal's Ruin (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Circlet of Barbed Ruin (???) (DDB)
???
Condemner (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Danoth's Visor (???) (DDB)
A secret city, ruled by two, remembered by one. When the last falls from the heavens, the way home will vanish to remain obscured and imagined - until they can see through the eyes of the beholder.
Deathwalker's Ward (???) (DDB)
???
Fenras (???) (DDB)
???
Grimoire Infinitus (Exalted) (Chromatian Variant) (DDB)
When the lord of mages burns, it must be a silver page that turns. A memoire of its predecessor, a craft by one no lesser; a sea of infinite leaves stored within leather eaves. The secrets of the Sage will be unveiled when the blind come to lead the blind.
This item has been modified for Chromatia. Instead of being limited to wizards, our version applies to any spellcasting class (you must still have the ability to use a spellbook to store additional spells in it later). If you're not a wizard, you gain the wizard's "Arcane Recovery" trait when this item reaches Exalted status.
This item was discovered on [1/19/2024] by the heroes of the Hero's Guild, as part of a mass directive to find a newer, safer, and more secure home than the recently besieged (and oblitered) guild hall they once shared.
Grovelthrash (???) (DDB)
A dark one for sorrow. Two rise for mirth. Three for a funeral, and four for a birth. Five rage against heaven and six torment hell, and seven for the usurper's violent stele.
Hide of the Feral Guardian (Dormant) (DDB)
The hide of the guardian, the moon beast of light, howls a lonesome song in the forest of night. Its armor a ward against evil's bite, its savior a patient one, an opponent of blight.
Honor's Last Stand (???) (DDB)
???
Infiltrator's Key (???) (DDB)
Master of six, liar, thief, snake, a child of styx, twisted by fate. Death will bring them together, once more opening Pandora's Box, and with the master of all doors in hand must choose ... to hate, or go straight?
Jewel of Three Prayers (???) (DDB)
???
Kiss of the Changebringer (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Lash of Shadows (???) (DDB)
A bronze titan watches over the legacy of serpents, the founder of a glorious empire turned to ruins, dust, and ash in the wake of Calamity. Her lash is untempered and her bite brings her joy, desperate for a wielder to make into a toy.
Mace of the Black Crown (Dormant) (DDB)
Among the dark lord's chosen, one rules with grace. Again will they fall, forced to save face. They relinquish the boon forged from mountains of lies, to regain some faith from within the peoples' eyes.
Mythcarver (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Plate of the Dawnmartyr (???) (DDB)
???
Pyremaul (???) (DDB)
???
Ruin's Wake (???) (DDB)
The heart of violence rests in this spear, a lance against everything its wielder would hold dear. It seeks out the greatest of orc warrior tribes, inspiring ruin in the wake of its path - only a true born, who chooses mind over blade, can wrest the weapon's power from those who seek chaos, and use its power for the good of the world instead.
Silken Spite (???) (DDB)
Deep in the mantle, deeper than dark, betwixt the layers of madness and labyrinths of stone, a weapon lies sealed, its web yearning to be spun. In the hands of the faithful, the black haft will bite ... but in the hands of a dancer, it may yet find itself contrite.
Spire of Conflux (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Star Razor (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Stormgirdle (Exalted) (DDB)
The belt of the dead king, a ruler benevolent and wise, rests in the hands of a lover who lives beyond the skies. The belt is a reminder she once had a heart, and if one can mend it, the heart she'll impart.
The Bloody End (???) (DDB)
A bloodthirsty tyrant, a king of chimera, wields a handle hewn from this fallen star. His will is upon it, within it, about it, but it will - no, it must be taken, forced from his hand, to be cleansed, reminded of peace, and patience, and mercy at hand.
Titanstone Knuckles (???) (DDB)
Prophecy
Verminshroud (Dormant) (DDB)
Lost in the forest, a hungry hermit squeaks. She stomps and she chatters, and always, she seeks. Death is an ally, the grave a close friend, and when all seems lost, the shroud will claim her, in the end.
Whisper (???) (DDB)
???
Will of the Talon (Exalted) (Chromatian Variant) (DDB)
The claw of the five reaches from atop an unwelcome throne, a weapon of murder held firmly by an enemy of its kin. It will stop at nothing to find wealth, even turn on its own ... defeat the dead master, obliterate the bone.
This item has been modified for Chromatia. This version grants its +1, +2, or +3 bonus to natural weapons and unarmed attacks instead of functioning as a war pick.
"Golden gauntlets emblazoned with Tiamat's likeness rest on the hands of the altar, radiating the might of dragons from their palms. The Will of the Talon is a weapon capable of imparting its wielder with the might of Tiamat, to breath the elements themselves and bring ruin with your tyrannical claws."
Wraps of Dyamak (Dormant) (DDB)
Level-up quest TBD.
Wreath of the Prism (Dormant) (DDB)
A crown of thorns, representing five primal elements, presides alongside the claw. It cares not who wears it, it cares not who wins. It wishes only to subjugate the wicked and purge them of sins.
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