compass

Of all the survival tools at your disposal, the simple compass comes second only to your own skills and common sense.

— Arcturian survival instructor

A simple magnetic compass, also known as a lithaelexic compass among the scientific community, will always point south on the Plane of Fillimet, allowing an individual to orient themselves to travel in the desired direction. More experienced navigators have also learned to use the compass in conjunction with other tools to determine their position in addition to their alignment.

Specialized Compasses

Finding Compass

It's not even a real compass! My parents had it enchanted to point to their house so I could "always find my way home." But how can I navigate with... this?

— fledgling game warden to her mentor

A magnetic compass is not always a sufficient tool for the job at hand. In planes without a magnetic field, or for users without the needed orientation skills, a Finding Compass has proven to be a more valuable tool. These compasses use Rune Magic to point to a static landmark, allowing the user to either travel directly towards that landmark or orient themselves based upon its location. As a result they do require periodic maintenance to recharge the runes.
Finding compasses are especially popular in the plane of Rol'na, as its magnetic fields are not stable enough to provide reliable navigation. Here the compasses point to the headquarters of the Portal Exchange.

Metacompass

And to my beloved Tallie, I leave the Metacompass. May it guide your travels, and your research.

— Goldaming Documents of Inheritance

The rarest and most valuable of all compass varieties due to the uncommon skills required for its manufacture, Metacompasses align their needle based upon the Magical Fields of Fillimet. Simple versions are attuned to only one of the fields, while the best can be set to the user's choice of field. The highest quality Metacompasses are enchanted in such a way that most maintenance can be performed by any Rune Mage, as the Metamagic runes can be enchanted to draw their power from the other runes.
Due to their value it is quite common for a Metacompass to remain within a family, passed down and maintained through the generations.

Manufacturing process

Any Metalsmith can craft a basic Lithaelexic Compass, provided they have access to the proper materials. A needle, magnetized through the application of Lithaelexy, is simply affixed to a spindle where it can freely spin, such that on the Plane of Fillimet it will always point south.
A sturdy compass will enclose the needle and spindle in a magnetically neutral casing with the needle kept behind a clear covering such as glass. On fancier models markings are carefully arranged along the periphery of the clear covering, or behind the needle and spindle arrangement, to allow the user a more accurate assessment of their location.

You can certainly try your luck elsewhere, but if you need a Metacompass built to those specifications... Well, I'm the only one this side of the Portals with the skills to do it. And my quality doesn't come cheap.

— Metamagic Rune Mage

The uncommon Finding Compasses require an advanced understanding of Rune Magic to construct. The rare Metacompasses add the requirement of an innate Metamagic capability to detect Magical Fields, a unique genetic ability inaccessible to the majority of the population.

Significance

Compasses remain a critical tool for any traveler, from the tough game wardens of the wilderness to the prosperous merchants of the trade routes. The standard compass also serves as a critical navigational component when sailing, while Metacompasses have become a necessity among scientists researching the Magical Fields and their impacts on life in Fillimet.

Item type

Navigational Aid / Instrument

Related Technologies

• Lithaelexy
• Metamagic
• Rune Magic

Rarity

Common