Piercing Lens

The Piercing Lens is a small, usually palm sized, disk of clear quartz-like material. It allows a person to view the sky through The Shroud with enough clarity to navigate.

Creation

The quartz-like material is a byproduct of forging Dulmis' Tears into artifacts. When the artifact is quenched after forging, it sheds a gritty material which then gathers and fuses at the bottom of whatever vessel is used in the quenching.

This fused material is then shaped in a puck, cut into several thin disks, and set into a metal frame that can be worn much like a pocket watch.

Meaning

Giving the gift of a Piercing Lens is a show of confidence in the person as it acknowledges their ability, or at least ambition, to travel outside their Bastion through the dangers of The Shroud.

It also shows a desire for the recipient to be able to find their way home, no matter how far they travel.

It is often given to young men and women with more spirit than sense by their parents once it becomes clear they will not simply stay put in their Bastion as any sensible person would.