Reputation
The existence of these coins has been a secret to mortals and most of the gods. If they gain any sort of reputation, it will be as a result of the PC’s actions.
Attainability
These items are cursed, and seek out the PCs in order to undo the magic spell that produced them. Possessing the coins will bring power and ill fortune to them.
Complexity
The abilities of the coins are, at best, only rumored or theoretical. Whoever seeks to control them will have to go through trials to unlock their secrets.
Potency
These were part of a massive, legendary magical spell that as used by gods to limit godly powers and alter the very nature of the material plane. As a result of their direct connection to the gods, these items possess theoretically unlimited power. It is entirely possible to use them to slay gods and reforge the foundations of the material plane itself. With the right wielder there is no limit to what it could accomplish.
Appearance
The coins look almost aggressively mundane - a deeply scorched metallic material that looks as brittle as charcoal, but is actually indestructible. There are no obvious features that would lead an untrained eye into believing that they are as important as they are, making them perfect for heroes who wish to travel inconspicuously.
The spell involved creating 24 coins, each bearing the holy symbol of a respective deity across every pantheon. The legendary magic spell stripped the material plane of specific "frequencies" of planer energy that allowed each god to directly manifest. The timing for this process was tricky if suspicion as to be avoided. The plan was for people of Kai would be led to believe that this was an active choice of the gods, while the gods would be led to believe that the changes happening on the material plane (the rapid advancements of civilizations, mortals commanding more advanced magic, etc.) were responsible impacting their power. Too slow, and the gods and mortals might collaborate to investigate the issue. Too quick, and the sudden cut-off would raise too many eye-brows on either side. The three gods worked tirelessly to mislead, misdirect, dismiss, gaslight and confuse everyone in order to keep their operation secret. Eventually, the energy attuned to each deity was successfully infused and "locked" inside of a respective coin.The coins were deeply scorched and charred as a result, taking on a dark, brittle texture like that of charcoal. However, that still remained solid and indestructible.
Hundreds of years ago, in a time before anyone now living was born, three gods met in secret to conspire against all of the pantheons - even the ones they belonged to. They had become increasingly worried about the gods manifesting themselves on the material plane, directly intervening, commanding, or conspiring with mortals to meet their own needs. It was decided that a massively powerful spell of legendary magic would be used to alter the very fabric of the Material plane, cutting off divine powers and forcing the gods to work in more mysterious ways. No deity would be able to manifest their avatar form, nor could they manifest as any other creature that could directly contact or communicate with the peoples of Kai. Instead, they would only be able take smaller actions - blooming their favored flowers, depositing favored gemstones, summoning creatures on their behalf, or manipulating the elements of their respective domains. They could never directly impact the senses of mortals - never to be seen or observed, heard, or touched. These three gods thought that all the deities would end up becoming more beholden to the needs of mortals, and re-committed to managing their divine responsibilities on the Material plane. The three knew that they, too, would endure the same limitations, but it was a small price to pay to ensure the future of the peoples of Kai.
The coins were then separated and scattered across Kai, hidden away in hopes of ensuring no deity or mortal would ever find them. However, what these three gods did not anticipate was the will of the material plane itself. The "frequencies" of planer energy bound inside these coins longs to be released - to be restored to the "natural order" of things. The coins seek the touch of mortals knowing that once in their possession, those mortals will be able to breach the veil that has masked the gods for so long. With skill, cunning and luck, perhaps the mortals can connect with the gods once more and uncover the truth about what happened all those years ago. What either party will do with such knowledge is yet to be seen.
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