Shi-Weiba's Coin Purse
Summary
The coin purse of Shi-Weiba, the interior is made out of a cured, flexible leather, while the exterior is adorned in a white-silk. Golden threads stitch the two together, and a flap over the mouth clicks into a primitive latch for security. On the back, written in a defunct language from Nerzin, would read "if found, don't open" to anyone who could still understand it. The actual latch and metal components of the coin purse seem to be ordinary iron. Apparently stone-cold drunk out of her mind one night at an inn, Shi-Weiba's purse was stolen by a rather daring soul. Pawning it off that very night, it disappeared into the elusive world of black markets, where it passed hands frequently. It eventually left Nerzin, somehow ending up in the lands of Sa-kemet, where muurun raiders discovered it in a cargo crate. In pilfering the purse, they uncovered a hidden compartment seemingly untouched by any other. Bizarre space-time magic caused the tiny compartment to hold more than was physically possible, bringing out veritable mountains of valuable coins, scrolls, papers, and other finery. Bewildered at their fortune, the muurun hurriedly sold off their goods, enriching their tribe beyond their wildest dreams. But, it would be the coin purse they kept for themselves, trying to make sense of its mysterious capabilities. Wealth unguarded brings calamity, however, and jealous rivals attacked, eventually making off with some of their horde--including the coin purse. Drawn by the rampant conflicts that followed, the then pharaoh of Atenkhet saw to acquiring the goods to bring stability to the region. In acquiring the coin purse, they too, were bewildered by its absurd capabilities. Another hidden compartment in the purse was opened by them, and fanciful artwork poured out. Whether bundled up in scrolls, or stored away in their original frames, dozens upon dozens of paintings strewn themselves out before the pharaoh. All of them, while not of veltron-shattering quality, were still quite good pieces, and they had a rather consistent theme with all the women depicted. What truly spooked them, however, was finding a piece of Isara, a goddess of fertility in Atenkhet's pantheon. In the given time period, only those of the priestesshood were allowed to create or distribute divine imagery. Understandably, the pharaoh and her priestesses flew into a rage, trying to find whoever created such a salacious piece of work. Their poor muurun captives, unaware of what drove their captors into such anger, hurriedly pointed them to the ones they'd pillaged. What ensued was a hot, if brief, conflict (barely a war at that), but the pharaoh returned without answers or the one responsible. In the intervening years before then, however, she discovered someone had thrown out the coin purse, along with most of the artwork it'd dispensed. So it came to be, the coin purse was picked up by a trader heading eastward, venturing far, far away into the lands of Immensio. Delighted with its design, gehurm traders picked it up, taking it to their chieftain. Upon opening the purse for herself, a blinding flash of light stunned onlookers, and the chieftain vanished completely. Greatly alarmed, her people tried finding her high and low, utilizing all sorts of folk magic and bizarre incantations on the purse itself. The clamor caused by this uproar stretched for days across Immensio, eventually attracting the attention of a wandering jiuweihu warrior band. Upon listening to the tribe's problems, they examined the coin purse, and immediately recognized its design. The very same thing the Venerated complained about losing, centuries before. Understanding its purpose, they were able to rescue the gehurm chieftain, who apparently had no idea she'd been gone for months already. Taking the coin purse with them, the jiuweihu warriors were committed to an eastward migration. Their traveling took them to Lophern, then later down into Aerthen some many decades later. In a fatal battle between nations, the warriors were wiped out to the last, and the coin purse was recovered among their spoils. Having secured it in a box, they attached an explanation detailing its owner, as well as instructions to deliver it to the lands of Nerzin properly. Catalogued by the human clerics who reviewed the item, it was sent off for examination. In studying the coin purse, the mages began to ascertain its space-time magic. Driven wild with delight from such an exotic, capable magic, they tried their best to recreate its effects. Many years, and several life times later, their descendants managed to start producing pouches capable of holding items larger than their mundane counterparts. The amazing nature of this accomplishment drew attention far and wide, eventually resulting in a baarham war mage coming to see the matter for herself. The city refused her entry, and in due proportion to such an offense, she went about razing it to a scorched hole in the ground. The vaunted coin purse was eventually salvaged out of the rubble and brought before her. A few of the survivors conveyed what they knew of its origins, in exchange for their lives. Understanding that the creator of such a fantastic thing must be east, the baarham mage took it with her and journeyed. Arriving in foreign lands, she spent years sifting through local communities, learning their languages and trying to figure out who owned the coin purse. So it came to be, a wokma heard of the purse and its fantastic abilities, and the two met. Recognizing some rather tell-tale features of the coin purse, combined with its magic, she deduced it belonged to Shi-Weiba. Captivated by it just as much as the baarham, the two of them traveled across Nerzin for many years, trying to find the most elusive woman in their world. As a matter of course, the two eventually fell in love (although neither would admit it), finding themselves more interested in their time together than the purse properly. Finally giving up on finding Shi-Weiba, they left the purse at a mountain monastery, who was more than glad to hold onto it should its owner ever come looking. Owning, by all accounts, a legitimate artifact from Shi-Weiba herself, the monastery propped it up as a prominent display piece. Visitors both local and not would come on the regular, praying to the purse for good fortunes or steady luck in life. In turn bringing prosperity to the monastery, it remained there for many years as a local legend. However, one day a thief stole the purse, and no one has any idea where it is now.Mechanics & Inner Workings
Shi-Weiba's coin purse has a series of magical enchantments capitalizing on her space-time magic. In essence, the purse has several dimensional pockets inside of it, allowing for incredible amounts of things of all shapes and sizes to be stored within it. If it has any real limit, no one is certain. Things put into the purse are seemingly frozen in time, and do not age at all until taken out.
Significance
While for many the owner and/or maker of the purse is completely unknown, it has had a rather large impact on a number of geopolitical events. Historians who have bothered to track it throughout time are mystified at its appearances, and quite skeptical of its capabilities.
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