Shield of Denial

Artwork by David Ceballos

The Shield of Denial is an ancient Azlanti artifact once owned by the Knights of Mystic Fire on Golarion. Imbued with the True Name for Denial, it was capable of numerous small-scale nullifcation effects at the will of its bearer, notably used in the history of the Mirror of Azlant by Seirith Sharde. Between that time and the modern day, the Shield of Denial fell into the hands of the Azlanti Star Empire, who augmented the artifact into a global-scale warfare asset.
It was recovered by the Dream Team after the Empire's sudden retreat from the Shadari system.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The Shield of Denial is possessed by its similarly-named intellect, which responds to the nickname "Deni" if desired. When bonded to a master (a complex process in which Deni can deny unworthy suitors), Deni follows her master's commands to the best of her ability, utilizing assets connected to her external frame such as planetary shielding, security devices, and computers. When connected to an appropriate power supply (e.g. a planet's electrical grid, or a starship of Huge size or larger) Deni has the ability to act as a Groundskeeper for her domain, and can deny access to areas and activities within range, which seems to equate more or less to the power grid she is attached to.
The severity of this effect defies a concrete ruleset, but seems to adhere to a few paradigms. First, the bigger the area, the less control Deni is able to enact across her domain, and vice versa. Similarly, the more rules enforced by her master, the less likely Deni is to catch activities that might fall into a gray area, or to have the appropriate strength to enforce them. A good example of Deni applied tactically was the conflict against the Shadari Confederacy — in which she barred all creatures and objects in a set blacklist from teleporting or Skipping (a simple rule) near the planet of Great Shadar (a large area).
Deni's capabilities may change based on where she is installed — e.g. the Shield of Denial installed on a starship would be incredibly powerful, but would have relatively low utility compared to an installation on a small planet.

Item type

Unique Artifact

Manufacturer

Azlanti Star Empire

Related ethnicities

• Azlanti

Owning Organization

Dream Team

Weight

80 tons

Dimensions

100 ft. x 100 ft. x 30 ft.