Divination bowl

If memory serves, this bowl is tool used by Moon Mages to scry into the future. You remember that bowls carved with such sigils are divination tools used by Moon Mages and preferred by those mages that call themselves the Prophets of G'Nar Peth. Traditionally carved from a single piece of sandstone and etched with the mysterious sigils only Moon Mages seem to understand, scrying bowls are used by mages trained in astrology as a tool for divination. It is said that the first bowls were filled with water from the Garden of G'Nar Peth, though whether that is a legend held by the Prophets themselves or merely a tale told by outsiders is unclear.

Properties

Bowls are a surprisingly elegant tool given their creators. Notable features include:

• Require water to function, which must be replaced after fumbles
• Very low curse rate due to ease of turning predictions
• Prone to significant misreads in power and duration
• Has no age factor, and as such tends to be a durable tool
• Has the least number of qualities of any tool
• Very sluggish bonding, though physical qualities change at a normal rate.
• Understanding skill messages require knowledge of Constellation Jewelry combinations
• Sect Affinity: Prophets of G'nar Peth

Use

Like all prediction tools, before use the mage must know the ALIGN ability (learnable at 4th circle) and have made a successful observation. Furthermore, before the first use, the bowl must be RUBbed to bond it to the user. Syntax is to ALIGN <skill/skill set>, and then to GAZE BOWL. In order to predict on another the mage must SHOW the bowl to the target and then GAZE into it as before. Note: Predicting on others is occasionally buggy with this tool, and best avoided until this issue has been corrected.

Example

You gaze into the bowl, your hand moving around its lip until it completes a full circle. You dip your fingers gently into the ice-cold water and raise them above the bowl. As the drops fall from your fingertips, they cause ripples which race across the surface. The water quickly grows still, leaving no trace of the disturbance. As you gaze into the water, it becomes illuminated by the white of the Owl and the Sun as their carvings glow steadily along the bowl's edge.

Interpretation

1. The method of dipping will vary, but is meaningless.
2. The temperature of the water relates to the magnitude of the prediction; hotter water indicates a stronger prediction.
3. The duration is determined by the duration of the ripples, however only the second line that speaks about how long they exist appears to be relevant.
4. The color of the sigils indicates the polarity. White and blue-white are positive whereas red and red-orange are negative.
5. The sigils indicate the skill by showing the sigils used to create a Constellation Jewelry for the skill. Blue-white or red-orange indicate a trine and that rune should be counted double if three separate sigils are not shown.
6. Any additional messages have to do with quality changes.

So the example given is a very weak, very short, positive prediction on the magical devices skill.

Qualities

When LOOKed at bowls have four qualities. Known qualities are listed from best to worst. Italics indicate a potential starting value when purchased.

Sigils

The sigils on the bowl are in sharp clarity
The sigils on the bowl are clear, with solid lines
The sigils on the bowl are sharp
The sigils on the bowl are clear
The sigils on the bowl are slightly faded
The sigils on the bowl are fading
The sigils on the bowl are fading and dull

Sigil Bond

Promising chance
Fair chance

Bowl

Round, with a few small cracks
Round and has a few cracks and chips
Round, though a few chips mar it
Mostly round, interrupted by some chips and cracks
Has several cracks and chips

Bowl Bond

Fair chance

Explanation

The exact role of each quality hasn't yet been determined. The bonds are somehow related to the ability of the bowl to turn predictions positive.

Messages

Method

carefully
gingerly
gently
slowly
deftly
swiftly
quickly
confidently

Temperature (Power)

Gelid
Ice-cold
Cold
Frigid
Cool
Tepid
Lukewarm
Warm
Hot
Steamy
Scalding
Note: these are only roughly ordered.

Ripples #1 (Meaningless)

Chase each other across the water's surface
Race across the surface
Dance around the bowl's rim
Play over the water
Cross and crisscross over the water's surface

Ripples #2 (Duration)

The water quickly grows still, leaving no trace of the disturbance.
The ripples run playfully along the bowl's edge, and fade away in just a few seconds.
Moving in rapid oscillations, the ripples die down after a moment.
The ripples remain for a short while, then gently subside into stillness.
The ripples dance with each other for several seconds before disappearing.
The ripples form their complex pattern for some time before finally leaving the water as still as it began.
You wait patiently as the ripples slowly run their course, lazily chasing each other in slow moving lines.
Note: these are only roughly ordered.

Sigils

See Constellation Jewelry

Special

Your bond with the bowl made this so. - Prediction turned by bond with the bowl
Your knowledge of the heavens made this so. - Prediction turned by skill, more likely with more observations
You feel a strengthening of the bond between you and your bowl. - Generic increase in bond
You feel a weakening of your bond with the bowl. - Generic weakening in bond
You notice a rough spot on the bowl has been worn smooth by the motion of the water. - Generic physical improvement
A small chip breaks loose from the bowl leaving an indentation. - Generic physical damage
The water silvers for a brief moment before clearing up again. - Critical success, improves one of both physical qualities
As you gaze into the water it flashes brightly causing your hand to jostle the bowl tumbling it to the ground splashing the water out. - Fumble, damages one or both physical quality. Drops the bowl onto the ground, and causes it to spill the water!
Suddenly the bowl cracks and splits into many pieces!

Notes

• RP verbs that can be used with bowls: (NYI)
• Unlike most tools, bowls require the second hand to be empty to use them. Furthermore attempting to predict without a free hand will force you to ALIGN again.
• Bug: There is currently a bug with predicting on others, the exact nature is unclear but sometimes it stops working and spams GMs with error messages when trying to SHOW it to others. Sometimes this also manifests as predictions applying to the wrong target after one has been performed on another person.
• There is a persistent typo with the round time causing improper line breaks, mostly, but not exclusively, when bonding.

Also See

• Enruned sandstone bowl"Moon mage" is not in the list (None, Bard, Barbarian, Cleric, Empath, Moon Mage, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Thief, ...) of allowed values for the "Guild association is" property.