Magician Puzzleknots

These small objects can appear as orbs, pyramids, and cubes. They can always be held in one hand of the subject who is given one. These puzzleknots appear when they cannot be perceived (often while the subject is asleep). They appear as trials for certain magic users that reached a milestone. The milestone can be reached in many ways: creating new spells, mastering existing ones, mastering an elemental aspect of sorcery, and so forth. These trails are all designed to be tests of the mind and are unique to each magician. Their surfaces are filled with riddles and clues for what has to be done. Sometimes it’s as simple as moving a small piece to get to a deeper layer. While other times it might require one to cast a very specific spell that they have learned. It might demand to be thrown into a fire or plunged into deep water. Either way, after all five layers of the puzzle, are unlocked, they will find a glowing pearl inside. If they take the pearl out of it, it will transform into a focus. Then the puzzle will vanish again.
While the magician is given plenty of time, the puzzleknot will not remain in existence indefinitly. If it remains unsolved for a decade, the puzzleknot will vanish as well. Nor is the puzzleknot unbreakable. In fact, giving it a good hit by a hammer will cause the puzzleknot to shatter entirely. This is not a useful shortcut though, as the pearl inside will not form unless you completed the five challenges. The shards of the puzzleknot will then quickly fade away. Mages cannot receive a second puzzleknot. Should they, in any way, fail or lose their puzzleknot they will forever be locked out of gaining their personal focus.
Category:Phenomena