Phantasms

In the Resonant Collapse and Drowning Collapse Timelines, the practice of magic and psionics is nearly dead, and most of the magic remaining in the world comes in the form of fairly weak artifacts known as “phantasms” that seem to revolve around large emotional moments in human history. While most of them are weak and do nothing more than mere parlor tricks or small conveniences, there are 8 that stand above the rest: 6 “Grand Phantasms” that have the power to influence history and 2 "Ultimate Grand Phantasms" that have untold abilities far beyond those of any other magical or psionic ability.

Many groups throughout history have attempted to contain and study these artifacts, notably the Phantasmal Carriers, the Suppression Bureau, and the Carrier Fragments.

When brought outside of the world in which it was created, phantasms are weakened greatly. This is by design - knowing their own strength, the phantasms chose to shut down, going into a safety lock down mode to stop themselves from stockpiling too much power in any one reality. This will essentially nullify nearly every phantasm, and even grand phantasms only retain a small fraction of their power when outside of their native timeline.

However, there are incredibly rare instances of undead phantasms, phantasms whose safety has been shut down completely, allowing them to operate at full power outside of their native timelines. The only current example is the head of the phantasmal spear of the "Drowning Collapse" timeline, whose owner, Ral Tempo, was corrupted by his wish to become better than himself, allowing him to leave the universe he was in while still possessing the power of the spear.

## Grand Phantasms

* Phantasmal Saber: A grand phantasm that holds every type of psionic power simultaneously. Has been destroyed several times, but using psionic power manages to re-appear somewhere else in time.
* Phantasmal Bow: A grand phantasm that has the power to obliterate the magical or psionic abilities and powers of anyone who is struck by the arrow.
* Phantasmal Lance: Jiǔchǐdīngpá, fearsome and corrupting spear of Zhu Bajie. Allows the user to make some sort of wish that affects themselves, but will always corrupt the user in granting this wish.
* Phantasmal Pen: The pen of an ancient king of Timbuktu capable of creating "scripts" which are new magic powers. Black Parade, TickTock, and Black Engine are scripts.
* Phantasmal Mount: A golden sculpture of Xanthos, the horse of the invincible Achilles, capable of creating an incredible force field capable of incinerating all that is not magic.
* Phantasmal Shroud: A shroud that while worn, allows the wearer to absorb all powers of defeated foes. All powers in the shroud are emptied when it is removed.

## Ultimate Grand Phantasms

* Phantasmal Crown: The crown of the ashen king, the king of death who stands over the withered bodies of all who had ever ruled in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Holds untold power of destruction.
* Phantasmal Vessel: The "holy grail" said to have held the blood of Jesus. Holds untold power of an unknown kind. From observation, appears to be able to supercharge other phantasms. However, powers have not been rigorously tested.

## Artificial Grand Phantasms

* Sphere Boundary: A simple, smooth black sphere about the size of a soccer ball, developed in a secret phantasmal research lab under the control of the McCallister family. May contain any powers and energies applied to it, enabling both the manipulation of those energies through direct contact with it and the passive emission of those energies within a spherical 20-ft radius around it. Energies contained within Sphere Boundary may be voluntarily released into the bodies of people to grant them the powers associated with those energies. Currently, Sphere Boundary has been charged with a particular kind of anti-reality energy which allows for the nullification of phantasms native to the Resonant Collapse timeline. Sometime before the present day, Sphere Boundary contained different energies which were granted to Jack McCallister and other members of the McCallister family.
* The Thing in the Suitcase: Taken by Dr. Park after she killed Conner McCallister. Nothing is known about it.

## Undead Phantasms

* Drowning Collapse Phantasmal Spearhead: Ral Tempo of the Drowning Collapse timeline wished upon the spear to escape his life and become better than himself. This allows him inter-dimensional travel, and the Spearhead does not die in other timelines. Ral was killed, putting this item into the possession of Kaine McCallister. It was then taken from him by Deacon Parrish.

## Artificial Phantasms

* Elite Floor: A minor phantasm developed in a secret O'Donnel family phantasmal research lab near Lake Chelan, mostly as a joke. It takes the appearance of a completely unremarkable, smooth grey floor tile installed in the lab. It has the ability to be broken in two without the loss of any material along the breaking edge. This process appears to be able to continue indefinitely, which is mildly concerning due to the ease with which the tiles break and the proclivity for breaking them its current owner (Lenny Davis) seems to have. Does not seem to be made of atoms, but instead some sort of infinitely divisible non-atomic material.
* Antipsionic pistol: A 10mm pistol developed in secret by an O'Donnel family phantasmal research lab near Lake Chelan. The bullets of this weapon weaken the psionic powers of anybody struck by them.
* Melt: A dangerous, brain-decaying steroid derived from the Undead Phantasmal Spearhead. Produced and researched in an O'Donnel family research lab near Lake Chelan. While not technically a "true" artificial phantasm because it was made using the power of an existing one, its power has been proven to be completely separate from the spear, the spear merely used as a catylist in its creation.