Jewelled Idol

## **Intro**

This mysterious idol was discovered in a cave in The Stotzyev Mountains by students of Shinan University. It seems to have some association with Yan Turin. Its presence can result in dangerous temporal anomalies unless it is controlled using the Dual Crystal Key.

## **Description**

The idol is presumed to be around 2000 years old, dating back to soon after The Orc Wars

It resembles the statues seen in Ryme Flattil's basement shrine to Yan Turin. The shape is not identical but the style and "feel" is similar.

The idol does not give any reading when inspected using *Detect Evil and Good*.

## **Effects**

### **Time Pockets**

These 'time pockets' - later referred to as *chronostasis* by Su Miichan - were initially too small to be visible but became obvious to the naked eye as they grew. (Although the pockets were evidently expanding, the party were unable to record any change in their size during an hour's rest in the tower, suggesting that they might increase in size suddenly rather than gradually over time.)

Time pockets nearer to the relic were considerably larger, presumably due to having been created earlier.

Saun described their experience of being trapped inside one of these anomalies:

When asked whether they were conscious of the passage of time while trapped, Saun answered; "It's not like it didn't happen at all, but more like I was *waiting*."

#### **Facts**

* Time pockets registered as Abjuration magic, under *Detect Magic.*
* All attempts to dispel the magic were unsuccessful.
* Magic cast from outside the pocket, targeting a location or object inside the pockets, did not take effect.
* Anything that entered a time pocket stuck fast in place.
	+ When Godric tossed a book into a time pocket, it travelled only ~1 inch into the bubble before snapping into place. The portion of the book remaining outside could still be manipulated, but was held fast in place by the small portion that was inside the time pocket.
* People trapped inside seemed to survive in a state of suspended animation.

### **Fiends**

The relic's presence also seems to result in the appearance of fiends in its surroundings.

## **The Story So Far**

### **Background**

The relic was discovered by a pair of students from Shinan University, who were exploring a newly-opened cave in The Stotzyev Mountains. The idol was thought to be dormant until a few days after it was placed in storage in The Sapphire Tower, where it began to cause strange goings on, including temporal anomalies.

The dean of Shinan University reached out to several contacts, including Ignatious, for help with the situation.

### **Chapter 1**

#### **"Disaster at the Sapphire Tower" (1x5)**

Following Ignatious' meeting with the dean, the party entered The Sapphire Tower to inspect the relic. The relic was on the tower's 17th floor but its effects, including pockets of stopped time, stretched as far down as the 13th. Additionally, fiends were encountered from the 15th floor up.

Laik Peiume ventured that the key to controlling the relic might be found in the same cave where the relic had been discovered.

#### **"Thinking With Portals" (1x8)**

The party brought the Dual Crystal Key to The Sapphire Tower. It interacted with the jewelled idol and together they opened a portal to a demiplane associated with Yan Turin.

#### **"Fissures" (1x9)**

The bubbles of *chronostasis* throughout The Sapphire Tower shrunk and then vanished over the course of a few minutes upon the defeat of the Shard Guardian and the closing of the portal to its demiplane. All of the people who had been trapped within them were released alive (if confused).

Laik Peiume and several researches from Shinan and Keunan Universities spent the night studying the idol and the Dual Crystal Key. They hoped to discover a means of manually reopening the portal to the demiplane to save Godric, who was trapped there. However, he was rescued by other means.

The idol was left in the possession of Shinan University.

#### **"Following the Wind" (1x10)**

When the party returned to The Sapphire Tower the next day, the relic and key had been moved down to the 10th floor and were being kept beneath some kind of magical field. Many researchers from both Shinan and Keunan Universities were studying them.

The next day, in Gonglu, the party discovered that a similar relic might have been recovered from Ryme Flattil's house and taken to the Rahnmul Justice Office.