Fatestone

A Fatestone (or Spirit Totem) is a physical manifestation of the spirit of mortals bound with power from the Heart of Mir. All mortal spirits, unless changed by the gods or devils (see dwarf), flow with the power of the Shadow Realms. During the Sorcerers Kingdom human magicians discovered the lost art that gave the Sha'rek'ta and magi so much power.

The binding of the Shadow Realms and the Heart of Mir is dangerous as both powers seek to consume or destroy the other. Unless this can be kept in check it is quickly destroy the mortal spirit that contains it. This spirit, once destroyed, is lost forever.

The Sha'rek'ta was the first to discover that they could create a controlled balance between the power they brought forth from the Black Gates and the power from other worlds. Those who discovered it killed tens of thousands of their own kind in the search for a stable creation. They had constructed the Black Gates over fonts of power they discovered, but most were killed when they tried to use their tremendous power.

When they finally discovered a stable Fatestone it unlocked the totality of the Black Gates began their destruction. Their Fatestone required thousands of lives of their own kind to create. It was a race for power - to kill or be killed.

The magi watched as their creators destroyed themselves to create their own Fatestone. Although each Sha'rek'ta could only bond a single Fatestone to themselves, not all of them were created equal - some were more powerful that others. The Sha'rek'ta strode as gods over this world with the power of their Fatestones, driven by the jealousy and sins of the dragons whose power they took for their own.

As the Sha'rek'ta died the magi planned. They protected themselves and others from the depravity of the dying Sha'rek'ta and in time took their power for themselves. Unlike their creators, the magi understood the danger and instead worked on a different creation. Their Fatestone was a bond between the Shadow Realms and their own mortal soul. They gave nearly all of their soul to the creation, leaving only a small ember for themselves.

From their newfound strength they shackled the power of the Black Gates to their will. Many of the magi died or were corrupted by the power, but most lived with the balance. The magi were not as powerful as the Sha'rek'ta at their height, but they gained a measure of wisdom that allowed them to survive.

Humans, bearing the mantle of their creators, stumbled upon the Fatestone as well. The magi left none of their knowledge behind, but the humans discovered its creation. Lacking the near infinite knowledge or access to the Black Gates their Fatestones were unstable and incomplete. Most died shortly after its creation and with the destruction of the Sorcerers Kingdom knowledge of Fatestones passed into obscurity.

During the Fountainhead arc of the Legacy of Marak campaign the PCs were exploring the ruins of Dahgweta when they happened upon a scholar that stumbled into the creation of a flawed Fatestone. It was not a permanent binding, lasting only until the rising of the sun, but during that time it displayed a power not seen on the world since the last magi.

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