Altiarc the Wayward's Guide for Discovering Artifacts of the Ancient Times, Vol. 4

There are many objects in this world, some created here and some that have found their way to this world, which are capable of greater power than they may seem at first. But I am getting ahead of myself. If you are reading this, you are no doubt aware of the existence of many other worlds besides our own. And, of course, you know that there can be travel between them, though often either at great expense of power or great risk, or both.   So here I will be detailing my findings on objects that are powerful enough to have journeyed from elsewhere or that have the power to open those gates. More on that later.   You may be wondering how you might identify one of these objects. Even in their dormant states, they will likely give off a strong aura of arcane energy. However, their true enchantments may be hidden or "masked." There are some who can see the greater "threads" that tie these items to a greater power, however faint they may be at first. It is good to hone the sight by observing the cosmos; take care not to gaze overly long, the cosmos has many and more eyes that may gaze back.   Something else these objects have in common, unique to their type, are multi-layered enchantments. You will know this already, of course. But it is worth mentioning here because these items require rituals to awaken their full potential. And each ritual will be unique to the item and the enchantment in question.   Though the details of the rituals would vary, there are some commonalities. Often these items will require an exchange of energy; arcane, elemental, or life. Some may require a swift and sudden influx of energy and others will need a steady, constant level of energy fed to them over a long period of time to awaken them.   To discover the best course to take if you have such an item, certainly, thorough research is the first and foremost thing to do. It will often be obvious what form the enchantments take; whether they are of elemental origin, arcane, divine, or demonic. Sometimes, however, the true nature of the artifact will be hidden and I advise extreme caution.   I would suggest a sacrifice of sorts. To spark the artifact, one might use another item of substantial power as a channel. This sacrificial artifact will be destroyed in this process but it is a reasonably reliable way to discern if you have an awakened item and begin the process of unlocking it. Please use caution when doing this, it may explode or open gates to other realms. Of course, you knew this already.    

Possible Awakened Items

Judgment's Kiss

  Of all places, I happened to find this dagger in a small border town off the coast Zeder. It was being used by a bootmaker to carve off the excess leather. I only took notice of it when I was getting my shoes repaired and it seemed an interesting piece. I paid what I thought at the time was highway robbery for his beloved tool. I didn't learn about its hidden properties for some time, using it instead to eat with or sharpen my quills. Until one of my publishers tried to kill me. I had the dagger in hand and used it to defend myself. The spark of its nature revealed itself when I plunged the blade into my attackers neck. The blade seemed to be awakened by the blood and flashed as the life force was taken into the metal. I fear it would take more blood to fully awaken it, however. And I have yet to find myself in a position or need to experience that level of violence. After fleeing, I spent many years researching this item which set me on the course of finding all of these relics.  

The Bow of Broken Vows

Where this bow first came from I doubt even the wizard who pulled it from the cosmos knows. But I know this bow existed before Titan's fall. A bow of great worth and study. During my discoveries, I think I may have learned a way to weaken the first seal and show more of the true side of the bow. I know the wax casing of the bow hides the true wondrous weapon beneath. To release the first seal it needs to be brought to a purified source of the arcane and submerged into it. It must be left to soak and then the first seal shall weaken. The sheer amount of crystals or resources needed for this would be prohibitively expensive and dangerous. After the first seal is broken, I expect we will be able to read the second seal.  

Oath-Bound Plate

I discovered this breastplate while exploring the ruins of the Aure'ellar deep in the mountains of Shiruba. This appears to have been the plate of the guardians who were set to protect what they called "the Sleeper." After Titan Fall and the wars that followed, the Aure'ellar were enslaved or killed, and likely this was left behind in their rush to hide the sarcophagus. I did not have much opportunity to research this item before it found its way into other hands. I suspect, however, that this item may be awakened with some sort of celestial ritual based on the origin of its creators.  

Crystal Dragon Helm

Originally I thought this a showpiece, an ode to the dangerous yet oft-humerus gemhide lizards. I didn't know its full potential until I tried to clean it and it let out a small arcane explosion. The gem showed some of its former glory, repairing itself slightly, before falling dormant again. This incident revealed to me how the exchange of arcane energy can sometimes be the catalyst to awaken these relics.  

The Last Bastian Shield

I found this shield in the ruins of a city on the plains of the Golden Sea. There I found a chamber where a battle had taken place, the bodies long since bone. There was the small body of a boy and his dog being defended in death by the skeleton of a warrior holding this shield. It was so poetic and tragic I nearly left it there until I noted the lack of age or decay upon the shield. As I carried the shield, I noted the wind never blew against me and my arm would move as if on instinct to block the attacks of enemies. After much study, I discovered the names of those who had used this shield before, all of them with the same oath "We Follow the Lady."  

The Bloody End

I found this embedded in a strange plinth on an abandoned road in a long-forgotten village. what drew me to this blade was the strange teethlike markings on the back of it and the blackened metal and the crimson stains of old blood on it. The Executioner's blade seems to be a relic of a long-forgotten, bloody past. I did not learn about its hidden features until a most uninvited even on the road. When forced to behead an enemy the blade showed its true potential. A fierce blade leaves a dark and bloody trail through history. It seems whenever there were dark deeds and the most dreadful wars, this sword was involved in some way.