General Exalted Discussion Thread VII: Playground Eternal Essence

[TheCountAlucard]

Who stuck Albert Einstein in a Monstrous?

Monstrance. But yeah, brings it to mind.

[Xefas]

What do you think?

Not bad. Although, IIRC, one of the labors of the Sun involved him going to the end of time and murdering it.

[aetherialDawn]

Although, IIRC, one of the labors of the Sun involved him going to the end of time and murdering it.

That has Bad Idea written all over it in radioactive ink (also a bad idea, and yet still so much better than murdering time.)

There's always an end, said Time.
Only because the Primordials and Unshaped can be so stupid.

"But paradox future-viewing says this is what happens!"
"The only reason it happens that way is because you decide to do as it says. You could choose not to, and it wouldn't."
"But it says so! I clearly already made this choice, in the future!"
"Only because you're so stupid you'd make that choice just because you're told to."

I personally think that Homestuck has the right idea: Yes, it is going to happen this way, because that is how those involved react to this knowledge, not because it is preordained and forces them to make the choice. Given this knowledge, it is their choice to do X anyway. See: Vriska, making Bec Noir. If she weren't the kind of person to do such things, it wouldn't have occurred that way.

And then Genius: The Transgression has the right idea for the consequences. People with a vested interest in having a good future come back and beat you up and repair the timeline. And then someone succeeds, and so now we have a future incapable of supporting such influence, because it's full of the Cold Ones, who are basically only there because entropy can't go any lower without something like the Void.

[Lord Raziere]

I figured out Albert Einstein's philosophy on time if he was put in a monstrance?

Awesome

[Turalisj]

Something I've always wondered- why do people seem to think the gods and primordials have to act human and fall in line with human standards?

[Xefas]

That has Bad Idea written all over it in radioactive ink (also a bad idea, and yet still so much better than murdering time.)

No, he didn't murder 'Time', he murdered 'The End of Time'.

I looked up the passage I remembered from the first Daystar article.

"Then the Sun was given, as a babe, to the Sisters of Fate. They carried him to the end of time, faithful Daystar following and wagging its tail. They lay him there alone and set the Daystar in a torch to keep him company, and to draw its attention. When they left, it came—the Wolf That Devours All. It swallowed baby Sun and Daystar, but they shone through fiercely, and as the shadows fled it from within, it was torn inside-out. Then the babe emerged a boy, with his faithful flame well at hand, and the Sisters came to take him home."

'The Wolf That Devours All', conveniently placed at the end of time, sounds to me like a pretty good allegory for The End of Time itself. I suppose one could interpret it as something more mundane, though.

[Lord Raziere]

Sol…..Daystar acting like a dog…..what….end of time…..Wolf that Devours All……What.

I don't think I'll be regarding that corner of lore as canon…..

[Xefas]

I don't think I'll be regarding that corner of lore as canon.

Eh, to each their own. I haven't really thought about it before, but I kinda prefer the Daystar as a sun-puppy, rather than a big ball of metal. It certainly gives Vermilion Clouds of Sunset style a second layer of funny.

[Lord Raziere]

well maybe except the Daystar puppy thing….

and now of course, it has grown up to be the watch dog of Creation, the reason why its going around in circles like that? its chasing its tail.

or the moon is a cat and the Daystar is chasing it.

[Xefas]

and now of course, it has grown up to be the watch dog of Creation, the reason why its going around in circles like that? its chasing its tail.

I find this about a thousand times more fitting for my conception of the setting than a giant battlestation with a super mecha form.

I guess the Moon would have to be a cat, then?

[Turalisj]

There's a very forum inappropriate joke there...

[Lord Raziere]

…..*points at previous post, it is edited*

yes.

also explains the Sol's and the Daystars relationship better- the Daystar is the loyal pet of Sol, bound up in the timeless concept of a hero and his dog.

It also explains how the Daystar can be intelligent without solving any problems: its a dog. Its basically trained to bark anything the Unconquered Sun designates as a Creature of Darkness, its bark being a super-sun beam of death.

[aetherialDawn]

Clearly, if Luna took after a non-solitary animal instead of a cat, there would be many moons.

This was forseen as messy, and so Oramus just said 'fine, you all sort it out, but there can be only one'
Luna ate or had sex with every other possible lunar deity.

I'm not making that last bit up. The reasoning, I made up. But they really did come up with Luna by Oramus pulling the lunar deity that beat all the others into reality.
And Luna did it with killing/eating the others, and sex.
And I think in one case a debate, but I'm pretty sure she killed the other person after the debate, so that doesn't really count.

(Also, destroying the thing destined to end time is probably fine. The Wolf That Devours All doesn't sound terribly important, really, and what's a few infinity more years? The Wyld had plenty of them in the beginning and things were fine.)

So. Sol: Draws power from/gives power too a fiery sun-puppy.
Luna: Is a sex/death cat who technically is partly (and thus wholly) impossible, but Oramus was involved so that's okay.
The Maidens: They're certainly some flavor of paradox. The question is, did they come into being without cause, travel back, and just form a sort of infinite loop? Or did they merely inspire their own creation? Or did they inspire their own creation, but fuse with the results, meaning that they've experienced their finite loop of fate forever? What IS up with them?

[meschlum]

Nine Chancels in Creation

Chancels are simultaneously wonderful and horrible - they're incredibly powerful and utterly bland, because they all contain lots of Wyld and there is no mechanical difference between two Chancels with the same dot value.

So the only thing left to do is differentiate them by fluff.

Lady Isha's Paintbrush

Lady Isha was a renowned painter, her work so refined that it not only evoked the places she depicted, but made one feel as though they were really present. The kingdom she lived in benefited greatly from her creativity, as many a god would smile upon them, if one of Isha's works were offered.

One day, a stranger came before the Lady and invited her to follow him, to see another world. Not quite knowing why she came, or what route she followed, Lady Isha went along and was not seen for a full five years. Her homeland suffered then, as neighbors prepared for war, the weather grew unreliable, and even the ground resisted the farmer's plows.

When she returned, there was something different about the Lady - whether a spark in her gaze had been lit or extinguished, the records cannot agree. Whether she was set free by her guide or escaped through stranger lands still, no one knows. But she returned, to find her home in ruins, or so it must have seemed. The notables of the kingdom, appraised of her arrival, sent forth an injunction, that she paint something greater than any work she had done before, which they'd offer to any being that might rescue them.

And Isha consented, though her every line spoke rebellion at the thought of her art being commanded, commissioned, and compromised. So she painted - a vast landscape, a vision of her home as it had been before she left, as she had dreamed of it when in other realms. A place more perfect than Creation, if the details seemed strange at times, remnants of other places.

The authorities monitored her work, and approved. Isha called for models in ever growing numbers, people to pose for a moment or two that she might set them in canvas. And the rulers agreed, counting the hours until they'd sell her work. If those Isha painted vanished from time to time, what did it matter? they were but commoners, and there were greater issues at stake.

Finally, Lady Isha declared her masterpiece was ready, and had it carried to the altar where it would be offered to the power making the best bid. Standing there, she dipped her brush in ink one last time, set the last dash of color, and vanished. Her canvas showed a vision of the land as it might have been, inhabited by the common folk she'd painted, untroubled by the plotting of man or god. Isha herself, or at least her image in the painting, turned towards the stunned observers.

And with the same brush, in her canvas in the image, she erased them all.

When the powers and gods came to see the prize they had been offered, they were most wroth to discover only a blank canvas, with a paintbrush waiting beside it. The kingdom has been lost to history, but the Paintbrush remains, its power undiminished.

An artist with sufficient insight into the workings of the Wyld can decipher the Paintbrush's secret, and use it - a mere sketch of Isha's home lets one walk through it and reach that place, seeking the primal realm to which, in the Lady's eyes, Creation was a mere shadow.

1-dot Chancel. Works as advertised.


The Cloak of Umek the Rogue

Umek is a legend among thieves. Not so much for his skill - he was an indifferent cutpurse, a moderately competent lockpicker, and not overly talented in stealth, fast-talk, or acrobatics - but for his incredible success and exceptional lifespan. Among his other faults, Umek was highly provincial, and only left his home of Chiaroscuro once, as a teen. Despite being a readily recognizable fixture in the city, and known as a thief, his career lasted a good forty years, and he was never caught - until the last time.

His normal mode of operation was to pick a place to rob - people were too much of a bother - and break in at night. He'd slowly, noisily, saw through bars and locks, wander inside the building, and leave with most of its wealth gone. Of course, the first few times guards, dogs, and other such means were used against him, which was how people found out about his Cloak.

It was, simply put, invincible. Dogs biting it fond no purchase, swords striking it failed to cut it or the man beneath, acid slid off without harming a thread... and anything Umek put inside it vanished. After appearing before the magistrate with no evidence of Umek having stolen anything, finding that he was as happy to spend the night in a jail cell as elsewhere, and establishing that for all his unusual power, Umek had no eye for value and his thefts were thus more of a concern for magpies than for the truly rich, the authorities decided to let him go. That he kept on sawing through the jail door each evening in order to make his 'thieving' rounds may have contributed.

And thus it was the Umek plagued, or at least proved an annoyance to, the citizens of Chiaroscuro for decades. Mostly, he afflicted newcomers who hadn't learned the best ways to deal with a lanky, somewhat unfit fellow in a broad black cloak walking in on them during dinner and going through their silverware drawers. Said best way was to ignore him, of course.

The end of Umek's career was as exceptional as his life until then. Having partaken of a bit too much wine, he lost track of where he was and broke into the actor's changing room of the local theater. Confronted with so many people wearing so little, and still somewhat befuddled, he removed his Cloak.

Umek was no a thief for nothing, and when those around him readied themselves to capture him while he was without its protection, he quickly slipped it back on. Unfortunately, he put it on backwards, and with a sudden roaring sound the room was filled with debris. Nearly everything Umek had stolen over the course of his career surged out of the Cloak, including a terrifying number of forks and quite a few marbles.

When the wreckage was finally cleared, Umek was found at the bottom of the mess, suffocated by the sheer bulk of junk over him. His Cloak was never officially recovered, and may still be in use today.

1-dot Chancel. Has artifact level indestructibility, and things hitting it may go inside, which reduces damage somewhat.


Seeds of the Great Tree

In the East, stories are told of the Great Tree, a place where plants are everything. This is obviously a distorted folk recollection of the Elemental Pole of Wood, but the tale of the Seeds is of particular note.

"When a brave returns from the Great Tree, sometimes the powers grant her a bag of Seeds. Every evening when the sun sets, she must plant one of them in the ground, and a large tree will appear. then, she can step inside the tree, and commune with the Great Tree once more. If she reaches home with any Seeds left, it is a sign of favor, and the village will grow many crops and have many healthy children."

A Lost Egg seeking acceptance in more civilized lands brought one of these bags of Seeds along, and they were confirmed to have a moderately unusual Essence pattern. As they appeared sterile and did not, in fact, create any trees when planted, the Realm did not gain anything of value from the deal. Still, it may have value as a curiosity.

1-dot Chancel. When a Seed is planted at sunset (by someone attuned to the Chancel, and thus possessing a Grace), it creates a tree with a doorway in it. The waypoints beyond are severely overgrown. The owner can make the tree vanish by bowing to it at sunrise - a new Seed will appear in the bag at this point. Note that the bag only ever contains a single empowered Seed - the others have no powers, so the artifact's limit is a single tree.

[Mr.Bookworm]

I find this about a thousand times more fitting for my conception of the setting than a giant battlestation with a super mecha form.

The Sun is pretty explicitly only the Death Star because that's the form easiest for people to perceive and handle.

So, it's a dog, part of Sol, an actual sun, and a giant airship all at the same time!

Also I swear to Sol I will write Vermilion Clouds of Sunset someday, as soon as I have achieved complete system mastery and can trust myself to foray into SMAs (well, I tried it once, and it was a complete mess).

I guess the Moon would have to be a cat, then?

The Moon would be a cat, until you look away from it, and you see something moving at the corner of your eye, shifting and changing. But when you look back, all there is is a cat, purrfectly normal.

[aetherialDawn]

So Meschlum. Are you happy that your every post is quietly driving me away from my beloved radioactive green and towards the psychedelic rainbows?

I particularly liked the paintbrush, but the cloak of Umek was so... mundane, I suppose.
And yet, he became a story that simply couldn't be removed - though I suspect he would have calcified from being too boring. Not sure about how that really works.

Fundamentally: He's boring, and yet that makes him unusual. Most things to do with the Wyld are alluringly insane. Umek is distressing for sheer normality.

I suppose it says something that I spent more lines on Umek than anything else.

As far as the Paintbrush: I rather like the fact that it has a story behind it. The seeds seem somewhat pedestrian, in that they have mere properties - unusual ones? Perhaps. But still mere properties. The cloak has the strange conflicting feelings and I shan't say more for now. The paintbrush, though, it really just enabling a rather good little narrative, and even if its mechanical effects are standard, its use has poetic beauty.

[Xefas]

So, it's a dog, part of Sol, an actual sun, and a giant airship all at the same time!

Yeah, but I'm saying I prefer it to specifically not be that last one. It's not canon, and I don't expect anyone to agree, and it'll never matter, but it's my opinion.

The Chirmirajen can stay, though.

(As a tangent, I think I would also prefer my Exalted world with Magitech/mechanical stuff reigned in to a few specific areas/factions, and for Artifacts to be rare to the point of near non-existence. That's more going back to my Avatar Up To 11 imagining.)

[aetherialDawn]

The Chirmirajen can stay, though.

Everyone loves the Chirmirajen. It's a happy flying golden monorail of justice and love.

(As a tangent, I think I would also prefer my Exalted world with Magitech/mechanical stuff reigned in to a few specific areas/factions, and for Artifacts to be rare to the point of near non-existence. That's more going back to my Avatar Up To 11 imagining.)

Alchemicals justify Magitech in a general sense, but I don't really see why the First Age needed it...
It may fit in with Exalted's general bit about incredibly reliable magic. You can rely upon magical principles, but not on physics!

I now want to make a heavily clockpunk orichalcum bolt-action rifle.
Where in the WORLD did that idea come from? Cool though. Stats to come tomorrow, as I ought to be sleeping!

[Xefas]

Alchemicals justify Magitech in a general sense, but I don't really see why the First Age needed it...

Alchemicals and Autochthonia in general would definitely still have Magitech. It fits them like a glove.

The First Age would be renowned as an era of awesomeness less for Magic Internet and ubiquitous Factory Cathedrals, and more for the fact that there were a bunch of awesome people giving order to the world and preventing mankind from being the cosmic punching bag.

[Story Time]

Meschlum makes me think of how Wile E Coyote paints a tunnel on the side of a mountain and then the Road Runner goes through it.


Also...

I figured out Albert Einstein's philosophy on time if he was put in a monstrance?

If memory serves, Good Albert believed that time travel at the limitations of his day was impossible. I...believe that he acknowledge Future-Viewing as possible. However, Good Albert Einstein could not have possibly been from the dark side of the coin.

So, it's a dog, part of Sol, an actual sun, and a giant airship all at the same time!

Careful there... You're giving me visions of Emperor Palpatine summoning Imperial subordinate officers by whistling, "Here, Boy!"

[Turalisj]

Anyone else interested in statting up the Viscount-class star defender from StarWars?

[aetherialDawn]

Alchemicals and Autochthonia in general would definitely still have Magitech. It fits them like a glove.

Robo-commies are a constant.

The First Age would be renowned as an era of awesomeness less for Magic Internet and ubiquitous Factory Cathedrals, and more for the fact that there were a bunch of awesome people giving order to the world and preventing mankind from being the cosmic punching bag.

I would actually be somewhat interested if the clockwork perfection replacement limbs still existed. Solars just used magic, DBs have upkeep-requiring low-level magitech to try and keep up... making it comparatively complicated, fragile, and high-maintenance.

Speaking of complicated, fragile, and high-maintenance...

The Axiomatic Damnation of the Great Maker

Spoiler

Show

4-dot artifact, a rifle made with Orichalcum body, gears of Starmetal, and a scope of Adamant.
Based loosely (very loosely) upon the Crimson Bow from Oadenol's Codex.

Basic Statline: Speed 7, Accuracy -1/+5, Damage 16L/5, Rate 1, Range Special, Minimums Str 2 and one of Perception/Wits/Intelligence 4
Tags: Piercing, Overpowering

-This weapon uses an accuracy of -1 unless fired from a braced prone or kneeling position. If fire from the proper position, it uses an accuracy of +5.
-To be fired, the wielder must spend at least three ticks on an Aim action beforehand. If a charm allows less time spent aiming, then at least one tick must be spent aiming, regardless of how long it takes to obtain a three-tick Aim.
-This weapon does not have a 'natural' range. Instead, it always behaves as though under the Essence 3 5m version of the Solar Charm There Is No Wind for purposes of range. It still suffers from all internal penalties, although external penalties are negated. So long as the wielder can trust her own mind and hands, no storm can deny the Axiomatic Damnation of the Great Maker. This includes external penalties for cover and non-artifact shields, but complete cover usually renders it impossible to aim at a target.
-The adamant scope attached to the Axiomatic Damnation enable vision out to (Essence x5) miles, but only in a fairly small arc. Thus, this enables the wielder to shoot at targets without penalty, but only an area with a radius of half a mile may be looked at, as a Speed 3/DV -5 action. Potential users would be wise to discover their foes' intended routes before attempting use.
-The shots of this weapon travel too quickly to be dodged or parried without a Perfect Defense. If the attack is Unexpected, then even if a Perfect Defense is applied a 3wp surcharge is added to the normal activation cost of the charm. Further attacks in that combat against any target that was witness to the target of the original attack apply only a 1wp surcharge, assuming the attacks remain Unexpected (Generally because the wielder is too distant to be detected.)
-This weapon holds one specially-made bullet at a time and takes a speed 5/DV -2 action to reload; each is an Artifact 1 in and of itself, and must incorporate one of the adamant gears of the rifle, of which there are only six available for use. Once fired, the gear returns to the inner workings of the rifle through Elsewhere. Gears from other rifles, if copies of the Axiomatic Damnation were made, cannot be used in the bullets intended for any rifle but their own. Attempting to do so causes the rifle to be damaged beyond use, requiring extensive repair. Attempting to remove gears not meant to be used in a bullet results in a worthless bullet and a rifle which cannot fire due to missing parts.
-Attempting to fire this weapon at a target closer than one mile removes the surcharge on Perfect Defenses, but it is still otherwise unstoppable.

This was made with only minimal thought and proofreading. However, at least it's out of my head. If someone who wants to make it, for example, simpler and more balanced would like to take it up...
I also did not yet include a description. It is intended to be, like Prayer Pieces, not entirely normal. In this case, it consists of a massive collection of Adamant gears, partially in Elsewhere, which accelerates the bullet through what is basically a magical clockwork supercollider. And then returns it from elsewhere traveling impossibly fast. (The same mechanism which returns the gear means that it can pierce cover, but the bullet disappears just after it pierces out the other side of the target unless other charms are used.)

Also, I need to make it so that this can't be used with Archery charms that allow, say, shooting at every target in range. Although frankly, once one begins being cheesy with such charms, I'm not even sure how much this weapon adds to that...
*has not played Archery characters yet, and is afraid to*

And I need to figure out what Maintenance ratings this thing has...

[Turalisj]

Repair after every shot due to essence buildup.

Except cleaning kit is not included and costs another artifact 1

[meschlum]

So Meschlum. Are you happy that your every post is quietly driving me away from my beloved radioactive green and towards the psychedelic rainbows?

Can't talk, bunnies will get me.


The Luck-Poles of Armigen

Everyone has secrets. The Luck-Poles' belongs to Ahlat, and to Armigen. Long ago, Armigen was a power in the south, the god of sheep and goats, hardy useful beasts that thrived and drove industry with their produce. Cattle was an uncertain innovation, its god barely able to afford visiting the destitute quarters of Yu Shan.

But where Armigen was mighty and content, Ahlat was clever and ambitious - and there are are more tales of wolves and sheep than there are of wolves and bulls. Somewhere, somehow, he scraped together the means to make a gift to Armigen, seeking patronage and the rights to a small section of the southern plains.

The Luck Poles, twin pillars fifteen feet long covered with intricate carvings, were definitely unique and exquisite enough to draw Armigen's interest. The Lord of Sheep and Goats knew that the land Ahlat sought was worth far less than the Poles, and wondered.

Ahlat's followers - and the god himself, for he had few enough servants then - carefully set the Poles in the ground, forming a triangle, then Ahlat led the cattle beneath them and into the valley Armigen had granted him.

That year, the South was unusually dry, and the sheep and goats had to range far and wide to feed. But when Ahlat's herds emerged from their valley, they were sleek, well fed, and every cow had borne twins. Passing through the Poles, the ranchers gave their thanks to Armigen, but the name of Ahlat was not far from their hearts and lips.

The next year, the herds that waited to pass beneath the Poles - now with the twin blessings of Armigen and Ahlat, for the God of Cattle had servants enough to watch rather than labor - were many, and the mockery of the shepherds less merry than before.

That year, the South was unusually windy, and many sheep and goats were lost in the storms, the skins and fleece of those who remained abraded and raw. But when Ahlat's herds emerged from their valley, their hides were smooth and resilient, promising fine leather and rich meals. Passing through the Poles, the ranchers gave their thanks to Ahlat, and perhaps a few recalled the old prayers to Armigen.

The third year, Armigen came to Ahlat and demanded the use of the valley, assigning the Lord of Cattle a patch of desert twice as large and four times as desolate instead. Ahlat smiled, and thanked Armigen for his generosity. The herds gathered once more before the Poles, and they covered many miles waiting to pass beneath, for Ahlat's blessing - and a recollection that once there had been Armigen. Then they went into the desert.

That year, the South was unusually wet, and the valley flooded, drowning sheep and goats who had never seen so much water. Those that remained were sickly and starved, for the grasses were washed away in the torrential rains. But when Ahlat's herds emerged from the desert, the sound of their hooves seemed to shake the earth itself, and every beast was strong and healthy. Passing through the poles, all praise and thoughts were on Ahlat, and many a goat-herder joined the chorus while seeking employment for the next year.

Armigen was wroth, and, despite the troubles of recent years, was still a great god. He summoned Ahlat to him, and the Lord of Cattle came, humble, thanking the Master of Sheep and Goats for the loan of the desert. It would not do, Armigen declared, for Ahlat to take sole advantage of the virtue contained within the Poles. Were they not the rightful property of the elder god, given freely and in totality to Armigen to dispose as he would?

Ahlat assented, and waited. Armigen examined the Poles and found them beautiful, but no further virtue could he see within them. He understood, then, that he'd need to bargain with the upstart if he wanted to discover the secret to Ahlat's luck. In the end, the Lord of Cattle gained many lands and authority over great swathes of the South, but the Poles were Armigen's, and Armigen's alone.

The fourth year, Armigen summoned all those who fell within his domain, and the herds stretched from one horizon to the next, bleating, nibbling, wandering idly about. Under the stern gaze of Armigen, they passed beneath the Poles while the two gods watched. One to look after his followers, one to confirm all was done properly. Finally, the last shepherd went through, singing the praises of Armigen, and the Master of Sheep and Goats followed.

No sooner had Armigen passed beneath the Poles but Ahlat ran forth and yanked one loose. They collapsed, and the space between them turned into gaping tunnel, claiming the Master of Sheep and Goats before vanishing away.

That year, the South was as it had always been, and the cattle spread forth and were content. Armigen was never seen again in Yu Shan, but Ahlat proved a capable god, ensuring rich prayers for all. If he discreetly arranged for details of the story to be lost, who can tell? The Poles were given away, sold, stolen, lost and found... over the years, and have not come together since then.

Recently, one of the Poles has emerged near Cherak, where its age and carvings of cattle have drawn some attention, given the threat posed by the Bull of the North. Accordingly, some work has been done to study it, and a more recent portion of the inscriptions translated: "Three years of riches, then I shall eat more than I gave." Some nervous custodians insist that when the Pole is left alone, a faint rumbling sound comes from it, as of thousands of cloven hooves very far away.

1-dot Chancel. Wonder what's inside?

[Xefas]

Can't talk, bunnies will get me.

Incidentally, how good are the Raksha at tracking? For instance, could an Exalt bargain with a Raksha for a magic doohickey that would point the way to wherever Gaia's Gnosis is (in a manner that would actually help them travel there, Creation-born as they are)?

[Rikandur Azebol]

In Pure Chaos ? In Creation ?

In the former, they have vague idea how to try not to dissolve. But You need a powerful one, expert on questing against Unshaped. But yes, there is possibility for tracking Gnosis. And it will be as reliable as the Vow You exchange with Raksha in question. As long as it will be interesting story, enriching the Raksha's legend it should be somewhat dependable.

In the latter, Solars win hands down.

[Story Time]

The Luck-Poles of Armigen
[...]
1-dot Chancel. Wonder what's inside?

Three Caers?

[Lord Raziere]

crazy Abyssal charm idea:

The Destruction of Absence
A charm that creates things other than destructive artifacts, by destroying the absence of a thing.
For example, an Abyssal to create a shield, has to find a way to destroy the absence of that shield, once it is destroyed, there is no conceptual absence of a shield, thus allowing the concept of a shield to fall into its place, thus creating a shield.

I know, its some weird double-negative kind of thing. good idea or not?

[TheCountAlucard]

Or you could just make a shield that includes a destructive beam weapon.

Really, just about any artifact can have a destructive beam weapon included in it, and thus can be made with Frenzied Forge Within.

Armor? Check.
Manse? Check.
Winterbreath Jar? Check.

Hell, in a world where your fridge could be raided by a meschlumian raksha, you'd better have a destructive beam weapon option for it.

[Lix Lorn]

Hell, in a world where your fridge could be raided by a meschlumian raksha, you'd better have a destructive beam weapon option for it.

I think I want to quote that. xD