Artifact Index
A simple, straight-forward Index putting all the individual artifact-pages for New Beginnings in one location.
Artifact Weapons
- Moon-Cutter? - Level Two - Moonsilver Boomerang.
- Dailas - Level Three - The Smithing Hammer
- Sunscars - Level Three - Dual-wielded Death!
- Mhadga's Fang - Level Four - The King of Spears
- Thrice Blessed? - Level Four - The Resplendent Golden Bow
Artifact Armor
- Fearsome Might - Level One - The Armor of Fearsome Might!
- Devilshroud? - Level Three - The Devilshroud.
- Ashan's Raiment? - Level Four - The Bloody Armor of Ashan.
- Unassailable Aegis of Eternal Glory? - Level Four - Saeleris' Battle-Armor
Other Artifacts
- Wood Dragons Eye - Level Five - the Wood Dragon's Eye!
Artifact FAQ
Q. Why are there no 'generic' artifacts in New Beginnings?
A. Most Artifacts in the First Age were made by the Twilight Caste, working within their great Factory-Cathedrals with the Assistance of other Exalted. The Twilights made a lot of great wonders, but they were "bored God-Craftsmen" more than "energetic Engineers". Many of the weaker artifacts lost in Creation are the results of their flights of fancy or passing interests. Their real efforts were focused more heavily on the mighty world-shaking engines that powered so much of Creation in the Old Realm; the lesser Artifacts so common now were hobbies.
Q. What about the Dragon-Blooded? Wouldn't they have mass produced more artifacts?
A. Most of the Dragon-Blooded that were halfway decent crafters were drafted by the Twilight Caste and put to work as assistances in the Factory-Cathedrals. The few that were worthy of being left on their own tended to be Master Craftsmen of Jade, exploiting their natural resonance with that material rather than trying to compete with the Solar Exalted directly, but even so they were driven geniuses working in their chosen medium. Not line-men.
Q. If the Old Realm was so great, though, wouldn't they have accepted the wonders of Mass Production?
A. Why would they? The Old Realm is not our world; it is one run by beings that can quite accurately be described as Gods by the common folk. These Gods handed down wonders at their own pace and following their whims, not according to some schedule. You must also consider, "Who would these mass-produced artifacts be for?" Mortals generally can't use Artifacts, and the Solars had better things to do with their time. Some made "arming mortals" a part of their hobbies, for sure, but even then -- it was a side-line.
Q. Okay; what about AFTER the First Age.
A. The Dragon-Blooded Shogunate was probably the closest that Creation has ever come to 'mass producing' items, and its from this time that things like Skyships and Gunzosha armor originates. The Dragon-Blooded just weren't as good at making these things as the Twilights, so instead of making everything unique, they did indeed come up with solid designs that they would create more than once. Even so, it wasn't quite "mass production", and the ideal of the solitary eccentric creator still remained to some large extent. Plus, remember, the Shogunate Dragon-Blooded mostly worked with Jade and just weren't as good as the First Age Twilights.
Q. So what did they produce?
A. All kinds of things; multiple different types of Jade Daiklaves and Armor, different utilitarian items useful in their multiple wars, and things such as Gunzosha Armor and Skyships. Most of the "affordable" Warstriders are from the Shogunate, with First Age models being both more powerful and more unique. A lot of their wonders were short-lived, however, not being as durable as true First Age devices -- many of them have fallen apart by now. The remainder are almost entirely in the hands of the Realm or Lookshy.
Q. Okay; so what is Artifact Creation like now in the Age of Sorrows?
A. Well, after the Great Contagion, there wasn't a lot of Artifact Construction at all. Gradually, things began to recover, but much of the Infrastructure of the First Age that allowed the Shogunate to function as it did was just gone and most of the Craftsmen of the Age of Sorrows are like poor imitations of their one-time Twilight Masters without access to as much support or raw power. All artifacts are hand-made, and even if the builder was working from a blueprint, he inevitably stamps the new artifact with some measure of his own desires and power.
A few of the old Factory-Cathedrals still exist, allowing some of the greatest Terrestrials to occasionally crank out an inferior item of some power that will fall apart after a few centuries. Even Lookshy, by far the greatest Craftsmen left in the Second Age, find themselves slowly losing the ability to repair -- much less manufacture -- the items of power that they hold onto.