An Artifact is an object—a Tool, a Weapon, a stone, a datachron; that has become so saturated with Eidos that it has awakened. It is a story that has gained mass, a memory that has learned to cast a shadow. An Artifact is not merely an item to be used; it is an entity to be communed with, a Thread of history that can be held in the hand.

Within ATET, Artifacts are the physical anchors of the world’s memory. They are the rarest and most powerful objects in any Tapestry, for they possess a will, a history, and a purpose of their own.

Philosophy of the Awakened Object

An Artifact represents the point at which the boundary between subject and object collapses. It is what happens when a powerful narrative—a great love, a terrible betrayal, a founding Faith, a generational struggle—is poured into a physical vessel so completely that the vessel itself becomes a participant in that story.

To wield an Artifact is to enter into a relationship with its accumulated Eidos. This relationship can be symbiotic, parasitic, or adversarial. The wielder’s Thread becomes entangled with the Artifact’s, and neither will emerge unchanged.

The Nature of Artifacts

Artifacts are not crafted in a forge; they are born from significant narrative events. They are the result of a process of Eidic Imbuement.

• Generational Imbuement: An object passed down through a line of Incarnations, like the greatsword in The House of Whispering Steel, absorbs the Eidos of each wielder, becoming a living chronicle of a family’s legacy.
• Traumatic Imbuement: An object present at a moment of immense psychic or emotional power—a planetary cataclysm, a heroic sacrifice, a reality-defining choice—can become a vessel for the Eidos of that event. A simple locket found in the ashes of a dead city might forever whisper the last thoughts of its owner.
• Ritual Imbuement: A ritual object used repeatedly in ceremonies of a powerful Faith can become a focal point for that belief, a physical battery of its collective will.

The Mechanics of a Living Story

An Artifact is a unique entity with its own internal state, influencing gameplay in profound ways.

• A Reservoir of Eidos: An Artifact is a container of potent, crystallized Facts, Fictions, and Faiths. Interacting with it can grant the user visions, reveal lost knowledge, or attempt to impress its own Beliefs upon them.
• Narrative Agency: An Artifact has a purpose, a “will” derived from its core Eidos. This manifests as unique mechanical behaviors.
  • The Kintsugi Katana actively rewards wielders with absolute clarity of purpose and punishes those who hesitate, because it was forged from a Faith in duty and reforged by one of pragmatism.
  • An Artifact born from a story of betrayal might grant its user incredible powers of stealth and deception, but slowly erode their ability to form trusting relationships with others.
• Emergent Quests: An Artifact’s purpose can manifest as an emergent Quest. It might compel its wielder to seek out its lost sibling-artifact, return it to its place of origin, or take revenge on the descendants of those who wronged its original owner.

The Subjective Communion

Interacting with an Artifact is a deeply subjective and often overwhelming experience. The Subjective Interface becomes a conduit for the Artifact’s own consciousness.

• A Chorus of Voices: Holding a powerful Artifact might flood the UI with the sensory input of its past. The player might hear ghostly whispers, see flashes of another’s memories, or feel echoes of emotions that are not their own.
• A Dialogue with History: Communicating with an Artifact is a form of Conversation or Interpretation. The player must navigate the object’s memories and beliefs to unlock its true power, or risk being consumed by its narrative.

An Artifact is the ultimate expression of the ATET ethos: that stories are real, that memory has weight, and that the past is never truly dead; sometimes, you can even pick it up and swing it like a sword.