Artifacts with a Will

A Living History is an Artifact that is not a static object with fixed properties, but a dynamic narrative entity that evolves over time. Its story is its power.

The Living History Principle

In ATET, Living Histories are the ultimate expression of the game’s philosophy: objects are not mere tools, but narrative agents. Every artifact is a mobile Symbolic Locus, accumulating new layers of Eidos as it is wielded, passed down, or involved in significant events. Its powers and personality evolve with its story.

• Evolution through Eidic Imbuement:

  • An object becomes a Living History by absorbing the Eidos of its wielders and the events it is part of. This process, called Eidic Imbuement, is the core of its evolution. The more significant the event, the deeper the imprint.
  • Example: The greatsword from The House of Whispering Steel becomes a Living History by absorbing the conflicting wills of the warlord Corvus and the pacifist Elara. The Kintsugi Katana is reforged not just with metal, but with the pragmatic Eidos of a new owner, giving its flaw a new purpose.
  • In the Griefwood Arbitration, the Thanatech’ “Griefwood Engine” is a literal machine powered by the harvested sorrow of a thousand lives; a Living History forged from collective memory.

• Mechanics of a Narrative Object:

  • Dynamic Properties: An artifact’s stats, abilities, and even its name can change as it absorbs new Eidos. A simple blade used in a heroic sacrifice might gain a [holy] damage type. A tool used for generations by master artisans might grant its wielder a bonus to the Craft skill. A Living History can even develop unique Affinity Slots or hybridize with other archetypes (see Modification & Enhancement).
  • Emergent Goals: A Living History can develop a “will” derived from its accumulated Eidos. This can manifest as an emergent Quest, the greatsword of a murdered king might whisper to its wielder, urging them to seek vengeance. An artifact born of a story of lost love might compel its owner to find its long-lost counterpart. Some Living Histories may even resist being wielded by those whose Faith is incompatible with their own.
  • Resource and Risk: Living Histories may require rare reagents, rituals, or even the sacrifice of memories to unlock their full power. Mishandling or disrespecting a Living History can result in curses, debuffs, or the artifact becoming dormant or hostile.

• The Wielder’s Dialogue:

  • The relationship between an Incarnation and a Living History is a communion, or a conflict. The Subjective Interface becomes the medium for this dialogue. Holding a powerful Living History might flood the UI with ghostly whispers, flashes of another’s memories, or echoes of emotions that are not your own. The artifact’s “voice” may grow stronger as its story deepens.
  • To unlock its true power, the player may need to act in harmony with the artifact’s core Faith. To act against it might cause the artifact to become dormant, or even actively hostile, inflicting debuffs on its unworthy wielder. Some Living Histories may require the completion of a personal quest, a ritual at a Symbolic Locus, or the resolution of a metaphysical dilemma to reach their final form.

Living Histories in the World

• Mobile Symbolic Loci: Living Histories are not just items: they are mobile loci, carrying the resonance of their past wherever they go. Their presence can alter the atmosphere of a location, attract or repel certain agents, or even create new Symbolic Loci if their story reaches a climax.
• Integration with Crafting: Through Modification & Enhancement, Living Histories can be further shaped, hybridized, or even split into new artifacts, each carrying a fragment of the original story. The act of crafting with a Living History is always a negotiation with its will and history.
• Narrative and Mechanical Synergy: The Director AI recognizes Living Histories as major narrative anchors, using them to seed emergent quests, conflicts, and opportunities for transformation. A Living History may become the centerpiece of a community’s faith, a coveted prize in a political struggle, or the key to resolving a metaphysical crisis.

Examples from Lore and Mechanics

• The Griefwood Engine: A Thanatech device powered by the sorrowful Eidos of a thousand ancestors, its presence both a technological marvel and a metaphysical wound.
• The Kintsugi Katana: Its flaw, once a mark of shame, becomes a source of power after being reforged by a new owner with a different Faith.
• The Whispering Eye Rifle: A hybrid artifact, part machine, part living symbiote, that projects the fears of its previous wielders into the environment, creating new narrative opportunities and dangers.

Living Histories are the ultimate expression of the game’s core systems: the fusion of narrative, mechanics, and metaphysics. They ensure that the world is not just a backdrop, but a living, evolving tapestry of meaning, memory, and will.