Chronoscopic Stereoscope
Wondrous item · Uncommon
A classic magic item for Generic.
Look, and see what has been taken.
Stats
- Nature: Arcane viewing device wrought of brass and smoked glass
- Activation: Peer through the lenses while focusing on any surface; the device aligns the viewer with the exact moment one hour ahead
- Cost of Use: A single silver token is consumed each time the future is glimpsed
Properties
The stereoscope presents a crystal‑clear image of the room exactly one hour in the future. The scene is rendered in full colour, but any water within the view appears as a smooth, mirrorless pane, refusing to reflect anything. In that future, any coin or token placed in the room’s center is already missing, as if already taken. The device can be used three times per day before its lenses fog, after which a brief period of quiet humming restores its clarity.
Lore
Crafted by the secretive Guild of the Empty Hand, the stereoscope was designed to spy on vaults and safe‑houses without ever entering them. The guild discovered that water’s refusal to reflect foretold a hidden trap or a stolen treasure, a silent warning etched into the future. Legends say a master thief once saved a kingdom’s crown by noticing the absent reflection in a well, spotting the thieves’ hidden hand a full hour before they struck.
Tags: artifact, midtier, stereoscope, scrying, future
Cards to read next
- Preemptive Melody Box — Wondrous item · Uncommon
- The Harrowed Compass — Device · 1920s
- The Unmet Vows Ring — Artifact · 1920s New England
- Mirael, the Blind Harbinger — Shrouded Oracle
- Echoing Vow — Wedding ring · Rare
- Chronoscope of the Eleventh Minute — Device · 1920s