Sanguine Star

The Sanguine Star by Noir

The Sanguine Star is an orb hewn from the ichor of a thousand stars, 'the blood of a thousand gods', possessing the power to grant countless wishes and near limitless power to whom attains it. They get their name from how they are created, byproducts of cosmic collision combined with the deaths resulting from a supernatural war - cutting through the stars, and causing each and all to bleed crystalline shards that collect and condense into a single crimson orb. they can take hundreds of years to form, sometimes thousands, even millions (only two people in recorded history ever got their hands on one, and even then, only allegedly; King Arthur is perhaps one of them, or is it Merlin?). its appearance is altered by the character of its possessor as is the impression of its magic, its aura, though they are, by themselves, harmless and magically neutral. The magic contained within a sanguine star is fathomless, capable of supplying power to complete even the most strenuous and outlandish of tasks without so much as a twitch of one's little finger. The impossible becomes possible, realistic even, bestowing true and absolute power to its possessor - the ability to cheat death, hide from the watchful eyes of the gods, repair anything that was broken, and plenty more. An infinite number of wishes, granted on a dime without consequence - at first. It is the Monkey's Paw with a bit of Agua de Vida of this world.

Attitudes surrounding them have changed over the centuries, an unerring truth morphing into little more than a legend - a pipe dream at a best - but it's far more real than anyone realizes. As most of the cosmos cannot be mapped nor read due to the magical energies existing therein, at least not during the 4th Era, it's assumed such a thing could never be witnessed, therefore unprovable and improbable. Academic circles will laugh a man out of the room, despite some with ulterior motives also searching for any possible signs leading to the discovery of a sanguine star. Many unsavory mages, humans, vampires, devils, and more have a vested interest in locating one...

They are objects of power, yes, but they are by themselves entirely neutral in energy; They do not corrupt, only amplify the emotions, senses, phsyicality, etc. of the person who possesses it, and they will only 'bond' to one person at a time. Those who give into the evil that innately exists within themselves are doomed to have their wishes and powers malformed, or they die. In a way, a Sanguine Star chooses its wielder, whether they deserve it or not by mortal standards, and it really coincides with the self acceptance, magical aptitude, ability to learn, skill, and a few other key factors, but not morality. It's a very pragmatic and utilitarian set of divine rocks.

There is an unknown number of them; It was once thought there might be more than the legends suggest, but the only people who care to know these days are people who should not have them, such as pirates, mad mages, Red Hand vampires, and the Chosen of the gods.

One example of a Sanguine Star's form can by summarized below:

• ➥ Loux's Halo, or the Sunfire Halo

The ethereal and physical manifestation of his possession of the Sanguine Star - what becomes his crown, his halo, what marks him as divine and associates him heavily with the sunlight, flame, and divinity itself. He will appear as if he's 'wreathed in sunfire', bright-burning sunlight, as if a flaming sundog is behind him in perpetuity, casting a yellow-orange glow all around him. It's almost entirely symbolic of his power, representing his fire, his intensity and passion, his stature as a god. It cannot be removed from his head by anyone but himself.

The imagery is deliberate, meant to invoke Renaissance paintings of saints and angels as well as the natural phenomena of moondogs and sundogs. He can be compared to 'Lucifer in reverse', an angel fallen that rises again versus an already divine being who falls - willing to do anything and everything to have his way, with pride and violence yet without envy or jealousy. On the whole, however, the halo is meant to make him appear divine, powerful, as if sent down from the heavens themselves, when the truth is he was born on earth a mortal, destined to become more than merely a shapeshifting criminal with deeper wounds than even he realizes.

Drawing flame from his halo, from the star, will frame him in an inferno and reveal the true scope of the power he earned and coveted, as well as the power that was granted to him through it.