Khamyrus

Khamyrus, also called the Eyes of Taper, are enchanted crystal balls first created by the Korvian who was called "Taper" by much of the world in the period of 540s to the 560s. While Taper himself died in 560 and left no way to reproduce them, he left behind thirteen khamyrus that are mostly still in use today.  

Use

Khamyrus are simple devices: they capture what is in front of them and can play it back. This can be an image or series of moving images, though they can only store so much on them at once, and moving images (and sounds) take up far more space on the khamyrus. These can be overwritten or deleted as required by whoever uses them, and they are easy to use.   One must channel a small amount of magic into a khamyrus while holding onto it, which allows them to access its inner workings and decide what to do with it.   They can also project images onto surfaces or into the air, allowing images to be shown at large. Sound can be projected out from them as well, though it cannot be made too loud, as they were only intended to be used at most to send a message to a large group gathered before Tyrant or at an event hosted by Taper. Disruptive and noisome as they may be, they cannot deafen anyone.   The storage of a khamyrus can last indefinitely, if what is stored on it is not deleted or overwritten, or if the khamyrus itself is not destroyed. The exact amount a khamyrus can store is unknown, not because it cannot be quantified, but because no definitive measurement system has been created to determine the storage of a khamyrus.  

Intended Use

Taper spent most of his life (nearly twenty years, which was quite impressive for a Korvian) as a stooge for the government. The left-hand of the Korvian King Tyrant, he had used the khamyrus to create propaganda for Tyrant and his Hall of the Mountain King, as well as the people Tyrant ruled over. He traveled the world, broadcasting what he and Tyrant both hoped would one day be "their" kingdom (though Taper himself never had any power, and he was mostly just another exploited citizen under the rule of the Mountain King), helping Tyrant understand the world and leaders he hoped to conquer, and spread Tyrant's propaganda on a global stage. He repented and turned over to the Army of the Revolution in his final year of life, serving to make propaganda for them after Tyrant died as a way to get amnesty.   Still, he did not survive their war and left only his thirteen khamyrus in the hope that they would be put to good use. To him, this was to make them into tools for the states of the world to strengthen themselves through propaganda, as he had once been recorded saying:

"Propaganda is the greatest weapon we have. You could control the whole world, my king, but it would make them hate you with every drop of blood you spilled. I can control them with a word and the blood spilled will be on every hand but ours.

They would never hate me... I would be the only one they trusted. After all, I shaped their world without needing to use an ability like yours, so powerful but so messy. It's clean, it's simple, and it is beyond them all. Propaganda is more powerful than every Korvian ability in history.

But you are my King, so it is your weapon to wield. I shall your general, the words we speak shall be your army, and the battlefield shall be... well, it shall be whatever views we decide they ought to see. No sword may shatter our forces, and no war can be waged to overcome our power. This is all we need to win."

— Taper

 

The Thirteen Khamyrus

The locations of the thirteen khamyrus are mostly unknown, but some have remained in locations that are public knowledge. Those include:

1. A khamyrus in the Marshal, to observe trials and meetings of the Judges of the World Court in an attempt to keep them honest and prevent schemes.

Judge Alpha by Jarhed
 
2. A khamyrus in Yirthum's Storage Vault for enchanted items, protected in case one is needed and all others are destroyed or cannot be located.
 
3. A khamyrus in the Korvian City, where Taper was likely born, to keep his original goal of being publicity for the Korvian King going. It remains in the castle with the King and his advisors to use as they see fit.
 
4. A khamyrus in Modan, where Taper put his skills to use for the Army of the Revolution in the final year of the battle against the World Court. It remains in the possession of the city's leaders, entrusted to Modan officials for use in city business.
 
5. A shattered khamyrus, brought to Bortan but shattered by either Village Chief Cracul Daxur or his successor Talrin Tilrak (it isn't known exactly what happened to the Bortan khamyrus, one of those two is blamed for its destruction, though it could have been someone connected to one of the two Chiefs).

Over half of the Khamyrus in Totania have been lost (though they are most likely still intact, as the circumstances around the Bortan khamyrus were supposedly particularly ridiculous to allow it to break), and they have often ended up in the hands of groups that use them for their own benefit, rather than the benefit of the states like Taper had originally hoped for them to be.   One has been traveling through various mercenary groups, though it never stays with one long enough to be added to the list of known khamyrus locations.  

False Khamyrus

There have been instances where enchanters have attempted to recreate the khamyrus, but they have always failed (as the devices were not made with simple magic, but were the extension of a Korvian ability that has long since died out.   These devices may work temporarily, or be able to store a small moment in them, but they cannot be reused and often fade with time. Still, it is known that many Elven nobles and even the Kings of Camor have insisted on producing khamyrus, using the exploited labor of Yirthum to make them.