Homebound Compass

— We have to take a left here, then walk for two miles North, climb down three flights of stairs and slide up a spiral, take a lift to the 127th floor then back down to the 123rd, walk another five kilometers, dive to the bottom of the lake and we should get home before night.   — And also... "beware of the second plane"? What does that mean? — Hell if I know. I sure hope it's the flying kind though.

Travelling anywhere far from home is a perilous journey, especially if it involves crossing the territory of another mage. And yet, it is not enough to snuff people's yearning for freedom. Nomadic communities are far and few in between, living a dangerous but wonderful life, glimpsing at the most tantalising landscapes while on the run from terrifying monsters. Despite crossing to another world at each passage, they never get lost, all thanks to a repurposed item, their trustworthy Homebound Compass.

Craft and purpose

The initial compasses were created by an old mage for her people who wished to explore the world. She had told tales of wonders, and ignited a spark in her pupils' eyes. Even if they weren't mages themselves, she loved them and crafted seventy-four compasses. Long after the passing of their original's owner, the artifacts drifted from hand to hand, until the Wanderers took hold of most of them. Every group that splits from the main one is given two, as insurance.

For an artefact given to mortals, a compass is extremely versatile. It assumes the shape of an octagonal piece of metal with two floating orbs trapped behind a solid glass. A screen takes most of the space below the orbs, on which are written indications to reach the desired destination. To input it, three buttons are available on the side: by pressing the first one and speaking loud and clear any destination while picturing it in the mind, the device will find the shortest and safest way to get there. It doesn't need to be a known place either, a person, an animal, or even a nameless spot. The only constraint is that it must be something specific and unambiguous. Once the destination is confirmed, instructions on how to join it, clear and exhaustive, are written on the screen and can be blindly followed.

With a press of the second button, the destination is cleared from the device's memory and it reverts to a blank state, useful when it has to be concealed in a hurry. And finally, pressing the last button delivers the information to the holder's mind through ideas and feelings, impossible to be explained with words yet crystal clear.

While the original intent was to help the inhabitants of a magehold to find their way back home, it is now used by nomads to travel safely and always find the way, even in the most torturous of mazes.