Also referenced as: the Titan's Legacy, the Glacial Crown, the Cold Chain, the Frost Shard
Upon the frozen world of Kokkinos, eons before its legendary ziggurat was raised, a race of giants once ruled. The Frost Titans dominated the world, but they were solitary beings and as the plane itself shook off their icy grasp, their numbers dwindled until they vanished utterly into the mists of history.

Their end, however, was only the start of this. Millenia later, Kokkinos was torn apart by bloodshed and barbarism. Rival clans clashed endlessly, spilling blood until the mountains ran red with them. Swords and flags were the only grave markers left for thousands and countless clans were left to fade into obscurity. Upon one of those littered front lines, the bedraggled victors of some nameless battle happened upon something that would change history forever. They discovered the long forgotten grave of one of those mighty titans of epochs past. The barbarians worshiped the precursors and thought to properly enshrine its remains as a sign of their victory and right to rule. When they started to dig, they unearthed the creature’s fossilized heart. Cracking its mummified chest open, almost by accident, they found a flawless azure stone of unparalleled beauty, dancing with its own inner light. With numb fingers they touched the stone and found it shockingly cold even after all these years.

Prying it from the mineral tomb, all thoughts of the body fled. They took the stone to their chieftain. He was equally enchanted and sent the stone to be worked, the heart made into a medallion for the great chieftain king. With the titan’s legacy upon his breast, he led his clan to conquer and unify the world. The stone granted him the powers of the giants before him, armored in ice and calling storms as his herald, he built a great glacial fortress, and from there he bound the tribes under his rule. With it came a period of peace unknown to the world since the dawn of time.

But though the mighty king had gathered his people, strife still lay in their hearts. As his health began to fail, the winters grew worse and conflict began once more. When his shamans discovered the cause of his sickness was a curse that came from the heart he wore, he attempted to get rid of it, only to discover its magic was the only thing that kept him alive. Once removed, he rapidly worsened and in his death throes, the stone conjured a raging storm that tore apart everything they had worked for, throwing Kokkinos into a winter that would last for centuries.

Few artifacts on our list have changed form as often since their creation, but the Winter’s Heart has been transformed countless times and used by beings as diverse as the form it has taken. Demons, Saints, Criminals, and Heroes, have born the stone that is the Winter’s Heart, but few have ever escaped the curse of misfortune and death that comes with it. It does not matter why the stone is used, it will always bring misery to those who claim its power.

(The gem has complete control over ice and makes its bearer immune to the cold. The upper limits of what the gem can accomplish aren’t something I am eager to test, so I am forced to speculate based on historical evidence. It is a chilling thing to consider, no pun intended.

The dire prophecy which Raleris has related is… somewhat exaggerated. The relic is cursed, that much is true, but it does not always bring death to its bearer. Misfortune is certainly an accurate term, but there are a number of stories describing only the unfortunate defeat of the one who thought to master the Heart. The form the curse takes is as varied as its own appearance.

Its current form is disturbingly similar to another of the artifacts that we have collected, so much so that it is clear one was inspired by the other, though which came first is impossible to tell. The Inferno Amulet has clashed with the Winter’s Heart several times through history, which at first glance seems nigh impossible but I believe the artifacts might be bound to each other, even over the reaches of the Blind Eternities themselves. The fact that they have both found their way to my vault speaks volumes of that bond.
-Maral)

Also referenced as: The Truthseeker, The Enchanter’s Gem
Across dozens of worlds, if you were to see the soulstone at some bazaar, it would seem innocuous. A simple rose gem (heart cut –M), not especially brilliant, whose only remarkable feature is the size. It would seem easy to miss, except to those who know the touch of magic. Amid the flotsam and jetsam of countless trinkets, the soulstone draws mystics to it.

The stone allows its bearer to see to the soul of a being and the magics that bind one to others. With this sight, no illusions or lies can stand under the wielder’s gaze, but this is the least of its abilities. One can see the true potential of a being and coax it forth, they can alter magical fields, and even see the life force that flows through a being, even the remnants of life that death leaves behind.

And the stone can wield power over all it can see. It claims dominion over life and death, truth and lie. One could live forever with the stone, though it does not stop one’s aging. It can command the dead to rise, though it does not offer true life again. It can shield others from harm and end their lives in the same thought. The most subtle of all its power is to bring forth the truth and power of its bearer’s soul, to strip away that which stops one from achieving their highest potential.

The exact origin of the soulstone is lost to the ages. The first mention I can find o the stone speaks of it as an item with considerable history, but of those events, I can find no trace. The tale was about the rise of a demonlord known as Kadi. Kadi led an undead horde in a sweep across a continent. Already potent in his own right, bearing the stone made him nearly unstoppable.

Nearly.

One of his own acolytes turned against him just on the cusp of his victory. Using the stone, she bound their souls together and sealed Kadi within herself. Without their patron, the cult was broken, the acolytes and priests fleeing before the assembled might meant to repel Kadi’s undead army that now lay useless upon the battlefield. The army of machines laid waste to the lesser demons that attempted to finish Kadi’s work.

The story does not truly end there though. The gem’s power awakened something inside the young woman, a nascent spark flared because of its effect. The next chapter of the journey takes something of an unexpected turn. Though I cannot be certain how it got there, shortly ater Kadi’s fall, the gem ended up in the hands of an accomplished healer. He began a grimoire studying the stone and its capabilities, but as time wore on, it becam his personal journal and when he died, it was passed to his daughter along with the stone. So it went for generations, until I arrived.

Only 2 of his descendents remained, a mother and daughter. The younger had inherited the burden, and though she was an accomplished healer like her ancestor, she did not wish to bear the responsibility given to her. She gave me both the stone and grimoire and seemed happy to be rid of the relic that brought about the dwindling of a once proud lineage.