Central Hearth, The
6 Dot Fire Manse, location:city:rathess

One of the few Level 6 Manses in Creation and caps a fire demesne of unparalleled potency

Special Functions

Zone of Influence: Rathess (•••)

Sorcerously immaterial chains, perfectly calculated astrological effects or other technical wonders expand the manse’s geomancy past the area it caps. Its range extends beyond its walls, to a radius equal to (rating2 x 100) yards. It can sense normally within the zone and can use any powers there that the Storyteller approves – geomantic anomalies or spiritual interference sometimes interferes with certain powers.

The Central Hearth once activated extends it zone of influence to the entirety of Rathess. Right up the Outer surface of the City Walls. This is a design of the Manse and cannot be changed without physically changing the geomantic quality of the manse. Since the manse is indestructible that would be an impossibility. This means should Rathess expand the new sections will not benefit from the various special abilities of the Central Hearth.

The Zone of Influence is not the “Rathess Essence Power Grid” that is something entirely different. The zone of influence is areas in which the Central Hearth can exert its various control and abilities that is described below.

Comfort Zone (2 Levels, • each)

The manse moderates its internal environment for the comfort of residents, such as staying cool in the Far Southern desert, heating itself in the Far North, or maintaining breathable air despite being underwater. Alternatively, the manse adapts the inhabitants to suit its environment. The manse may be carved of ice or underwater, but everyone who enters finds it comfortable.

By taking this power twice, the manse maintains a Comfort Zone despite an environment that people would normally find swiftly lethal, such as very deep underwater or inside an active volcano. Everything within the manse’s range is protected as if by Element-Resisting Prana.

This power is incompatible with a Habitability drawback.

The Central Hearth renders all beings within its influence resistant to the effect of heat. All within its physical structure is perfectly defended against the raw elemental might it contains; this perfect defense only applies to when individuals are physical within the actual manse.

The larger effect that applies to Rathess in a way “air conditions” the entire city of Rathess and additionally makes the city structures immune to fire damage (such as arson) regardless of construction material. Keep in mind – this does not actually lower the ambient temperature of the City, but its inhabitant’s just feels cooler.

This larger area power cannot be selective. All that is in Rathess are granted this power. However, the Keeper of the Central Hearth can withdrawal the protection of perfect fire defense within the actual Manse from anyone who is not attuned to the manse.

Central Control (••)

One vast room is filled with jeweled levers, crystal screens and rune-etched consoles that access every corner of the manse. Only attuned characters can use the room to take personal control of the manse (unless the Central Control comes with Password Activation). From the control room, characters can monitor sound and movement within range, set passwords, design illusions, aim and fire weapons, activate traps and so on.

Without this power, all these functions are determined by the manse’s design, always work automatically, and cannot be activated or deactivated – not even by the hearthstone bearer – without damaging the manse.

The control room of Central Hearth is the Fountain of Liquid Fire that displays the real time 3-D model of its zone of influence (which is Rathess) with constantly flowing lava. The Model is perfectly accurate but only in regards to the various structures. People and Objects are tracked only when requested and only updated via the Essence sense capability built into the city’s power grids. This effectively means those in the Central Grid can monitor the events in the entire city with Essence Sight (no sound).

The System is NOT meant to be used for surveillance. The essence sense capability is meant for diagnostic and repair purposes. Those who wish to avoid such surveillance can do so with no penalty to their stealth roll. With Rathess in such disarray however, entire section of the city are off the monitor network and repairs these links will be painstaking and long.

The actual mechanism for control is achieved via floating orichalcum and obsidian shapes with runes facets that glow when activated. The entire system is not intuitive and requires training to use.

  • The control system is actual a “translator” that tells the Keeper what needs to be done and the Keeper does the appropriate tasks.

Glorious Halo of Hesiesh (Fire Favored) (••)

Refracting crystals, focused elemental Essence, or other means can convey two- or three-dimensional visual illusions throughout the manse. This lacks the precision to create specific objects or people, but can create the suggestion of those things; for instance, Octavian, Demon of the Second Circle, couldn’t be copied, but the manse could show a huge tusked monster riding a giant wasp.

Figuring out that an image is an illusion requires a successful (Perception + [Awareness or Investigation]) roll – normally a simple success, but many factors influence that difficulty, including visual conditions, distance, the brevity of a glimpse, a character’s desire to be fooled, and so on. Like most powers, these illusions work on a set pattern unless the manse can adapt to outside influences or the whims of the hearthstone bearer.

The Glorious Halo of Hesiesh can broadcast a real-time image of the hearthstone bearer. Real-time conveyance is usually conducted to or from a specially prepared space, but with Central Control (Power 2), the hearthstone bearer can set up any area within the manse to convey any image.

The Central Hearth can sent real time communications to anyone within its zone of influence via 3D images made of heatless flames of a million shades. These messages can be sent to the perspective recipient from alcoves dotting the city. Obviously there is no guarantee of privacy intrinsic to the message since the image is displayed for all to see. Because the system does not transmit sound, the messages usually consist of the image of the sender and the text of the message burning next to him/her. Public announcements or private messages with audio can also be sent by those within the Central Hearth or by the bearer of the Superintendent Stone (as long as he is attuned) from anywhere in Rathess.

Bond Servitor Force (•••••)

4 in appropriate Craft, or the ability to permanently bind Servitors

The manse is guarded by a unit of Bound Servitors with a Magnitude equal to its level. All such Bound Servitors use the same statistics unless the Storyteller chooses to differentiate between them. If used in Mass Combat, the Servant force has Drill of 3. The Servant Force can serve as a powerful tool in social combat, for it can’t lose Magnitude due to loss of Loyalty.

This power may be purchased multiple times for additional Servant Forces. If all such forces are identical, their numbers may be combined to determine the total Magnitude of a single unit, as normal.

The Central Hearth does not require additional workers as it can produce a large number of Lava Servitors to serve its purpose (around 500-600) these are not sentient beings and are only suited for supervised labor. Mostly they autonomously take care of the mining and processing of raw materials and their transportation. They can be used as military force but only with sentient supervision.

Each Lava Servitor appears as however the Superintendent wanted them to appear. The last Superintendent chose the iconic figure of a Muscular Dragon King warrior with 4 arms to better hold things and a great serpent’s lower body to better move through the earth and waterways or Rathess, both of which they can move through both freely without trouble or disturbance.

Currently A colony of around 200 Mice of the Sun resides in the Central Hearth and they supervise the Lava Servitors. These mice like to ride the servitors while they are working within the manse for fun and for closer supervision. Since the Lava Servitor’s ability to pass through earth is not conferred to the mice, they monitor and direct their work via the Control Room.

  • Note: The Central Hearth’s magic protects those in its zone of influence from suffering accidental harm via the Lava Servitors. It does not protect against deliberate harm caused by a controlled Lava Servitors.
  • Note: Nearly everyone without relevant First Age memories assumes the Mice of the Sun are actual Bound Servitors of the Central Hearth. This is an assumption the Mice have yet to correct - for whatever purpose, they seem content to let the Solars carry on with their ignorance.