Draft:Kolwynia
| & | |
| Type | Artifact |
|---|---|
| Base value (Au) | 20000 |
| Item level | 7 |
| Weight | 1 |
| Unidentified appearance | Key |
| Cursed name | Kolwynia, the Key That was Lost |
Kolwynia, the Key That Was Lost is a single-use artifact carried by the Archmage. It teaches all 41 spells and doubles maximum Power, making it a major source of magical knowledge even for a character outside the magic guilds. Activating it while unidentified kills the user.[1]
Generation
The physical Archmage receives Kolwynia while its unique-generation state still permits that possession. The predictable meeting is the court beneath Archmage's Castle; the same office-holder can also appear in mansions or as a randomly selected recorded NPC. Summoning the recorded-NPC type does not specifically choose the Archmage. These are sources through an NPC's possessions, not ordinary random artifact drops.[2]
Kolwynia is separate from the Sceptre of High Magic lying on the throne square. Talking to the peaceful Archmage on that throne makes him vanish without dropping his carried Key. Resolve the Key's acquisition before dismissing him if you want both artifacts.[3]
A successful pickpocket takes the target's first possession, ordinarily the Key before he has acquired other items. The check depends on Dexterity, thief rank, the target's combat level and random rolls; success shifts alignment one point toward Chaos. Another attempt after his possessions are empty makes him hostile. Normal death drops carried possessions, but fighting in the court can provoke its collective retaliation.[4]
Acquiring a normal copy records the Key as taken, so newly created Archmages no longer receive it through their usual constructor. Consuming it does not clear that marker. Copies already created elsewhere are not erased, but the same emptied Archmage is not a repeatable supply.[5]
Description
Identify the Key, move it from the pack to accessible inventory if necessary, then use A → a to activate it. Merely recognizing the description Key is insufficient: the effect checks the item's recorded identity. Blessing, curse status and enchantment do not change this test or multiply the reward.[6]
| Condition or result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Identity unknown | Immediate death, rather than a damage roll that high HP can absorb |
| Identity known | 5,000 experience; current and maximum Power become twice the old maximum Power; all 41 spells become known |
| Already known spells | Remain known; their existing mana costs do not change |
| Consumption | One Key is removed after successful activation |
Kolwynia grants knowledge of wishing as well as the other spells. It can therefore restore knowledge of wishing lost after a successful wish cast, but teaching a spell does not itself cast it or supply the mana for it. The Key does not directly fill the new mana capacity; a level gained from its experience award may separately restore mana through the ordinary level-up rules.[7]
Like other artifacts, an intact Key reacts to beneficial enchantment with a mana-storm backlash. Enchantment is a restoration tool only if its activation power has been stripped; it does not make the Power doubling stronger.[8]
Strategy
Treat identification as part of obtaining the Key, not an optional later expense. Its very low weight makes it easy to carry, and its spell knowledge can replace many separate learning opportunities. Spell scrolls and guild study still have a different benefit: relearning a spell through those routes can reduce its cost, whereas Kolwynia leaves existing costs alone.[9]
The Power reward scales from the maximum, not the current attribute. A drained character receives the same doubled maximum; waiting for a larger permanent maximum can increase the eventual gain, but delays access to all the spells. Do not assume it doubles an unusually high temporary Power bonus: it replaces current Power with twice the old maximum.
If wishing is already known, using a useful wish before the Key can let the Key teach it again. Plan the mana requirement and the risk of the wish itself. For later wish knowledge, the throne offers a separate route; repeatedly returning to an emptied Archmage does not replenish Kolwynia.[10]
References
- ↑ iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 406; defs.h in Omega 0.90.4, lines 281–323; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–308.
- ↑ mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 529–570; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 611–615; house.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 218–235; lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 369–372; effect3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 7–43; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 7–41.
- ↑ env.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 260–268; mtalk.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 681–704; mmove.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 228–241.
- ↑ command3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 774–825; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 134–154; mspec.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 723–738.
- ↑ inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 636–640; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 611–615; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–308.
- ↑ command2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 100–128; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 548–608; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–308.
- ↑ itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–308; spell.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 8–25; char.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 172–175; aux1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 659–669; aux2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 452–482.
- ↑ effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 54–114.
- ↑ iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 406; effect3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 271–307; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–308.
- ↑ spell.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 8–25; spell.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 623–624; move.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 914–942; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 292–308.