Velok the Younger
When I Was A Young Warthog
Intent: To assist in tracking Sithspawn and locating items of significant alchemy
Development Thread: Here - Development of processes and procedures for locating and excavating artifacts, and neutralizing Sithspawn
Manufacturer: Akure Executive Leatherworks/Mohc Extractives
Model: Korriban Compass
Affiliation: Exclusive availability on the open market. Commonly issued or sold to AEL's best contractors, and sometimes gifted to those who spend a good deal of time on old Sith worlds, in the interests of building and maintaining connections. It is also known to be used by non-Force-users for defensive purposes, if they travel in certain circles. One, for example, is destined for [member="Seydon of Arda"], and another for Ashin Varanin.
Modularity: No
Production: Limited
Material: Alchemized durasteel, alchemized glasteel, magnetic needle, Force crystal, non-slip coating
Description: The Korriban Compass is Rave's tacit acknowledgement that her attempt to flood the market with alchemy may have been a little too successful, and that other alchemical practitioners are on the rise. It is also designed to give a substantive edge to her agents and associates when in pursuit of significant artifacts, or in danger from Sithspawn.
The compass takes an antique form. Beneath a face of alchemized glasteel, four needles swivel and track independently. One tracks local magnetic north for guidance purposes. The other three lock in on items of alchemy or Sithspawn, and can also lock in on Force artifacts and nexuses. The more powerful the contact, the farther the compass's effective range. For example, the compass could guide its user to an average AEL product from a few hundred metres, or to a major Force artifact, nexus, or even a terentatek nest from hundreds or thousands of kilometres. The strength of an individual contact, whether from objective Force significance or from proximity, is registered by a slight glow at the needlepoints, comparable to the glow-in-the-dark needles found on some survival compasses. For safety, there is an opaque durasteel cover. The compass provides little information on the nature of the contact (it enhances instinct, in the sense that one can generally feel if one is tracking an item versus a being), and cannot differentiate between Light and Dark. When more than three contacts are in range, it will choose the strongest of them, as a composite of objective strength and proximity; it will not attempt to approximate midpoints. In short, in a target-rich environment, the compass will always point to something. If the user has a decent sense of multiple contacts, it is possible for the user to influence the compass, prioritizing the needles and gaining a stable lock. This ability is proportional to conditions, the user's skill, and the strength of the contacts being prioritized and ignored, among other factors.
Potential contacts concealed by Force Disperser effects or ysalamiri will not be picked up as contacts. Potential contacts concealed by lesser means, such as taozin amulets or taozin lacquer, will register as lower-priority contacts, as if weaker and/or more distant than they are. If significant potential contacts of the Light Side and the Dark Side are in close proximity to each other, they will often cancel each other out, as with Yoda and the Dagobah cave. The compass can show a temporary false positive from excessive Force use, though it often learns to ignore that sort of disturbance after a few seconds or minutes.
In regards to Sithspawn and other beings created by the influence of the Force, including those who have survived death through midichlorian manipulation or even recent essence transfer, the compass will generally register them as a contact. This is more pronounced the more recent the transformation involved, and the more drastic the changes wrought. For example, Nyarl would be a high-priority contact, whereas Spencer Jacobs, having been created two decades ago from a Force-born fusion of her biological parents' DNA, would be a low-priority contact. Jedi Master Syn, being a long-lived Sithspawn hybrid of humanoid, felinoid, and plant genetics, would be another example of a high-priority contact due to the drastic nature of his creation, despite it having occurred centuries ago. Those who have taken new bodies several times generally register as midlevel contacts regardless of the recentness of their transfer; for example, Je'gan Olra'en would register as a contact. As these cases are very rare, though, and as they only register as midlevel contacts, they generally do not interfere with the compass's main purpose.
A localized spherical dead zone with a 1.5 metre radius prevents the needles from spinning aimlessly if held by a Sithspawn or someone in possession of an alchemical item. This is a minor variation on Force Disperser alchemy, as practiced by Palpatine and various artifacts made by Rave and Valik. Unlike most Force Dispersers, this effect does not conceal the user in the Force, nor any artifacts in their possession; it only prevents the compass itself from detecting the user and his or her possessions. Neither will the compass detect other contacts within that radius.
The Korriban Compass is small enough to be held in one's palm. It is unusually heavy for its size, though not an encumbrance. Its alchemized materials are very durable and resist both lightsabres and Force powers, preventing the compass from being destroyed or interfered with easily. However, it is not without its downsides. The compass has been known to lead Lightsiders into traps by prioritizing them as contacts (this is not an advertised feature). Partially derived from the intuitive knowledge charm of the Sith abattar recovered by Rave on Dromund Kaas, it suffers from the abattar's limitation, at least in part: it is easy to 'overdo it' when using the Korriban Compass. Extended use or frequent consultation has been known to induce a form of tunnel vision, amplifying a user's sense of the compass's contacts but also lessening other senses while the compass is in use.
Development Thread: Here - Development of processes and procedures for locating and excavating artifacts, and neutralizing Sithspawn
Manufacturer: Akure Executive Leatherworks/Mohc Extractives
Model: Korriban Compass
Affiliation: Exclusive availability on the open market. Commonly issued or sold to AEL's best contractors, and sometimes gifted to those who spend a good deal of time on old Sith worlds, in the interests of building and maintaining connections. It is also known to be used by non-Force-users for defensive purposes, if they travel in certain circles. One, for example, is destined for [member="Seydon of Arda"], and another for Ashin Varanin.
Modularity: No
Production: Limited
Material: Alchemized durasteel, alchemized glasteel, magnetic needle, Force crystal, non-slip coating
Description: The Korriban Compass is Rave's tacit acknowledgement that her attempt to flood the market with alchemy may have been a little too successful, and that other alchemical practitioners are on the rise. It is also designed to give a substantive edge to her agents and associates when in pursuit of significant artifacts, or in danger from Sithspawn.
The compass takes an antique form. Beneath a face of alchemized glasteel, four needles swivel and track independently. One tracks local magnetic north for guidance purposes. The other three lock in on items of alchemy or Sithspawn, and can also lock in on Force artifacts and nexuses. The more powerful the contact, the farther the compass's effective range. For example, the compass could guide its user to an average AEL product from a few hundred metres, or to a major Force artifact, nexus, or even a terentatek nest from hundreds or thousands of kilometres. The strength of an individual contact, whether from objective Force significance or from proximity, is registered by a slight glow at the needlepoints, comparable to the glow-in-the-dark needles found on some survival compasses. For safety, there is an opaque durasteel cover. The compass provides little information on the nature of the contact (it enhances instinct, in the sense that one can generally feel if one is tracking an item versus a being), and cannot differentiate between Light and Dark. When more than three contacts are in range, it will choose the strongest of them, as a composite of objective strength and proximity; it will not attempt to approximate midpoints. In short, in a target-rich environment, the compass will always point to something. If the user has a decent sense of multiple contacts, it is possible for the user to influence the compass, prioritizing the needles and gaining a stable lock. This ability is proportional to conditions, the user's skill, and the strength of the contacts being prioritized and ignored, among other factors.
Potential contacts concealed by Force Disperser effects or ysalamiri will not be picked up as contacts. Potential contacts concealed by lesser means, such as taozin amulets or taozin lacquer, will register as lower-priority contacts, as if weaker and/or more distant than they are. If significant potential contacts of the Light Side and the Dark Side are in close proximity to each other, they will often cancel each other out, as with Yoda and the Dagobah cave. The compass can show a temporary false positive from excessive Force use, though it often learns to ignore that sort of disturbance after a few seconds or minutes.
In regards to Sithspawn and other beings created by the influence of the Force, including those who have survived death through midichlorian manipulation or even recent essence transfer, the compass will generally register them as a contact. This is more pronounced the more recent the transformation involved, and the more drastic the changes wrought. For example, Nyarl would be a high-priority contact, whereas Spencer Jacobs, having been created two decades ago from a Force-born fusion of her biological parents' DNA, would be a low-priority contact. Jedi Master Syn, being a long-lived Sithspawn hybrid of humanoid, felinoid, and plant genetics, would be another example of a high-priority contact due to the drastic nature of his creation, despite it having occurred centuries ago. Those who have taken new bodies several times generally register as midlevel contacts regardless of the recentness of their transfer; for example, Je'gan Olra'en would register as a contact. As these cases are very rare, though, and as they only register as midlevel contacts, they generally do not interfere with the compass's main purpose.
A localized spherical dead zone with a 1.5 metre radius prevents the needles from spinning aimlessly if held by a Sithspawn or someone in possession of an alchemical item. This is a minor variation on Force Disperser alchemy, as practiced by Palpatine and various artifacts made by Rave and Valik. Unlike most Force Dispersers, this effect does not conceal the user in the Force, nor any artifacts in their possession; it only prevents the compass itself from detecting the user and his or her possessions. Neither will the compass detect other contacts within that radius.
The Korriban Compass is small enough to be held in one's palm. It is unusually heavy for its size, though not an encumbrance. Its alchemized materials are very durable and resist both lightsabres and Force powers, preventing the compass from being destroyed or interfered with easily. However, it is not without its downsides. The compass has been known to lead Lightsiders into traps by prioritizing them as contacts (this is not an advertised feature). Partially derived from the intuitive knowledge charm of the Sith abattar recovered by Rave on Dromund Kaas, it suffers from the abattar's limitation, at least in part: it is easy to 'overdo it' when using the Korriban Compass. Extended use or frequent consultation has been known to induce a form of tunnel vision, amplifying a user's sense of the compass's contacts but also lessening other senses while the compass is in use.
