Lore Entry: The Alchemist’s Trinket for Safe Passage

In the older tales, the Wayward Alchemist was often called upon not for gold, but for an item that could guarantee safe passage through lands teeming with Fae or forests with creatures lurking in shadowed places. This ring was his answer. It is called The Veil Guard.

It was hand-forged from a thin iron nail; a piece of the mundane world meant to ward off wild magic and evil. The iron was drawn into a thin, rounded band with an overlapping, open wrap. The overlapping bands represent parallel paths. One of our realm, one of the hidden realm. The path of our realm is set with a Jade, the revered Stone of Heaven, deliberately chosen because its stability was thought to keep the traveler’s soul tethered to the mortal realm, and holds vitues of protection. Held by the three-prong setting (the three necessary stops on any journey: The River, The Shelter, and The Crossroads), this ring acts as a powerful charm.

The wearer of the The Veil Guard carries the Alchemist’s unspoken agreement: one may walk the unseen path, but one must always return.

Historical Uses of Jade

 

• The Imperial Stone: Jade holds immense historical value, known as the “Stone of Heaven.” It was highly associated with royalty, nobility, and high ritual status in antiquity.

• Symbol of Immortality: Historically, Jade was used in burial rituals because it was believed to preserve the body and facilitate immortality or transition into the afterlife.

• Philosophical Virtue: Ancient Chinese philosophers valued Jade as a physical representation of five cardinal virtues: courage, compassion, justice, modesty, and wisdom.