Sapphire of the Sagacious Squirrel

Aspect: Water
Rating: ••  
Manses: 

The Sapphire of the Sagacious Squirrel is a hearthstone which takes the form of an asymmetrical sapphire, almost an acorn in shape.

By injecting a single mote of Essence, its bearer may project a map from the stone, roughly depicting their surroundings out to 5 miles. The map is not, however, a direct representation of physical topography, but instead of 'journeys', the bearer dictating a destination or direction and the map detailing the route to reach it. The map also records the scenery along the route, as well as potential obstacles, be they landslides or bandit roadblocks, though its depictions of these are simplistic and require observers to roll PER+War to try and ascertain their significance (the more successes, the clearer the interpretation of the obstacle).

Some simply employ the Sapphire as a navigational aid, though its short range mean few naval captains favour it. A few bearers, however, have plombed the depths of what a 'journey' means in order to leverage the hearthstone for very different purposes. At least a few hunters (both those seeking game and Magistrates seeking criminals) have voiced pursuit of their prey as a journey, and found the stone to mark out a course towards their target (granting a +2 to appropriate Survival or Investigation rolls). Still others have tried pushing even deaper, asking for the paths to love, or fate, or destiny: the undulating kaleidescopes so produced are beautiful to behold, but know to have made at least some Sidereal Exalted burst into laughter.