Trial rod is a Plain relic, without an affinity. It holds an old piece of Covenant-stuff, the substance of the Seal-shards, bound into a plain testing rod, and its treasure spirit answers to Wefan, the Weaver.
It is laid once on a hero in the holder's service. The hero may come out of the trial more practised than before, as if it had served for a long while. It may come out unchanged. Or it may lose some of what service had taught it. The odds belong to the ruleset.
That is the rod's hunger: a gamble, and a one-time one. Nothing shows what the test will give or take until it is done, and the rod is spent either way. Until it is used, heaven counts it in its holder's Weight.
No one knows who made it. Wanderers grow more effective through service, and Wanderers whose heart demons have the same shape all share the same knowledge. Some Wanderers say the rod does not test the hero at all. It tests the heart demon, they say, and the demon decides how it will be measured. That is their belief. What a heart demon wants is not settled here.
Tellan, the Keeper of Tallies keeps the rod among the Mnemoliths between Turnings. There is one in each Turning. When it is spent, its shard returns to his keeping for the recasting, and no copy is made.
Player-visible facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Use | Consumed on use |
| Battle item | No |