Heart-Song Instrument

These enchanted musical instruments come in many forms: harps, flutes, sanxians and drums, just to name a few. All are beautiful creations of metallic Malfean wood, and string instruments are strung with demongut, while drums are capped with tanned demon skin. An instrument of this type never rests. Even when not in use, it emits an endless, meaningless drone.

One cannot play a heart-song instrument in the conventional sense. Every creature has its own heart-song, a unique tune that expresses the nature of its soul, and no matter what one attempts to play on such an instrument, the melody shifts of its own accord into a passage of the player's heart-song. The players of listeners may make a (Perception + Performance) check against a difficulty of the player's Essence for their characters to discern something of the player's nature. Success reveals the player's Virtue ratings and Motivation, while each additional success discloses one of her Intimacies. If the player fights the tune in an effort to disguise her nature, the onlookers' Perception checks become contested rolls against her (Manipulation + [Performance or Larceny]).

Owners of these instruments often use them as tools of non-violent interrogation; to maintain trust among subordinates, companions or lovers; or to verify a person's identity, assuring that he is not an imposter. In the last case, however, the instrument can betray those who rely on it, for if a person's nature changes (in the form of altered Virtue ratings, Motivations or Intimacies), his heart-song changes as well.