Althea's Gorget

Althea’s Gorget is the silver-and-golden neck-piece worn by Althea Stormsoro (her starting equipment as of her session 15 introduction), notable for a burning gem “smashed in like a runic symbol” at its centre. The gorget is the stated reason the Aurelian patrol pursued her into the party’s clearing in s15: the patrol wanted to inspect it, she refused, and the chase that followed delivered her into the party’s hands. Its mechanical effect, origin, and the specifics of why an Aurelian patrol would care enough to chase her for it are all unrevealed in transcript through end of session 16.

Overview

A silver-and-golden gorget with a burning gem embedded “like a runic symbol” — the most distinctive item of Althea Stormsoro’s starting kit, on display from her first appearance in s15. The party have not asked Althea about its origin in any depth, partly because the s15 introduction immediately cascaded into the kobold rescue, the kuatoa fight, and the needle-blight ambush.

Why it matters

The gorget is the single in-fiction reason a Pure-Light-aligned Aurelian patrol pursued a small white-scaled kobold across woodland — the s15 setup states the patrol asked to inspect it, Althea refused, and the chase ensued. This means someone in Aurelian command knows what the gorget is and considers it interesting enough to escalate from inspection request to armed pursuit. That makes the gorget either:

1. a known artefact on an Aurelian watchlist (parallel to the Nullstone runework),
2. a piece of evidence against Althea personally,
3. or a target for confiscation rather than identification.

Althea has not surfaced which. Her runesmith past — apprentice, did not finish, friends parted ways (s15 introduction backstory) — opens the door to her or her former company being the gorget’s source.

Mechanical status

Worn continuously through s15 and s16. No combat effect observed; no Identify cast on it through s16. The “burning gem” never visibly burned in any noted moment. Treated as a personal item with unrevealed properties.

Status as of session 16

Worn continuously by Althea. Open thread.

See also

• Althea Stormsoro
• Aurelia
• Nullstone

References

1. ^ Session 15 — Althea introduced — wearing the gorget; describes the burning gem.
2. ^ Session 15 — Aurelian patrol cited as wanting to inspect the gorget.