The Candle of Borrowed Tomorrow

by Frazer 👁 38 views

A slender candle of pearl-white wax, bound by a delicate copper wire etched with tiny calendar dates. Its flame burns downward into the wick while the wax climbs upward in slow, impossible rivulets, restoring the candle inch by inch. The flame shifts from gold to pale blue whenever it alters fate, and its faint smoke curls into the shapes of unopened doors.

Backward Flame The candle's ivory wax flows upward from its wick, rebuilding itself as it burns. When lit, it sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. The flame cannot be extinguished by wind or water, but it goes out if the candle is fully submerged in holy water or if its attuned bearer willingly breaks the obligation imposed by this item.

Borrowed Tomorrow Once per long rest, while the candle is lit and within 30 feet of you, you can use a reaction when you fail an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. You reroll the d20 and must use the new roll. Afterward, the candle's flame burns blue until the next dawn, and the candle cannot be used again until then.

A Small Obligation When you finish attuning to the candle, it presents you with a brief, reasonable obligation chosen by the DM, such as delivering a letter, returning a borrowed object, speaking a particular truth, lighting a candle at a grave, or offering aid to a named stranger. The obligation must be possible for you to complete and must not directly require self-harm or the violation of your core beliefs. Until you fulfill it, you have disadvantage on the first saving throw you make each day. Once fulfilled, this penalty ends permanently, but the candle presents you with a new minor obligation at the next dawn.

Tomorrow's Wick The candle has 7 inches of wax remaining. Each dawn, one inch of wax un-melts back onto the candle. If the candle is destroyed or its attunement ends, the remaining wax melts normally over 1 hour and leaves behind a blackened silver wick.

Lore

The candle was first made by an elderly chronomancer who believed that every kindness was a debt owed to the future. Its makers claimed that the flame does not reverse time; rather, it burns away the past while borrowing a moment from a tomorrow that has not yet happened. Those who carry it are said to become entangled in small promises that keep the world from drifting out of sequence.

History

The Candle of Borrowed Tomorrow was discovered in the sealed study of Merial Voss, a wizard who vanished one evening while attempting to light it at both ends. The next morning, the candle was found intact, along with a note written in Voss's hand: "I owe someone an apology. I hope I remember who." Since then, it has passed among adventurers, priests, and thieves, each inheriting an obligation that seemed trivial until the moment it mattered.

Created by Frazer 👁 38 views

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