Description
Cones of communication are sold as matched pairs. Each cone is made from an unknown solid white material, as cold and hard as stone, but not as heavy. The cones are 4 inches in diameter across the base, and 6 inches in height, and weigh less than 1 pound each.
Powers
Cones of communication are sold and used in matched pairs. Individual cones will only function with the other cone it is paired with, and no other. Each cone picks up any sound within 12 inches of its base and instantly transmits the sound to its twin. The sound will emanate from the base of the other cone with the same clarity and at the same volume that it was picked up at.
A pair of cones have a maximum operational range of between 1 and 12 thousand miles, which is established at the time of construction and cannot be changed. Within this range, two people who each posses one of the cones from a matched pair are able to communicate freely with each other, without any decrease in quality or noticeable delay. As soon as the distance between them exceeds this maximum range, both cones become inert and no longer detect as magical, until they are brought within operational range again. Apart from moving out of range, or placing the cones within sound-proof containers, there is no way to prevent them from transmitting any ambient sound they detect.
History
Several centuries ago, a spelljamming mage called Naxtys claimed to have created the first cones of communication, bolstering her meager reputation. However, other, more powerful wizards became suspicious of Naxtys's claims, doubting her ability to create the cones by herself. When confronted by her peers, Naxtys eventually admitted that she had discovered the cones within an obsidian container floating somewhere in wildspace close to the Grinder in the crystal sphere known as Greyspace. Subsequent to her admission, mages far more competent than Naxtys could ever hope to be began creating more cones of communication.
Rumors
- Ever since their discovery, there has been no clarity as to who created the first cones of communication. Some have suggested that they may have been created by an ancient race of powerful mages who had once inhabited a planet that had shattered into thousands of pieces, creating the asteroid field now known as the Grinder. This theory is of course dismissed by most others as so much nonsense.
- Military analysts have claimed that the Elven Imperial Navy used cones of communication to give their fleet commanders a tactical advantage during the First Unhuman War. Supposedly the fleet admiral would distribute a number of cones among the most pivotal vessels within the fleet, while retaining the other cones on the flagship's bridge. This would allow the admiral to receive reports timeously and to issue orders coordinating the fleet's activities.