The Talismans of the Early Empire are five powerful artifacts of the early Reydovan Empire imbued with incredible psionic energy, created over a thirty-four year period, from 2296 to 2330.
The Talismans[]
The five Talismans are linked, and a combination of multiple proved to be incredibly potent. Kiran Joshmaul - now a fugitive warlord intending to conquer the Federation - now possesses three of the Talismans. Emperor Kieran II and August von Spee each have one of the three remaining Talismans.
The Crown of the Emperor[]
The first artifact is the Crown of the Emperor, created by Kiran Joshmaul in 2296. It is a gold laurel crown with a ruby in the shape of a templar cross on the front, with the golden symbol of the Empire on it. Since 2296, the Emperors of the Reydovan Empire are given a private ceremony before the public coronation - involving an incredibly powerful psionic such as Joshmaul himself to attune the crown to its wearer. If any usurper attempts to put on the crown without the proper psionic attunement, the energies are unleashed to short-circuit the usurper's nervous system, leaving the victim in a vegetative state.
The Crown of the Emperor is currently held by Kieran II, the reigning Emperor of the new Greater Reydovan Imperium.
The Medallion of the Chancellor[]
The Medallion of the Chancellor, created by Joshua Underwood in 2321, is the second artifact. Underwood, the first Chancellor, imbued the badge of office with the ability to grant its wearer a psionic shield. However, it has never been used since it was created.
The current bearer is August von Spee, the Chancellor of the Greater Reydovan Imperium.
The Staff of Joshmaul[]
The Staff of Joshmaul is a combination of a hand-made stave, its shaft carved with Celtic knots and a speartip at its end, and an ancient Gorak'nar talisman. The round talisman is gold with a perfectly-cut black gem, both untarnished by the passage of time; the rim of the talisman is carved with Gorak'nar runes of power. It was found by Joshmaul in 2330, at an archaelogical site southeast of the city of New Avalon on Reydovan Prime's northeastern continent. It acts as an incredible psionic focus, and can also be used to locate disembodied psionic essences - "ghosts", as it were.
The staff is still in the possession of Joshmaul.
Joshua Underwood's Sword Cane[]
Joshua Underwood's ever-present sword cane is a keen-bladed weapon as well as a potent artifact. A simple sword cane bought by Underwood in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006, Underwood had the blade removed because - in his native California - sword canes were illegal. In 2210, when he joined Starfleet, he still had the cane in pristine condition - and it remained bladeless. In 2321, when he became Chancellor, Underwood forged a new blade, with an activatable energy field that legend told could cut through carbon neutronium. This was the weapon used to decapitate Underwood's mirror counterpart during the Ides of March campaign.
Underwood was incapacitated by a "Scionic" heavy disruptor fired by one of the eponymous armor suits - with no one in them - on January 1, 2407. Five days later, Kiran Joshmaul broke into Underwood Castle, crept into Underwood's chambers, unsheathed the sword cane and plunged it through Underwood's heart, killing him instantly. The cane is now in the hands of Joshmaul.
The Marshal's Baton of Alexander Britanov[]
Alexander Britanov, who would later become the first Marshal of the Reydovan Empire, was promoted to Marshal in 2328 and granted a Marshal's baton - a ceremonial item granted to high ranking officers. It was imbued to unleash psionic "waves" to stun opponents; however, like the Medallion of the Chancellor, it has never been used. Upon the death of Marshal Britanov in 2376, his baton was given to his son, Mikhail. However, Mikhail never used it, and it remained in a display case until his death in 2403.
In his will, Mikhail returned the baton to Kiran Joshmaul, who holds it still. This decision is now regarded as a great mistake.
The "Sixth Talisman": Joshua Underwood's Ring[]
A sixth artifact was created in secret in 2407, shortly after Joshmaul became a fugitive. This artifact was worn on Joshua Underwood's right hand for four hundred years - his high school class ring. Purchased before his graduation from Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, California in 2005, the ten-karat white gold ring became Underwood's trademark along with the ever-present sword cane.
Underwood's ring possesses the ability to negate the psionic powers of any of the other five talismans. If Joshmaul somehow gains all five, Underwood would still have been able to combat the artifacts' powers. With Underwood dead, his ring is now in the hands of his bodyguard, Ammenkayn.