WONDROUS ITEM ARTIFACT Requires Attunement

The Orbs of the Astendar clan are shards of the Storm Spirit Fulmine. They were scattered to the members when the Shrine to Fulmine on the Astendar estate was burned and Fulmine's ability to manifest destroyed. Before this, the Astendars ability to cast was innate, gifted to their bloodline through Fulmine's power. Without its ability to manifest, the spirit's essence within the Astendars became material, hardening into orbs which they now use to harness Fulmine's powers. 9 orbs now reside with the remaining Astendars, a symbol of Fulmine's enduring pact with them. When an Astendar wielding an orb dies, the orb detonates in a furious explosion of storm magic, launching Chain Lightning at everything within range. This destroys the orb and it is bestowed to another of the Astendar family. An Astendar may attune to multiple orbs, combining their powers and bringing Fulmine closer to true manifestation.

The orbs act as an Arcane Focus for casting spells. They only work this way for those of Astendar blood. Daeran Astendar's orb gives the following ability when held:

• Stormcaller's Presence. You gain immunity to the Deafened condition, and your voice can always be heard clearly through natural thunder or magical wind effects.

Each of the orbs also have a unique technique of either an Astendar or the spirit Fulmine within them that can be learned when attuned to them:

• Pulsing Spell. When you cast a spell that deals lightning or thunder damage, you can spend 1 Sorcery Point to add your spellcasting modifier or proficiency bonus (whichever is higher) to one roll of the spells damage.
• Crackling Spell. When you use the Transmuted Spell Metamagic option, it does not cost a Sorcery Point if the spells damage was changed to Lightning or Thunder.
• Thunderous Spell. When you cast a spell that has a Verbal component, you can spend 2 Sorcery Point to cause your voice to explode outward in a thunderous clash. A number of chosen creatures that can hear you within 300 feet equal to your proficiency modifier must make a constitution saving throw. Upon failure, they are shaken to their core by your voice and fall prone.
• Gifted Spell. You may choose to pour the gifts bestowed upon you into a single spell. When you cast a spell, you may spend any number of Sorcery Points to increase your spellcasting ability by the amount spent (up to 30) for a single spell. You can use Gifted Spell even if you’ve already used a different Metamagic option during the casting of the spell.
• Electromagnetic Spell. When you use the Twinned Spell Metamagic option, you can also cause the creatures targeted to be magnetically pulled toward each other. Each creature moves up to 10 feet toward a middle point between them. You may use a bonus action on the same turn to increase the force of attraction, moving them another 10 feet towards each other.
• Surmounting Spell. Prerequisite: Must have at least 2 of the above options unlocked. When you cast a spell that deals lightning or thunder damage, you can spend 3 Sorcery Points to lower the level of one of the target's existing resistances to the damage type. This may make an immune creature resistant or a resistant creature no longer resistant until the end of your turn.
• Arcing Spell. Prerequisite: Must have at least 4 of the above options unlocked. When you cast a spell that deals lightning or thunder damage, you can spend 5 Sorcery Points to cause it to deal damage to all creatures within 5 feet of one of its targets. This can cause targets to potentially take damage twice from a single spell.
• Fulminous Sorcery. Prerequisite: Must have at least 5 of the above options unlocked. If you are reduced to 0 hp while your Innate Sorcery feature is active, your orb automatically casts the spell Conjure Elemental at your location. The Elemental is air (Lightning) and attempts to restrain any creature that gets near you. It lasts for the full 10 minutes, not requiring your concentration. If you have at least 4 Sorcery Points when this happens, it consumes them and stabilizes you.

The orbs also have another feature. Using all of them, you may resummon the Storm Spirit Fulmine to the mortal plane using its original summoning circle. The spirit of storms is very powerful, once considered a god before it was stricken of its title following the battle of Karaal in ancient times. Banished to the elemental plane, Fulmine found its place among the air and earth spirits, becoming a fusion of the two. Emerging as the Storm Sprit Fulmine, it went to work creating masterful works of art using nature's fury. It carried on this way, wreaking havoc upon land and sea until The Great Flood sent a surge of power through the elemental plane. This surge was greatly painful to the spirits of nature, overloading them with unbalanced magic. When the Astendars made contact with the spirit, it made a deal with them to secure a shrine for its manifestation on the Astendar Estate to attempt to ensure that if a magical surge like that ever hits the elemental plane again, it could be safe on the mortal plane.