Touchstone
The Highest Standards
“A clean surface proves nothing. Composition does. If the metal is wrong, everything built on it is wrong as well.”
Metal has always carried value, but value is rarely as simple as appearance.
Refined metals can be shaped, alloyed, and altered in ways that are difficult to detect without careful testing. A coin may look true while containing less of the metal it claims. A blade may appear well made while hiding inferior materials beneath its surface. Even experienced craftsmen can be misled when work is done skillfully.
Touchstone exists to remove that uncertainty.
When cast, the spell allows the caster to perceive the exact composition of a metal object. The proportions of its constituent metals are revealed without the need for tools or destructive testing. From this information, the caster can determine the object’s purity and identify whether it has been adulterated or diluted with lesser materials.
The spell does not rely on surface appearance. It reveals the underlying structure of the object as it truly is. Alloyed metals are understood as mixtures rather than single substances, and any deviation from expected composition becomes immediately apparent.
This makes Touchstone particularly valuable in trade and craftsmanship. Merchants use it to verify coinage, bullion, and goods where value depends on material integrity. Smiths and engineers apply it to assess the quality of worked metal before committing to further use. Officials and inspectors rely on it to detect fraud in systems where trust is tied directly to material standard.
The spell is equally useful in less formal settings. Adventurers and travelers often encounter items of uncertain origin or quality, and the ability to confirm whether an object is what it appears to be can prevent costly mistakes.
Touchstone is limited in scope by design. It functions only on finished or refined metal objects. Raw ore and unprocessed material cannot be evaluated in this way, as their composition has not yet been brought into a stable or meaningful form. The spell does not identify magical properties, craftsmanship quality beyond composition, or the history of the object. It answers a single question with precision. What is this made of.
Among those who use it regularly, Touchstone is regarded as a practical tool rather than a remarkable one. It does not replace skill or judgment, but it ensures that decisions based on material composition are made with accurate information.
In matters of metal, that is often the difference between fair dealing and costly error.
“I have seen coins that would pass through ten hands without question. The eleventh man cast this and found out exactly how much had been taken from each of them.”
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