Identification #
The Lydian Stone is a flat, rectangular stone slate. It was discovered by Ulysses in 2025 within a hidden, windowless study at a Pompeii excavation site.
Description #
When inactive, the Stone appears inert. On contact, only the touched area glows. Users can trace text or simple line diagrams with a fingertip, similar to writing on a steamed mirror. Each luminous mark fades automatically after roughly five seconds.
The artifact exists in both timelines at once. A mark written by Ulysses appears to Marcus in his own time, then fades. Marcus can reply with the same touch-writing method, and his marks fade on the same short interval.
Provenance #
The Stone was found in a sealed chamber associated with the House of Gaius. In the ancient timeline, it was kept in a private study by Marcus. Its origin prior to the 1st century AD is a subject of intense speculation and archaeological mystery.
Function/Operation #
The Stone functions as a bidirectional communication slate with transient, touch-activated marks. It has been used to:
- Exchange Text Messages: Short written instructions and warnings between timelines.
- Transmit Simple Diagrams: Quick technical sketches and directional layouts.
- Coordinate Discoveries: Marcus sharing location details that Ulysses can verify in the present.
- Maintain Temporal Sync: Communication remains aligned under the established 1:1 timeline flow.
Scholarship/Variants #
Ulysses initially treated the Stone as a "strategy game" or simulation, a detachment that Lucia later challenged as he became more aware of the human cost of his interventions. Its name is derived from the historical use of Lydian stone (basanite) to test the purity of gold, a metaphor for the ethical "testing" of Ulysses' character.