Propaganda Orbs
Also known as: influence orbs, persuasion spheres
Hollow crystal spheres roughly the size of a melon, containing a compressed matrix of carefully curated mana-sigils designed by the Empire of Azaria's Diplomatic Corps and refined by the Ministry of Defense over decades of operational use. When a trained operator activates a Propaganda Orb by feeding it a prepared attunement key — a small secondary crystal encoding the specific emotional and narrative impression to be broadcast — the Orb projects a sustained field of targeted psychological influence across a radius of several city blocks. Those within range do not hear voices or experience obvious magical interference; instead, over hours of gradual exposure, they develop what feels like organically formed opinions: quiet goodwill toward Azaria, skepticism toward their own leadership's current stance, or a vague unease about the costs of resisting the empire's presence. The effect is cumulative and fades within days of leaving the Orb's radius, though repeated exposure across weeks can produce impressions that linger.
Artifact Details
- Type
- Psychological Weapon
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Developed under classified conditions by a joint task force of the Guild of Arcane Studies and the Diplomatic Corps following the Azarian doctrine of Diplomatic Warfare — the systematic use of economic, informational, and psychological pressure to undermine adversaries before open conflict becomes necessary. The first operational deployment was during a border dispute with the Orcish Tribes over Ironspine mineral rights, where Propaganda Orbs placed in three border-town markets contributed to a collapse of local support for the Tribal Council's hardline position.
- Current Owner
- Ministry of Defense, Diplomatic Warfare Division (classified stockpile)
Overview
Propaganda Orbs is a rare psychological weapon in Landorya. Its known origin is Developed under classified conditions by a joint task force of the Guild of Arcane Studies and the Diplomatic Corps following the Azarian doctrine of Diplomatic Warfare — the systematic use of economic, informational, and psychological pressure to undermine adversaries before open conflict becomes necessary. The first operational deployment was during a border dispute with the Orcish Tribes over Ironspine mineral rights, where Propaganda Orbs placed in three border-town markets contributed to a collapse of local support for the Tribal Council's hardline position.. It is currently associated with Ministry of Defense, Diplomatic Warfare Division (classified stockpile). Its most cited abilities include Projects targeted emotional impressions and persuasive narrative inclinations within a sustained broadcast radius, Attunement key system allows customization of broadcast content for specific psychological objectives without operational reconfiguration, and Effect is gradual and subjectively indistinguishable from organically formed opinion to the target, making it difficult to attribute or defend against. Accounts also warn of a drawback: Sustained operators of Propaganda Orbs — those who work with them regularly over months — report that their own convictions begin to blur. The constant proximi…
History
The existence of Propaganda Orbs is officially neither confirmed nor denied by the Imperial High Council. Their most significant known deployment was during the pre-campaign operations leading up to the Crimson Campaign, when Orbs placed in cities sympathetic to the Necro-Cult of the Black Veil reportedly halved the Cult's local recruitment yields within four months. A cache of Propaganda Orbs was discovered by a Nereid Confederacy customs official in Year 821, creating a diplomatic crisis that the Ministry of Diplomatic Relations resolved by insisting the devices were 'experimental resonance-testing equipment' — a claim that satisfied no one but provided sufficient political cover for both parties to avoid escalation.
Powers & Abilities
- ✦ Projects targeted emotional impressions and persuasive narrative inclinations within a sustained broadcast radius
- ✦ Attunement key system allows customization of broadcast content for specific psychological objectives without operational reconfiguration
- ✦ Effect is gradual and subjectively indistinguishable from organically formed opinion to the target, making it difficult to attribute or defend against
- ✦ Multiple Orbs operating in coordinated arrays can cover an entire district with overlapping influence fields
Curse or Drawback
Sustained operators of Propaganda Orbs — those who work with them regularly over months — report that their own convictions begin to blur. The constant proximity to projected persuasive fields creates what military psychologists call the Mirror Effect: the operator's beliefs become subtly malleable, fluctuating with whatever attunement key they last worked with. The military manages this through mandatory psychological evaluation every three months and strict rotation policies limiting any single operator to four weeks of consecutive Orb duty.