The Bone Die

written by Pamela Punzalan

illustrated by Sin, the Weaver in Blue

The Bone Die is a primordial thing: the dark brown of deep depths beneath the earth encased in the sharp, glistening white of creatures long dead. When you hold it up against the light, you may see flashes of color, like the fragments of a soul.

A watercolor portrait of a person with their back to the viewer, looking over their left shoulder. The top half of their head, lower half of their jaw, and a section across their spine and shoulder is white skeletal bone, the edges between the bone and skin marked with long streams of blooming pink, yellow, and purple flowers and greenery.

Holding the Bone Die brings a deep sense of purpose. Hold it too long, however, and whispers of all that you are will come rising up to the surface, unearthing what you left buried for too long.

All creatures in Mnemonic are sums of their parts, held together by the trappings of their forms—all of which is wrapped around their bones, that which determines their shapes. We are but repositories for memories and experiences. They leave their mark upon us, whether we are aware of it or not. While the mind, heart, and blood may forget, the bones always remembers.

Rattling the Bone Die means shaking sleeping or forgotten memories awake. It draws upon the scars that life leaves upon mortals, allowing the strength hidden within them to fill them once again. It can also reach beyond death, revealing secrets that could be equal parts terrible and beautiful and telling stories that perhaps no one else can.

When you weave with bones, consider the following:

What was the last thing that the world forced you to bury deep within your heart? How does this memory give you the power to weave with bones?

What lost things are you seeking? Are you even aware of what you have lost to begin with?

Roll	Effect
Bend	You shake an old memory loose from your bones, from the bones of the mortal you are touching, or the bones that you may be holding in your hands. It is more feelings, impressions, and odd flashes than anything else, enough to raise more questions than answers.
Weave	A memory of yours that you remember only partially or forgot completely rises to the surface. It is always relevant to the moment you attempted to draw upon the Bone Die for guidance. You may instead do this for a mortal you are touching. If you hold the bones of another in your hands, the flashes of their story that you are given will serve you well.
Fray	You stir up countless fragments of memory from your bones and the bones of others around you. If you are holding bones in your hand, the remnants of experiences join the rising tide of discordant whispers, odd mix of smells, and glistening shards of experiences.
Tear	The call of the Bone Die or the force of your will stains the ground at your feet, freeing all that sleep beneath the surface from the clutches of death. They rise, struggling to be free of the earth, or stone, or mud, or water. They demand to be heard.