Fate and Fortune: Tools for Divination and Spellcraft

Fate and Fortune

For as long as we have wondered what waits beyond the next turn of the road, people have created ways to seek answers. We have cast lots, watched the movement of a pendulum, carried talismans, gathered unusual stones and fashioned tools meant to focus our thoughts and intentions. Whether we call it divination, spellcraft, superstition, tradition, or simply imagination, there is something enduring about holding an object in your hand and giving it meaning.

Fate and Fortune: Tools for Divination and Spellcraft grew from that idea.

For this project I wanted to create a collection of objects that feel as though they could have been gathered over years of travel, a brass pendulum tucked into a pocket, a strange vial of metal filings kept among an alchemist's belongings, a set of heavy brass crystals arranged on an old wooden table, or an iron wand carried at the side of a wandering practitioner.

Each piece is made using materials I have always been drawn to in my work: iron, brass, leather, copper, glass, and wood. They are materials that have weight, texture, and character, and they become more interesting as they are handled and used.

Some backers may use these pieces for divination or spellcraft. Others may carry them as part of a costume or historically-inspired kit, place them among the possessions of a tabletop RPG character, use them as props and gaming accessories, or simply enjoy them as unusual handmade objects.

There is no single right way to use them.

That is part of what Fate and Fortune is about. Creating tangible artifacts that invite you to decide what they mean and what stories they might tell.

Glass Vial Pendulum (Brass)

Fine brass filings move and shift within a small glass vial, catching the light as the pendulum swings. Sealed with a cork and suspended from a warm copper-colored chain, it has the appearance of an old alchemist’s instrument, simple, unusual, and made to be handled.

Glass Vial Pendulum (Iron)

The companion to the brass vial contains dark iron filings sealed beneath the cork. As the pendulum moves, the iron shifts within the glass, creating a piece with a distinctly different character, darker, earthier, and reminiscent of the materials of the forge.

Iron Spike Pendulum

Forged individually from iron, the Iron Spike Pendulum carries the marks and subtle irregularities of the hammer and anvil. Its long, tapered form gives it the appearance of an old nail, spike, or simple ritual implement whose purpose might not be immediately apparent.

Brass Crystal Pendulum

Shaped from solid brass and faceted by hand, the Brass Crystal Pendulum takes the familiar form of a natural crystal and recreates it in metal. Its weight gives it a substantial feel in the hand, while the polished facets catch the light as it moves.

Four pendulums, four very different characters. Each can serve as a traditional tool for divination and dowsing, an implement for spellcraft, or an artifact for gaming, cosplay, and imaginative play. Choose the one that speaks to you or mix and match them to build your own collection.

The Brass Focus Crystals

Crystals have long been carried, displayed, and used as objects of focus, contemplation, and symbolism. For Fate and Fortune, I wanted to take that familiar form and recreate it in a material more closely connected to my own work.

Each Focus Crystal begins as solid brass and is individually shaped and faceted by hand. Rather than trying to make every crystal perfectly identical, I allow the process to leave subtle differences from piece to piece. The result is a set that feels less manufactured and more like a collection of unusual objects gathered over time.

The four crystals vary in size and weight, giving each its own presence in the hand. Their polished facets catch and reflect the light, while the natural warmth and weight of solid brass gives them a character very different from stone or glass.

A Place for the Collection

The four Focus Crystals are accompanied by a fitted oak display and storage block, with an individual place for each piece. When not being used, the crystals can remain together as a collection on an altar, shelf, gaming table, or workspace.

Like the other pieces in Fate and Fortune, what you do with them is ultimately up to you. They can become tools for focus or spellcraft, components of a divination practice, artifacts belonging to a tabletop character, props for cosplay, or simply a collection of handmade brass objects that invite you to pick them up and wonder what they might be for.

The Wand of Iron

There is something fitting about a wand made from iron. It is a simple material with a long history, worked by fire, hammer, and hand into tools and objects meant to endure. For Fate and Fortune, I wanted to create a wand that felt less like a decorative prop and more like an implement that might actually have been carried and used.

Each Wand of Iron is individually hand forged, giving the surface the subtle texture and character of the forging process. The handle is wrapped in leather for a comfortable grip and finished with a leather wrist cord and copper accent. The combination of dark forged iron and worn leather gives the wand an understated, old-world appearance.

Made to Be Carried

I also wanted the wand to have a proper place when it wasn't in the hand. Each wand is accompanied by a handcrafted leather sheath, fitted with brass hardware and made specifically to hold and protect it.

Worn at the side, carried among a collection of magical tools, or placed on an altar or gaming table, the sheath helps transform the wand from a simple object into something that feels like part of a larger kit.

Whether it becomes a tool for spellcraft, a character prop for gaming or cosplay, or simply an unusual piece of hand-forged ironwork, the Wand of Iron is made to be carried, handled, and given a story of its own.

Add-Ons

Kickstarter has a great add-on feature! You can add extras to your original pledge! I have many of the items in this project available as add-ons so you can get exactly what you want! If you go crazy and start building huge piles of loot we may have to adjust the shipping due to added weight, but we will work that out together.

About the Creator:

My name is David Savedge and I am a blacksmith and game designer. I have a studio and blacksmith's shop on my farm, Ravenstead.

Ravenstead is my home and family business, with smithing and metal work becoming a bigger part of what I do to provide. This current project will help better establish the workshop at Ravenstead.

When I'm not working on the farm or smithing, I'm thinking about games and gaming. I love classic tabletop role-playing games. I'm excited to share my new project with you and hope you will join the adventure!

How the funds you provide will be used:

Funds raised through Fate and Fortune will be used to produce and fulfill the rewards offered in this campaign. This includes purchasing the iron, brass, leather, oak, glass, hardware, and other materials required to create the pendulums, focus crystals, wands, sheaths, and other handcrafted pieces shown throughout the project.

Funding will also cover the production supplies needed to fabricate and finish these rewards, along with packaging materials, fulfillment expenses, Kickstarter fees, payment processing fees, and other costs directly associated with completing and delivering Fate and Fortune to its backers.

Shipping:

All rewards will be shipped using USPS Ground Advantage. This service was selected to balance reliability, tracking, and cost for heavier handcrafted items.

If the combined cost of shipping with Add-Ons exceeds $20 I will upgrade the shipping to USPS Priority Flat Rate shipping and refund the balance. 

I do not charge extra for packaging and handling, that's on me.

Sadly I am not offering any rewards outside of the US. This is mostly due to complications with changing and unpredictable customs regulations and tariffs. I will be offering rewards from this project in my Etsy Store at a later date. Etsy, like many other OMP's (Online Marketplaces), has powerful integrated selling and shipping tools, so I am able to ship Worldwide from my Etsy Store. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this ever-changing and challenging world.

(c) 2018 - 2026 David Savedge