An artifact that was charged accidently by being driven through the head of a man who has been the subject of neuro-scientific study for years.
On 13-September-1848 near Cavandish VA a three and a half foot long peice of iron was blown through the head of one Mr. Phineas Gage.
The damage done to him was severe and most of his left fore-brain was completely destroyed. More importently so was the personality of Mr. Gage. Where once he had been a polite, respectful, pious man he was now rude, quick to anger; in short his personality had been reversed.
The Tamping Iron is commonly thought to be in the Museum of the Medical College of Harvard University, but in fact it was stolen from there sometime in the late 1970’s by a vengeful Clockworker. Whatever plans the mechanomancer had are lost to the ages, as he was murdered in his sleep, and the Tamping Iron taken by his killers.
Rumours abound about it’s current location but the most often repeated one is that a Sleeper cell in Cambridge Massachusettes has followed the clockworkers plans and built a personality reversal machine. This, it is claimed, is used to… reform… show off Adepts.
It seems to me that if someone did build a personality reversal machine, the House of Renunciation would be desperate to get their hands on it. Or destroy it.
Hmm, even better: use it on someone who’s gone through the House to restore their former personality. Talk about throwing a monkeywrench into the gearworks of the universe.
I’d use it. Hell, I’d geas my associates to ensure I get re-reversed back to normal. If I COULD geas them. Or blackmail… pre-Renunciation, of course.