Resonance Beads

Resonance Beads come in a set of seven, each a slightly different color of translucent glass, threaded on a waxed cord with a clasp. Each bead is tuned to resonate -- a faint warmth, a barely perceptible vibration -- when the category of magic it is tuned to is active within a radius that varies by bead. They are produced by Order-licensed artificers as regulatory tools for use by Blue Knights and Order enforcement personnel, and they have been in circulation long enough that genuine sets and counterfeits both exist in significant numbers. The counterfeits tend to resonate when they should not and fail to resonate when they should, which is worse than simply not having them.

A genuine set's beads are tuned to: active arcane magic, active divine magic, active nature magic, illusion specifically, enchantment specifically, necromancy specifically, and a seventh bead that resonates in the presence of any magic that does not fit the other six categories -- the "wrong bead," as Blue Knight parlance has it, which is the one that gets attention quickest.

Properties

• Detection (passive): Each bead resonates (faint warmth perceptible to the holder) when its tuned category of active magic is present within 30 feet. Dormant magic items do not trigger resonance. Active spells and ongoing magical effects do.
• Identification: By holding a specific bead and concentrating for 1 action, you can attempt to identify the specific source of a resonating effect within 30 feet (DC 12 Arcana check). On a success, you know the school of magic and the approximate power level (cantrip, low-level, mid-level, high-level).
• The Wrong Bead: The seventh bead resonates in response to magic that is functionally unclassifiable -- Fey magic, demonic influence, the effects of the Nexus, and Charoth's active influence all trigger it. It does not distinguish between these sources. It simply indicates that something is present that the other six beads do not account for, which is exactly as alarming as it sounds.