Flow beacon

Flow Beacon
Basic Information
Type	Unknown
Created by	Unknown
Location	The Phlogiston
Value	Cannot be bought

A Flow Beacon is a mysterious object found only in the phlogiston in the Spelljammer campaign setting.

Description

Flow beacons are found floating throughout the phlogiston. A flow beacon resembles a spindle-shaped metal "star" which glows with phosphorescent light which blinks on and off periodically and emits a constant singing sound. Each flow beacon sings in a different pitch.

Powers

No one is sure what the flow beacons are. Most sages and ship's captains believe they are magical buoys marking a route through the phlogiston, especially since they don't move within the Flow.

A flow beacon cannot be moved or damaged through any means, not even by ramming it with a ship. All spells cast on a flow beacon are reflected back on the caster. Nothing can elicit a reaction from a flow beacon, nor does it ever stop or alter its singing.

Rumors

Grimbeard Holast, a noted dwarven spacefarer who made his fortune running cargoes through the void over several years went to his deathbed claiming to have witnessed the Spelljammer sailing past a flow beacon, which lit up with racing streams of flashing lights, only to return to normal as soon as the great ship had disappeared. Although many sages, including Elminster from Toril, believe the old dwarfs account, others point out that the Spelljammer has sailed through the Flow many times, apparently ignoring the beacons entirely.

Khelben Blackstaff and his companion Grimwald have remarked that they have often witnessed Arcane near known beacons and have theorized that the flow beacons are technological devices created by the mysterious traders. The Arcane, for their part, have never responded to queries related to the mysterious objects.