The mage enchants an item so that its owner may designate a rightful heir in the event of his death or long-term disappearance. Only that individual may then attune to the device. (See “Authorization,” p. 139.)
A rightful owner of this item may designate a number of heirs equal to the spell’s Potency. The owner names them in order, so that if the fi rst heir fails to take possession of the item after a specified period, the next in line is then cleared to step up and attune to the item. If all specified heirs are dead when the owner dies, the item becomes generally available. As with any item bearing an authorization-based spell, any mage may now attune to it.
Owners can alter their list of heirs at any time. Owners also may specify an interval of neglect, after which their heirs may claim the item as theirs. If an entire interval passes during which the owner has not used or handled the item, the first-named heir becomes the item’s designated owner.
Mages inheriting an item in this way will likely wish to specify their own new heirs, rather than allowing
the item to pass to the previous owner’s second-named beneficiary.
Silver Ladder Rote: Orderly Succession
Certain items belong to Silver Ladder hierarchy itself, as a perquisite of particular offices. The Orderly Succession rote guarantees that these items are passed to the new holders of these positions, and are not subsumed into officers’ estates.
