Artefacts

A list of every artefact that has been mentioned or encountered.

ATTENTION! SPOILERS AHEAD!! This article contains information from later episodes of The Magnus Archives and may contain major spoilers for the setting and plot. Continue at your own risk.

Overview

An artefact is an item with paranormal properties and is generally associated with a specific Entity. Artefacts are almost always malevolent in nature, giving observers, readers, owners, holders, etc. experiences that range from unsettling to horrifying to deadly. Leitners and other books of paranormal nature are types of artefacts, although they are known to be more powerful than other objects with supernatural properties. There is no specified limit to the size of an artefact, but paranormal vehicles like ships or train cars tend to be considered "locations" rather than artefacts.

Certain people and other beings are known to deal in paranormal artefacts. Before The Change, Mikaele Salesa was a well-known artefact dealer. After leaving the employment of Jurgen Leitner and taking Leitner's client list with him, Salesa initially went into the antiques trade dealing in normal items but, eventually, some of Leitner's former clients began approaching him about specifically supernatural objects. Salesa never dealt in books, however, and he learned the hard way that only he should take stock of such merchandise.

The company Breekon & Hope became what was effectively a delivery service for paranormal artefacts after the beings known as Breekon and Hope took over it. Breekon and Hope are affiliated with The Stranger, but they transport for every Entity that affiliates with an artefact they come across. In MAG 128, Breekon mentions that "The Spider’s always an easy job, no fuss, no complications, everything planned and prepared. It knows too much to truly be a stranger, but hides its knowing well enough to endure." Breekon and Hope got their start in the transport of supernatural artefacts when, during their time as train conductors, they came across an object associated with The Web and used it to torture a passenger. The pair worked for London auction-houses, joined The Circus, and drove empty crates to and fro in a stolen lorry before eventually finding Alfred Breekon, breaking him, stealing his company, and transforming it into a delivery service for paranormal artefacts.

Artefacts are often a key factor in an Entity's ritual and can be created for that sole purpose. It is not known whether or not the Gorilla Skin was created specifically for The Stranger's ritual, The Unknowing, but it was used in the first attempt at the ritual and was intended to be used in the second before it became known that Gertrude had destroyed it. The Dark's Black Sun/Dark Star was created by Manuela Dominguez specifically for the Extinguished Sun ritual. Rituals do not need artefacts, but they are often centred around something similarly supernatural like a creature or an avatar.

List of artefacts

Notes: This list does not include books; the list of books can be found here. Certain items have specific names while others do not; unofficial or placeholder names are noted.

Name	Description	Entity	Notes
Blood Money	A leather pouch filled with 1888 Morgan silver dollars; sold by Mikaele Salesa. The abilities of the pouch are unknown aside from being described by Salesa as having a "grisly" effect.	The Slaughter
The Boatswain's Call	An antique sailor's whistle that produces a sound simultaneously shrill and distant. When blown, The Boatswain's Call summons a thick fog and can cause a person within that fog to disappear, apparently at the will of the whistle's blower.	The Lonely
The Box	A box which traps a person inside it the morning after they touch it. Closes more tightly around its prisoner every time they feel any kind of hope of getting out. Time moves differently inside The Box and its prisoners will experience more days inside of it than they possibly could have.	The Buried
The Calliope	An antique bright red calliope steam organ with brass pipes; has a small brass plaque that reads "The Calliophone". The phrase "Be still, for there is strange music." is carved into the cover of its keyboard. The Calliope is functional even though it lacks a blower (an integral part to the instrument). The Calliope's full abilities are unknown, but its most extensive statement indicates that it may cause a nearby clown doll to become active, and possibly create new ones resembling the doll’s future victims. It is intended to be played during The Unknowing.	The Stranger
Clown Dolls	Clown dolls that seem to come to life and create new ones resembling the doll’s future victims when The Calliope is played. May be connected to Nikola Orsinov. Formerly owned by Nikolai Dennikin.	The Stranger	Speculative name
The Coffin	Also known as The Pit, The Coffin is a casket made of unvarnished, pale yellow wood, has the phrase “DO NOT OPEN” scratched into it in letters three inches deep, and usually appears with chains locking it closed. It is a gateway into The Buried and screams and moans can be heard from within The Coffin when it rains and if anything is placed on its lid, scratching can be heard at that area.	The Buried
The Dark Star	Also known as The Black Sun, a miniature star that shines with darkness rather than light. It was created by Manuela Dominguez for the Extinguished Sun ritual. As a powerful item of the Dark, The Dark Star would kill all who looked upon it if they were not sufficiently protected by an Entity. It survived the collapse of the ritual, only to be destroyed by Jonathan Sims.	The Dark
Dark Wardrobe	A new oak wardrobe that light is apparently unable to penetrate.	The Dark	Speculative name
Death's Game Pieces	The game pieces used by Death to play for the life of marked targets, which they leave behind if the target wins. Known instances include chess pieces, dominoes, and several dice. These pieces are always made entirely of bone when they are provided by Death, though it is unknown if they maintain any supernatural properties.	The End
The Fractal Pot	A Chinese, Jiajing-era ceramic pot decorated in crisp geometric blue lines that repeat in a perfectly symmetrical pattern as they grow thinner and thicker. It takes possessions from its owner, along with all memories and evidence of those possessions, from everyone except the pot's owner. It may be the residence of a being of the Spiral rather than an artefact itself, as one of its victims witnessed long, thin fingers with dirty nails emerge from the interior.	The Spiral	Speculative name
Gorilla Skin	An ancient taxidermied gorilla hide—perhaps the oldest piece of taxidermy in the world. It can be used to fulfil The Unknowing's ritual component of "a costume of special power or distinction" required for the lead dancer. Apparently impervious to fire, but any other supernatural properties are unknown.	The Stranger
The Hand Mirror	A hand mirror that, when looked at, shows a creature just behind the holder. Even after dropping the mirror and breaking its glass, the presence of that creature can still be felt. From then on, the holder will feel the creature constantly watching and following them.	The Eye	Speculative name
Lonely Painting	A drab English pastoral with the power to draw its viewer into The Lonely domain. Sold by Mikaele Salesa.	The Lonely	Speculative name
The Meat Grinder	An antique meat grinder that can regenerate lost limbs by grinding the stump of said limb. Grinding a limb may give the user a euphoric sensation and the Grinder may entice its user to feed on their lost limbs, although it is unclear if these effects are exclusive to Cook, the user of the Grinder in MAG 115: Taking Stock.	The Flesh
"Old camera with a broken lens"	An old camera with a broken lens that has the power to hide people from the Entities. Sold by Mikaele Salesa early in his career and then reclaimed by him in 2014. Salesa speculates that it functions as a battery, feeding on the fear associated with living in hiding. In the post-Change world, Salesa uses it to maintain his personal sanctuary at Upton House. It is destroyed by Annabelle Cane in MAG 196.	Unknown affiliation	Speculative name
Original cuts of Neil Lagorio films	Effects of them is unknown but a statement giver was trapped watching them for five months until Annabelle Cane let her out. Annabelle told the statement giver to give them to the institute and they were put in artefact storage.	The Web	Speculative name
The Pattern Rug	A rug with a pattern separate from its being. The pattern can remove itself from the rug and flow across other things in a mess of diamonds, swirls, and colours: a process that is painful to living creatures and can pull them apart from the inside. It is unclear as to whether the rug is powered by The Spiral or if the pattern is a Spiral creature that merely resides upon the rug while not hunting.	The Spiral	Speculative name
Rock Eye	An eye carved out of rock that interferes with video cameras unless kept in its black velvet bag.	The Eye	Speculative name
The Scalpel	A plague-infected scalpel that cannot be disinfected.	The Corruption	Speculative name
Slaughter Gun	A gun of unknown appearance or abilities. The gun is alluded to in MAG 115, where it's implied that Mikaele Salesa is giving a statement in exchange for the Institute's continued business because he did not fully explain the abilities of the firearm. The incident that led up to this apparently involved an Institute staff member getting a splinter from the gun's handle (Salesa had warned "you should always be wearing gloves if you’re going to try firing it,") and The Slaughter affecting them in some unknown way.	The Slaughter	Speculative name
Slaughter Knife	A rusted old knife that drives its holder to kill anyone in sight before turning it upon themselves.	The Slaughter	Speculative name
The Syringe	A 19th-century syringe with unusual effects on mosquitoes. Given the context of the related statement, wherein unusual events happen only after its sale, it may actually be a ward of some kind against The Corruption's influence.	The Corruption	Speculative name
"A thrumming silk-wrapped object"	An artefact of unknown abilities used by Breekon and Hope to torture an unspecified woman.	The Web	Speculative name
The Tape Recorders	A number of digital magnetic recording devices used by the archival staff to record truly supernatural statements, among other things. The recorders appear whenever a significant event is happening, and turn on and off at will. Annabelle Cane used them to spy on The Magnus Institute.	The Eye/The Web
Web Lighter	An anchor of The Web’s power in the form of a Zippo lighter with a cobweb design. It allows The web and its tape recorders to track John. Breekon and Hope deliver it to John alongside The Web Table in MAG 36.	The Web	Speculative name
The Web Table	A large, dark wood table that has engraved upon it a hypnotic pattern that appears to lead towards the centre. In the centre of the table is a recess with a box within it. The table is an embodiment of The Web itself. By harnessing the power of The Web, it is possible to bind a being to the table.	The Web