The mysterious visor.

The visor previously carried by Moe Highwater was meant as a story element to bring the characters closer to the story of what was going on. It will display interpretations of psychic energy and emotions in the wearer's 'field of view', gives a (I believe) -1 Intimidate, +1 insight and +1 diplomacy. Its functionality is partially blocked. The Item has an unlockable power, with various enhancements based on future exposure as follows:

Read the Patterns [Minor action, Item, Encounter] (AKA Plot-Sense)
Requires: 2000 GP, Enchant Magic Item
Range/Target: Personal/You

The item confers knowledge of connections to those in the field of view. These can be business connections, intimate connections, or simply acquaintance (coworker) connections. The type of connection is not conferred, but the strength is. This is analogous to the type of connection and what makes that type of connection stronger. For example a pair of guard who have worked the same shift for many years but dislike each other may only have a moderate connection, but if those guards were old war buddies who would die to protect the other's family, an immaculate connection is seen. The wearer can see connections to themselves, as long as they originate within the wearers' view. This is a flash of insight, and does not persist.

The following events and/or enhancements can affect the functioning of the visor's power. If multiple aspects are attained, all of them function at once, giving a composite that is no more difficult to decipher. For instance a mentor who fell in love with their student half way across the world could have that connection revealed with a successful use of Aspect of Ether with both aspects of Pride and Affection unlocked.

Aspect of Pride:
Requires: Blessing of a creature of draconic descent of at least 10th level.
The visor reveals connections of pride. If 1 creature was a guiding force in another's career, or if they were the primary financier or manager behind the construction of a building, this type of connection would reveal itself. Any act of work, material or social, for which the creature does not feel is a failure will show up as this type of connection.

Aspect of Ages:
Requires: Ritual caster of at least 75 years of (natural) age and 1000 gp.
The visor reveals the relative age of connections. This may rouse suspicions if there are very strong connections that are mere days old. The resolution is relative, for instance connections lasting less than a month can be placed within a few days, less than a year, within a week, less than 3 years, within a month, less than 10 years, within a season, and more than that is an approximate nearest year for age of connection.

Aspect of Deceit:
Requires: Wearer's life must be put at risk as the direct result of a successful lie by a creature trained in Bluff. Betrayal counts, but at least 1 bluff check must be made against the wearer. 2000 gp.
Not all connections are honest. This aspect reveals when one creature is misrepresenting their connection to another, the direction of the deceit, and how much of the connection is fabricated.
This power does not substitute for passive insight checks, however. Someone the wearer has never been connected to would not show up at all, let alone under this aspect. However, if a guide to the wearer is checked some time into mutual travels and the guides' intent is not what he has expressed, a deceit connection will be shown. This does not reveal the nature of the deceit, just that something is misrepresented.

Aspect of Ether:
Requires: Non-humanoid Fey-origin ritual caster of at least 10th level and 2000 gp.
Attack: Standard action (in addition to the Minor action to activate the visor - must be spent in the same round) (Int, Wis, or Cha)+3 vs. Will [Psychic]
Range/Target: 40/1 Creature
This aspect reveals connections through hidden dimensions in the mindscape to reveal connections of 1 creature within sight to people and objects not in sight, in addition to the normal powers of the visor. If the attack fails, the subject is aware of the attacker, but the nature of the attack feels more like a personal question from a stranger that is entirely too prying, or of something attempting to pluck a detail from the target's mind. This may cause some to go hostile, others simply to avoid social contact in the future.

Aspect of Contempt:
Requires: Non-humanoid Demon-origin ritual caster of at least 11th level and 2000 gp.
This aspect functions as the Aspect of Deceit except that it reveals desire for harm to come to the connected. As with all connections, this won't reveal a complete stranger looking to gut the wearer for their wallet, but it will reveal old rivalries, up to and including mutual arch-villains hell-bent on destroying each other.

Aspect of Affection:
Requires: Ritual caster in love of at least 11th level and 1000 gp.
This aspect reveals connections from puppy love to searing passion to admiration/trust relationships. Like Aspect of Deceit, it reveals strength and direction, and so would reveal one-sided admiration and mutual relationships.

Aspect of Legacy:
Requires: Ritual caster with knowledge of the Raise Dead ritual, trained in both Religion and History of at least 15th level and 3000 gp.
This aspect allows the visors' power to operate on deceased creatures. Like of sight is still required, so simply standing at a grave site will not allow this aspect to be used on a buried creature. Connections are revealed as of the time of the creature's demise, which may be mis-leading if things have changed since then. There is no historical time limit on this power to reach back to a creature's connections, but the deceased must be identifiable. For example, a well-preserved dwarven corpse would provide details for ages, but a corpse left to rot to little more than bones would not. Will only work on undead creatures if the above condition is met. (fresh zombies, for example, would work, skeletons would not)

Aspect of Conquest:
Requires: Military leader ritual caster of at least 15th level whose history involves at least 3 commanding positions in successful conquests of medium or larger cities and 5000 gp.
This aspect reveals desired connections. This aspect is most useful in conjunction with other aspects that reveal the nature of connections. A stalkers' desired connection to his prey may be for love or for harm, but until those aspects are unlocked, which is true is left a mystery. A noble in a border keep may have his desire to take the neighboring lands by force to develop them for his people revealed with the aspects of Pride, Conquest and Ether unlocked. The desire must be specific. A creature's desire for gold will not be revealed unless it have been seeking a particular horde. Also, with aspect of Ages, the length of the desire will show.

This stuff is up to debate and change, but I thought it would be cool to have something to make plot navigation both more interesting and challenging. Please comment with feedback.