By Anders Sandberg
Level four talisman
This is a black laptop, so slickly designed that most Virtual Adepts will drool when they see it. It is also much heavier than expected, and has an unfortunate tendency to bump into things or the bearer with its surprisingly sharp corners. It only runs DOS v2.0 beta, the screen seems to induce headaches very quickly and users soon become irritated and fatigued (since it actually drains them of Quintessence for its functioning). It is in fact a complete nightmare to own, especially since the owner always feels an urge to use it despite its drawbacks.
The IBM 666 was originally devised (according to colourful rumours) by a Syndicate businessman from IBM who accidentally wound up in Hell when he was dreaming. Exactly why he created it nobody knows, perhaps as a tool to trap Virtual Adepts, but others suggest that he was actually a Nephandi adsinistratus seeking to tempt others. A mage working via the computer has access to Nephandi magick, including such nasty things as Qlippothic spheres and the summoning of demons. It is also strangely addictive, and after a while the user begins to feel bad when using other computers...
[This artifact is quite nasty. Essentially it uses a Mind 2 effect to addict people to it and make them allergic to other computers, Prime 4 to drain other patterns of Quintessence, and gives the user full access to Nephandi magick. It isn't actively malignant, but the user will quickly become exposed to dark influences if he uses its powers].