Keys and locks are as much metaphysical symbols of the human condition as they are physical objects. There is something almost mystical about the concept of an object that can close off part of the world, and another that can rejoin that orphaned realm to its larger family. As with everything mystical and metaphysical, there must be an essential origin for it, the first of its kind which spawned all the rest. The Skeleton Key is said to be the first Key in existence, which gave rise to the very idea of keys, and as such can be said to be every key. But being “every” key does not mean it is “any” key. Unlocking something with the Skeleton Key is always a risk, as it may have decided to be a different key than what you were expecting, opening the way to something you were unprepared to see.
Name: Skeleton Key
Type: Tool
Blessing: The Skeleton Key can open any lock. Once put into a lock, the Key will change shape and size to fit the lock. If the Key cannot fit into a lock, it will shrink down when pressed against the lock until it can. For digital locks, the Skeleton Key will activate them upon contact.
Curse: The Key decides where it goes. Whenever you open something with the Skeleton Key, roll a d100. If you roll doubles, then what lies on the other side of the lock is now what you were hoping for, and the doorway, lid, or opening has become a portal to somewhere else. The Keybearer and anyone else within Close Range of the portal must succeed on a -20 Insight Skill Check or be pulled through. Where the portal leads is up to your GM, but broadly speaking, it will either be to another seemingly random location in your world, or to a closed-off pocket of the aetherial realm containing things and creatures man was not meant to see.