Key Items in Alabaster Dawn are story-critical objects that unlock specific progression beats. They cannot be sold, dropped, or used in Cooking or Gem Crafting, and they sit in their own tab of Juno's inventory rather than the consumable or material lists. The launch build (v0.1.0+) confirms a small but expanding set of Key Items as the player works through Chapter 1 and the Trial of Aether.
Confirmed Key Items at Launch
Name | Description | Source | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
Wooden Box | A carved storage box made by the local craftsman Penterson. In Teryn culture wood symbolizes life and fertility, so deforestation is heavily regulated and finished woodwork is treated with respect. | Completion reward for the Branching Out Side Quests Chronicle in Lyhamn. | Story keepsake; used during the Chronicle's resolution. |
Trial Mark | A small divine relic shaped like a key. In-world the Trial Marks were placed by the gods to gate trial candidates through their proper sequence. | Found in the early rooms of the Trial of Aether dungeon. | Opens Divine Seals inside the Trial, unlocking the second floor. |
Where Key Items Live in the UI
Key Items appear in their own inventory tab and never expire. They do not stack as quantities; each Key Item entry corresponds to a unique narrative beat. The Trial Mark in particular is a one-time consume on Divine Seal interaction, but the corresponding inventory slot stays occupied as a record of the unlock.
Where Key Items Come From
Chronicle completions: Side Quests in Lyhamn and Koro Valley award the majority of in-build Key Items.
Dungeon progression: the Trial of Aether awards the Trial Mark as part of its puzzle gating.
Story-locked drops: a subset of bosses, including Rana Lingua Magna, grant Key Items as part of the post-fight cutscene rather than the normal loot drop.
Future Key Items
Radical Fish has signaled that future EA patches and chapters will introduce additional Key Items tied to the rest of the planned 7-chapter arc. The four-Aspect, eight-weapon roadmap implies further Key Items for the Cryo and Ignis unlock paths and for the as-yet-unnamed second and third settlements. None of those are in v0.1.0.
Tips
Do not pre-sell or assume an inventory slot is wasted; Key Items are non-removable and stay forever in their own tab.
Check the Key Items tab between Chronicles to confirm a quest actually progressed; new Key Items frequently appear there before the matching map marker updates.