Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq’s Compass

Origin
Unique amongst the other artifacts in the Disney Vault, this compass was previously owned by a Warehouse Regent, de Busbecq, who lived during the 16th century as a Flemish writer and herbalist. Extraordinarily intelligent, de Busbecq entered the service of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I in 1552, becoming his diplomat in the court of the Sultan Suleiman the I during a border dispute a few years later.

During his eight years in what is present day Turkey, de Busbecq not only negotiated, but explored, documenting plants he found (and sending some back, which is how the tulip and lilac came to Europe) and finding rare texts that were thought to be lost, including De Materia Medica, which is now known as the Vienna Dioscorides. His explorations and interactions with the court and country of Suleiman was documented in letters, the compendium of which known today as the famous Turkish Letters, one of the first pieces of travel writing ever done.

It was during one of his collecting ventures that he and Warehouse 9 were introduced, and he was brought into the organization. He would continue to serve as diplomat and active regent until 1562, when Maximillian II began to succeed his father Ferdinand I, necessitating de Busbecq’s return. He never saw the Warehouse again. In some small way, however, perhaps his spirit has – through his compass.

When de Busbecq was murdered in 1592, his compass disappeared, until it cropped up again in 1607, when an Englishman named John Smith used it to impress the Powahtan Tribe in Virginia. Its effects on them were used as the partial basis for the animated movie “Pocahontas”.

Effects
Imbued with his intuition, intelligence, and adventuring spirit, the compass will push the user with large gusts of wind in the direction of what they need most – a wind that smells just faintly of tulips and apples.