Caden Law
07-24-09, 12:06 AM
In short: I am bored and have free time so I am going to randomly vomit out some contributions to Thayne Lore. Specifically the Relics and Artifacts section. Who knows, maybe if they're actually good someone'll bother adding them in. :D
The Panopticon: A two-piece combination consisting of a dark yellow hooded-cloak and a solid white mask of an unknown material. The mask only has two openings in it, eye-holes that move to conform to the placement of the wearer's eyes. The Panopticon is reputedly Khal'Jaren's favorite relic, left behind in the mortal world for champions of knowledge and insight...though not necessarily champions of good. The Panopticon's cloak grants its wearer voluntary invisibility and immunity to scrying spells, and can serve as an excellent proof against bladed attacks by spreading the impact out and dissipating it across the surface of the cloak. The mask gives the wearer several types of supernatural vision, allowing them to see auras, spirits, paths of energy and even -- it is rumored -- the past and future. It also acts as an enormous boost to the wearer's ability to scry distant places and people. Rarely is the complete Panopticon worn by a single person, but many are the rogues and mages to seek ownership of it.
The Frost Eye: A violet and red-colored gem said to have been plucked from the sky by Jomil only to be stolen and defiled by N'jal in ancient times. Whatever the story of its origin, the Frost Eye has left a visible mark on history: Its last appearance is said to have been during one of the Wars of the Tap, where a Forgotten One used it to turn both Salvar and Berevar into frozen wastelands. The Eye itself resembles a geometric diamond with two sharp points, eight angles and twelve smooth faces. Its size is said to change with the wearer's desire, enabling it to fit equally well on the pommel of a sword, the tip of a staff or the band of a ring. Its power is to absorb energy, leaving behind nothing but cold emptiness in its wake, and the scale of this ability is determined by the power of its caster: A Forgotten One using the Tap to power the Eye was able to freeze the better part of two continents until recent times, while an ordinary mage might be able to freeze a few dozen feet in any direction. Embedded in a melee weapon, the Frost Eye is said to give its wielder the power to turn a foe to ice with one strike, while a caster can learn to harness energy before the Eye can fully absorb it. Care must be taken, as the Frost Eye stills bear N'Jal's taint and may have harmful effects for its owner.
The Maiden's Silk: One of V'dralla's more obscure gifts to the world. The Maiden's Silk is a four foot long, one foot wide strip of shining green silk, its trim changing from white to black to mark the passing of seasons. The Silk can be worn as any kind of fashion accessory you can imagine, and it grants formidable powers of persuasion to its wearer. Men and women alike gain the sort of charisma that kings would kill for, allowing them to gain enormous numbers of followers in just a short time. Unfortunately, the longer a person wears the Maiden's Silk, the less attractive they appear without it. A long-time wearer may have the looks to rival a god, but people will still find them utterly repugnant on reflex. It also, apparently, has some weakness when resisted by the power of true love; a man can easily resist a Silk-wearing woman's temptations by remembering his wife, or vice versa. The Silk is still highly sought after, especially by nobles and generals, spies and other sorts who rely on their ability to charm and persuade others to action.
Staff of the Hermitess: Also known as the Chaos Staff and the Humbling Stick. This is one of Jomil's relics, evident in the mushrooms that spring up whenever and wherever it touches the ground. The Staff is roughly six feet long, ending with a hollow circle of metal orbited by four small violet gems, each of which passes through the circle at random before returning to its original orbit. The Staff's power seems to be determined by the mental state of its wielder: For an arrogant person, their power and skill will fail at a critical moment, or a misstep will lead to a death no-one could see coming. For a truly humble person though, the Staff will allow them to reach into reserves of power, insight and skill when it matters most. In either case, the Staff virtually always disappears once its purpose has been served.
Vestments of the Beastmaster: Hromagh's boon to a shaman from ages past. The Vestments of the Beastmaster are a set of seven items that grant its wielder the power to control almost any beast and to communicate perfectly with the few that can resist its strength. Acquiring them is a long and difficult process, beginning with a trip to Hromagh's Temple in Kachuk. Once there, the prospective owner must commune with Hromagh directly, offer a blood sacrifice of themselves and of a beast -- preferably something draconic or arachnid, as dragons and spiders are the only beasts able to resist the Vestments' power. Once this is done, the quester is given a list of seven targets (chosen by the player, approved by a moderator) and must journey for every one of them in a series of Wild Hunts. Hromagh shows no pity on those who try to gain his gifts any other way, and is known to personally reward the final piece to those who have completed the Seventh Hunt. It should be stressed that wearers only gain true control of beasts when wearing the full set; otherwise they have to tame or talk animals into serving them according to whatever pieces they own at the time. The pieces are...
Beastmaster's Moccasins: A pair of well-worn orange leather moccasins said to give the wearer the speed of a cheetah, the jumping strength of a gazelle, and the kicking power of an angry mule. Each moccasin must be won individually, but grant half the power of the completed pair on their own. Ideal for chasing down animals that refuse to listen.
Beastmaster's Leggings: A pair of orange leather chaps granting the wearer the power to ride anything with the skill of a true master. The leggings include streamers that are known to mimic the howls of wolves when riding land animals, of eagles when riding in the sky, and of whalesong when riding in the water. Despite fitting each leg, these come as a single item due to an adjoining waist band that contains loops for the belt. Without the complete set, these only grant the skill, not the actual control.
Beastmaster's Belt: A dark brown leather strip with several loops and a solid bronze buckle. The Beastmaster's Belt allows the wearer to communicate with any animal on land, making it easier to tame those beasts that can resist the Vestments' control.
Beastmaster's Vest: An orange leather vest with dark brow patterns etched into the back. Allows for communication with sea animals, making it easier to tame them when they resist the Vestments' control.
Beastmaster's Wristbands: A pair of leather bands tied tight on the wrist. These give the wearer the strength of an enormous ape or bear and the striking speed of a nimble cobra. Like the Moccasins, they must be acquired separately and yield only half the benefit on their own.
Beastmaster's Headdress: A strip of rugged leather and cloth tied tight around the head and worn with at least one to three feathers on the side or in the back. This is often the final piece of the set, granting its owner the power to converse with beasts of the sky.
The Wilder's Key: The ultimate lockpicking tool. The Wilder's Key is an overly large silver key, tarnished at both ends from centuries of heavy use, but still sterling along the middle. Despite its size, this key can fit into and open up any lock in the world -- and more than a few in other places too. Innocuous enough on its own, the Key has still gained a reputation for causing incredible havoc. It's said to have the ability to open both the Death-Gate and Dream-Gate, as well as the power to unlock magical portals and other such things. Understandably, many have tried to keep the Key itself locked away. They never succeed. Sometimes it's stolen, others it just vanishes of its own volition.
The Anvil of Ronus: A relic of potentially maddening power, its location and history both little more than half-truths wrapped in a hundred layers of myth and obfuscation -- and that is for the people who know the Anvil exists at all. Its origins are truly unknown, and noone is sure if Ronus the Dwarf was even the owner. The only certainties are that the Anvil itself was forged from a broken piece of the Pyre and that it could be used to forge any kind of metal into whatever the user desired -- if they were willing to pay the literal price of blood, sweat and tears used to keep the Anvil hot. It is said that the Anvil is roughly the size of a wagon, with a hollow channel running from its top to its center. In order to activate the Anvil's properties, a user must bleed, sweat, and finally shed tears of honest sorrow and determination into the channels. Oil can then be poured into the mixture and set ablaze, activating the Anvil for as long as the user has strength to keep going. Understand though: You can only work on an item once, no matter how long it takes. When someone attempts to forge an item over multiple sessions, the Anvil is said to break it on the spot or instill some critical flaw causing the item to break at te worst possible time. Only one person may use the Anvil at a time. The power, material composition and shape of the object produced by the Anvil are all determined solely by the person working it. It's supposedly possible to forge pure Adamantine from raw iron on the Anvil, but anyone who can confirm that obviously isn't going to tell.
And that'll do. Feel free to use 'em. Or not. ;)
The Panopticon: A two-piece combination consisting of a dark yellow hooded-cloak and a solid white mask of an unknown material. The mask only has two openings in it, eye-holes that move to conform to the placement of the wearer's eyes. The Panopticon is reputedly Khal'Jaren's favorite relic, left behind in the mortal world for champions of knowledge and insight...though not necessarily champions of good. The Panopticon's cloak grants its wearer voluntary invisibility and immunity to scrying spells, and can serve as an excellent proof against bladed attacks by spreading the impact out and dissipating it across the surface of the cloak. The mask gives the wearer several types of supernatural vision, allowing them to see auras, spirits, paths of energy and even -- it is rumored -- the past and future. It also acts as an enormous boost to the wearer's ability to scry distant places and people. Rarely is the complete Panopticon worn by a single person, but many are the rogues and mages to seek ownership of it.
The Frost Eye: A violet and red-colored gem said to have been plucked from the sky by Jomil only to be stolen and defiled by N'jal in ancient times. Whatever the story of its origin, the Frost Eye has left a visible mark on history: Its last appearance is said to have been during one of the Wars of the Tap, where a Forgotten One used it to turn both Salvar and Berevar into frozen wastelands. The Eye itself resembles a geometric diamond with two sharp points, eight angles and twelve smooth faces. Its size is said to change with the wearer's desire, enabling it to fit equally well on the pommel of a sword, the tip of a staff or the band of a ring. Its power is to absorb energy, leaving behind nothing but cold emptiness in its wake, and the scale of this ability is determined by the power of its caster: A Forgotten One using the Tap to power the Eye was able to freeze the better part of two continents until recent times, while an ordinary mage might be able to freeze a few dozen feet in any direction. Embedded in a melee weapon, the Frost Eye is said to give its wielder the power to turn a foe to ice with one strike, while a caster can learn to harness energy before the Eye can fully absorb it. Care must be taken, as the Frost Eye stills bear N'Jal's taint and may have harmful effects for its owner.
The Maiden's Silk: One of V'dralla's more obscure gifts to the world. The Maiden's Silk is a four foot long, one foot wide strip of shining green silk, its trim changing from white to black to mark the passing of seasons. The Silk can be worn as any kind of fashion accessory you can imagine, and it grants formidable powers of persuasion to its wearer. Men and women alike gain the sort of charisma that kings would kill for, allowing them to gain enormous numbers of followers in just a short time. Unfortunately, the longer a person wears the Maiden's Silk, the less attractive they appear without it. A long-time wearer may have the looks to rival a god, but people will still find them utterly repugnant on reflex. It also, apparently, has some weakness when resisted by the power of true love; a man can easily resist a Silk-wearing woman's temptations by remembering his wife, or vice versa. The Silk is still highly sought after, especially by nobles and generals, spies and other sorts who rely on their ability to charm and persuade others to action.
Staff of the Hermitess: Also known as the Chaos Staff and the Humbling Stick. This is one of Jomil's relics, evident in the mushrooms that spring up whenever and wherever it touches the ground. The Staff is roughly six feet long, ending with a hollow circle of metal orbited by four small violet gems, each of which passes through the circle at random before returning to its original orbit. The Staff's power seems to be determined by the mental state of its wielder: For an arrogant person, their power and skill will fail at a critical moment, or a misstep will lead to a death no-one could see coming. For a truly humble person though, the Staff will allow them to reach into reserves of power, insight and skill when it matters most. In either case, the Staff virtually always disappears once its purpose has been served.
Vestments of the Beastmaster: Hromagh's boon to a shaman from ages past. The Vestments of the Beastmaster are a set of seven items that grant its wielder the power to control almost any beast and to communicate perfectly with the few that can resist its strength. Acquiring them is a long and difficult process, beginning with a trip to Hromagh's Temple in Kachuk. Once there, the prospective owner must commune with Hromagh directly, offer a blood sacrifice of themselves and of a beast -- preferably something draconic or arachnid, as dragons and spiders are the only beasts able to resist the Vestments' power. Once this is done, the quester is given a list of seven targets (chosen by the player, approved by a moderator) and must journey for every one of them in a series of Wild Hunts. Hromagh shows no pity on those who try to gain his gifts any other way, and is known to personally reward the final piece to those who have completed the Seventh Hunt. It should be stressed that wearers only gain true control of beasts when wearing the full set; otherwise they have to tame or talk animals into serving them according to whatever pieces they own at the time. The pieces are...
Beastmaster's Moccasins: A pair of well-worn orange leather moccasins said to give the wearer the speed of a cheetah, the jumping strength of a gazelle, and the kicking power of an angry mule. Each moccasin must be won individually, but grant half the power of the completed pair on their own. Ideal for chasing down animals that refuse to listen.
Beastmaster's Leggings: A pair of orange leather chaps granting the wearer the power to ride anything with the skill of a true master. The leggings include streamers that are known to mimic the howls of wolves when riding land animals, of eagles when riding in the sky, and of whalesong when riding in the water. Despite fitting each leg, these come as a single item due to an adjoining waist band that contains loops for the belt. Without the complete set, these only grant the skill, not the actual control.
Beastmaster's Belt: A dark brown leather strip with several loops and a solid bronze buckle. The Beastmaster's Belt allows the wearer to communicate with any animal on land, making it easier to tame those beasts that can resist the Vestments' control.
Beastmaster's Vest: An orange leather vest with dark brow patterns etched into the back. Allows for communication with sea animals, making it easier to tame them when they resist the Vestments' control.
Beastmaster's Wristbands: A pair of leather bands tied tight on the wrist. These give the wearer the strength of an enormous ape or bear and the striking speed of a nimble cobra. Like the Moccasins, they must be acquired separately and yield only half the benefit on their own.
Beastmaster's Headdress: A strip of rugged leather and cloth tied tight around the head and worn with at least one to three feathers on the side or in the back. This is often the final piece of the set, granting its owner the power to converse with beasts of the sky.
The Wilder's Key: The ultimate lockpicking tool. The Wilder's Key is an overly large silver key, tarnished at both ends from centuries of heavy use, but still sterling along the middle. Despite its size, this key can fit into and open up any lock in the world -- and more than a few in other places too. Innocuous enough on its own, the Key has still gained a reputation for causing incredible havoc. It's said to have the ability to open both the Death-Gate and Dream-Gate, as well as the power to unlock magical portals and other such things. Understandably, many have tried to keep the Key itself locked away. They never succeed. Sometimes it's stolen, others it just vanishes of its own volition.
The Anvil of Ronus: A relic of potentially maddening power, its location and history both little more than half-truths wrapped in a hundred layers of myth and obfuscation -- and that is for the people who know the Anvil exists at all. Its origins are truly unknown, and noone is sure if Ronus the Dwarf was even the owner. The only certainties are that the Anvil itself was forged from a broken piece of the Pyre and that it could be used to forge any kind of metal into whatever the user desired -- if they were willing to pay the literal price of blood, sweat and tears used to keep the Anvil hot. It is said that the Anvil is roughly the size of a wagon, with a hollow channel running from its top to its center. In order to activate the Anvil's properties, a user must bleed, sweat, and finally shed tears of honest sorrow and determination into the channels. Oil can then be poured into the mixture and set ablaze, activating the Anvil for as long as the user has strength to keep going. Understand though: You can only work on an item once, no matter how long it takes. When someone attempts to forge an item over multiple sessions, the Anvil is said to break it on the spot or instill some critical flaw causing the item to break at te worst possible time. Only one person may use the Anvil at a time. The power, material composition and shape of the object produced by the Anvil are all determined solely by the person working it. It's supposedly possible to forge pure Adamantine from raw iron on the Anvil, but anyone who can confirm that obviously isn't going to tell.
And that'll do. Feel free to use 'em. Or not. ;)