jarthalas writes "My old friend, in regards to your recent interest in lost and recovered relics of the various faiths throughout Oerth, I submit to you the following excerpt of the Historian Cortiil of Ekbir, as well as my own research into the abilities of the items his party discovered. While this accounting is incomplete, without having access to these items or to those who were there to witness the dark events that followed the rebirth of the Lord of Mourning, it is, I fear, the best I can offer you. In closing, I am sure that you will be disappointed that I have not enclosed a treatise upon the spells I mention below. Forgive me, my dear friend, if I save this knowledge for a future discussion. When next we meet in Ungra Balan, I shall endeavor to fill you in on the history of Al’Balthazar and the recent events in the Baklunish states of the west.
- Jarthalas, The Dreaming One
‘And so we came upon an open field in this land of frigid, rolling hills. Though centuries had past, the lingering after affects of the great battle that had once raged here were apparent. Broken and pitted blades stuck from the permafrost laden soil, and scraps of rusted and rotting armor littered the barren plain. Our eyes were drawn, inexorably, to the giant, bleached bones, half buried through the ages. We could not help but stare in awe at the immense size of the dragon’s remains.
Wresting my eyes from the skeleton, I beheld the shattered tower, which could only be the forgotten tower of Korus’tar. The magnificent tower lay in shambles, tumbled down as if dealt a mighty blow from on high. A giant marker of granite dominated our sight though, making the other images fade quickly. The statues which flanked the monument to either side had long since crumbled under the harsh climate, yet the marker seemed intact. At the fore, a massive stone brazier blazed with fire, the only source of warmth in the dreary landscape.
As the sun slowly set, we made our way down the hills onto the plain. The massive black glacier cast its shadow across us, sending a chill to our very marrow. The blaze seemed to intensify, drawing us towards its warmth and shelter. As my companions hurried to set up shelter against the coming night, I felt myself drawn to the monument. The weight of age lay upon it, yet the years and elements had not washed away the deeply chiseled words carved into its edifice. I read quickly, struggling to decipher the ancient script. My heart thudded in my chest as I realized the legends were true. This was the tomb of the Lord of Mourning, Madgi of the Old Ways, Al’Akbar’s Chosen, his first paladin.
If only I had known what we would find in the ancient tomb beneath the eternal fire, and the events that these discoveries would start into motion…’
The Journal of Fazhad Cortiil, Historian, Zhashasar
The Shield of Righteousness
This amulet is a replica of the shield which Al’Akbar wielded before his ascension, and is fashioned with his holy symbol as its crest. The amulet functions for all purposes as a divine focus for a cleric or paladin of Al’Akbar. It grants it’s wearer a +2 Natural armor bonus to AC.
Once per day, the talisman’s true power may be activated as an immediate action. When so invoked, the amulet expends one available spell of the caster’s choice. For every level of the spell expended, the shield grants a +2 spell resistance, +1 AC bonus, and +2 temporary hit points. These bonuses last for a number of rounds equal to the level of spell expended.
The Righteous Tome of the Exalted Faith
This is a large tome of simple leather, of approximately 75 pages. It is ornately gilded in gold and platinum, depicting symbols of Al’Akbar’s faith as well as those of Istus. The tome is intricately locked, though there is no mechanism to pick, the metal seeming magically fused where a key should be used. Should an attempt be made to magically or physically force the book open, the tome will destroy itself to protect its pages from the wrong hands. Anyone picking up the tome has this knowledge intrinsically imparted to them. The tome is immune to fire and water damage of all forms.
Any evil creature touching the book must make a will saving throw (DC 22) or be compelled (as by the Geasa spell) to deliver the Tome to the closest temple of Istus or Al’Akbar. A neutral creature who touches the book faces no such compulsion but will not be able to open the lock. A good creature possessing the tome may learn the phrase required to open the book either through research in a library containing good Baklunish references (Knowledge History DC35), the spell Commune (should they be a follower of one of the Baklunish Deities), or the spell Legend Lore (should they be a member of the Zashassar).
The key phrase to open the Tome’s lock is ‘Emases Nepo’. Anyone in possession of the book receives a +4 bonus to their Wisdom score and a +4 bonus to all Diplomacy checks as long as the book is on their person and is visible.
While the Tome seems to be roughly 75 pages in length, opening it reveals that it contains far much more then that. The first few hundred pages of the book are written by Al’Akbar himself, containing his teachings, philosophies, and some lost lore and history pertaining to the years following the Twin Cataclysms. Immediately following these pages are four spells which seem unique to the faith of Al’Akbar, though I myself have never heard of their use amongst his followers until recently.
The next 30 or so pages appear to be the ruminations of Al’Balthazar, the Lord of Mourning and first paladin of Al’Akbar. Following his additions are several pages of arcane spells, all of which manipulate the essence of fire. Al’Balthazar himself seemed to be a wizard of some skill, trained in the ancient elementalism of the Baklunish. He was also a contemporary of Al’Akbar in the dark days following the Cataclysms. It was this friendship, and perhaps mentorship, that brought the wizard to be one of the earliest and staunchest of followers of The High Cleric, and caused him to lay aside his wands and take up the shield.
The magic of the Tome is such that whenever a new owner comes into contact with the book for any length of time, new pages will appear in the book should they be a follower of (or open to the worship of) Al’Akbar. The possessor will feel a strong, yet subtle compulsion to leave his thoughts upon the faith, duty, and about the Restorer of Righteousness. It seems that the Tome will permit other such ruminations, at least in regards to the Baklunish peoples, as well as the recording of rare magics and lore. It is unclear at this time what influence the Tome would have upon one who does not revere Al’Akbar.
"
