[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 8: Magical Items

[Zeta Kai]

X Items

None at this time.

[Zeta Kai]

Y Items

None at this time.

[Zeta Kai]

Z Items

None at this time.

[Zeta Kai]

Artifacts

Armor of Safe Return

• Looks like a suit of silvery plate armor, with glyphs of protection etched all over its shining polished surface.
• This +3 half-plate suit can give the wearer a number of potent magical bonuses, but only when their health is very low. Whenever the wearer’s HP drops to 10% or less than their maximum HP, the can roll 1d10 & consult the table below. They gain the benefit listed on the table, & retain it until their health rises above 10% of their maximum HP.
• Minor artifact; strong abjuration.

The Armor’s Boon
{table=head]d10|Benefit
1|gain haste effect
2|gain immunity to fire damage
3|gain immunity to cold damage
4|gain immunity to electricity damage
5|gain immunity to acid damage
6|gain immunity to sonic damage
7|gain Damage Reduction 10/-
8|gain Fast Healing 5
9|gains Spell Resistance 30
10|Re-roll twice[/table]

Chest of Haz-Hurad

• Looks like a small treasure chest (20 lbs.), made of black wood, framed with gold, with a large copper lock on the latch in front. Can only be unlocked by a special copper key.
• Contains the “souls” (personal memories, in depth cultural knowledge, & detailed records) of the long-lost kobold-ruled kingdom of Haz-Hurad.
• Whoever opens the chest must make a successful Will save (DC30) or be the subject of a strange curse (for kobolds, the DC is 40). The curse fills the target’s mind with information regarding Haz-Hurad & the period in which it existed; this grants the target a permanent +30 insight bonus to Knowledge checks pertaining to Haz-Hurad & related subjects (kobolds, Sheqari, the Sea of Fiery Knives, Azhan, etc.). It also confers an effect similar a geas/quest spell: the target is compelled to locate & acquire relics pertaining to Haz-Hurad, with the ultimate goal of resurrecting the dead realm. This effect can only be dispelled by a miracle or a wish.
• Minor artifact; strong divination.

Colossus of the Ral Zadi

• Looks like an immense statue made of cyclopean blocks of a strange, incredibly-dense stone. The enormous sculpture is in the shape of a man, apparently human, although his features have been partially eroded by time, & may have been a semi-abstract to begin with.
• The Colossus has the following statistics: Colossal size (80’ tall, 240 tons); Initiative -2; 120d10+80 (740HP); hardness 12; Speed 40’; AC12 (-8 size, -2 Dex, +12 natural), touch 0; BAB +90/Grapple +122; 2 Slams +106 melee (4d6+16); space 30’/reach 30’; Fortitude +40/Reflex +38/Will +40.
• The Colossus has a secret door in the back of its left foot; a successful Search check (DC25) is needed to locate the door, which can only be opened when the Colossus is standing still (it closes automatically when the Colossus is in motion).
• Anyone who enters the heel door finds a long spiral staircase winding up the inside of the Colossus’s leg, which leads to a claustrophobic tower-like dungeon within the Colossus’s torso. The apex of this dungeon is the command chamber, located within the Colossus’s head.
• The command chamber is a small (10’ cube) room, with two throne-like chairs positioned in front of a sloped desk (the wall behind the desk has two ovoid windows on it, each facing one of the chairs). The desktop itself is covered in unlabeled levers & buttons, & several unlabeled ropes dangle from the domed ceiling.
• None of the controls do anything unless a special key is inserted into the center of the desktop (see the Key of the Colossus, above). Operating a control is a standard action, & no control may be operated more than once per round. However, since two Medium characters can sit at the desk, the Colossus can move & attack in the same round. The Colossus holds enough air for a crew of two to survive for 4 days (twice as long for a single occupant, & half as long for 4 occupants), & can even function in water up to 300’ deep by walking along the bottom of the sea.
• Major artifact; strong transmutation.

The Colossus’s Controls
{table=head]d12|Command
1|Take one step forward
2|Take one step backward
3|Turn 45° left
4|Turn 45° right
5|Stoop down/Stand erect
6|Swing left arm (Slam attack)
7|Swing right arm (Slam attack)
8|Open/Close air vents
9|Open/Close “eyes” with continual flame inside
10|Fire searing light from eyes (CL10th)
11|Open/Close command door
12|Rearm/Disarm dungeon traps[/table]

Cycle’s End

• Looks like a large conch shell (18” long, 12 lbs.), striped by many colors, with a white light emanating from the opening.
• Also known as the Spiral of the Dandan.
• If this shell is swallowed by the Dandan, it will negate its Resurrection ability for 24 hours. If the Dandan is somehow killed during this time, it will not be spontaneously remade, & is forever dead. If the Dandan is not killed during this period, the shell has no effect. In either case, the shell is destroyed within the Dandan’s stomach immediately after being swallowed.
• Minor artifact; strong necromancy.

Elemental Lens

• Looks like an orb (1’ diameter, 10 lbs.) of spiky quartz crystal, hemispherically symmetrical, with 4 long spikes on top, & 4 matching long spikes on bottom.
• The long spikes of crystal sometimes glow different colors.
• Once per day, the holder of the sphere can cast one of each of the following spells: acid fog, earthquake, incendiary cloud, & whirlwind. Each spell is cast as if done so by a 20th-level caster.
• Minor artifact; strong evocation.

Medallion of the Mists

• Looks like a large pendant made of silver & shaped like a swirl of wind & clouds, although the eddies seem to churn & twist slowly before one’s eyes.
• Once per hour, the wearer of this medallion can change the thickness of the mists of Najmah within a 10-mile radius, centered upon the wearer. The entire area must be set to the same thickness, which can be chosen from the following states: no mist, light mist, moderate mist, & thick mist. If an hour passes in which the wearer does not specifically set the thickness of the mists, they revert to their natural state.
• If the mists are set to thick, or if the wearer is already in an area of thick mists, then the wearer can trigger the occurrence of a mist event (see The Mists of Najmah: Mist Events). A mist event can be triggered a number of times per day equal to the wearer’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). After each mist event, the mists revert to clear (no mist), & cannot be set to thick (& therefore cannot trigger another mist event) for another hour.
• Major artifact; strong transmutation.

Rod of Time

• Looks like a short scepter (2’) made of silver & gold, with Admajai symbols depicting the sun, the planets & the moons in their orbits. Is inscribed with a cryptic Admajai proverb: “You, who have time in your hands, you must have time on your hands.”
• The rod can pull the user out of the normal flow of time. This grants the use up to 10 extra rounds per day, in which they can act as they wish while the rest of the world is effectively frozen in time. These rounds do not have to be used consecutively, & using an extra round is an immediate action. Normal & magical fire, cold, gas, & the like can still harm the user. While this effect is active, other creatures are invulnerable to the user’s attacks & spells; the user cannot target such creatures with any attack or spell. A spell that affects an area & has a duration longer than the remaining duration of the temporal effect have their normal effects on other creatures once the effect ends. The user cannot move or harm items held, carried, or worn by a creature stuck in normal time, but the user can affect any item that is not in another creature’s possession. The user is undetectable while this effect lasts. The user cannot enter an area protected by an antimagic field while under this effect.
• Minor artifact; strong transmutation.

Talisman of the Immortal Blood

• Looks like a large amulet, made of sandstone & carved into the shape of an expressionless face, its eyelids closed as if asleep.
• Is rumored to have been once possessed by several long-lived beings, such as Ras Shasad & Sa’ul.
• If a living creature wears this amulet for consecutive 24 hours, then the eyes of the talisman will open, revealing a blinding light. The wearer must then make a Will save (DC40); if they fail the saving throw, then they immediately die, their life force severed from their body. If the wearer succeeds on the saving throw, then they are made immortal. This has no effect on non-living beings, such as constructs & the undead.
• An immortal creature will age normally, & has all the normal bonuses & penalties for advanced aging. However, they have no maximum age, & will not die of old age. They also automatically succeed on saving throws to resist dying of massive damage or a coup de grace. They can be killed by other means, such as hit point damage, ability damage, ability drain, or death effects. However, if the corpse is wearing the talisman from the moment that it dies until 24 hours later, then the wearer will be revived & fully restored to health (this does not work with creature that was not already made an immortal via the talisman).
• Major artifact; strong necromancy.