Magical Artifacts
A non-exhaustive list
The Book of Night
Considered too dangerous to keep on Evenfall soil, the Book of Night holds some of the darkest, most dangerous magics sealed within its accursed pages. It is said that merely opening the book and speaking the words aloud is enough to unleash the terrors within upon the world, sending pages flying across the lands. A single page has the power to corrupt and curse everything it comes in contact with, twisting animals into monsters and turning humans mad. A powerful seal has kept the book’s evil magic bound and locked away for the past thousand years, as it is the only way to prevent the pages from escaping, and can only be broken by a bloody ritual of human sacrifice. The escaped pages can be captured and transported safely by binding them within the covers of the book, but will escape again if read aloud.
The Red Sarcophagus
Hidden deep within the Correa family crypt, the Red Sarcophagus is an ornate coffin carved of a dull red marble. It’s said that the cadaver within was once a great hero, slayer of dragons, and the scourge of the womenfolk. He was believed to have had great magical abilities, able to transform into animals, and leap over treetops with a single bound. However, the sarcophagus has been sealed for the past thousand years, and all attempts to open it have been in vain.
The Cloak of Polistes
The secretive Vespida family has kept the details of its artifact hidden for centuries, making its powers an utter mystery to outsiders. Even within the family, only high-ranking members know the exact powers of this hooded black cloak, its fabric covered in an oddly glossy coating. The only decorations on the cloak are a golden-yellow trim and a pattern of horizontal lines across the back in yellow thread. Few outsiders have even laid eyes on it, and fewer still have kept those eyes and made it out alive.
The Imperial Fountain
Nobody is quite sure what artifacts the imperial royal family possesses, but there is little doubt that the ornate crystal fountain within the emperor’s private quarters is one of the most powerful artifacts in all of Evenfall. It is said that bathing in the fountain’s waters imbues the imperial royal family with their magic, acting as the source for their abilities. Of course, only members of the royal bloodline can benefit from the fountain’s power.
Gundulf
One of the more ostentatious magical artifacts, House Nofalo’s armor is a sight to behold. Fearsome yet beautiful in it’s appearance, with a vicious snarling wolf’s head frozen in silver at the shoulder. Gleaming in silver and inlaid with gold scrollwork, this artifact is displayed prominently in the family manor as a work of art. Of course, the armor is more than just a pile of shiny metal. The armor is alive, imbued with not only a mind but a soul of the great winged wolf it is named for. The user’s command takes the form of an enormous metal wolf, its strength and ferocity matched only by its loyalty to the family. It has become the familiar of the family, fighting, protecting, and advising the Nofalo family’s heir. The armor is a heavy weight to bear, not only in psychological terms, but also physically. It is taxing to wear the armor and requires training from birth to wield effectively. Gundulf becomes bound to the user by the soul and if unfit, will completely overwhelm the user driving them to madness and causing them to go berserk till their body gives out and their entire being is consumed. If you are strong enough of will and mind to survive and wield him, at the end of your life when the contract has been fulfilled your reward is to become enveloped in his spirit to protect future wearers for years to come.
The Star’s Teardrop
Hanging from a delicate silver chain a small clear crystal dangles and when turned just the right way into the light, one can see what looks as immense as the night sky above them. It could easily be mistaken as just an ordinary piece of jewelry, however, at a word from the user, this artifact can generate a dome of impenetrable crystalline light. Depending upon the position of the stars and season, the radius may change according to the current master. The duration which the dome can be sustained also depends upon the will power of the current user. The crystal is impervious to damage from even the strongest steel pickaxes, but dissolves into stardust at the user’s touch. After each use, the Teardrop must be exposed to the light of a full moon for an entire night in order to restore its power. Originally bestowed to the now-defunct Rekya family, this artifact has changed hands over the course of many centuries and several wars. Currently, it is possessed by the Nofalo family. The crystal feeds upon the will and spirit of the user. As strong as their will is, is as strong as the barrier will be. After use, the user will faint from exhaustion, the length of their coma like state dependent on their strength. Fevers and sickness are common with the bears of the crystal and they exhibit anemia like symptoms. Bearers typically have a short life span.
The Zephyr Staff
Six feet long and carved of the finest ivory, this staff was widely considered to be one of the most powerful artifacts in the land. The user could control the very wind itself, summoning a gust powerful enough to propel a ship on even the calmest of days. Using the staff took years of training, as it was extremely easy to lose control and destroy one’s own vessel, but the results could be remarkable. Originally bestowed to the Gavilan family, the staff was lost at sea when a foolish young heir overestimated his own abilities and attempted to sail through a typhoon. By all accounts, it currently lies somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again unless it somehow washes up on a beach.
The Hand of the Witch
One of the most gruesome artifacts, the Hand of the Witch is a dry, withered arm severed just below the elbow. Legend claims that the first Mage-Emperor himself hacked off the arm of a powerful coven mother, the leader of a prehistoric tribe of swamp witches. The Hand of the Witch has the power to create an impenetrable seal upon anything that can be opened, although the details of the exact ritual have been lost to time. Once used to seal the Book of Night shut, the Hand of the Witch has been lost for centuries, vanished after the fall of House Amati. Although rumors and legends still circulate regarding its whereabouts, none have been substantiated as of yet.