Eternal winter world illustration - Grimdark theme
Grimdark

Eternal winter

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Desolate, endless winter, sweeping across barren land littered with the ruins of times past.


Author's Note: In a frigid, desolate world, howling winds sweep across endless stretches of barren land, littered with the remnants of forgotten civilizations. Crumbling structures peek through layers of ice and snow, their once-vibrant stories silenced. Scavengers roam this frozen wasteland, bartering with salvaged artifacts—rusted machinery, tattered relics, and fragments of history—each a precious currency against the harshness of enduring cold, where survival hinges on the shared memories of a lost age. In a frigid world, the sun is essential for survival. Its rays temporarily melt the harsh chill, awakening life and hope in the barren landscape. Scavengers rely on its warmth to stave off frostbite and navigate their cold expanse. Without the sun's embrace, despair looms—a reminder that each day is a precious gift against the relentless freeze.
Played3 times
Cloned0 times
Created
151 days ago
Last Updated
75 days ago
VisibilityPublic
Orb of Dragonkind
ArtifactGear (Wondrous Items)
Orb of Dragonkind
Weight15.00 lb.

Description

Ages past, elves and humans waged a terrible war against evil dragons. When the world seemed doomed, powerful wizards came together and worked their greatest magic, forging five Orbs of Dragonkind (or Dragon Orbs) to help them defeat the dragons. One orb was taken to each of the five wizard towers, and there they were used to speed the war toward a victorious end. The wizards used the orbs to lure dragons to them, then destroyed the dragons with powerful magic. As the wizard towers fell in later ages, the orbs were destroyed or faded into legend, and only three are thought to survive. Their magic has been warped and twisted over the centuries, so although their primary purpose of calling dragons still functions, they also allow some measure of control over dragons. Each orb contains the essence of an evil dragon, a presence that resents any attempt to coax magic from it. Those lacking in force of personality might find themselves enslaved to an orb. An orb is an etched crystal globe about 10 inches in diameter. When used, it grows to about 20 inches in diameter, and mist swirls inside it. While attuned to an orb, you can use an action to peer into the orb's depths and speak its command word. You must then make a DC 15 Charisma check. On a successful check, you control the orb for as long as you remain attuned to it. On a failed check, you become charmed by the orb for as long as you remain attuned to it. While you are charmed by the orb, you can't voluntarily end your attunement to it, and the orb casts suggestion on you at will (save DC 18), urging you to work toward the evil ends it desires. The dragon essence within the orb might want many things: the annihilation of a particular people, freedom from the orb, to spread suffering in the world, to advance the worship of Tiamat, or something else the GM decides. ***Random Properties.*** An Orb of Dragonkind has the following random properties: 2 minor beneficial properties 1 minor detrimental property 1 major detrimental property ***Spells.*** The orb has 7 charges and regains 1d4 + 3 expended charges daily at dawn. If you control the orb, you can use an action and expend 1 or more charges to cast one of the following spells (save DC 18) from it: cure wounds (5th-level version, 3 charges), daylight (1 charge), death ward (2 charges), or scrying (3 charges). You can also use an action to cast the detect magic spell from the orb without using any charges. ***Call Dragons.*** While you control the orb, you can use an action to cause the artifact to issue a telepathic call that extends in all directions for 40 miles. Evil dragons in range feel compelled to come to the orb as soon as possible by the most direct route. Dragon deities such as Tiamat are unaffected by this call. Dragons drawn to the orb might be hostile toward you for compelling them against their will. Once you have used this property, it can't be used again for 1 hour. ***Destroying an Orb.*** An Orb of Dragonkind appears fragile but is impervious to most damage, including the attacks and breath weapons of dragons. A disintegrate spell or one good hit from a +3 magic weapon is sufficient to destroy an orb, however.

Details
TypeGear
CategoryWondrous Items
RarityArtifact
Weight15.00 lb.
Cost0 artifacts
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC . The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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