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Chalice of Abu-Maris The ancient cup of Abu-Maris, Sorcerer of the Sixteen Winds, Mage of the
Planes, and Maker of Majesty, was thought lost after the death of Torim
Zurkies and the end of the Unholy Wars. Abu-Maris himself disappeared
mysteriously one night, never to be seen again. It was thought that he
had been murdered by the evil Order of Darkness, which followed the rule
of the Mighty Zurkies, until it was revealed by a close friend's descendant
that he had made plans to travel beyond the planes in search for the "…man
who wove the weave of magic." Whether murdered in mystery or lost to his
search of the planes, the Great Mage, Abu-Maris, was never seen again. Behind
him he left a legacy of magic and knowledge. Being one of the few mages to
stand openly opposed to the War-King, and Necromancer, Torim Zurkies, as
well as one of the few brilliant mages who strove to freely spread the
secret knowledge of magic to all who came to learn, Abu-Maris was a
powerful enchanter of tremendous fame.
The Chalice, given to by a favorite student and
lover of his, was a gift given to him upon celebration of one of his many
discoveries, the releasing of the spirit to the weave. This skill he taught
to as many as who came to learn the magics of the Greater Path. But few had
the power to wield the magic as Abu-Maris. To commemorate his discovery he
took the cup his beloved had given to him and disappeared unto one of his
many secret sanctuaries for several months lengths, and when he returned he
had created what is now called the Chalice of Abu-Maris.
The skill of releasing the spirit to the weave
still exists amongst mages of the Greater Path, it is known as casting
spells spontaneously, or as some say, "on the fly."
The Cup itself is rather unspectacular, plain and
carved from a rosewood tree, the Cup sits about half a foot tall, with a
slender, but short stem between the base and cup which are about as wide
as it is tall. Several small symbols are inscribed about the outside of
the bowl of the Cup, ancient symbols for Love, the Breath of Life, Eternity,
and Friendship. Many scholars have attempted to divine if the symbols hold
any magics, but the Cup resists all spells cast upon it whether for harm or
otherwise. Along the bottom of the cup, inscribed in a indecipherable
language (even by magics), are several strings of a strange and wispy
writing which stain the wood dark with their print. No mage has ever
discovered their meaning or knows if the writing was on the Cup before it
was given to Abu-Maris.
What powers are known to be imbued into the
Chalice are only known by luck and chance. Legend holds that at times the
Cup has mysteriously produced magics without catalyst, never to be reproduced
again. The resistance of the Cup to magic is such that even dispelling magics
and detect magics have no effect and detect not a drop of magic upon the
Chalice.
What is known about the Cup, passed on from the
lips Abu-Maris himself upon returning to his home after its creation, is that
the Cup allows any mage to weave magic "on the fly," to any magnitude. The
Cup was meant to be used as a tool to help teach other mages how to let the
magic flow through their person so that they might be able to weave magic
spontaneously without the Cup. But the Chalice was much more then that. A
mage holding the Cup could channel as many Spheres of Power "on the fly"
as wished, even without proper experience in working the weave. Any mage
of the Greater Path who holds the cup in both hands before him can weave
up to all five of the Spheres of Power at the same time spontaneously.
Unfortunately the power of the Cup was of such
tempting power, that not long after the disappearance of Abu-Maris, fighting
broke up over who had a right to the powers of the Chalice. His lover, who
originally crafted the Cup, claimed right of ownership and he was supported
by several of Abu-Maris' closest friends. When his lover was murdered in the
middle of an open courtyard by a jealous mage, the Cup was taken and passed
between hands, held only as long as each mage who took it could keep himself
from death at the hands of another. Sadly, the Cup would occasionally pass
into the hands of a greedy mage who would use its powers to do evil amongst
the world, rarer still it would fall under the control of a mage who did
good; but this was rare since any mage who held it quietly kept the fact
to themselves, fearing betrayal at the hands of another mage. Perhaps
Abu-Maris never returned from his searching of the planes because of the
death of his lover, the one who had given the Cup, carved with Runes of
love, to him in friendship.
Other powers have been discovered since, which
Abu-Maris did not share with his friends and apprentices. These powers and
obligations are as follows.
The casting cost of all spells cast by Greater Path
mages is halved. The level cost of all metamagic feats is likewise halved
(round up, minimum of +1 spell level).
Placing Liquids in the Cup: Any drink placed
into the Cup becomes pure, clean, and holy water; suitable for use
against undead.
Drinking from the Cup: Persons drinking the
water receive a +2 sacred bonus to their intelligence and saving throws.
This benefit lasts for one week. Any persons who drink from the Cup are
obligated to seek out students to teach a craft to. Spellcasters who drink from
the cup are obligated to seek out students to teach magic to. A metal smith or
bower would be obligated to seek out apprentices to teach their craft to. This
obligation compels the drinker to teach their student all that the apprentice
needs to know of their craft to continue on their own. Failure to fulfill this
obligation causes the imbiber to lose 2 points of intelligence each year that
passes in which the obligation was not fulfilled. This ability damage is only
repaired once the benefactor takes on a student.
Peering Across the Cup: Any person holding
the cup filled with water, who looks across the edges of the Cup gains the
benefit of true seeing as long as they hold the cup thus level with
their eyes. Any person who uses the power of true seeing must seek out
and expose the truth to any lie they hear. The person is obligated to expose
lies immediately upon hearing them, knowing all lies as soon as they are
heard. Though the mage may know that a person is lying, they do not know
what the truth is without hearing it. The mage is under this obligation
until they no longer have ownership of the Cup. Failure to fulfill this
obligation causes the owner of the cup to become blinded for 1d4 days.
Tracing the Symbols: Any person who traces
the symbols inscribed upon the bowl of the cup with an index finger is cured
of all sickness and disease. Any who that person touches within exactly a day
of tracing the symbols of the cup is likewise cured of any sickness or disease.
Any person suffering from curse or magical affliction who touches the symbols
of the cup in the same manner is cured, this is not passed on upon people who
the person receiving the benefit may touch. Any person who traces the symbols
upon the Cup and receives its benefit becomes obligated to go to all who they
know is ill and pass on the blessing. They are obligated to speak of where
the blessing came from if asked. This obligations lasts until exactly one
day after they traced the symbols. Failure to fulfill this obligation causes
the persons disease to return and progress at twice its normal rate.
Spell Research: Any person touching the Cup
while attempting to learn a spell automatically succeeds any check necessary
to learn the spell.
Obligations are irresistible by any means. No
mundane or magical means will allow a mage to resist an obligation of this
artifact. Once invoked, an obligation is permanent until fulfilled. Failure to
fulfill an obligation in the allotted time causes the benefactor to suffer as
described in the text of each power.
Any mage who has held the Cup cannot lie if asked
if he possesses it. The mage is obligated to tell any who ask a question about
the Cup that they have it. Furthermore, any mage holding the Cup is unable and
unwilling to lie for any reason.
The Cup cannot be hidden. Its owner is obligated to
place the Cup in a place where it may be freely viewed by any within ten feet.
Some mages have gotten around this by placing the Cup in a room twenty feet
across either way, and then hiding the room. Bags placed to cover the Cup
disappear without explanation, boxes fall apart, curtains hang away from the
Cup. The Cup resists being placed inside anything which may prevent its being
viewed.
Unfortunately, the ancient magic of the artifact
is so tempting that any who touch the artifact must make a wisdom check (DC
10); failure indicates that the person will begin plotting how to take the
artifact from the mage who holds it and will continue to do so until they
have succeeded in securing it as their own. Abu~Maris did not place this
power upon the Cup, rather it is the mystical consequence of the artifact's
extreme power and the events surrounding its tragic beginning.
Weight: 2 lb.
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