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Conflicted Rod of Mibrus When the solar
called Mibrus perished in the hellish plane of Balbros in great combat against
Titalus, the angel was
peirced upon a shard of Titalus’ forespine, his final prayer wreathed
the infernal lord and penetrated its steely flesh, scribing holy words upon
the boneshard that burned with the Aasimon’s blood.
Titalus gradually became aware of the holy
infusion and broke from its back its greatest spine shard, casting it
into the waters of forgetting, pleased to be rid of it even at the loss of one
of its spines. The bit of demonic bone drifted through the planes, its struggle
between the good and evil within it struggling for supremacy. Retrieved by
riverside denizens, its strange material was wondrous to behold and news of
the rune encrusted bone reached the ears of Ibezel, the Incubus of Roa, who
had once served Titalus, but had abandoned his favored status to focus upon
the art of magical craft.
Ibezel crafted the spine into a wondrous rod,
which would serve either good or evil, depending upon the soul that carried
it and the realm in which it was held. Then he cast it back into the river
to let fate carry it where it may. Since then it has resurfaced time and
again in the hands of many champions. Though legends also tell tales of how the
rod is treacherous in the hands of a weak willed being.
The rod resembles a crescent slice of blackness
around which float blood red runes, the last words of Mibrus. On the outside
edge of the rod are shadowy barbs, though it may be gripped safely by its
possessor once it has been named.
In the hands of evil it weeps a trail of brackish
blood and its movement through the air seems to stir whispering voices of anguish.
In the hands of good the tracery of runes that float about it glow brightly,
seeming to vibrate with a barely audible resonating chorus-like hum, and the
black shadows that flicker from it become subdued and limned with a golden
lining.
The powers of the rod reflect the powers of good
and evil which endlessly vie within it. The Conflicted Rod of Mibrus has the
following powers:
- Before the rod can be safely used it must be properly named by a creature
who must hold it aloft and speak aloud its name. Until this has been done, the
rod bestows four negative levels upon any creature that possesses it and burns
1d6 hps of damage per round held. Lesser beings who touch the rod may be slain
by the negative levels. Neutral beings which possess the rod must make a Will
save just to pick it up (DC 35) as it resists being held by such beings, and
they suffer maximum damage each round while possessing it. A neutral being
which attempts to name the rod must make a Fortitude save (DC 35) or die, even
a successful save results in a single level drain. Naming the rod is a full
round action.
- Each time the rod enters upon another plane it gains the traits of that
plane's alignment, becoming unholy or holy. The carrier of the rod also sways
in personality and becomes either good or evil. The carrier may choose to
make a Will save (DC 35) to prevent the rod's alignment from changing or a
Fortitude save (DC 35) to resist their own alignment change. Resisting the
changes affected by the rod upon entering a new plane is a full round action
during which the bearer can do nothing but concentrate upon good and evil
powers that rage within them and the rod. Regardless of the resulting alignment
of the rod, it never afflicts its bearer with negative levels once named.
Thus it is entirely possible for an evil creature to use the rod as a good
aligned weapon.
- As a standard action, the bearer may also attempt to influence the
alignment of the rod. Influencing the rod is an act commiserate with the
alignment that it is turned to, thus turning the rod to evil is an evil
act. Doing so causes the rod to become holy or unholy. To change the
alignment of the rod the bearer must make a Concentration check (DC 35).
- The rod grants continual planar adaption to its bearer with regard to
all aligned planar effects. Thus it will protect against the inherently
evil entrapping effect of the Gray Waste of Hades, but not against the
fires of the Elemental Plane of Fire.
- The rod continuously radiates a doubly powered protection from evil
or protection from good in a 20 foot radius, as is appropriate to its
current nature. The bearer of the rod can subdue this effect as a standard
action with an act of will, requiring a concentration check (DC 30).
Re-activating the aura is a free action that requires no effort. The rod
does not protect its bearer from the effects of this aura, should their
nature be contrary to it.
- Once per day, the bearer of the rod can eminate a commanding aura in a
radius equal to 10 ft x their Charisma bonus modifier. All creatures
within the area of effect must make a Will save (DC 25 + bearer’s Charisma
bonus modifier). Creatures that fail thair saving throw and are of opposing
alignment to the rods current nature are stunned for 2d4 rounds; creatures
of similar alignment to the rod who fail their save become charmed until
either full light (if the wielder is evil) or complete darkness (if the
wielder is good) engulfs them, at which time the charm ends.
- The rod functions as an adamantine club, dealing 1d6 points of damage on
a successful hit. It is bane to creatures whose nature oppose its current
alignment, dealing an additional 2d6 points of damage to such creatures on
a successful hit. Once per day per point of Charisma bonus modifier (minimum
once per day) the rod can smite such creatures, dealing additional damage
equal to 10 × Charisma bonus modifier (minimum 1). Using the rod to smite
a creature is part of an attack action that can be performed once per
round. If the attack misses then the smite is wasted.
- As a magical weapon, the rod has a +10 attack modifier to attacks, but
this attack bonus may be changed to an AC bonus which stacks with all other
AC bonuses, similar to a sword of defending.
Magical Aura: Strong evocation and enchantment;
Caster Level: 30th
Weight: 3 lbs.
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