| |
Breath of Life The Breath of Life, also known as the First Breath is said to have come into being when the god
Arden blew life into the world. Scholars versed in ancient
lore dispute that it was Arden who created the breath of life and ascribe its existance to the fabled
Aesir, a god mentioned in the text of the mythical Creed
of Dreams.
The Breath of Life is, quite literally, a breath of air. It is passed from one creature
to another either at will by its possessor or when its possessor uses the Breath to give life to another being, at
which time the newly created being comes into possession of it. Though magnificent in its power, most of those who
have possessed the Breath of Life are of little historical consequence. For centuries the breath has traveled, forgotten,
from commoner to commoner. Occasionally it comes into the possession of a priest. On some occasions it has been a
jealously guarded secret and passed down from one generation to the next.
A creature possessing the Breath of Life may use it in one of two ways. The first use
is to bring back to life any deceased being that has never held the Breath of Life in its lungs. This is done
either by breathing the Breath into the body of the deceased or by speaking the true name of the deceased in such
a way that the deceased is unambiguously identified. Upon revivification, the once deceased comes into possession
of the Breath of Life, and is restored to complete health without penalty to experience, loss of character level, or
loss of Constitution. The Breath of Life can revive a being regardless of its nature, the status of its physical or
spiritual remains, or how much time it has lain dead. An undead being which receives the Breath of Life is
immediately restored to life; its body restored to as it was when it passed into undeath.
The second use of the Breath of Life is to create
a wholly new being. The bearer of the Breath speaks aloud the true name of the
creature to be created before them the air coalesces into that which they have
created. The created being may be any type of creature known to the bearer of
the Breath, even a creature which they have only read a description of. The
creature is free willed and a Native being to the world upon which it was
created (it cannot be banished or dismissed even if the creature
is normally an Outsider from another plane). The Breath of Life passes to the
newly created creature from its creator.
The bearer of the Breath of Life gains a +6 sacred
bonus to their Constitution for as long as they possess it. They become immune
to death effects, ability score damage and draining, and energy draining
effects. They gain a +4 sacred bonus to their Armor Class against attacks made
by undead creatures. The bearer of the Breath of Life suffers none of the ill
physical effects of natural ageing, but it does nothing to prevent them from
dying at the end of their natural lifespan. Should a creature die with the
Breath of Life still within their body then it is drawn forth from the air about
the corpse by the next creature to disturb the remains of the deceased.
The Breath of Life cannot revive divine beings
such as gods or any being which possesses one or more divine ranks. However,
the Breath can be used to return life even to creatures which do not breathe,
such as constructs or plants. Finally, no creature can receive the Breath of
Life more than once.
Weight: None.
|
