Items · Art and Music · Magical
Banshee's Cry
That Which Kills Without A Touch. The Sorrow of Aler.
Quest entry
Quest - Magic Items
In association with Johnn Four, and all the fine folks subscribed to his Roleplaying Tips Weekly mailing list, we bring you our second collaborative Quest! Here's the required stat block template to use for your entries:… Open the quest
Full quest brief
In association with Johnn Four, and all the fine folks subscribed to his Roleplaying Tips Weekly mailing list, we bring you our second collaborative Quest!
Here's the required stat block template to use for your entries:
* Awesome Name
* Appearance
* Benefit
* Drawback
* Lore
* Twist
For an awesome description and guide to these stat blocks, check out Johnn's post describing it.
There will be three sets of *random* prize draws: Nov 7, Nov 21 and Dec 5 -- XP awards per normal as well!)
All entries submitted before each date will be eligible for each random draw. So enter early and often.
Thanks to Gator Games for their prize sponsorship!
Appearance
An ivory flute with black and blue tassel (banshee hair) hanging off the end. Has a very ethereal look and feel, almost as if it wants to simply float away.
Benefit
When played, Banshee's Cry has two possible effects, depending on the intent of the user:
- Paralyzing Fright - Anyone within hearing range (~10 meters) is frozen with fear. Especially strong-willed victims may shake off the effects.
- Heartstopper - With focused intent and raw malice in heart, the Cry can stop the heart of a single person from sheer terror.
If played without the intent to paralyze or kill listeners, the flute will merely turn any song played on it into a sad, mournful lament.
Drawback
The drawbacks to the Banshee's Cry are twofold:
- Exhaustion - The flute draws its power from the user; paralyzing a group of individuals will be much like sprinting a mile. The user will have to rest for a short period of time after using it. Killing a target is much like spending an entire week fighting; it will instantly render the user unconscious and in need of serious medical attention.
- Reciprocity - The flute doesn't care about friendly fire, or the user. When played, it can and will affect the user (and her allies) as much as the intended targets.
Lore
- Taken from a slain banshee by Nuellen the Wanderer while she was hunting for the fabled That Which Kills Without A Touch. Used by the same to stop the Raging Hordes cold in the legendary Battle of Winters Heart.
- Used by the great bard Aler to assassinate king Roswiel the Great, in retribution for raping and killing his daughter during Roswiels rise to power.
- Used by the serial killer Stan the Vicious to paralyze his uniformly female victims for easy capture.
Twist
In addition to the drawbacks listed above, the flute will attract undead and other unnatural horrors, who find a sympathetic resonance with it.
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- Gideon's Mercy by dark_dragon Same quest
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Interesting flute. At first glance I would say the drawbacks are on the heavy side. But I do see why you placed them where they are. Would ear plugs help the user? or some other localized silence spell? Good idea. I'll use this one.
Ear plugs (or being deaf) would help the user. Localized silence of some kind wouldn't necessarily work, because then the targets wouldn't be hearing it either.
Not a flute to play for fun.
Update: Cheka's comment reminded me that I somehow forgot to include the third, extremely minor effect (not sure if it really qualifies as a benefit, but there it is) that the flute has. Deeeeerp.
Love evil magical instruments.
Pehaps it provides some benefits to other evil-intended musical magics played upon it.
In the hands of a skilled necromancer, I wonder if the flute could manifest new powers? Also, while I understand that it was taken from a banshee, does that mean that all banshees carry an item like this that gives them their power? Or was it created by some other being? Overall, a compelling item.
Short and sweet.