“To what extent in war when killing the enemy is not enough? When the way you kill is considered for the better, yet seems wrong and bound to threaten the souls of those responsible with damnation? When you kill your enemy but use their spirits to infiltrate their old homes only to kill more of their kin. There is a saying, treat your friends and family with love, but treat your enemy with compassion. What is left sacred, when humans can murder our kin and parade around in our homes looking like us? For that, let the mountains fall on their spirits and deny them passage to the Hidden Valley I tell you, there is no compassion in what they do. This is not war, it is mass murder. The Gods will cry before this is finished.” Maugmura - General Elite of the Fifth Column of Stone
This was originally designed for Hewdamia but can be used with minor editing.
After learning the fundamentals of mining and smelting, humans sought after ore and gems that are mainly found in the mountains that were home to the Gison. While at first their initial probing into the Gison’s territory did little but cause grumbling and an occasional scuffle, it soon began to cause problems. Whether it was the greed of humans or the territorial nature of the Gison, a conflict was inevitable. During the summer of 324A, the mild conflicts would become an all out battle that raged on for 1000 days with both sides losing people over the rocky land. King Glenar Dessa, General Supreme to the Army of Granite, led his people into war against the humans for fear of his home being overrun by the new comers. This war was called, Mil Batalo de Pekliberigo in Gison, meaning the 1000 day battle.
It was not long into this battle that the humans realized their inevitable defeat as their enemies had superior ground and understanding of their surroundings. An alchemist by the name of Verza Kubral discovered a way to infiltrate the Gison’s fortified homes and cause havoc and mayhem. This was through the creation of the Stonekin rings.
These rare rings were sought after during the war of nations when the humans battled with the Gison. Not having any way to infiltrate into their stone compounds and not having a disguise available to appear as the stone skinned Gison, a new method was discovered. Verza created what would be an atrocity to the Gison, but what would be highly sought after by everyone.
By taking the life essence of captured Gison and fusing it with the natural stone of their homes a connection was made between the rings and the elemental properties of the earth. The Gison being very close to the element of earth having a stone like skin themselves, made this possible just by their physical nature alone.
By placing a ring on each hand and hitting the two stones together the wearer takes on the physical properties of stone looking like a stone skinned Gison. The rings were worn by humans for the sole purpose of infiltrating their enemy. They would walk into their camps and homes comfortable in their surroundings. They would then position themselves to murder officers, ruin supplies, poison food and water, destroy or weaken fortifications. Anything to divert the Gison from the actual war making it easier to win.
Only ten or so of these sets are still known to exist, the others having been lost or destroyed centuries ago by the enraged stone race. Any Gison who sees one of these rings will do anything in their ability to get the ring only to destroy it. They see it as setting their kin free of imprisonment.
Magical Properties:
This item is very limited in its magic as it only has one property.
Two rings must be worn in order for the magic to function. By hitting the two rings together the wearer takes on the outward appearance of a Gison. Physically they are the same. They have the rough stone skin as the Gison do as well as the same resistance to heat due to their hardened skin.
This does not give them any other special incite into the Gison mind. They do not think as a Gison does, nor do they automatically know their language. They must previously have known the language or have some type of magic or ability to make them speak and understand the language.
Curse
There is a draw back to the rings that only a few have found. Early on during the war, the rings were worn as often as possible by some of the best assassins of the time. Two of which worked well in concert together, having worked with each other for years, they complimented each others skills to perfection. They always went on the longest assignments, heading to the deepest depths of the Gison’s fortified home, further than any other human still to this day has gone. It is rumored they actually dined with the King himself on occasion biding their time. They found however, the rings had a drawback. After wearing them for so long it becomes harder and harder to remove the rings. Whether by compulsion or by desire eventually the end result is the wearer will stay in Gison form, for the rest of their lives. Attempts were made to remove them, but all were unsuccessful. A few human assassins turned Gison were killed for thought of Gison infiltrators.
The two assassins returned to their encampment only to have their lives forfeit due to their condition. They fought back and escaped. They were never found, but soon after the war ended and the treaty was signed between the two races.
It is thought now however that by using the spirit essence of the dead Gison to power the rings, it is possible that part of that essence transfered to the ring a small sentience and that small intelligence is what holds on to the wearer to keep them in that form. Those who have worn the rings sometimes spoke of hearing voices or thinking odd thoughts but ignored the signs as being uneasy in another form.
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How do I fix the links when posting here? To make them a workable link instead of what I have.
Why should have magical items have zillions of functions? Magic should be rare, strange and useful in any dose... as these rings are. They are logical in their background, and could be transformed to many a game world - for fighting an unusual enemy, these tools of a terrorist were made. Nice detail about how they are used, and the fact they have to be worn twice. Same for the item's enemy.
And the curse is, well, a logical outcome of being another person for too long.
All in all a solid item to be known to pretty much anyone, and still a problematic topic for both nations.
Thanks manfred... I've been sitting on this item for months on my phone but have never transfered it to my PC. I decided it was time, and glad I am that I did.
I appreciate the comment and the vote, but what would it need for a 5/5?
Why, there is nothing wrong with it, it _is_ cool, just didn't touch me in that way that makes me cry 'This is it!'. Or I have just a very critical phase, just ask AG. :-> I have decided to be very stingy from now on with fives... but am sure this will get a few. It is a good item.
(Oh, and to those links: try html and the url tag, but I fear it won't work for now on... wait until V2.)
Yeah I tried the url tags and they didn't work. I agree with the stingy on giving 5/5, I fail to give them and only on the rarest of occasions. But I do give them.
Thanks again. I have some more additions but don't know if I will get to them today.
I gave you 5/5. :) I like this invention.
Indeed - very nice.
Two thumbs and a tail up :)
Yae to all the above - plus gets my wish I'd thought of that award
Even taking into account the current thinking on being stingy with 5/5 (which, by the way, I agree fully with and am trying to implement as best I can), this is a definite candidate for the top score
Great work - keep it up - 5/5
Thanks again for the comments. . . it helps the creativity flow.
There are many things I like about this post... good history (specific, yet easily to generalize to another world), not too powerful (needing two at a time!) and the curse. Also, it's hard to come up with something completely new, and to my mind, this is that.
Can't add to what has already been said, but I like this item(s) :).
This is really cool. History is fantastic. Reminds me of all sorts of strange inventions and machines created during war to give any kind of advantage to one side or the other. Original, nice history, very limited in use, what more can you ask for? Thanks.
Thank you dreamer... nice to have ones work appreciated even after so long a time.
Very nice.
good good good
Reminds me of some classic comic book tropes, the idea of some technology or item eventually corrupting the user, turning them into something they didn't intend (Doc Ock, for example). I can see the same idea functioniong for any fantasy race.