Items · Art and Music · Magical
Silverbreath
If kindness is the currency that you most often use; Then Silverbreath may come one day to light Good Fortune's fuse. -- Opening to 'The Ballad of the Shepherd and the Wyrm'
Quest entry
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 unusual instrument with four finger holes, fashioned from a spiraling ram's horn. The mouthpiece and opening are both gilded in silver, and the inside of the horn seems to have been coated likewise with silver.
Benefit
Blowing upon this horn can produce a dense, silvery mist. Depending on which fingerholes are depressed at the time of blowing, the mist can either be as poisonous as mercury, as hot as molten lead, or as refreshing as a bath in healing waters. When simply played for music, the horn will also passively increase the luck of the wielder, as well as that of any allies.
Drawback
As with all items dragon-wrought, this one caries within it the seeds of destiny. It's goal is simple: to improve the fortunes of those both rich in kindness, and poor in fortune. Being originally gifted to a man of little means, it always seems to wind up in the hands of those less fortunate in life, luck, money or love. Once the user has established him/herself in the world, however, Silverbreath will seek a new bearer.
Lore
It is said that, long ago, a shepherd befriended a silver dragon that was on the verge of death. Wounded and sick, the dragon was close to starvation when the man happened upon him in a cave near his fields. In an act of extreme bravery and kindness, the shepherd slayed the prize ram of his herd and offered the corpse to the wounded wyrm, thus providing it with enough sustenance for its regenerative powers to take over. In gratitude for the help, the dragon broke off one of the rams' horns and blew into it three times, imbuing the horn with a different ability each time. He then carefully carved the fingerholes out with its own claws, and gifted it to the shepherd so that it might improve his fortunes.
Twist
Over the course of its life, Silverbreath has rarely stayed with the same wielder for more than a year or two. However, it also seems to have developed a taste for music in that time. Silverbreath seems to be attracted to songs and ballads composed in its honor, and will often choose to stay with a skilled musician for far longer than it ordinarily would. As a result, there are literally hundreds of songs and poems about Silverbreath and its bearers, written by bards who hope to attract the legendary instrument to themselves. A few have even succeeded.
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Continue the path
Three more steps through the hall.
- Gideon's Mercy by dark_dragon Same quest
Other takes
No other takes yet — the best compliment on the Citadel is a Retelling.
Bonds
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A nice little thing.
Very enjoyable read. I really liked the Lore part and how it's design is to improve the luck of the impoverished kind. I think it would be interesting to further design a full set of drawbacks for those not worthy to use Silverbreath and perhaps more of examples of the benefits. Good work.
Both usable and having that certain fantastic historical feel to it.
Is the drawback really a drawback?
Being a fan of subtle magics, I'd prefer the horn to be just luck-fortifying, more so as I cannot find why poisonous or molten hot mists would be useful to a simple, however brave, shepherd. The refreshing/healing property fits quite well though.
:)
You've made a good point, and I was hesitant to include them but could think of no other powers to bolster the luck/healing properties. Hot/poison breath has also been long associated with dragonkind. I'll mull it around in my head for awhile longer, though, and see if I can come up with some more benefits that would fit the horn's character better.
How about a calming tune, especially for your herds? Or a warding tune against predators prowling about? Both would help any shepherd.
Now that I come to think of it, many shepherds I've met (that's quite a few I must add), often lose some of their animals. Maybe playing on the horn would be a homing beacon for any lost ram?
A drawback could be a ongoing sacrifice, like a prize ram sacrificed a year. Alternately, wild sheep might get attracted to your ewes and steal away with some of them. Then again, the few that return bear extra vigorous and beautiful kids.
The idea of a sacrifice is a good one. Perhaps it would be too restrictive to require that the prize ram would have to be given to the original dragon (or maybe by now its offpring.).
If that dragon were slain, would the item stop working? Perhaps a quest to find the dragon's cousin be mounted?
I love the backstory, but would be keener to have the magical effect be more subtle and music related:
A song to bring the wayward home.
A song to sooth the angry heart.
A song to raise a forlorn hope.
Otherwise, nice item! I like that the horn gets its own legend, and that bards make song in an attempt to attract it.
I'm revoting and adding 0.5 on re-reading
A very nice little thing that came up in my unvoted. Well done Dossta!
A good item with decent backstory. I would certainly put usage limits on its abilities - especially the destructive ones.
I like it! A nice, uncomplicated item.
I agree with previous comment that the drawback doesn't really seem that much of a drawback but I really like the twist section. I'm less crazy about the lore but that's just me.