Items · Melee Weapons · Sentient
The Demon-Stick
A mighty Demon, now trapped and confused, may make for a powerful ally.
Item Description: The Demon-Stick of Ozure the Drunk!
A short club, possibly half of a cane or walking stick. Being well worn and having a soft cloth-wrapped handle, it is very comfortable to wield and absorbs impacts nicely. When viewed out of hand it looks inviting and quite strong. When held in hand it radiates the presence of a powerful being trapped inside, seemingly struggling to escape or, at least, say something important… You have a feeling this could be a holy artifact of great power, if only the divine being inside could be freed.
History: ...and setting the scene.
Not too long ago, in a shady tavern known as The Horse’s Arse, a great summoning ritual was botched… With horrible results for the entity being called. Bu’Atalar, the Great Herald of Eyinos the Horse-Headed, was summoned and trapped. Now he finds himself imprisoned in the club that spilled the blood of his summoner.
In his confused state, he has come to call himself Butler. That was the original name of the beloved beat-down stick of Ozure the Drunk. Now Butler seeks someone to hold him and calm his angry spirit, though he is much less powerful than he once was.
Ozure was slaughtered by a minion of the summoner, who was in-turn dispatched by another drunken hero. That drunken hero, after realizing he was a murderer, fled out a fourth-story window, being killed upon impact with the dirty street below. The scene is one of chaos and murder. A broken window, a few dead bodies, and a disturbed summoning circle.
Magic/Cursed Properties: A Demonic Power
The magic of the Demon-Stick is subtle and tricky. It can fill the wielder with a subtle blood-lust, but only when they would otherwise be attacking someone. The Stick will urge them to give a killing blow, sometimes guiding strikes to vital areas. Holding onto Butler makes you feel bigger than you are, more important, stronger, smarter, just better than your opponents in every way. It makes you feel like a king, like a God, to be feared and admired.
In your Game:
• What the hell happened here? - The PCs are in the Horse's Arse having a few drinks or making a seedy deal, when there is a loud popping sound. The tell-tale sulfurous smoke of a demon-summoning can be seen and smelled coming from a back room.
When the PCs enter: There is a broken window, below which is someone they had seen at the bar moments earlier. There is a summoning circle that looks like it has been used, no sign of a demon however. There's the summoner, with his robes declaring him an acolyte of Eyinos, the Horse-Headed. Another cultist seems to have been stabbed with a glass bottle... judging from the half of a beer bottle sticking out of her back. And the infamous Ozure, a local drunken leg-breaker, lying beside his favorite beat-down stick.
What did we just miss? If anyone can see magical auras or detect the presence of extra-planar being, they will notice there is a lot of power coming from the circle and the stick. There is not much information to go around. The bartender will truthfully deny any knowledge of the ritual, but will be able to reluctantly identify the summoner as Harrond Kimmel the bar's owner. The female cultist was an entertainer who frequented the bar. The one who jumped out the window is Jussux Rollador, someone might have seen him being lured into the back room, with Ozure, by the female entertainer.
Bu'Atalar does not remember much. He has mistaken his name, and is now trapped in a stick to be wielded by mortals. He knows he is powerful, and he has a master to serve, but does not remember who his master is or where he came from or what he is. What will the players do with such a being?
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I like it. You did a good job of giving us a good item to use, as well as some good tips on using it. The whole thing feels just a bit tongue-in-cheek, but in a serious way (that doesn't make sense, but don't mind.) Good job, Pieh.
A useful little item.
What happens if he did get out?
This is...odd, but in a good way. I like it.
But it made me think of some other interesting scenario. Suppose that the PCs find some way to communicate with the demon, such as a spell or if the demon has telepathy. Suppose further that the demon is confused enough to not remember what evil is, only that he enjoys committing it. He would be encouraging the PCs to do acts of 'evil' as he believes but these acts aren't truly evil, or they are completely opposite. 'Yes! Give the money to the orphanage. Evil incarnate; aha ha ha!'
This is a nice gateway item and the scenerio is a good starting point.
This could easily be the start of a plot far larger then it appears currently. Perhaps all this was supposed to happen in the plans of some other villain.
I agree with the masses on this one. This is another refreshing item that is far to simple to pass up. Its back ground is detailed and fulfilling, yet one thing I miss is why was this entire summoning happening? And who was Bu'Atalar before he was trapped? All in all though I like it.