Tongue of Demons

Full Item Description

The Tongue of the Demon is an ebony whip made from the hides of several demons slain during the purging of Tevish'Hizal. The handle is covered in runes scribed in the blood of the same demons who gave their hide and the end is forked like the tongue of a serpent.

History

The Tongue of Demons is a relic that serves as a reminder of the devastation at Tevish'Hizal. Demons had taken over the once peaceful and solemn temple. Seven of the ten demon lords were slain in the battle, their heads mounted on pikes and their hides removed to show they were viewed as nothing more than animals. The corpses were burned, the flames' heat so intense it seemed to cleanse the evil that had saturated the area.

An assassin named Cedir took strips of hide from the slain demons and spent weeks crafting a weapon that he would use to avenge the death of seven who were slain. He toiled over the hide day and night, working it to the point that it felt like soft, supple leather. The color was what made it unique, a soft black like ebony.

Cedir saved some of the blood from the seven who were slain, demon blood does not coagulate like human blood so it kept longer. He used the blood to scribe passages in demonic from the hilt to the tip. The hide seemed to absorb the blood; the scribing still visible as though the hide were dyed by the blood.

The combination of blood and hide from the demons seemed to infuse the whip with some powers from the since dead demons. Cedir felt his wounds close after striking someone with the left lash, and significantly weakened his foe when he struck them with the right lash. Striking the with the combination of both lashes seemed to be the most devastating. Anyone he managed to do that to instantly burst into flames that could not be quenched by natural means.

Over the years Cedir took the lives of many innocents as well as those involved in the cleansing. For every life taken with the whip with the unquenchable fire, the seven who were slain regained a bit of themselves. This continued until the seven were reborn (they were manifested into physical form through a ritual performed by some cultists) and rewarded Cedir with extended life. From then on, those slain by the whip allowed Cedir to live beyond natural means. In addition, if Cedir were to be slain the whip has the power to bring him back; the same way it restored the seven who were slain (no ritual would be required since the whip would restore Cedir's physical form directly).

Magic/Cursed Properties

Tongue of Demons is a whip of average size, but the force that is delivered had been compared to the destructive force of a dragon's tail. The whip forks into two at the end, each with a separate ability.

The left lash increases the damage dealt and converts that damage into healing power for the one who wields the whip.

The right lash strikes the very core of the victim. Upon being struck with the right side, the whip causes the experience the victim has acquired to be drained (in d20 terms, negative levels).

When both lashes strike together, the target is engulfed in unholy flame that drains their life and soul. The flame is not instantaneous, allowing the victim a chance to avoid the burst, though it is quite difficult and the average person does not contain the agility/ reflexes required to safely avoid it. In addition to being engulfed in flame, anyone slain in this matter has their soul sucked into the whip; from there it is used to prolong Cedir's life.

Destroying the whip is not easily done. The only way to destroy Tongue of Demons is to set it ablaze with pure/holy fire. The only known source of such flame is in the home plane of the Celestials. If someone were to manage to destroy the whip, Cedir would be no more and all the souls he collected would finally be at rest.