Full Item Description

Agony is a simple jade band of translucent green with darker green veins flowing through it. No stones or gems adorn the band, but it is smooth to the touch and forever cold. Those trained to detect magic find nothing peculiar about this ring, unless it is worn.

History

Agony is a thing of legend, mentioned in stories but not seen in some time. It is the final component to the Circle of Blood, its brethren being Fate and Bloodmail; all created by the necromancer, Railus Shadowhisper to repay those who betrayed him.

Originally a gift to Kyrius it seemed to offer no special power. Though Kyrius would not openly question the word of his master, he had underlying feelings of being the least favored in his eyes. This resentment fueled the ring and it proceeded to draw those feelings to the surface.

Years passed and Agony fed ravenously on Kyrius’ contempt. Contempt grew to paranoia; he suspected any aspiring mage of lusting for his seat on the council. This paranoia also led him to lead the coup to destroy Railus.

During the coup, Railus noticed his former apprentices bore the gifts he once gave them; a brash move on their part. Amongst his final actions, Railus cursed the rings so that they would never again be removed, dark gifts from a scorned master.

Like its brethren, Agony has traveled through history, wreaking havoc on those foolish enough to slip it on. It has been suggested that the only way to destroy them is to unite them at the site of Railus betrayal.

Magic/Cursed Properties

Once worn, Agony can be removed freely. The ring itself is cursed, but it does not target the physical form, rather the soul itself.

The taint bestowed on the soul preys on the insecurities of the owner. This attack is persistant, until finally it overwhelms the subject.

If the person dies with the taint on their soul, it passes into the nether just like any other spirit, with one exception, a siphon is created between the soul and Railus Shadowhisper.

In Sanctum, necromancers draw their magical power from the nether (realm of the dead). In a ritual, the potential necromancer invites a spirit to the realm of the living, in hopes of coming to an agreement to establish a link between themself and the spirit. This link is known as the siphon. It allows the necromancer to draw on the magical nature of the nether and allows the spirit to experience life through the eyes of the necromancer.

With each new siphon, Railus’ ability to draw from the nether increases, fueling his goal of becoming a Lich. He wears an amulet, known as Mordum, which acts as the focus for the curse on Agony. Whomever wears Mordum has the siphon transfered to them.

Souls who are tainted by Agony are restless until the curse is broken. The only way to do so, is to shatter the crystal in the center of Mordum and set Agony in its place.

Full Item Description
Bloodmail appears to be a simple silver ring with 2 small rubies on opposing sides. The ring emits noticeable traces of magic to those trained to detect such things. The rubies are set in the ring in such a manner that the ring seems to have been made around them.

History

Bloodmail is a ring of legend, talked about in stories but never seen. The Circle of Blood is a potent trio; three rings forged by a single mage, Railus Shadowhisper. Bloodmail, Agony, and Fate; all cursed because of a single act of betrayal.

Railus’ knowledge of magic was unrivaled, and his ability to channel his magic into rings remains legendary. Stories say the 3 rings were created as a gift to 3 apprentices of Railus when they took positions in the Mages Council. Many of his apprentices went on to take positions in the council, but never before had any of his apprentices taken seats on the council.

His apprentices; Gerarg, Kyrius, and Cyul, often came to him for advice and he happily gave it. Times were changing in Aeristi and Railus felt honored to have a part in the shaping of magic’s place in the world.

Bloodmail was given to Gerarg, the more brilliant of the lot, but easily the frailest. He gave him this ring to protect him and make up for his physical short comings.

Towards the end of his days, Railus started experimenting with the forbidden magic, necromancy. He took to it like a fish to water and it sent a shiver down the spine of the council. His former apprentices were looked to in an effort to stop Railus, to lead a coup to take down the aging (yet still powerful) wizard.

The full council stormed his tower, lead by Kyrius. Railus was not caught off-guard and noticed the three of them still wore the rings he gave them so many years before. He thought this quite brash and foolish to wear such things he could alter, and to don them in his sanctum would prove costly.

Never again would they be able to remove the rings, and the powers that once came freely would cost them dearly. In the end, they were dark gifts from a scorned master.

The rings have traveled through history, wreaking havoc on those foolish enough to wear them. It has been suggested that the only way to destroy them is to unite them at the site of Railus betrayal.

Magic/Cursed Properties

This ring bears a curse. Once it is worn the rubies retract through the ring and into the flesh of whoever put it on, the holes filling with blood. It can not be removed unless an exceptional spell caster removes it, or the finger becomes separated from the hand.

Upon donning the ring, the wearers fortitude is tested by the ring.
The ring slid onto his finger and seemed to adjust to his slender fingers. After a moment an intense pain shot through his body dropping to his knees. A moment later, the pain ceased, leaving him pale and exhausted

Passing this test does not mean the wearer is out of the woods. Everyday at dusk the wearer is tested again, each failure increasing the difficulty and causing the pain to be exponentially worse; setting in motion a fate worse than death, a chance at a cursed life after death.  Each failure causes the wearer to look more pallid, less like a healthy person, skin pulling tight against bone.

Passing the test allows the wearer to utilize the protection once granted to Gerarg. With a thought the wearer can summon a suit of chain mail that fully engulfs them. The peculiar thing about this armor is that it is blood red and can not be physically removed. The armor makes no noise as the wearer walks and does not seem to have enough weight to be a burden on even the frailest of people. Additionally, those who attempt to cast magic while wearing the armor find that it does not impede them in any way, as if the armor is an extension of the person wearing it rather than being separate.

If the wearer wishes to dispel the protection granted by Bloodmail, they can do so with a thought. Multiple activations and dismissals of protection in a short period of time will prove to be costly and exhausting. The wearer would need to show exceptional fortitude to remain conscious after such an action. Failure to do so renders the wearer unconscious.

Having the protection of Bloodmail active for longer than a 24 hour period enables it to draw more blood than before. The difficulty level of the test is increased, tapping the constitution of the wearer.

The ring has been rumored to grant the wearer other abilities that are active as long as the ring is worn. The ability to see in the absence of light and the ability to disregard damage that is not dealt with silver are rumored to have been bestowed, but neither has been confirmed.

If the wearer fails too many tests, Bloodmail’s true intent is revealed. The wearer is rendered unconscious and anything short of intense magical prowess will not wake them. They remain in that state until the following dusk, when they arise as a creature of the night, doomed to never see another sunrise… a vampire.