Ring of the Arch-Duke
The Seven Lords of the Peninsulari each wore a magical signet ring identifying them as a sovereign lord.
Two centuries ago, the Peninsulari, the residents of a peninsula were ruled by a Half-elven (Edain) King on a distant throne. He cared nothing for the human subjects who made up the eastern border of his kingdom for he was forever meddling in the affairs of the elven lands. The humans of the Peninsula wree left to pay tribute but gained no protection from the Army of the Green.
There was an upset in succession, and the Kingdom was thrown into a civil war as several generals and lords fought with one another to see who would become the next King of the Green. The Peninsula was called upon by several factions to levy troops. The seven district lords of the Peninsula drew together a meeting and decided that now was the time to make a stand for freedom from the distant tyrant.
Each wore a special ring forged at the same time by the most skilled smith in the peninsula, binding the will of the land, and the blood of the lord together in a ring. The rings were distributed to each lord, and each was used as a symbol of human freedom in the short series of battles that followed as the few loyalist militias were cast out of the peninsula.
There was a retaliatory war, but the Peninsulari were well prepared, and the Army of the Green was exhausted from a long civil war. The seven lords won freedom for the Peninsula and created the first republic in a land of Kings.
Magical Properties:
A Ring of the Arch-Duke cannot be worn by anyone other than a blood relation of its first wearer. Thus, if a hopeful lord could not wear the ring, he does not have the lineage to rule.
So long as he is on his home ground, the land dedicated to the Ring/First lord, the wearer is immune to magical fear, and has his ability to lead men increase, as well as a great reserve of willpower.
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? Responses (9)
Good item, will fit beautifullyinto my the plotline....
A couple of things
'Okay, this is not a super powerful item.' Delete this. Do we care? Must all items rock the world to its foundation? Small magics in the right place at the right time, like these rings, can do more to shape the world than a doomsday magic item.
What happens if someone else wears the ring? The ring should do something bad of course, but what? Perhaps trapping the wearing in a nightmare world of their own making... all in their mind. Or controlling their mind so they have to give the ring over to the rightful heir. (This could be used by the locals as part of the settling of who is the heir disputes). So what does it do?
Given the boundry tie of the ring, if they visit their neighbor, they become a bit more feeble?
Might I suggest powers wax and wane depending on the distance one is from the homeland?
You could also add wisdom and longevity (increase those active years) to the magical abilities. Even a geas to serve the Land would be good. This would make for better rulers on the peninsula.
These items have the great potential to anchor a campaign setting. If they exist, they define the world. What happens if a ring finds its way into a player's hand.
Very good. I like little magical items like this.As MoonHunter said, the further away from a Lord's country, the less power the ring should have. 5/5.
4/5.
That was my listing above this and for some reason I was logged in but it didn't show my name well it was me.
The Arch-Dukes were the 7 most powerful nobles in the peninsula, and each of the Arch-Dukes was given one of these rings, while their appearances may vary, their powers are the same. They created a ruling council to protect their lands and subjects from the violence and indifference that had come from the hand of a distant and inhuman king.
A special kind of flavour would it get, if one of the families would die out.
The respective ring would be unusable then, but serve as a memory of better times, kept in honour. Until perhaps, someone tries the ring, and it fits! It could be truly the illegitimate child, and thus rock the new order, asking for titles and all. Or it is an impostor, and the ring is a fake. Choose one.
When I read the title my first thought was - oh no, not another "One Ring To Rule Them All" - but I must admit to being pleasantly surprised
I much prefer small magical items to all-powerful world-altering artefacts, and this is the bill nicely
This is much more subtle than it first appears - its' enchantment is limited and well defined, even minor, but that isn't its' true power - it is really the mark of kingdom, much like a flag, more important for its' symbolism than anything else
Also the back-story is great - nicely explains what these rings are and why they were made
A solid post 4/5
A signet ring is a metal band, generally of a precious metal. Where a normal ring would perhaps have a mounted stone, a signet ring has a reverse image of the owner's family crest. The crest is done in reverse relief so that when the ring is placed against a drop of hot wax, it creates a likeness of the family crest. This is done in sealing important documents, secret messages, and the like. Two aspects of medieval larceny included lifting wax seals off of sealed documents to read their contents without breaking the seal, and the creation of fake signets or forgery crests.
Each of the seven rings of the Peninsulari is unique in appearance, as each bears the crest of an old royal blooded family. Each is known as the Ring of insert 1 of the 7 provinces or as Lord Last name's Ring. Thus, if Robert the Wise was one of the seven, which he was not, and he lived in the Baldur duchy, his ring would be The Ring of Baldur, or the Ring of Robert the Wise. All names given are fictitious, you can come up with your own first lords and their arch-dukedomes.