A is for the Ancients

Stories and legends of the enigmatic Ancients abound throughout the Northern Isles. A mysterious race – masters of unsurpassed eldritch power – the Ancients vanished many millennia ago, leaving behind a legacy of cyclopean architecture, wondrous artefacts, and sites of enduring fascination.

Within the Earldom of the Northern Isles itself several relics of the Ancients have long drawn the curious, the greedy, the desperate, and the foolhardy. These include the so-called City of the Ancients and its proximate neighbours, the cloud-piercing Tower of the Moon and the unfathomed Well of Demons; the Twisted Spire; the Hungry Forest; and another cluster of sites: the Crystal Henge, the Avenue of Gods and Demons, and the Mound of the King.

The Ancients used metal in some of their creations but, based on surviving examples of their work favoured the use of stone, crystal, bone, and especially ceramic.

The text below is hereby designated Open Game Content via the Open Game License.

Miscellaneous Magic Item

A collar of submission works its subtle charm

Collar of Submission: found in a range of sizes, from those that would fit a small child to others clearly intended for creatures much larger than man-size, these simple metal or ceramic collars exert a subtle but powerful influence over the - usually reluctant - wearer. Each collar is attuned to a master, simply holding an empty collar for a period of an hour or more makes one the “master.” When placed around a living being’s neck, the collar dissuades the wearer from thoughts or actions hostile to the master. The collar rewards loyalty and obedience with pleasure, and disobedience with pain and despair. In order to take an action in any way hostile to the master, the wearer must make a successful saving throw versus Spells; failure results in the wearer being incapacitated for 1d4 rounds by pain and nausea. In addition, for every month the collar is worn, up to a maximum of 4 months, the wearer gains a +1 bonus to morale checks made in the service of the master.