Shadowbranch1
26th November 2005, 05:25 PM
The Living Scepter of Kaili:
Kaili was a strong Sorceress when she challenged Andurus (At that time a Demi-God). The fight between the two was a fierce one, and in the end Andurus was the victor. Kaili was not slain, but instead banished to a far off realm of ultimate evil.
While in the realm Kaili was enslaved by an evil and diabolical power much stronger than herself. She was made to do tasks that she considered menial, and tortured for the entertainment value of her new master. She learned to despise her master and plotted his downfall with her every thought and breath.
Her master, an entity known as Sinn was a proud creature. He felt himself above all else and treated those beneath his station as scum. His demeanor was like that of a cold hearted murder with no remorse for his actions whatsoever. He used people and other creatures to his advantage and disposed of them whenever their usefulness was at an end. Kaili hated, yet learned a lot from Sinn.
Sinn had one tremendous downfall. He was fearful of the Elder Gods of the realm. Luckily for him, none had dared attempt to awaken the elders for millennia. He lived in a keep that was in close proximity to a temple that was once dedicated to the elders. He was fascinated, yet fearful of the place. He was always wary of the fact that something might attempt to awaken them, but he never actually believed that any would be that foolish.
One day after a particularly brutal torture session Kaili made a break for it. She fled the keep in which Sinn lived and went to the only place that she knew he would not dare go. She fled to the temple of the Elder Gods.
As she figured, Sinn searched far and wide for his plaything, but he refused to step foot on the temple grounds. His underlings were ordered to scour the grounds for her, but they chose to perish at Sinn’s hand rather than enter the unhallowed grounds. Sinn knew that she was in the temple, but the fear of the place was too much for him to bear, so he left her to her fate, hoping that the specters of the past would destroy her, or drive her back in to his waiting hands.
The specters of the past did indeed manifest and come for Kaili. The reasons that they came were for entirely different reasons than what Sinn expected. The spirits of old sensed a strong evil and power within Kaili. They were determined to use her as a portal to lead them back in to the realm. They seduced her with dreams of power and revenge.
Kaili succumbed to the dreams as they knew that she would. She accepted the minute bits of power that they vested in to her. The small portions of their power that they vested in to her were greater than most of the Demipowers in her realm. She gladly accepted the power in exchange for them to use her as a gateway. She became the first cleric of the elder powers in over 2000 years.
She gladly accepted their power and in fact used the newfound power to put a plan in to action. She left the safety of the temple and returned to the keep of Sinn. She was determined to exact her revenge on her foul master of old. She found him totally unready for her.
Sinn was surprised and fearful when he beheld the creature that he once enslaved and tortured. She emanated the power of the elders. Her demeanor and presence was darker than any being that he had ever met. He looked at her with fear in his eyes and waited for the inevitable death he knew would come at her hands.
Kaili had another motive and agenda all together. She knew that Sinn had knowledge of how to transverse the distance between her home realm and this nightmare realm. She made an agreement with Sinn. She would release the elder Gods on this realm and take him to her realm in exchange for the information.
Put between a rock and a hard place Sinn had little choice in the matter. He could cooperate and be freed of the tyranny that he knew the Elder Gods would bring with them, or he could die at the hands of the cleric that he had once tortured for amusement. He chose the former.
Kaili gathered the information from Sinn anxiously. She made the preparations to both make the interplanar journey as well as the release of the Elder Gods. When the preparations were made she summoned Sinn to the temple. He was to help her with the final rites of opening the portal as well as the final rites of the release of the Elders. The timing had to be perfect. If the portal stayed open too long, the Elders Gods could follow them in to the other realms. If the Elders were not released then they would not have the necessary power to open the planar gate.
All went according to plan. At least according to Kaili’s plan. When the final intonation was spoken, she plunged a blade of pure force in to the stomach of Sinn. He doubled over with pain as the portal to the elders was opened. From within the portal foul creatures unimaginable to mortals stirred and woke. At the same time the gate to Lenthion (Kaili’s home realm) was opened.
The elder creatures began to pour out of the portal. Kaili jumped into the gate she had opened to Lenthion. Behind her she heard the screams of agony erupting from the very soul of the one she was forced to call master, the one called Sinn.
The trip through the gate was a miserable one. What should have seemed like seconds, seemed like years. Within her the evil taint of the Elder Gods twisted in to something horrible and fierce. She soon realized the folly of her ways. With the power of the elders displaced from their realm, the evil she had garnered from them twisted in to something great and evil. The entire ordeal nearly killed her from the exertion.
The gate deposited Kaili in the middle of the Isle of Donjonal. She knew the Archlich well and hoped that he could help her regain her strength. Donjonal had seen and felt the presence of some evil, familiar, yet ancient in his realm. He left to investigate and found Kaili.
Kaili had changed, yet was still somewhat recognizable. Her face was the same, but the rest of her body was different to the extreme. She was no longer a human being. She had the body of a serpent from the waist down. From the waist up she was humanoid, yet her body was covered in black scales. Her face was a halo of white, and red hair cascaded to her shoulders.
Donjonal took his old friend back to his keep. He called upon dark sorceries long forgotten to heal the woman. Several of his underlings gave their lives in the effort (Unwillingly). In the end Kaili regained her strength.
Anxious to seek her vengeance from the Demigod who banished her to a fate more terrible than death, Kaili began to study the ancient texts of Donjonal. She began to commune with powers best not mentioned in an effort to gain the upper hand. After she was healed, she left Donjonal and traveled to the lands of her birth.
She was received as a Queen by the evil tribe that she hailed from. It was here that she gathered her power, in secret diabolical rituals that involved the sacrifice of some of her worshippers, as well as several hundred members of the neighboring tribes. When she had more power than she had ever imagined (Between her trafficking with diabolic powers, as well as the power of the Elder Gods that she had stolen) she began to plot her vengeance.
She traveled to the Land of Dargos and made her challenge known. She called Andurus (Now a Lesser God) to meet her in a fight to the death. Andurus gladly answered the challenge with renewed fervor. He sought to vanquish this evil creature once and for all.
The battle between the two was a fierce and terrible one. The land itself suffered from Andurus’ Divine blood mixed with the ichors of Kaili’s evil form. The land was torn asunder and the ecology shattered. In the end Andurus was once again triumphant. He cut a portion of the tail from Kaili. She was wounded, but not dead. However she had also gained enough power to ascend to Divinity herself.
The portion of Kaili’s tail is the item that we speak of. It is a living relic of great evil. It is a piece of the once mortal form of the evil Goddess of the Tribe of the Serpent, Kaili.
This scepter is made of an unknown black metal. It is a slender rod of about 3 feet in length that tapers to a jagged end about twice the diameter of the narrow tip.. The entire item is crafted to look like a snake. It is intricate in its detail down to the last scale engraved in the metal. The entire rod weighs very little and is extremely cold to the touch. If magic is detected for it will radiate extremely strong magic as well as an evil darker than the heart of an Archlich.
Powers and Abilities:
The scales of the tail are razor sharp, and can be used as a weapon. It will grow and expand when commanded. It can be used as a spiked chain +5. Against any creature it strikes it acts as an entangle spell cast at 30th level.
It can be used to replicate itself (Although in a lesser form). The replication is a spiked chain +1. It can be used to cast entangle on any creature it strikes 3/day at the wielders level. These weapons are known as the “Favor of Kaili” and are used as the Divine focus of her priests. The process of replicating involves a human sacrifice.
It also allows the wielder to cast evil (Descriptor) spells as if they were 2 levels higher in regards to damage, range, etc…
The Rod grants the wielder the “Malevolent Charisma (http://barroks-tower.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6295)” feat when it is possessed.
The Rod can “Polymorph Self” once per day. (Serpent form only)
The Rod gives the wielder the ability to “Charm Serpents”. The amount of HD that can be charmed is 3 times the HD of the wielder.
Finally the Rod can give the wielder the power to Command (As the spell) any member of the Tribe of the Serpent within view. This power is at 30th level of ability.
Drawbacks:
Any good aligned creature touching the weapon will take 8d4 points of Malignant damage. Any neutral character takes 4d4 points of Malignant damage. Evil creatures must make a will save (DC25) or become priests of Kaili. If they do not meet the requirements, they instead become zealots to her cause.
If a good aligned priest or paladin dares touch the unholy artifact, it animates and attacks as a dancing weapon, striking as a 15th level warrior with 20 strength. Every time it strikes it drains one point of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
When wielded the person possessing the artifact is treated as an Evil outsider for purposes of spells and magic items affecting him or her.
The wielder will cast all spells not of the Evil descriptor as if they were 2 levels lower in regards to damage, range, etc…
Against priests of Andurus, the wielder will go in to a berserk fury (Like the Barbarians rage ability, except it cannot be controlled). They will seek them out first in combat.
The Wielder will find they are unable to harm any creature or monster that is reptilian in nature, except in self defense.
Finally the wielder will find that they slowly begin to show signs of becoming reptilian themselves. Over a period of 10 years they will transform in to the form of a true serpent. During this time they will refuse to rid themselves of the artifact unless a will save (DC25) is made. This save can be made after one month of use, and once per year after that. (DMs option on how the transformation affects abilities, skills, etc…)
For those priests of Kaili that show true dedication and fervor, they may instead be transformed in to the form of a “Naga”. (DMs option on if, or which type)
Kaili was a strong Sorceress when she challenged Andurus (At that time a Demi-God). The fight between the two was a fierce one, and in the end Andurus was the victor. Kaili was not slain, but instead banished to a far off realm of ultimate evil.
While in the realm Kaili was enslaved by an evil and diabolical power much stronger than herself. She was made to do tasks that she considered menial, and tortured for the entertainment value of her new master. She learned to despise her master and plotted his downfall with her every thought and breath.
Her master, an entity known as Sinn was a proud creature. He felt himself above all else and treated those beneath his station as scum. His demeanor was like that of a cold hearted murder with no remorse for his actions whatsoever. He used people and other creatures to his advantage and disposed of them whenever their usefulness was at an end. Kaili hated, yet learned a lot from Sinn.
Sinn had one tremendous downfall. He was fearful of the Elder Gods of the realm. Luckily for him, none had dared attempt to awaken the elders for millennia. He lived in a keep that was in close proximity to a temple that was once dedicated to the elders. He was fascinated, yet fearful of the place. He was always wary of the fact that something might attempt to awaken them, but he never actually believed that any would be that foolish.
One day after a particularly brutal torture session Kaili made a break for it. She fled the keep in which Sinn lived and went to the only place that she knew he would not dare go. She fled to the temple of the Elder Gods.
As she figured, Sinn searched far and wide for his plaything, but he refused to step foot on the temple grounds. His underlings were ordered to scour the grounds for her, but they chose to perish at Sinn’s hand rather than enter the unhallowed grounds. Sinn knew that she was in the temple, but the fear of the place was too much for him to bear, so he left her to her fate, hoping that the specters of the past would destroy her, or drive her back in to his waiting hands.
The specters of the past did indeed manifest and come for Kaili. The reasons that they came were for entirely different reasons than what Sinn expected. The spirits of old sensed a strong evil and power within Kaili. They were determined to use her as a portal to lead them back in to the realm. They seduced her with dreams of power and revenge.
Kaili succumbed to the dreams as they knew that she would. She accepted the minute bits of power that they vested in to her. The small portions of their power that they vested in to her were greater than most of the Demipowers in her realm. She gladly accepted the power in exchange for them to use her as a gateway. She became the first cleric of the elder powers in over 2000 years.
She gladly accepted their power and in fact used the newfound power to put a plan in to action. She left the safety of the temple and returned to the keep of Sinn. She was determined to exact her revenge on her foul master of old. She found him totally unready for her.
Sinn was surprised and fearful when he beheld the creature that he once enslaved and tortured. She emanated the power of the elders. Her demeanor and presence was darker than any being that he had ever met. He looked at her with fear in his eyes and waited for the inevitable death he knew would come at her hands.
Kaili had another motive and agenda all together. She knew that Sinn had knowledge of how to transverse the distance between her home realm and this nightmare realm. She made an agreement with Sinn. She would release the elder Gods on this realm and take him to her realm in exchange for the information.
Put between a rock and a hard place Sinn had little choice in the matter. He could cooperate and be freed of the tyranny that he knew the Elder Gods would bring with them, or he could die at the hands of the cleric that he had once tortured for amusement. He chose the former.
Kaili gathered the information from Sinn anxiously. She made the preparations to both make the interplanar journey as well as the release of the Elder Gods. When the preparations were made she summoned Sinn to the temple. He was to help her with the final rites of opening the portal as well as the final rites of the release of the Elders. The timing had to be perfect. If the portal stayed open too long, the Elders Gods could follow them in to the other realms. If the Elders were not released then they would not have the necessary power to open the planar gate.
All went according to plan. At least according to Kaili’s plan. When the final intonation was spoken, she plunged a blade of pure force in to the stomach of Sinn. He doubled over with pain as the portal to the elders was opened. From within the portal foul creatures unimaginable to mortals stirred and woke. At the same time the gate to Lenthion (Kaili’s home realm) was opened.
The elder creatures began to pour out of the portal. Kaili jumped into the gate she had opened to Lenthion. Behind her she heard the screams of agony erupting from the very soul of the one she was forced to call master, the one called Sinn.
The trip through the gate was a miserable one. What should have seemed like seconds, seemed like years. Within her the evil taint of the Elder Gods twisted in to something horrible and fierce. She soon realized the folly of her ways. With the power of the elders displaced from their realm, the evil she had garnered from them twisted in to something great and evil. The entire ordeal nearly killed her from the exertion.
The gate deposited Kaili in the middle of the Isle of Donjonal. She knew the Archlich well and hoped that he could help her regain her strength. Donjonal had seen and felt the presence of some evil, familiar, yet ancient in his realm. He left to investigate and found Kaili.
Kaili had changed, yet was still somewhat recognizable. Her face was the same, but the rest of her body was different to the extreme. She was no longer a human being. She had the body of a serpent from the waist down. From the waist up she was humanoid, yet her body was covered in black scales. Her face was a halo of white, and red hair cascaded to her shoulders.
Donjonal took his old friend back to his keep. He called upon dark sorceries long forgotten to heal the woman. Several of his underlings gave their lives in the effort (Unwillingly). In the end Kaili regained her strength.
Anxious to seek her vengeance from the Demigod who banished her to a fate more terrible than death, Kaili began to study the ancient texts of Donjonal. She began to commune with powers best not mentioned in an effort to gain the upper hand. After she was healed, she left Donjonal and traveled to the lands of her birth.
She was received as a Queen by the evil tribe that she hailed from. It was here that she gathered her power, in secret diabolical rituals that involved the sacrifice of some of her worshippers, as well as several hundred members of the neighboring tribes. When she had more power than she had ever imagined (Between her trafficking with diabolic powers, as well as the power of the Elder Gods that she had stolen) she began to plot her vengeance.
She traveled to the Land of Dargos and made her challenge known. She called Andurus (Now a Lesser God) to meet her in a fight to the death. Andurus gladly answered the challenge with renewed fervor. He sought to vanquish this evil creature once and for all.
The battle between the two was a fierce and terrible one. The land itself suffered from Andurus’ Divine blood mixed with the ichors of Kaili’s evil form. The land was torn asunder and the ecology shattered. In the end Andurus was once again triumphant. He cut a portion of the tail from Kaili. She was wounded, but not dead. However she had also gained enough power to ascend to Divinity herself.
The portion of Kaili’s tail is the item that we speak of. It is a living relic of great evil. It is a piece of the once mortal form of the evil Goddess of the Tribe of the Serpent, Kaili.
This scepter is made of an unknown black metal. It is a slender rod of about 3 feet in length that tapers to a jagged end about twice the diameter of the narrow tip.. The entire item is crafted to look like a snake. It is intricate in its detail down to the last scale engraved in the metal. The entire rod weighs very little and is extremely cold to the touch. If magic is detected for it will radiate extremely strong magic as well as an evil darker than the heart of an Archlich.
Powers and Abilities:
The scales of the tail are razor sharp, and can be used as a weapon. It will grow and expand when commanded. It can be used as a spiked chain +5. Against any creature it strikes it acts as an entangle spell cast at 30th level.
It can be used to replicate itself (Although in a lesser form). The replication is a spiked chain +1. It can be used to cast entangle on any creature it strikes 3/day at the wielders level. These weapons are known as the “Favor of Kaili” and are used as the Divine focus of her priests. The process of replicating involves a human sacrifice.
It also allows the wielder to cast evil (Descriptor) spells as if they were 2 levels higher in regards to damage, range, etc…
The Rod grants the wielder the “Malevolent Charisma (http://barroks-tower.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6295)” feat when it is possessed.
The Rod can “Polymorph Self” once per day. (Serpent form only)
The Rod gives the wielder the ability to “Charm Serpents”. The amount of HD that can be charmed is 3 times the HD of the wielder.
Finally the Rod can give the wielder the power to Command (As the spell) any member of the Tribe of the Serpent within view. This power is at 30th level of ability.
Drawbacks:
Any good aligned creature touching the weapon will take 8d4 points of Malignant damage. Any neutral character takes 4d4 points of Malignant damage. Evil creatures must make a will save (DC25) or become priests of Kaili. If they do not meet the requirements, they instead become zealots to her cause.
If a good aligned priest or paladin dares touch the unholy artifact, it animates and attacks as a dancing weapon, striking as a 15th level warrior with 20 strength. Every time it strikes it drains one point of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
When wielded the person possessing the artifact is treated as an Evil outsider for purposes of spells and magic items affecting him or her.
The wielder will cast all spells not of the Evil descriptor as if they were 2 levels lower in regards to damage, range, etc…
Against priests of Andurus, the wielder will go in to a berserk fury (Like the Barbarians rage ability, except it cannot be controlled). They will seek them out first in combat.
The Wielder will find they are unable to harm any creature or monster that is reptilian in nature, except in self defense.
Finally the wielder will find that they slowly begin to show signs of becoming reptilian themselves. Over a period of 10 years they will transform in to the form of a true serpent. During this time they will refuse to rid themselves of the artifact unless a will save (DC25) is made. This save can be made after one month of use, and once per year after that. (DMs option on how the transformation affects abilities, skills, etc…)
For those priests of Kaili that show true dedication and fervor, they may instead be transformed in to the form of a “Naga”. (DMs option on if, or which type)