Circlet of Ghabbaz has been seen in both the Core Book and
Damnation View. The Rictus Knife of Ephrates can be found in
Damnation View as well. The Krytyk Crystal and the Nexus of Almazoara can be found in Ancient Enemies. The reason they appear here, is to provide you with more complete histories, as well as something that has never been presented before – their actual game effects. This way, you can choose to use these ar- tifacts in your game, instead of them just being plot points in a story.
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ChAPTer FIVe...ancient objects
The Anakhara Stone may be a virtual fountain of youth, but it has its price. Use of such invigorating power is addictive. Use it once, and a person must succeed at a Challenging Tenacity Feat Test or come back immediately after his Orgone has regener- ated. Every use increases the Degree one category. Once a per- son has reduced their age to their prime, they only need to use it once a month. If kept from the Stone, an addicted person will be obsessively consumed with finding and using the artifact, much like any other junkie. However, the debilitating effects start after the first week. Every week thereafter, the person will age ten years each week, until he reaches a physical age that is twice where he started. He will also begin to suffer the effects of any diseases the Stone cured, but twice what they were. It is entirely possible for a person to die from this withdrawal.
Those are not the only side effects of the Anakhara Stone, as it was never designed to be used by Humans (or Nazzadi). Each month a person uses the artifact, he must succeed at a Challeng- ing Insanity Test or gain 1 Insanity Point. However, the real dan- ger lies in extended use. A mortal who uses the Anakhara Stone regularly for one solar year must succeed at a Hard Tenacity Feat Test or the artifact instills the victim with life energy while stop- ping all bodily function – the person in question becomes a liche. The good news is that the Anakhara Stone, as long as it is used once a week, will preserve the new liche from decay. The bad news, aside from being undead, is that the new liche will rapidly age if kept from the Stone, which means rapid decay.
On the other hand, when used by a member of a monstrous race, such as Ghasts or Spawn, the Anakhara Stone has all of its beneficial effects and none of its negative side-effects.
The CIrCleT oF GhAbbAz
Identification: Extended Tests (requiring 5 successful attempts each) for the Research and Occult skills, against a Degree and Difficulty of Incredibly Hard (28).
Appearance
The Circlet of Ghabbaz is composed of four key components, which joined together form the artifact. The three pieces are the headpiece, the circlet, and the clasp. The Circlet can be sepa- rated into its component pieces, in which case it loses its power. This was not so much a desire on the part of the artifact’s cre- ators to stymie its power – it was just a convenient way to create the object.
Each piece of the circlet, barring the metal pieces that comprise the clasp, is carved from an unidentifiable black wood. The wood is most definitely that of some ancient tree, perhaps the kind that grew in the primordial forests of Pangean prehistoric times. This wood is remarkably hard – but then again, that could be the magic that powers it.
In general, the Circlet of Ghabbaz is a simple carved crown, with a rising headpiece in the front. It is unremarkable to the average person. The power of the object is as such that even someone
picking up the intact Circlet would not be aware of the artifact’s power. However, the magics that power it would have an impact – the individual in question’s sex drive would kick into overdrive for at least the next 48 hours.
In short, such a person needs to succeed at a Hard Tenacity Feat Test or spend all his energy seeking a willing sex partner. He is willing to couple with anyone who says yes, regardless of his nor- mal standards.
History
The origin of the Circlet of Ghabbaz has been lost in time. It existed in pre-history, another of the great objects of power that was created long before the continents assumed their current positions.
The first recorded appearance of the artifact was in ancient Sumer in Mesopotamia, more than eight millennia ago. There it became integral to the rites of fertility cults and was where it acquired its current name. As things like this go, the authorities found the cults too dangerous and rooted them out, hiding the Circlet for what they thought was forever.
The Circlet again appeared not too much later in ancient Egypt. The same thing happened. Wild cults sprang up round the ob- ject and the Egyptian authorities were forced to wipe them out. Discovering that they could not destroy the artifact, they split the Circlet of Ghabbaz up into its three component pieces and spread them to the corners of the Earth.
Most recently, the pieces of the Circlet of Ghabbaz were found and reassembled by the Children of Chaos, despite resistance by the Eldritch Society. The artifact was then used in a massive ritual perpetrated by the Children of Chaos on the Olympic Pen- insula of Washington State in North America. Like other impor- tant artifacts in the incident, it was lost. It has not reappeared in the possession of the Children of Chaos, and there are many that believe it has found its home with whatever survived of the Congregation of the Earth Mother. Of course, that likewise has yet to be substantiated and the Circlet could just as easily have found its way into the arcane underground – where it would command a ridiculous price.
Function
The Circlet is primarily known for its use in fertility rituals. If worn by either party in a heterosexual sexual encounter or by the magician overseeing such a union, the couple is guaranteed to conceive. In fact, it is likely, like the use of fertility drugs, that such a union will conceive of twins, triplets, or quadruplets. Such pregnancies will be on the easy side of the mortal norm and without complication.
When used in the union of a mortal and Horned One, the results are even more extreme. It is a guarantee that a person mating with a Horned One will result in conception. Such unions made under the influence of the Circlet will produce a litter twice the size, mystically allowing the creature to carry so many offspring.
However, its ability to increase fertility is not the primary draw for this artifact – it is tied to life itself. When utilized by a sorcerer with sufficient knowledge, the Circlet of Ghabbaz can be used to heal any wound and cure any disease, even bringing back a per- son from the brink of death. This can greatly extend a person’s lifespan, though it does not slow or stop the aging process. These things might make one believe that the Circlet, in the right hands, is a tool for good. Unfortunately, this artifact was cre- ated not for Humans as they are today, but instead for Humans who worshipped the Old Ones, most notably Shub-Niggurath. Modern mortals are far too civilized and stable in form for what they envisioned. Participating in rituals with the Circlet of Ghab- baz will, most notably, begin to bring out the wild animal inside of people, as well as causing some level of transformation or mutation.
If used to power a Transmogrification ritual, the spell costs half as much Ruach to cast, is one Degree lower in difficulty, and is twice as potent in its effects (as appropriate). Victims suffer ei- ther a -6 Contest Penalty to resist, or such attempts are one De- gree higher than normal (as appropriate). Furthermore, if used to cast a ritual that is directly in line with the intended effects of
the Circlet, such as the Congregation of the Earth Mother’s Call the Soul’s Beast, the ritual costs only a quarter of the Ruach to cast and the Degree to cast the spell is lowered to Easy. It also takes half the time to prepare and execute.
If powered with an enormous amount of mystical energy, the Circlet can also reach out across dimensional boundaries to commune directly with Shub-Niggurath. This requires more than 200 Ruach, which must come from life that has not yet begun to deteriorate – must be under the age of 25 for people. This functions similarly to the ritual Commune with the Beyond, but it takes half the time, is guaranteed to work without mishap, and creates a direct pipeline to the Old One.