New Magic Item: Mask of the Dark Druid

"Take the Old King's Road through the Darkwood until you come to the old giblet at the foot of the old cairn." The skeletal form directed. "Then-"

"Wait" Rathgar checked the map. "The Darkwood?"

"Yes, the Darkwood." The figure raised one bone finger "Don't interrupt if you want the directions."

"But there aren't any woods along the Old King's Road... it's all swamp." He pointed at the map "See?"

The skull's teeth chattered as it looked at the map. "Then I didn't stop him in time..."

The companions exchanged confused glances. "Stop who?" Feris asked.

"Petran, the protector of the Darkwood."

"I'm confused. If he was the protector, what were you trying to stop him from doing?"

"We killed him to stop the woods from being lost in what is now the swamp." He gave a lungless sigh. "Petran was a good man, and I helped him hunt a demon that had killed a trent in his woods. The demon not only killed the trent, but made a mask it, and enchanted it with powerful magics. Petran took the mask from the demon's corpse, vowing to use its power to help restore the damage caused by the demon. It changed him, and in the end... I had to kill him."

"What happened to the mask?" Nimble asked

"I tried to destroy it, I tried to break it, I tried to burn it, but nothing I had could compare with demon fire... so I buried it with Petran."

"Where?"

"The old cairn..."

"...In the heart of the swamp." Feris finished.

Mask of the Dark Druid

Crafted from the demon-burned wood of a trent, this mask grants the wearer the ability to draw energy directly from the surrounding plant life (a 1 round process). When first used, the drain is minimal, but will grant the wearer a +1 bonus to their next attack and damage roll or saving throw, or heal the wearer 1d3 hit points. Every time the mask is used this way, the wearer must make a saving throw vs spells. When the wearer eventually fails their saving throw they immediately become chaotic and/or evil, and gain the ability to blight an area (destroy all non-sentient plant life within 20') in one round, and then unleash a baleful fire the next. The fire burns in a 5' wide, 10' line, and causes 1d6 points of damage. For every additional area blighted the fire may be extended an additional 10' and cause an additional 1d6 points of damage.

---

Mask created by SylvanSmith