Weird Wednesday: The Eternal Torment

Statue-3The Eternal Torment

Aura none (medium abjuration and medium conjuration, see text); CL 7th

Slot none; Weight 800 lbs.

The Eternal Torment is always a beautiful marble statue of perfect proportions, slightly larger than the creature it portrays. The face is contorted in pain but otherwise an aura of beauty surrounds the artwork. Upon careful examination, however, the statue surrenders its dreadful secrets—hidden hinges open revealing the interior of an iron maiden. Small spikes dot the inside, barely large enough to allow a creature to fit inside.

The Eternal Torment is a devious device used to imprison people in a torturous cage made all the more sadistic by their innocuous presence within a populated place. The statue bestows the benefits of a ring of sustenance, although the effects start only last from when a victim is fitted inside to when they leave it. The statue also has a working nondetection spell placed upon it. If a divination spell is attempted against the occupant, the caster of the divination must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 19 (as if the occupant had cast nondetection on herself). The auras from these effects are hidden, and are only discovered with a successful DC 11 Will save (see detect magic spell text for greater details on how this is discovered). The spikes inside deal 1d6 piercing damage every round The Eternal Torment is closed, receding slightly when the victim reaches 1 hit point.

CREATION

Magic Items any statue or body suitable for a golem or similar construct. 

 

A character that makes a Knowledge (history) check to learn about The Eternal Torment identifies the following fragments of lore:

DC 15      This statue bears all the hallmarks of the now extinct char’krar culture, nomadic horse raiders that conquered Kith Guhr, the jeweled city, some eight centuries ago. Seeing how comfortable city life was, their leaders abandoned their ancient ways in favor of urbanity. The few disgruntled tribesmen that voiced any concerns or reluctance were quickly found floating face down in the Ruby River.

DC 20      In the first three centuries after the fall of Kith Ghur, char’krar culture had a renaissance, going from crudely carved wooden idols of their ancestors to paintings and sculptures rivaling nearby cultures. Several of their nobles collected statues, trying to outdo each other with massive outdoor collections, called gardens. The char’krar enjoyed several profitable trade routes with nearby nations before four to five centuries ago, when a radical change overcame Kith Ghur: the temples of the city were defiled and the ancient gods were abandoned in favor of open worship of the demon lord Tzzeraxxt, lord of pain and joyful suffering. For almost a century trade continued with Kith Ghur until at last relations grew too strained to continue—the missing caravans and rumors of human sacrifices could not be ignored. Three hundred years ago Kith Ghur closed its gates for the last time as the char’krar withdrew into the city to worship Tzeeraxxt and tend to their own increasingly vile, debased, ritualistic practices of worship.

DC 25      As time passed, the gardens grew but a new feature was added—hollow statues used to torture and torment in the name of Tzzeraxxt. Many times servants awoke to find one of their number missing and another statue was added to their master’s garden; horrifyingly, they soon discovered their lost companions as statues, as the truly devout made their tombs to resemble their victims. Fear was a constant companion in Kith Ghur—no one was safe from joining a garden. The char’krar nobles tried to outdo each other in an attempt to gain favor from their vile lord Tzzeraxxt by increasing the pain caused by removal from the statuespikes were added to the hollow insides, longer spikes combined with regeneration (not that anyone were ever taken back out according to the legends). In time Kith Ghur fell silent apart from the muffled cries from some of the statues before those within died out, as the city itself eventually did as well.

DC 30      Persistent rumors speak of a few statues with the power to halt time for the occupant, it is doubtful if these statues were ever made, but if they do exist, the question arises: who or what will emerge should one be found?

 

Submitted by Brian Wiborg Monster

[edited (into a cursed item!) by Mike Myler]

 

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