This small jade turtle is believed to be of Chinese origin. Over three thousand years old, the turtle was last publicly seen as part of the Museum of Natural History’s Far East collection.
Once per day the turtle’s wielder can will the turtle to grant a +1 bonus to Parry for 1 round.
This mariner’s astrolabe was once used by Portuguese explore Ferdinand Magellan during his ship Trinidad’s circumnavigation of the world in 1522. The astrolabe is a small brass device historically used to “determine the latitude of a ship at sea by measuring the sun’s noon altitude (declination) or the meridian altitude of a star of known declination” (Wikipedia).
The relic is imbued with a sliver of Magellan’s will, granting a +2 bonus to any navigation related check.
Magellan used it until he died during Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in 1521. Since then it has had numerous masters, each of whom died violently just before or after achieving some notable milestone of exploration or navigation.
The Tears of St. Bernadette is a powerful divine potion capable of healing grievous wounds.
Tears glow with a soft, soothing blue light; when consumed the individual makes a Spellcasting d12 check. A success heals a wound; every raise heals an additional one. The Tears are typically found in a small vial, the entire contents of which must be consumed for the relic to be effective.
The process for creating the Tears was discovered by the Reverend Sir Arthur Boundless, and died with him.
Vipera is a double-edged “wavy” longsword with a leather-wrapped hilt and a snake-head pummel. The blade appears to slowly undulate when left on its own, the wavy edges slowly moving just out of sight. The origins of the of the blade are unknown, though legend says it was recovered by a European knight during the Second Crusade in 1145 A.D, and some believe it may been forged by an ancient cult of Aapep, an evil Egyptian god associated with snakes. When held, the sword begins to glisten as though it has been dipped in a thin, viscous liquid.
The Serpentine Bookmark was found in a book offering a high-level discussion of Ancient Greek mysticism within the library of the Wardens’ New York City headquarters.
The bookmark is made of sterling silver and takes the form of a stylized serpent. It’s jaw’s grasp some sort of stylized, bejeweled ornament — perhaps a lantern? Its sinuous body lies flat against the pages of whatever book it is placed in, but seems to shift ever so slightly when one’s attention is drawn away from it. The coils of the snake appear to undulate with every sideways glance. It could be a trick of the light. Could be… but maybe not.
The Necklace of Kilquato was found in a secret niche in a stone archway near the lair of a crocodile cult in the Brazilian Amazon in 1937. The cult’s power was derived from the Eye of Kilquato, a magical gem that granted the ability to command certain species of reptiles (most notably crocodiles).
The Wardens recovered the necklace, and brought it back to New York City where it entered their private collection. The Eye was given over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Continue reading The Necklace of Kilquato