Crown of Burgess
Wondrous Item, legendary
"This ancient and ornate crown bestows upon the wearer immunity to scrying and divination spells, making them impervious to detection through magical means. The crown also renders the wearer immune to charm effects.
While attuned to the Crown, the wearer cannot be seen by undead, and if they have a Strength score of 15 or lower, it increases to 15. The wearer also becomes resistant to necrotic damage and can choose to reroll one failed death saving throw per long rest.
Curse: Each time the wearer invokes the crown’s power, they must roll a d20. On a roll of 1, the wearer becomes permanently cursed, marked by the crown. Once cursed, the wearer experiences the following effects:
Possessiveness: The wearer becomes unwilling to part with the crown under any circumstances, treating it as a precious, irreplaceable possession. They must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw to even consider removing it or giving it up willingly. If the crown is removed forcibly, the wearer suffers disadvantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws until they reclaim it.
Paranoia: The crown’s influence makes the wearer increasingly suspicious of those around them, leading them to believe others covet the crown or seek to harm them. The wearer has disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks when determining others' motives or trustworthiness. This paranoia can cause them to become hostile or distrustful, even toward allies.
Undead Attraction: The wearer becomes a beacon to undead creatures, who sense the crown’s dark power. Undead within a 300-foot radius are naturally drawn to the wearer and may become hostile if provoked or influenced by other forces. Additionally, undead creatures have advantage on attack rolls against the wearer."
History
The Crown of Burgess was the headdress of an ancient ruler, the only man in his time with the courage to stand against the unholy legions of Vecna. The monarch was executed in the courtyard of his own castle after his kingdom fell to Vecna's minions, as had all the surrounding domains before it. To mock the final king of Burgess, Vecna had the crown placed on the man's head before it was removed by the headsman's axe. As the axe fell, Burgess swore his crown would return to haunt Vecna and that a person wearing it would play a role in the Whispered One's doom.
Significance
The Crown of Burgess is a magic item that belonged to an old enemy of Vecna. Burgess was put to death wearing his crown - a humiliation devised by the archlich after Burgess dare defy Vecna's armies. Burgess cursed the crown to be return to wreak his vengeance on Vecna, and it became an artifact of enormous power.
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