Wooten Bell

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From the reports that I've received, it would appear that the rebels have created some unholy implement for raising the dead to replenish their ranks. While this sounds incredible to my ears, my sources are reliable and not prone to exaggeration. I intend to have Wilder send two of his companies to recover the object, or failing that, to destroy it. I would be most appreciative if you might lend me that Englishman you have talked about, as I feel that his services might be most beneficial.

William T. Sherman, Major-General, July 31st, 1864

The Wooten Bell was created by Albert Wooten to resurrect dead Confederate soldiers to refill the depleted ranks. While the bell itself was a fairly standard resurrection instrument, its scale was unprecedented. Four feet in diameter and mounted in a massive wagon pulled by eight mules, the bell had an effective range of nearly two miles.
Seizing the bell required a dramatic cavalry raid deep into hostile territory against both living and dead defenses. Russell Wynter, serving on detached duty with the American Union Army took an active role in the raid.
Subsequent experimentation confirmed that the bell did function as expected, resurrecting the dead within earshot when rung. The dead thus resurrected would dig themselves out of their graves and present themselves in whatever condition to which they had decayed. This produced an unpleasant surprise during testing when it was discovered that the area being used had served the natives of the area as a burial ground and nearly a dozen partial skeletons worked their way out of the soil over a period of several weeks.
The resurrected dead proved aimless and all attempts to direct them failed. A man captured during the raid reported that Wooten had been able to order the dead to perform basic tasks, indicating that he had probably included some form of geas during the creation of the bell. Because Wooten was killed when a cannonball destroyed his laboratory rather spectacularly, it is likely that the secret of controlling the dead raised by the bell has died with him.

Particulars

Type

Occult Resurrection Item

Status

Active

Current Location

Stored in the Reliquary

Notes

The Wooten Bell must be muffled to prevent accidental ringing.