Pudi k'Ama's Talking Drum
The embers burned low and a heaviness fell over the jungle canopy. The drummers had been playing since moonfall before the morning, throughout the day, and deep into the night. The dancers were exhausted and as the rhythm pulsed at half rate, they trudged around the firepit, swaying steadily... circling... circling... circling... The low playing of the deepest drums were all that was left of the music; sporadically a dancer would interject with a hoot, quick shout, or short ululation... Then, the talking drum. It's cry pierced the darkness, words beyond words calling to the sky, to the earth, to the trees. It called beyond the veils of the world into dreams beyond. The dancers could not stop themselves, reinvigorated by some power they began to clamour and shout, dancing in circles, trekking around the dying fire. Faster and faster they danced and the drum picked up intensity. It was wailing, screaming, beseeching. It bound the pain in each dancer's chest and offered it as a guardian to the world... there was the deafening roar of wind as the drums spun faster and faster, cacophonous, barely held together. There was a flash of sound that split an instant and then...silence. Silence so powerful, you thought you must be deaf. The dancers fell to the ground, chests heaving. Then the drum spoke again. All was well it whispered. Rest. Rest now with your tribe. Rest with your brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. For Pudi k'Ama there was no rest, after nearly two days awake, still he must hold vigil and let the drum remind them all that they were safe.
- After the feralings were beaten back in an attempted raid on Koneni, at the burial of the dead.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitch of the drum by squeezing the cords between their arm and body. Requires attunement Any creature attempting to play the drum without being attuned must succeed a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or take 2d4 psychic damage. You can use an action to play the instrument and cast one of the following spells: Confusion, Irresistible Dance, Knock, Thunderwave; you can use a reaction to play the instrument and cast one of the following spells: Counterspell. The spells use your spellcasting ability and spell save DC. During the full moon, the drum can be used to cast the hallow spell. Material components are still required. This instrument has 1 charge. While playing it, you can use an action and expend 1 charge to cast the revivify spell without any other components. The instrument regains it's charge when it is used to cast the hallow spell.
Significance
Very Rare Wondrous Item
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