Music Box of the False Hydra

A small wooden music box wrapped in white leather, a bone handle protrudes from the side. Opening the box reveals two compartments one containing a mechanical movement and the other is a velvet lined storage compartment. The movement appears to be constructed entirely of an oddly flexible bone. The box exudes a sinister aura and good aligned creatures will feel discomfort looking at it. The spell Detect Alignment will reveal a faint evil aura. Winding the mechanism will cause the box to play music that has a powerful suggestion effect and affects all humanoids within a 40 foot radius except the person holding the music box. The maximum windup time is two minutes but an action can be used to rewind the box and add 30 seconds of play time. The music acts like the mindsong of a false hydra causing memory gaps in all who hear it. (add further explanation of effect) The box is inhabited by a fragment of the spirit of the false hydra used to make the music box. When a creature invests in the box they must make a will save. Each time they use the box they must make another will save and the DC increases the longer they use the box. If they fail the save they are inflicted with the curse of the false hydra. The curse causes the afflicted person to become attached to the music box and resist letting it leave their posession. The user also becomes posessed by the spirit fragment in the box. The fragment is not a proper ghost and at first can only take over the host's body when they are asleep. While asleep the host will be driven by the bloodlust of the false hydra and will seek out victims to murder. Like the false hydra the cursed individual will make efforts to avoid detection and lure targets to out of the way locations. At first the killings will be done by hand or with simple weapons, as the fragments hold grows stronger it will gain the ability to use weapons the host is trained in or slowly gain acess to their magical powers. The host is unaware of the posession and the fragment loses control if the host is awakened while the spirit is plioting the body. The host may notice inconsistencies such as waking up fully clothed, items being in diffrent places than where they left them, or wounds or bloodstains that where not present when they went to sleep. In advanced stages they may wake up missing a spell slot or other class resources. The curse can be removed with a remove curse spell that beats the curses DC which increases the longer the curse is present. If the curse is not removed the final stage results in the spirit fragment taking full control of the host body trapping the host in their own body now fully aware of their actions but helpless to stop them.

Item type

Musical Instrument

Rarity

Rare

Weight

1lbs

Dimensions

8" x 6" x 6"

Raw materials & Components

Leather from the skin of a false hydra, bone from the same false hydra, and wood soaked in the blood of the hydra.