Mantle of the Caliginous Soul
This Mantle bear an embodiment of the Caliginous Soul’s power, and is intrinsically bonded to its existence. In its current form, held by
Tesin Movahesh, the wearer is bound by the Pact, in return is granted numerous powers and abilities.
The Pact
Made in the halls of Ezorod on the night of Desnus 4th, 317 AG, the entities known as Carrot and Tesin Movahesh became bound by this Pact. For as long as Tesin lives, Carrot, Keeper of the Caliginous Soul, gives his hearth and home (explained in the Master of Ezorod), the power of his soul (see Eshtayiv’s Bane, She Who Spreads the Night, and She Who Cuts the Thread), and his hand in marriage (see Bride of His Shadow and Heir of the Name Never Spoken). In return, Tesin is bound by the terms of their marriage, and will complete two additional tasks within a year and a day. The details for these terms are listed below.
- The Wedding Pact: Neither Tesin nor Carrot will take another into their hearts, or into their beds. When they are both within the halls of Ezorod, they will slumber in the Engine of Darkness, lying side-by-side. They will confide in each other, take care when the other is sick, and make certain that both are full. In all regards, where Carrot is Emperor, Tesin is Empress, and vice versa.
- The Unmaker: Tesin must fly to the Shadari system, free the Unmaker (also known as Carrot’s brother, Zelophedad) from his prison, and bring him back to Ezorod alive.
- The Girl Thrice Abandoned: Tesin must fly to the planet Safarae, and awaken the "Girl Thrice Abandoned" from her eons-long slumber. If she still carries the Hollow Blade, Tesin is to convince the Girl to abandon it, and return the sword to Carrot.
If the Pact is violated by either party, that creature’s Tether is immediately and irrevocably snapped. Their soul -- if they bear such a shackle -- is completely destroyed, and never reaches the Boneyard for judgement. This effect can only be blocked or diverted by a creature that is stronger than an Elder Numen, which are rare indeed, and likely come with additional consequences. Otherwise, the Pact ends when Tesin has been judged in the Boneyard, or suffers a similar fate that results in the conversion of her mortal soul.
Powers & Abilities
As long as Tesin abides by the Pact detailed on the first night of the bond, she is both aware of and can activate all of the abilities listed below.
- Master of Ezorod (Passive, Constant): The native denizens of Ezorod obey your will, enforced by the Caliginous Soul in your absence. While present in Ezorod, you are aware of all creatures, objects, and effects in the bubble city, and can see base information about their status. If combat begins in your hall, you immediately gain a +20 untyped bonus to initiative, 100 temporary HP, and roll all attack rolls and skill checks at advantage. In addition, on your turn Helpless or Unconscious creatures lying in Ezorod can be sent to the cells as a free action. You understand the fundamentals of the bubble city’s construction, and can change the humidity, oxygen, temperature, and gravity levels at dusk each day. You may also change the keycode used to enter the bubble city, which can be installed on a computer or tablet. If you are killed while in Ezorod, your body crumbles into dust, and you awaken the next evening on your bed in the Engine of Darkness. If you are under the mental influence of another creature or a nefarious effect, Carrot can be instructed to deny your access to this ability until you are healed.
- Eshtayiv's Bane (Passive, Constant): As long as the Eshtayiv is bound in Ezorod, both the Numen and his agents (such as a Colour Out of Space) are Vulnerable to your strikes, and take 1.5x damage. If you score a critical hit against such a creature, the damage is tripled instead of doubled, and bypasses DR and elemental resistances (not immunities).
- Bride of His Shadow (Passive, Constant): Each night you spend in the Engine of Darkness with the Caliginous Soul, you recover an additional number of Hit Points equal to your character level, and regain 1 Sanity Point. You are immune to all effects that would target you in your sleep, unless cast by a creature of Elder Numen status or higher. Should you lie with the Caliginous Soul while in the Engine of Darkness, you gain access to the Womb of Darkness spell, which can be cast once per activation of this ability. Successive activations do not stack, as the Womb can only fit so many pyric revenants at once.
- Heir of the Name Never Spoken (Passive, Constant): While you cannot put it into words, your soul is intrinsically linked to the Name Never Spoken. As a side effect, when you focus on a creature of CR equal to your character level minus one (that you can see), you are immediately aware of the spelling and common pronunciation of their name. This does not provide any awareness of the creature’s True Name, or any additional information about the creature.
- She Who Spreads the Night (Standard, 1/Day): An aura of shadow radiates out from your body, filling a 30 ft. sphere (centered on you) with supernatural darkness, that lasts for 1 round for every 3 character levels. Only creatures of the Night can see in this darkness, regardless of magical sight or innate darkvision -- all other creatures are treated as having the Blinded condition. In addition, those inside the sphere at its creation must pass a Will save (see below), or contract the Caliginous Embrace curse.
- She Who Cuts the Thread (Synergy Ability, Full, 1/Week): When adjacent to a Helpless or Unconscious creature with a Scythe in hand, you may enact the will of Night, and cut that creature’s Tether. Instead of letting the soul pass into the Boneyard (as is standard), you may consume the soul instead, and place it within the same space occupied by your Womb of Darkness ability. You can carry one such soul this way, which can only be removed when consumed by the Caliginous Soul in Ezorod. If pyric revenants are present in your Womb when this ability is activated, they are destroyed to make room for the soul. For every six souls fed to Carrot this way, you gain a +1 to the DC of your Caliginous Embrace (maximum ½ your character level), and can summon an additional pyric revenant using your Womb of Darkness ability (maximum 3).
- She Who Has Seen the Door (Synergy Ability, Passive, Constant): The power of your Scythe is polluted by your status as Queen of Night, and takes on additional abilities. At will, you can choose to be hidden from the supernatural senses of all Deaths, which means they do not detect your soul's passing from the Material Plane to the Doors of Death, and cannot find your mortal form via their usual means. When this occurs, one of the Daughters of Night will arrive to ferry you their home plane, where you can remain for up to one week before needing to return to your repaired body (or a new one) via a spell or ritual like Raise Dead. If the spell or ritual specifies a penalty for revival, such as the permanent negative levels specified in Raise Dead, you ignore these penalties. If you fail to return to life by the deadline, a powerful entity may come to claim your soul — perhaps even Pharasma herself.
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