Brass Fly Band
An ugly ring and endless swarms of flies.
Rasping, ragged breath leaves him as a pair of small flies emerge from the corner of his mouth. Chelmi paces frenetically around the living room he has been barricaded inside, scratching his itching, swollen limbs unconsciously. A faint buzzing is audible, though no source is visible.
This brass ring is lumpy and uneven in construction, sitting uncomfortably on the finger of any wearer. Among its tarnished bumps are sunken shapes that evoke impressions of various winged insects. A single, detailed facsimile of a housefly sits upon the band as though a replacement for a gemstone. It is unlikely that a professional appraisal would result in a high value - the cheap materials and the unsettling design make it a curiosity piece rather than an expensive piece of jewelry.
The brass fly band increases the hardiness of its wearer and allows the use of a sinister additional power: the fly affixed to the ring can be animated and dispatched to infest a victim with stinging, biting insects. Those who succumb and die of this infestation leave behind lingering, malicious swarms that send a strong message and may harm others nearby.
Sister Amalia used the ring to complement the diseases she was spreading around the Silvershire region. Targets were usually travellers from Holden who would succumb to the infestation back home to increase the levels of panic and despair within the town walls.
Urvén Homebrew
Brass Fly Band
Wondrous Item
Varies Unknown Requires Attunement
Improved Fortitude. While wearing this ring, your Constitution increases by 2, to a maximum of 20. In addition, you are immune to contracting any disease. If you are already infected by a disease, its effects are suppressed while you are wearing this ring.
Curse of Infestation. By speaking the command word and fixing a target in your mind, you can send the brass fly attached to the ring towards the target. It travels in an unerring straight light at a speed of 40 miles per 24 hour period. When the fly arrives, it attempts to burrow into the target and infect them with an unnatural curse.
The victim must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infested with a multitude of stinging and biting insects, reducing their Constitution by 2. If infested, this saving throw is repeated each day, the Constitution reduction stacking. Upon having their Constitution reduced to 0, the victim dies, leaving behind a swarm of wasps and a swarm of insects at their location. If the victim succeeds at a total of three saving throws, the curse is removed by next morning.
Once used in this way, this property may not be used again until the dawn of the day following the fly's return to the ring.
Pestering Swarm. While wearing this ring, you have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks due to the persistent high volume of flies that remain near you. This effect extends to allies within 10ft of you.
This plain, thin brass band is heavily tarnished. Set like a gemstone is a very accurate facsimile of a housefly in the same metal as the rest of the ring.
Cost: Unknown
Weight: 0.5lb
Intelligence (Arcana) to understand its dark, fey origins.
Crafting
The brass fly band is of unknown construction. It does not follow the usual crafting system in my setting.
Rules on crafting magic items can be found here.
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