Voice of the Mare

A legendary instrument of Crocotta heritage, the Voice of the Mare is an enchanted tovshuur said to hold all who hear it in its thrall. Once used to ensure the Xalendrian Steppe received its yearly rains and to call the Crocotta clans across the Steppe together at the Mother's Bridge to celebrate the Crocotta New Year, the sentient instrument was corrupted during the Dissention Age. The playing of the Voice is now forbidden, as it causes all those hear its song to fall into a frenzied rage that can last for hours.

History

Sometime in the late Ancient Age, the Voice of the Mare simply appeared beneath the largest of the Horse balbal. Found by Clan Swift Hoof, it was quickly discovered that the Voice of the Mare possessed a mind of its own and had decided opinions on how it should be used and when. For centuries, the Voice was kept in Khuree, the only city on the Xalendrian Steppe and the heart of the Crocotta homeland.
On the 19th of Mesore in 2517 DX, a small group of Hoof Breakers infiltrated Khuree and stole the Voice of the Mare off the ceremonial altar it was kept on. The instrument was only missing for two days before being recovered by warriors from Clan Fleet Wing, but the damage had already been done: evidence was found that the Hoof Breakers subjected the Voice of the Mare to a strange, profane ritual that corrupted its power. When the clan Song Keeper strummed the Voice simply to ensure the instrument had not been damaged during the theft, the mere sound of it caused every adult in the camp to fall upon each other in a mindless rage. By the end of the night, every adult in the clan save for the unaffected Song Keeper was dead or close to death from injuries sustained during the frenzy, with three of the clan's nine cubs also having perished in the fray. Horrified members of Clan Spotted Tusk arrived the next day to find the camp ground so soaked with blood, it made their horses' hooves slide across the grass.
The members of Spotted Tusk escorted the shell-shocked survivors and the Voice back to Khuree, where the instrument remains under lock and key even in the present day. The Voice of the Mare is now one of the most heavily warded and closely guarded artifacts from the Ancient Age still in existence, as a cure for its corruption still eludes even the most learned magical practitioners.

Item type

Musical Instrument

Creation Date

Ancient Age, exact date unknown

Rarity

The Voice of the Mare is a unique object.

Weight

~2lbs

Raw materials & Components

Like all tovshuur, the Voice of the Mare is a lute-type instrument with a bowl-shaped wooden body and neck. The bowl is covered with tanned animal hide decorated with elaborate, stylized horses in shades of green and red. The two strings are made of tightly braided horse hair.