BOOK OF ARTIFACTS
FOREWORD
If you are planning to employ this artifact in your campaign, be careful, because it is an object I consider a “sneaky destroyer”. The artifact itself does not possess or grant amazing and destructive powers, however, on the long term its curse becomes very nasty. I suggest to use this artifact if you are an experienced game master who plays with dedicated and open-minded players. The All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira is the kind of artifact that affects only one character, provided you are planning your party to be the owner of this toy.
DESCRIPTION
The All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira is an opalescent paragraph of fabric decorated with signs of truth, vision and prophecy: from the Book of Artifacts. This is the first paragraph that describes the Eye. It is important because the name is misleading and the artifact is not an eye at all!
…signs of truth, vision and prophecy
Well, if you like to employ signs, runes or whatever alike in your campaigns, then you can customize them so that they make sense in your story.
Where does the All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira come from?
The eye is the product of Jann’s magic – an extraplanar and exotic source – plus something that went wrong that made possible the birth of this artifact. The Eye was originally introduced in the Al-Qadim – Arabian Adventures expansion of Forgotten Realms campaign setting, for the AD&D ruleset. A long time ago, a powerful Sheikh of the ghuls, Sahin Sira, gifted his bride – Yasmin Sira – with this artifact so that she could behold the Sheikh’s kingdom in all its beauty, and possibly fall in love with him. As you can guess, something went wrong… but that is a story you can read on the Book of Artifacts or eventually you can rewrite some details.
HISTORY
Legends of the jann and Al-Badia say that the Eye was made by Sahin Sira, the Sheikh of the Great Ghuls, as a gift for his stolen bride, a mortal hakima named Yasmin. He hoped that by letting her survey all the desert and peaks he ruled, he would win her heart. In fact, Yasmin hated her new husband and her duties. Eager to hide herself from him, she imbued the veil with the power she could, binding the spirits of dying ghuls to it to protect her. But as the way of ghul magic is, the veil did its job too well. In time, the Eye hid her from her husband’s sight perfectly, but it also altered her true sight, showing her only what she wished to see.
ABOUT THE GHULS
Now, if you don’t know what a ghul is, it’s fine, because I’m going to spend a few words about these creatures: Ghuls are undead jann. They behave quite like ghouls, but they are a bit more dangerous than any average ghoul or ghast. Therefore, they are undead. They are known to form organizations and live in cities, where each city is usually ruled by a sheikh. Indeed, Sahin Sira was a sheikh, a sheikh of the Great Ghuls.
Is he alive? I bet he is!
The Pathfinder ruleset describes the ghul as a template applied to the genies in general. However, this artifact comes from the AD&D ruleset, which did not employ the concept of template. Whatever your decision about how to use this artifact in your campaign is, I would not abandon the idea to keep the hook with the extraplanar realm of the genies, especially with an interesting undead version of them. Indeed, the ghuls want the artifact back and they are still looking for it.
Where is it now? I have no idea…
WHAT DOES THE ARTIFACT DO?
According to the Book of Artifacts, the artifact you are referring to is the All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira, a powerful and cursed item that grants its owner various divination and detection abilities, as well as shapechanging and protection from evil. The artifact is actually a veil that covers the eyes of the wearer, not an eye as the name suggests. The artifact was created by a ghul sheikh for his mortal bride, but it backfired on him and hid her from his sight forever.
The artifact has the following abilities:
- Avert Evil Eye: The wearer can use this ability at will to protect themselves from any harmful effects caused by the gaze or glance of another creature. This ability works like the spell Avert Evil Eye, except that it has no duration limit and can be activated or deactivated as a free action.
- Non-detection: The wearer can use this ability at will to shield themselves from any divination or scrying attempts. This ability works like the spell Non-detection, except that it has no duration limit and can be activated or deactivated as a free action.
- Shapechange: The wearer can use this ability once per day to assume the form of any creature they desire. This ability works like the spell Shapechange, except that it has no duration limit and can be changed or reverted as a free action.
- Alter Self: The wearer can use this ability twice per day to alter their appearance within the same creature type. This ability works like the spell Alter Self, except that it has no duration limit and can be changed or reverted as a free action.
- Random Divination Powers: The wearer can use four randomly determined divination powers from the Divination Table in the Book of Artifacts. These powers are rolled once when the artifact is created and do not change. Each power can be used once per day, unless otherwise specified.
- Random Detection Powers: The wearer can use four randomly determined detection powers from the Detection Table in the Book of Artifacts. These powers are rolled once when the artifact is created and do not change. Each power can be used once per day, unless otherwise specified.
True Seeing: The wearer can use this ability at will to see things as they really are. This ability works like the spell True Seeing, except that it has no duration limit and can be activated or deactivated as a free action.
WHAT DOES THE CURSE DO?
The curse affects the wearer’s perception and judgment in a gradual and insidious way. The curse is activated by using the True Seeing ability, which reveals not only the truth, but also the wearer’s deepest desires and fears. The more the wearer uses True Seeing, the more they become obsessed with what they see and lose touch with reality. The curse has three stages, each with its own effects:
- Stage One: The wearer becomes fascinated by what they see with True Seeing and wants to use it more often. They have a strong will to resist any effect that would prevent them from using True Seeing, but also have a weak will to resist any effect that would influence their emotions or opinions.
- Stage Two: The wearer becomes addicted to what they see with True Seeing and cannot stop using it. They have no free will and must use True Seeing at every opportunity, even if it puts them in danger or harms their allies. They are immune to any effect that would prevent them from using True Seeing, but also have a very weak will to resist any effect that would influence their emotions or opinions.
- Stage Three: The wearer becomes delusional about what they see with True Seeing and believes it is the only reality. They lose their sense of self and identity and become completely detached from their surroundings. They are immune to any effect that would influence their emotions or opinions, but also have a very low will to resist any other effect.
CONCLUSIONS
The All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira is a powerful and cursed artifact that can be a great asset or a great threat to any adventurer who encounters it. The artifact grants its owner various abilities to see the truth, the future, and the hidden, as well as to change their shape and protect themselves from evil. However, the artifact also has a terrible curse that affects the owner’s perception and judgment, making them obsessed, addicted, and delusional. The curse can only be removed by destroying the artifact or by using a powerful magic spell. The artifact was created by a ghul sheikh for his mortal bride, but it backfired on him and hid her from his sight forever. The ghuls are still looking for the artifact and want to reclaim it. The artifact is actually a veil that covers the eyes of the wearer, not an eye as the name suggests.
ADVENTURE IDEAS
Some adventure ideas centered about the All-Knowing Eye of Yasmin Sira. Here are some possible scenarios:
- The Eye has fallen into the hands of a cult that worships the ghuls and seeks to bring them back to the world. The cult leader, a charismatic and cunning hakima, uses the Eye to manipulate and deceive her followers, as well as to spy on her enemies. The adventurers are hired by a rival faction or a concerned authority to infiltrate the cult and retrieve the Eye, but they must be careful not to fall under its influence or reveal their true intentions.
- The Eye is hidden in a secret vault in the City of Brass, the capital of the efreeti empire. The vault is guarded by powerful fire creatures and traps, as well as by the efreeti themselves, who do not want anyone to access the Eye. The adventurers are contacted by a mysterious benefactor who offers them a large reward for stealing the Eye and bringing it to him. The benefactor claims to be a descendant of Yasmin Sira, who wants to honor her legacy and free her from the curse. However, he may have ulterior motives for wanting the Eye.
- The Eye is in the possession of a notorious thief who uses it to evade capture and pull off daring heists. The thief is a master of disguise and deception, who can change his appearance and identity at will. He also uses the Eye to find valuable and hidden treasures, as well as to expose secrets and scandals of his targets. The adventurers are hired by a wealthy merchant or a powerful noble who has been robbed by the thief and wants to recover his stolen goods and reputation. The adventurers must track down the thief and confront him, but they may also discover some unpleasant truths along the way.
- The Eye is sought by a mad wizard who believes that it can grant him ultimate knowledge and power. The wizard has been experimenting with various forms of divination and detection magic, often with disastrous results. He has also been kidnapping and torturing people who have any connection to the Eye or its history, hoping to extract clues from them. The adventurers are hired by a friend or relative of one of the victims, who begs them to rescue them and stop the wizard. The adventurers must find the wizard’s lair and face his twisted creations and traps, as well as his obsession with the Eye.
- The Eye is an ancient relic that belongs to a hidden temple dedicated to an obscure deity of truth and prophecy. The temple is located in a remote and dangerous region, where few dare to venture. The temple’s guardians are loyal and devout followers of the deity, who protect the Eye from any intruders or unworthy seekers. The adventurers are drawn to the temple by a mysterious vision or prophecy that involves the Eye and their destiny. The adventurers must prove themselves worthy of entering the temple and accessing the Eye, but they may also face a difficult choice or a terrible revelation.
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