Faith's End, Shard of Death

To preserve my people, one would need the power of the gods - So a god I shall become.

— Lord Karsus, shortly before his Folly

Appearance

Faith's End is a dark twisted shaft of polished metal, topped with an orb of black crystal that so black it hurts to gaze upon it. When in Shadowfell the crystal lightens, becoming a smoky and translucent.

Insights

Study from the Theonomicon, or the spell Legend Lore, reveals the following:

Faith's End, Shard of Death, fueled Karsus' folly as the Archmage of Netheril sought to kill a god and steal its power. Yet Malazar the Dread, a lich who left fear of death behind long ago, tore the staff from Karsus' tomb and spirited it away to Anauroch, deep within the wastes that was the Empire. The Spear of At'ar marks his lair, though only disappointment waits for those who seek it.

Mechanics

Click to expand mechanics

Staff, Artifact, Requires Attunement by an arcane caster with 5th level slots

The staff can be wielded as a +1 quarterstaff. While you hold it, you gain a +2 to spell attack rolls. It also has the following properties:

• Extinguish the Flame: All creatures within 30' of the wielder automatically fail death saving throws. The wielder can choose to exclude one or more creatures from this effect.
• The staff has 20 charges, and regains 2d8+4 expended charges daily at dawn.
• Spells: While holding the staff the wielder can use an action to expend charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using the wielder's spell save DC & spell attack bonus:
  • Darkness (2 charges)
  • Darkvision (2 charges)
  • Bestow Curse (3 charges)
  • Cone of Cold (5 charges)
  • Circle of Death (5 charges, no component cost)
  • Harm (6 charges)
  • Eyebite (6 charges)
• Arcane Fire: The staff can act as a conduit for raw arcane power, firing a crackling violet beam. The wielder can use their action to expend charges or their own spell slots to make a ranged spell attack against a creature or object within 120'. On a hit this attack deals 1d20+1 force damage per charge and/or spell level expended, up to a maximum of 9d20+9. If the target is a creature who is reduced to 0 hp by Arcane Fire, the color quickly drains from their body before it fades away, leaving all their equipment behind. A creature killed in this manner can only be brought back to life by True Resurrection or Wish.
• Planar Attunement: Faith's End is attuned to Shadowfell and can function as a tuning fork for that plane for the Plane Shift spell.
• Shard of Eternity: This item is one of the Shards of Eternity. When combined with the other Shards, they collectively create the Eternity Sphere.

History

This staff is most famously associated with Karsus, the archmage whose actions led to the destruction of the Netherese empire. When his magic failed him, the staff was lost for millenia until it was recovered by Malazar the Dread. Malazar's lair was later attacked by the Ancient Blue Shadow Dragon Mirdanoth, Bringer of Death. Faith's End now resides in that dragon's hoard in Shadowfell, in the city of Eilinar.

Attributes

Type

Staff

Requires Attunement

Yes

Rarity

Artifact