Fire's Heart, Shard of Life

It's the damndest thing, Marge. Ever since we found that creepy heart, I can't seem to harvest the potatoes fast enough!

— Shilo Proudfoot, Halfling Farmer

Appearance

Fire's Heart is an anatomically correct human heart carved out of a single fist-sized ruby, suspended on an elegant golden chain. If you watch it carefully you may notice it subtly beating. Plants and living things appear subtly more vibrant and colorful in the presence of its red glow.

Insights

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

Fire's Heart, Shard of Life, is a ruby from which growth overflows. Bountiful are the fields of its owner, and quickly do their wounds heal. Yet growth can be deadly as well, as their enemies are sure to find. Seek ye Fire's Heart in the heart of fire, amidst the treasures of the Charcoal Palace.

Mechanics

Click to expand mechanics

Wondrous Item, Artifact, Requires Attunement

• Bountiful Growth: The ruby heart perpetually emanates a powerful, healthful aura that causes all plants in the region to grow large and bountiful. This affects the area in a 5-mile radius. Otherwise it is functionally identical to the 8 hour version of the spell Plant Growth. This cannot be controlled or suppressed by the wielder and requires no attuned creature to function. The aura can be suppressed by an anti-magic field or similar effect, though doing so has no effect on plants already enriched.

• When attuned, the wearer can spend a charge to use Burst of Growth. Fire's Heart has 4 charges and regains 1d4 each dawn.
• Burst of Growth: You can use an action to expend a charge and cause a burst of growing energy to spread out from you. Creatures (except for undead or constructs) within 60' of you that you can see are subject to one of these two effects (your choice, made individually for each creature):
  • Regenerative Growth: Wounds heal at a miraculous rate as if they had been healing naturally for weeks. The target regains 3d8 + 4 HP.
  • Cancerous Growth: Tumors, boils, and other growths sprout all along the creature's body, inside and out. The target takes 8d6 necrotic damage (Con save for half, DC 17)
• Planar Attunement: Fire's Heart is attuned to the Feywild 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 item has been fought over by various kingdoms throughout the centuries due to its ability to greatly enhance the economics of the region. For a time it was possessed by the church of Chauntea. A high priest who made a foolish deal with an Efreet lost the artifact to that noble race in the 12th century. It was given as a gift to the Sultan of the Efreet and was held in the Charcoal Palace. It was recently granted to the Battleborn as a prize for winning a tournament held in the Forge of Flesh, in the City of Brass.

Attributes

Type

Wondrous Item

Requires Attunement

Yes

Rarity

Artifact