Keystone, Shard of Glory
Do not underestimate the power of the gods, my friends. Even a weakened god is a force to be reckoned with.
Appearance
A golden gemstone like solid honey in the shape of a keystone, as for an arch. It hangs from a golden chain, and appears beautiful but quite innocuous.
Insights
The spell Legend Lore, reveals the following:
The Keystone, Shard of Glory, represents the final aspect of divinity; yet unlike all other Shards, with affinities to the planes on which the gods may dwell, the Keystone was given an affinity directly to divinity itself. As its namesake holds up the arch, so too does the Keystone hold up the Sphere. Without it, the power of the Sphere of Eternity is greatly diminished and it will never accomplish its true purpose.
The Theonomicon does not mention the Keystone until it is paired with at least two other Shards. Even then, the entry is partially garbled. Successively more information is revealed as more Shards are brought together.
Glory, kFSIzv, (Keystone), a pale blue gemstone in the shape of a keystone.
When the shards CChyLFfdIXajVxAbxwykFcnMslsmiZpKRryfRmAr are combined, the Sphere kYEvBXtjWLukVQhtuQBJ creates a zone pKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKb mortal avatar ajVxAbxwykFcnMslsmiZ incredibly powerful. YEvBXtjWLukVQhtuQBJudBBZKoPkRpKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKb Should the avatar udBBZKoPkRpKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKb escape ryfRmArkFSIzvWVKb immortal divinity. This is the danger when the Sphere lacks its Keystone.
With the Keystone, however, the Sphere can udBBZKoPkRpKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKb creates a barrier around a plane that CChyLFfdIXajVxAbxwyk cannot cross, pKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrcakYEvBXtjWLFcnMslsmiZudBBZKoPkR they are CChyLFfdIX dead, yet no battle had to be fought. They cannot ajVxAbxwykFcnMslsmiZ even answer prayers udBBZKoPkR pKRryfRmAr. Much as a fine pKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrca arduous and difficult.
Glory, kFSIzv, (Keystone), a golden gemstone like solid honey in the shape of a keystone, as for an arch.
When the shards of Life, Death, Knowledge, Power, and Justice are combined, the Sphere draws a specific deity to it & creates a zone in which they are forced into a mortal avatar, though even a mortal god is incredibly powerful FSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrc will kill the god JudBBZKoPkRpKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKb. Should the avatar gain control of the Sphere it can escape and return to immortal divinity. This is the danger when the Sphere lacks its Keystone.
With the Keystone, however, the Sphere can accomplish its true purpose. It creates a barrier around a plane that ChyLFfdIXajVxAbxwykKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrcakYEvBXtjWLFcnMslsmiZudBBZKoPkR they are CChyLFfdIX dead, yet no battle had to be fought. They cannot grant spells, miracles, or even answer prayers udBBZKoPkR pKRryfRmAr. Much as a fine pKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrca arduous and difficult.
Glory, kFSIzv, (Keystone), a golden gemstone like solid honey in the shape of a keystone, as for an arch.
When the shards of Life, Death, Knowledge, Power, and Justice are combined, the Sphere draws a specific deity to it & creates a zone in which they are forced into a mortal avatar, though even a mortal god is incredibly powerful. One creature must be attuned to each Shard, and they must all lay hands on the revealed Sphere while on their native plane and intone the name of the deity they wish to destroy. This will draw the deity to them, into the area of weakness created by the Sphere, though doing so takes hours or even days. Killing this avatar will kill the god. Should the avatar gain control of the Sphere, however, it can escape and return to immortal divinity. This is the danger when the Sphere lacks its Keystone.
With the Keystone, however, the Sphere can accomplish its true purpose. It creates a barrier around a plane that ChyLFfdIXajVxAbxwykKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrcakYEvBXtjWLFcnMslsmiZudBBZKoPkR they are CChyLFfdIX dead, yet no battle had to be fought. They cannot grant spells, miracles, or even answer prayers udBBZKoPkR pKRryfRmAr. Much as a fine pKRryfRmArkFSIzvWVKbJqyTUvhrca arduous and difficult.
True Entry, only revealed at end
Glory, Asmodeus, (Keystone), a golden gemstone like solid honey in the shape of a keystone, as for an arch.
When the shards of Life, Death, Knowledge, Power, and Justice are combined, the Sphere draws a specific deity to it & creates a zone in which they are forced into a mortal avatar, though even a mortal god is incredibly powerful. One creature must be attuned to each Shard, and they must all lay hands on the revealed Sphere while on their native plane and intone the name of the deity they wish to destroy. This will draw the deity to them, into the area of weakness created by the Sphere, though doing so takes hours or even days. Killing this avatar will kill the god. Should the avatar gain control of the Sphere, however, it can escape and return to immortal divinity. This is the danger when the Sphere lacks its Keystone.
With the Keystone, however, the Sphere can accomplish its true purpose. It creates a barrier around a plane that gods cannot cross, save for the Keystone's creator and those whom he blesses. The barrier prevents them from influencing affairs on the Plane in any way; as far as that Plane is concerned, they are effectively dead, yet no battle had to be fought. They cannot grant spells, miracles, or even answer prayers. Much as a fine mesh may still pass sand, weaker entities may still cross, but though the crossing is arduous and difficult.
Mechanics
Click to expand mechanicsAmulet, Artifact, Requires Attunement
While attuned, your body is infused with power and a feeling of eternal energy. You gain the following traits.
- Eternal Body: You are immune to any negative effects of aging but can still gain positive effects from aging, i.e. a dragon's growth. You cannot die from old age but they can still be killed by other means.
- Unending Vigor: You do not require food, water, or sleep. You must still breathe occasionally, but you can hold your breathe for an hour with no ill effects. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you must spend eight hours doing nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.
- Damage Resistances: cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't silvered.
- Damage Immunities: fire, poison
- Condition Immunities: poisoned
- Enhanced Sight: You gain darkvision to 120 ft. Magical darkness does not impede your darkvision.
- Planar Rejection: Once per long rest, you can project a 60' radius immobile barrier centered on the Keystone. The barrier extends into the Ethereal & Astral Planes. It lasts for 1 minute, cannot be dispelled, suppressed, or ended early by anything short of a Wish spell and has the following effects.
- Block Planar Travel: Any creature attempting to teleport, plane shift, or use portals into or out of the area must make a DC 18 Charisma Saving throw to do so.
- Damage Outsiders: For this feature, outsiders are defined as celestials, demons, elementals, and fey. Any affected creature may choose to fail the save.
- Any outsider within 60' of you when you activate this ability must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, they are pushed to an unoccupied space outside the barrier and take 5d10 necrotic damage. If there is no space outside the barrier, they occupy the nearest unoccupied space inside the barrier instead. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not moved.
- Once per turn, when a creature moves across the barrier, they must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, they take 5d10 necrotic damage and cannot pass. On a successful save, they take half damage and may pass. Non-outsiders are immune to the damage, but can still be blocked. If the movement was involuntary, the creature must still make the save, taking damage and being stopped as normal.
History
Long ago in a time beyond memory, Asmodeus opened the Theonomicon, a book containing all the knowledge of the gods. Acquiring it had not been easy, but with it he hoped to discover a way to end the Blood War, topple those fools in Mount Celestia, and bring order to the universe once and for all. For years he stayed locked away in the solitude of Nessus, feverishly poring through the book. Finally, when he had nearly given up, he learned of an artifact of such awesome power that it could threaten even the gods: the Sphere of Eternity.
For centuries he used every ounce of influence, acumen, and wit to gain possession of all five Shards of the Sphere. As it sat, glowing in his throne room, Asmodeus was tempted to activate it. Many, lacking his discipline or vision, would have used the weapon then and there. With it he could destroy any one of his hated rivals, perhaps as many as two. But Asmodeus would not settle for such a petty victory.
Not even the Theonomicon recorded who or what fashioned the Sphere. Asmodeus suspected it was a necessary thing, a balance to the awesome powers of divinity. But though Asmodeus did not learn its origins, he learned its rules; and nobody can pervert a set of rules like Asmodeus.
He crafted a sixth Shard, one attuned to himself alone, and imbued it with some of his own power. With this Keystone in place, the Sphere would invert; rather than containing a god, it would instead keep them out, shielding an entire plane from their touch. Nearly all the gods relied on the faith of mortals to sustain them; very few had other sources (Asmodeus himself gained much power from the souls of the damned) and none of those resided in Celestia. Cut off from the touch of any divinity save himself, it would only be a matter of time before faith died off. It would take many years, perhaps even centuries (especially for the elves and dwarves). But what are centuries to a god?
Once the Keystone was forged, Asmodeus altered the Theonomicon. He could not force it to lie, but it could be made to be strategically silent. Mortal readers would not learn the full truth of the Keystone until it was too late.
Before Asmodeus could put his plan into motion, however, the Sphere was stolen. Mask, the god of trickery, discovered its place of hiding and left with the prize, becoming possibly the only being to ever make it to Nessus without the invitation of Asmodeus. The trickster god did not know what he had stolen; he did it merely for the thrill. He shattered the Sphere and once more its Shards were scattered throughout the multiverse.
Asmodeus, upon discovering the theft, sat in his throne with the Keystone about his neck. He did not rage or curse. This was a setback, true, but it was only a matter of time before some unwitting mortal learned of the Sphere. And when they did, he would be ready.
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