Helm of Concentration
Helms of concentration are rare, and difficult to produce magic items, that enable one who casts spells to focus their efforts better, and those maintain multiple spells at the same time. They are rare among many other magic items in that every single helm is sentient, bearing the consciousness and the soul of deceased spellcaster. While a living spellcaster is attuned to the helm, the minds of the soul, and the attuned caster are linked. This allows the soul in the helm to take on some of the burden of concentration on ongoing magical effects, allowing the attuned caster to concentrate on multiple spells at the same time. However, the interlinking of minds isn't always of benefit, and sometimes the two souls struggle for control of the same body.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Helms of Concentration are, unsurprisingly roughly the size of sentient being's head, with most usually being under half a meter per side. Most also weigh around one and a half kilograms. They are uniformly exquisite constructions, requiring careful craftsmanship in order to function properly. Unlike many other powerful, and sentient magic items, they have one useful function. Helms of Concentration can allow a spellcaster to concentrate on more than one spell at a time. More to the point however, the conciousness inside the Helm of Concentration, being an entity of pure thought is even more efficient at doing so than a living being, and as a result can concentrate on two spell effects at once. Such a potent ability is highly sought after by certain casters, particularly adventuring types seeking to maximize their abilities in the field.
However, Helms of Concentration are inhabited by sentient beings, which have an agenda of their own, and those who would willingly give up their mortal life to inhabit a magic item is likely to have a strong personality. These two factors combined do allow the the sentience within the Helm to fight for control with its bearer. Moreover, the more direct link that the Helm has to the mind of its bearer makes it even more effective in attempting to wrest control of somebody attuned to the Helm. However, this relationship need not be so adversarial, and indeed the exact nature of control between the helm and the person attuned to it depends largely on the personalities of the two people involved.
Manufacturing process
A helm of concentration first requires a base helm, one of fine manufacture to be made first. These were traditionally bronze, though many other metals including iron and steel, or as exotic as adamantine have been used. Over this basic helmet the incantations are case, and forged onto it are the plates that give the helm its powers, usually made with a combination of jade, and Alchemical Silver, as well as any other precious materials the make cares to include. Most importantly a the helmet is given a mounting for the Soulstone to sit. Once the physical helm is completed, a willing spellcaster is sacrificed in a seven day long ritual, after which the sacrifice dies, and their soul is hastened into the soulstone in the helm, giving it its power. The process of manufacturing a Helm of Concentration is one that takes a considerable amount of time, and as a result usually occurs in a time bubble or pocket dimension where decades of work can take significantly less time in the real world, often shortening the process to one that takes months.
History
Helms of Concentration as a concept are a relatively old concept, dating back to the days of the Yue Dynasty of Guandao, early Yue mage-scholars seeking a means to strengthen their own ability to cast began experimenting with the creation of magic items. After decades of experimentation, Chang Zan Yan a notable member of the mage-scholar class developed the first helm of concentration. The initial adoption of this technology was rather slow, as the requirement of sacrificing a willing spellcaster in its creation limited the rate at which more could be made. However, by the end Chang's life, enough had been made that most other prominent scholar-mages had access to such helms.
The technology to make Helms of Conciousness spread fairly quickly once it had caught on, with examples being made first further down the coast in modern Qua'adar within three centuries, and examples made in the Yulan-Tai Empire shortly before its fall. A series of civilizational collapses occurring after that time however, plunged most of Southern Galisea into strife and many of the people capable of make the helmets died without spreading their secrets. As a result the knowledge of how to make helms of concentration is still available, it is a rare and usually closely guarded secret, particularly as many states more concerned with the arcane arts have criminalized the practice of making sentient magic items, and using soulston, both of which are necessary for the Helm's creation.
Helm of Concentration by Javak
Item type
Magical
Rarity
Exceptionally Rare
Weight
1.5 kg
Dimensions
usually ~3cm long, 5cm tall, and 3cm wide
Base Price
~35,000 Gold Coins
Raw materials & Components
Alchemical Silver, Jade, and Soulstone, and often other gemstones and precious metals over a bronze base helmet.
Tools
A high quality forge and alchemical lab in a time bubble.
Related Materials
