Draconic Shard of Marble

Wondrous Item (music instrument), Unique

"What separates a good soldier from an excellent one? Is it the weapon in their hand? Their strategy in battle? The amount of battles won in their lifetime? Or perhaps, the amount of power and respect they command? The answer is simple. A good soldier measures themselves by any of these standards. An excellent soldier measures their value in the amount of lives saved and bettered with their actions. A weapon should not be an implement to take life, but a tool to exercise justice and protect the innocent."

Excerpt from a combat lesson by Velnizok the Stern

Amethyst dragons are among the most powerful and psionically gifted gem dragons in existance. They study and protect the world from outside threats and put particular focus on the intrusions of the Far Realm and its abberations. Filling their treasure hoard with knowledge and magic from other worlds, they show great fondness for arcane information and material concerning cosmic forces, distant realms (both part of and outside the Material Plane) and travel between those different worlds.
Velnizok was one of these Amethyst dragons. Befitting his royal purple appearance, Velnizok the Stern was the cunning and inspiring leader of the City of Marble, back in a bygone age before it fell to ruin. While the city was prosperous and Velnizok was more than competent as its figurehead, even the Stern himself could not hold his own against the grand invasions of the One Hundred Year War. He defended the City of Marble until his last breath, as he pushed his soul and essence into his hoard, infusing the magical items with his psionic identity.
Since that event, the City of Marble has been subjected to time, ruin and neglect. Velnizok's hoard has also been largely forgotten, only sometimes touched by tomb raiders who rarely live through the old city's tunnel system that used to be the dragon's lair. His magical traps and constructed servants have protected its treasures for centuries now. In this time, the Stern's essence fused with his most valued posession: a brass harp from Sigil, the City of Doors. While its magic has long since faded, when the dragon was alive, playing certain tunes on the harp opened doorways into other realms. Even though this magical property may not function anymore, these days the harp holds a very different magical force inside: the Soul of the Stern. The dragon's essence still sleeps in the harp, undisturbed for eons, waiting for the right soul to seek out the truth behind the legend and wield his power to lead the fight against the Material Plane's enemies.
Holding or carrying the harp would not reveal any of this, however. Velnizok's essence is truly dormant, and any individual that manages to get a hold of the item would have to know this to be the dragon's soul. For the ignorant, this would appear as a unique harp with minor magical properties. The amethyst dragon's essence allows wielders to deal additional damage with their attacks*, and grants them resistance to psychic damage.


*Extra 1d8 force damage on every attack that hits

Mechanics & Inner Workings

At face value, this object is simply a brass pedal harp with snares made of wire and elk tendon. Closer inspection reveals all kinds of details however that make the harp a unique and almost artistic piece of musical prowess. Draconic runes adorn the sides, lighting up with feint magic whenever a proper transportation melody is played. Knocking on the harp will reveal it to be hollow in certain places, to create more drawn-out reverberating sounds. The snares are special as well: the wire is woven from unicorn hair and the tendons are taken from giant elk hunted from different regions of the Outlands (Sigil's home plane). All of these features come together to facilitate the magic called forth by playing music. One addition made to the harp that was not originally intended to be there is a small, droplet-shaped cracked amethyst located in the centre of its frame. This magically appeared and fused with the object when Velnizok's soul entered the object.

History

This harp was a gift to Velnizok in his ruling time before the One Hundred Year War. He traveled to Sigil for knowledge and to procure means of extraplanar travel. In his wanderings he came across and eventually partnered up with Yilekka, a construct builder and descendent from the great wizard Saddam Hasan ibn Arvalas. Velnizok gave her lessons on psionic powers, Yilekka taught him how to create golems and automatons and the like. She gave the harp to the dragon as a gift when he returned to his city. 

"Be careful with your melodies, trust me. Just a few wrong notes and you'll end up opening a portal to the Nine Hells. Not that I'm worried you can't handle a few devils, but the stench will cling to your carpet for decades."

Rarity

While this particular gemsoul-infused harp is one-of-a-kind, Doorway Harps are not unheard of in the city of Sigil. They are expensive and take a lot of expertise knowledge on both music and magic to create corretly. Most functioning Doorway Harps are either in the posession of rich and powerful inhabitants of Sigil, or used by large local organisations and guilds to facilitate quick travel.

Weight

30 kg

Dimensions

180x140cm

Raw materials & Components

Brass metal, wire, tendon, wood