Forgotten Crown
Symbols of office are often kept in pristine condition, so that they may be worn by those vested with the responsibilities of said office. In a small room within the Craven Court, however, there sits a long dead custodian, holding onto a dulled silvery crown. This presumably royal accoutrement possesses a peculiar aura of dread and any attempts to retrieve it, or even to enter the room it is stored in, have failed.
Despite this, the crown is no doubt magical as becomes evident when anything or anyone enters the room. Living things that do seem to experience extremely accelerated aging, visibly decomposing and withering to dust in a matter of seconds. In truth, it is not certain whether it is the crown or the room itself causing this, but as the crown is the only object of note within the room it is considered an educated guess to claim it is responsible.
The crown is rather unremarkable in its design. It is topped with a ring of ornamented prongs of alternating sizes, while the outer rim is decorated with studs and carvings of some kind, the details of which are currently unknown before methods of getting a closer look at the crown are devised.
The church itself is fond of this theory, and dogmatic theologians posit that the crown has been cursed by the Progenitor itself, a punishment for neglecting a heaven-sent duty. This, of course, is seen as zealotry by most of the scientific community of Nascindor, not in small part due to the fact that the Progenitor's death predates the Forlorn Kingdom. A dead god cannot inflict curses, or so the argument goes. Instead, the Enlightened Few suggest that the crown's fell influence is a result of actions undertaken by the kingdoms leaders, perhaps dabbling in things they should not have dabbled in.
The few shamans of the Pale Men that have been to the Craven Court consider the curse to be a karmic manifestation, an actualization of the craving for eternal rule, with the previous and final holder of the crown making it so that if he cannot rule, then no one can.
"The crown is father's burden to bear.".
This was a rarity among his usually single worded responses, and follow-up questions confirmed that the skeletal figure clutching the crown is indeed the Prince's father, which means those dessicated bones are the last king of the Forlorn Kingdom.
New petitioners are being brought to the Prince in an effort to uncover more information about the crown in hopes of finding a way to undo or suppress the curse it bears.
Properties and design
As approaching the crown is impossible without severe consequences to one's well-being, the actual composition of it is a mystery. Viewed from the doorway, the crown looks like it might be made of silver or even iron and projects no outward signs of being magical. Viewed by mages through the Tapestrum Arcanum produces the same result.Despite this, the crown is no doubt magical as becomes evident when anything or anyone enters the room. Living things that do seem to experience extremely accelerated aging, visibly decomposing and withering to dust in a matter of seconds. In truth, it is not certain whether it is the crown or the room itself causing this, but as the crown is the only object of note within the room it is considered an educated guess to claim it is responsible.
The crown is rather unremarkable in its design. It is topped with a ring of ornamented prongs of alternating sizes, while the outer rim is decorated with studs and carvings of some kind, the details of which are currently unknown before methods of getting a closer look at the crown are devised.
Possible origin
The Forlorn Kingdom is considered to be among the first larger settlements of humanity that were established after the Godfall, predating the current city-states. As no buildings or iconography relating to the church of Resounding Truth have been discovered in the ruined city, it is theorized that this kingdom consisted of humans who refused the sacred mission bestowed upon humanity by the Progenitor.The church itself is fond of this theory, and dogmatic theologians posit that the crown has been cursed by the Progenitor itself, a punishment for neglecting a heaven-sent duty. This, of course, is seen as zealotry by most of the scientific community of Nascindor, not in small part due to the fact that the Progenitor's death predates the Forlorn Kingdom. A dead god cannot inflict curses, or so the argument goes. Instead, the Enlightened Few suggest that the crown's fell influence is a result of actions undertaken by the kingdoms leaders, perhaps dabbling in things they should not have dabbled in.
The few shamans of the Pale Men that have been to the Craven Court consider the curse to be a karmic manifestation, an actualization of the craving for eternal rule, with the previous and final holder of the crown making it so that if he cannot rule, then no one can.
Relation to the Crestfallen Prince
Naturally, due to his self-proclaimed title of ruler within the Forlorn Kingdom, the Crestfallen Prince was consulted about the crown. Uncharacteristically, the gaunt prince replied with a full sentence;"The crown is father's burden to bear.".
This was a rarity among his usually single worded responses, and follow-up questions confirmed that the skeletal figure clutching the crown is indeed the Prince's father, which means those dessicated bones are the last king of the Forlorn Kingdom.
New petitioners are being brought to the Prince in an effort to uncover more information about the crown in hopes of finding a way to undo or suppress the curse it bears.
Item type
Unique Artifact
Current Location
by Dall-E 3
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