Earmuffs of Rest

One item in the Headmaster's "Curiosity Cabinet" appears to be some sort of headgear. An adventurer that has traveled to the Northern or Southern Wastes of Cartyrion might recognize it as being quite similar to a bit of protective gear the Folk in those lands use to keep their ears from freezing off in the bitter cold of those regions. Perhaps this is a merely a memento of a journey to a far-off frozen land by one of the former occupants of this office? Or perhaps these ear-warmers are more than than they appear to be.

Description

The item appears to be constructed of two large, disc-shaped portions about 4in (10cm) in diameter connected by a horseshoe-shaped band. It is sized and configured in such a way that an Elf, Dwarf, Human, Halfling, or even Orc would be able to place the item on their heads with the disc-shaped pads each covering one ear and the band resting atop their head. The disc-pads do not appear to be designed to accomodatee the ears of Chittiki (Ratfolk), Feliseans (Catfolk), Goblins or Kobolds. Awkwana (Birdfolk), Kobolds, and Taxlatl (Lizardfolk) might be able to don the item, but it may not sit well atop their heads.

The ear pads themselves appear to be made of a thick fur that is silky-soft to the touch and stuffed with a soft, cushioning material. The band is covered with a thinner layer of soft, silky fur concealing a strong yet flexible strip (perhaps of a metal such as spring-tempered steel). The entire item is of a blue hue; whether this is the result of a dye or was the natural color of the furs from which it was made has not been determined.
Item Name
Earmuffs of Rest
Rarity
Rare
Value
250gp
Effects
Wearer falls into a deep healing sleep. During this sleep, Injury Points will heal at twice the normal rate, and will do so regardless of whether the wearer is in a Safe Environment
Limitations
The wearer will not awaken on their own; somebody must physically shake them awake

Effects

Immediately upon donning the earmuffs, the wearer will begin to hear strains of gentle, soothing music being played upon a harp. Some have reported also hearing a faint musical humming sound not unlike that of a mother singing an infant to sleep. The wearer will immediately begin to feel relaxed, and any physical aches or pains will begin to diminish. These soothing sounds completely block out any and all other sounds coming from the world around them. Even a companion shouting directly at them will be completely unheard. Furthermore, any sensations of excessive cold or warm weather conditions around them will disappear.

Within five minutes of donning the earmuffs, the wearer will settle into a deep, peaceful sleep that can only be interrupted by roughly shaking the individual back into consciousness. In the absence of such stimulus, the wearer will remain in deep, comfortable slumber, dreaming soothing dreams and blissfully unaware of the fact that time marches on around them. They will not suffer from dehydration, starvation, exposure, or even oxygen deprivation while wearing the Earmuffs.

Limitations

Unless the wearer of the Earmuffs has somebody around to eventually awaken them, they will remain in their deep healing and recovery sleep indefinitely; they cannot or will not rouse themselves. Waking someone using Earmuffs of Rest requires that they be physically - and somewhat roughly - shaken awake, and a single shake or kick may not do the trick. Simply removing the Earmuffs will also work -- eventually. If the earmuffs are removed from a character still suffering from exhaustion or injury, they will continue to sleep for up to eight hours unless physically roused. While this "normal" sleep will relievee Exhaustion, its effects on Injury Points will not be enhanced in any way.

NOTE: The information appearing in the spoiler below will be moved into a Gamemaster Subscriber Only region after the completion of the February, 2024 Cabinet of Curiosities Challenge.
Gamemaster Notes
A character donning Earmuffs of Rest will lie down and go to sleep within 1d6 combat rounds of donning them. If they are not Exhausted and not physically injured, they are free to remove the Earmuffs themselves before this time expires; they will not do so on their own if they are feeling relief from the aforementioned physical ailments, though. They may complain if another removed the Earmuffs during this time, but no more so than their personality would dictate for any other minor annoyance or disturbance of rest or personal space.

If the Earmuffs are removed from a sleeping charactere, but no other attempt is made to rouse them, they will continue to sleep for 1d8 hours if they are not currrently suffering from physical injury, or for a full 8 hours if they are. They can be physically roused during this period by another, however.

Physically arousing a character still wearing the Earmuffs will require 1d4 combat rounds of shaking, jostling, nudging, kicking, etc. before the character comes to. The Earmuffs do not impart any sort of charm effect to dissuade a conscious wearer from removing them, but if the wearer is Exhausted or physically Injured (i.e. has fewer than their maximum Injury Points), the feeling of comfort and well-being will make them extremely reluctant to remove the item. The desire to find out why they are being so poorly treated by their companions can easily overcoome this. A well-rested and fully healed character has no difficulty in removing the Earmuffs in reesponse to awakening - and as the workings of the Earmuffs are better understood over time, a wearer should not be surprised at the actions of those awakening them.

A character sleeping with Earmuffs will clear an Exhausted condition in a half-hour rather than the usual hour. Furthermore, they will heal one Injury Point for every 4 hours they are permitted to sleep until they reach their maximum for Injury Points. Note that reaching their maximum does not cause them to awaken!
 

Credits

Side panel dungeon passage image by Evelyn Chai from Pixabay
Banner image by kalhh from Pixabay

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