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There are areas of treasure in the room proper, but all are fake (illusions, painted, etc) as revealed by Alzar’s Gem/Star. There is a throne that skeleton sits upon. With a key in its hand, the throne is just gold over wood, looking better than it is. They search and find little. They move some things around, key over some chairs, and it’s not until they move the throne, which covers a key hole.
The key is apparently covered in something nasty, so the Stone Golem grabs it, brushes it off, and then Volcifar uses it to open up the panel beneath the throne. They do so, and they find a small chest. After picking the lock and disarming a poison needle trap, Alzar cracks open the chest, and inside is a small, faded book, hand written.
He uses the Helm of Reading Things of Various Sorts to understand it. It was penned shortly after the city of Khaibar by the forces from the north, just after Amun-Re fell, in that raid, the artifacts were taken, as well as lots more.
The Sultan claims to have secreted one of the artifacts in his palace away from the treasury as they were being invaded. It also names a triad of people who led the attack, Amhara the main one in charge, and his two lieutenants.
Alzar turns and casts Detect Magic by pulling it from the spellcrux and there is nothing other than a glowing ring on one finger of those at the bottom of the pit. Volcifar crawls down to retrieve it and Alzar smiles as he looks at it.
“This is one of my favorite magical items. Ever. The Ring of Sustenance.”
Here is what it does:
After wearing the Ring for a week of time:
1). You won’t need to eat. The Ring sustains you
2). You won’t need to drink. The Ring sustains you.
3). You won’t need to sleep as much – just hours is a full day sleeping
It’s one of the best examples of something subtle being a lot more powerful. These are the sorts of things he discusses in his book, The Fivefold Path to Power.
To use recent things as an example, compare the Ogre Strength item he has with a Wand of Lightning. A lightning bolt deals out 6d6 damage, save vs half. On the other hand, the Ogre Strength Gauntlets increase, by 15%, the chance of hitting in combat, and by 6 damage each time a connection is made. Which is better? Even with someone only getting one attack a round, the Ogre Strength brings out a lot more damage, doesn’t use a round to use nor a charge.
That’s why a spell like Conjure Earth Elemental or Animate Dead is better than damage dealing spells from the same level. Charm Monster is better than Lightning Bolt, because it turns a bad guy into an ally.
The Ring of Sustenance does one thing. It gives you time. Think about how many hours in a day one spends eating, sleeping, an drinking. 6? 7? 8? That’s how many hours Alzar gains, a day, while wearing it. It’s the Gauntlets of Ogre Power; Conjure Earth Elemental; of the magic Ring world.
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