The Golden Fiddle

Full Item Description

The Fiddle of Gold is a fiddle made of beautiful 18 caret yellow gold, with silver strings and velvet where the user holds it. If picked up, the user can sense a faint feeling of evil within it.It has a faint smell of brimstone.

History

Lord D'Oro of Vallermoore, who lived two centuries before Queen Yocasta's reign, was more then just a noble with skills in swordsmanship and administration and very little else. As a young boy he was awestruck by the great bards and decided to learn their skills. He spent several years being taught by the great bards of the Queendom and paying them well for their services.

One day he found another bard whilst on a trip to the then independent kingdom of Pier Point, who challenged him to a duel of music, promising to give him the bow if he won, whilst leaving what he wanted if he won, uncertain. When D'Oro accepted, the bard revealed his true shape, that of a Grishin demon, a four armed, green skinned, insectoid demon from the region of hell ruled by the Infinately Horrible Vizier of Hell.

He began to play a beautiful yet fearful tune that terrified D'Oro, but he managed not to give into it and in fact was so skilled that despite the demon's magic and great musical skill of it's own, he outplayed it. The furious demon said that had he lost it would have torn his body apart and feasted upon his soul. However, it's kind had a strict code of honour which even extended to humans in circumstances like this, and it had no choice but to give him the bow or look bad in the eyes of demonic society.

Before vanishing back to hell leaving the bow behind, it cursed it so that it would sooner or later damm it's users.
D'Oro was careful to only use the bow when he really felt it nesscessary and escaped the curse-as far as is known Hell never claimed his soul. Several other users have been less careful however, and paid for it with their lives and their souls.

Magic/Cursed Properties

If used by the average person, it has few magical properties other then to slow down the attacks of the lesser spirits, lesser demons, and Undead. If used by a wizard, it can stop all lesser demonic attacks whilst it is played and even have a limited effect on the Greater Demons for a short time. It cannot command them, only stop their attacks.

But in the hands of a skilled bard or bards who have spent years learning their trade, with a skilled singer as well, it can be used to great affect. Humans can be made to dance against their will. and cannot stop dancing until the fiddle stops.They can even be made to dance over cliffs. Lovesongs become seducing love spells, and other tunes can be used to sedate people, heal wounds if they are not too large and dangerous, and even change the minds of individuals. Bodies can be made to clamber from the grave and the right tune can make them attack people.

The bow is demonic and cursed, so whoever uses it, more so if they are able to use it's full range of magic, will have an almost overpowering urge to do evil with it, to rob, to injure and to kill.A PC using it should make a willpower check of some kind to beat the urge.

Also, it's playing attracts demonic beings.The lesser ones will be eager to please and will almost worship the user and beg for jobs-if none are given them they may well undertake missions of their own that they think the user wants. Whilst they don't ask for things in return, using them may well damm a user's soul.

If played too often and for too long greater demons might arise and different tunes will bring different demons-the playing of the Jaji Po, for example, may summon one or more Viles of Salt Unless the proper protective spells have been cast first, these greater demons may well decide to slay the player on the spot and take his/her soul. However, they will not or cannot do this whilst the player is still playing, however, as soon as she or he tires, then they tear apart the player's body and take the soul, leaving the fiddle where another human can find it,as they consider it a sorce of free food when it is in human hands.