| Witwicky01 |
Hello, I am seeking some help in statting out Zutha's legendary set of ten magic rings and ten aeon stones, which he favored over even his Weapon of Rule, the Bone Scythe.
I have looked everywhere for inspiration for these, including the very good Lord of Runes novel by Dave Gross, and while I can read the words on the page, it is difficult to convert those into statted items.
If anyone has any guesses of where I could begin with this, I'd really appreciate it.
Some examples of the powers from the novel:
- “The Azlanti stones circled his head. Every once in a while, one would turn toward me like an eye that could see inside me.”
- “Rings glowed on every finger. The Azlanti stones spun faster and wider around his head. Some threw rippling fields of energy around his body. Others twitched like war dogs eager to slip the leash.”
- “Svannostel opened her mouth. Lightning blinded us all. When I could see again, a statue behind the boss was scorched black—except for a circle where he’d been hovering. One of his Azlanti stones skittered like a drop of water across a hot skillet, but it kept circling his head.”
- “Janneke’s bow snapped. The cylinder flew toward the boss. A shimmering field deflected it. The cylinder broke open, spilling an empty net to the floor. Without missing a beat, Janneke fired two bolts. They bounced off the boss’s magic shield.”
- “Kazyah’s earth spirit loomed over the boss, but it stopped about five feet short of grabbing him. The rocky thing had no face, but it still looked confused. The boss clenched a fist, and a yellow gem flared on one of his rings. The spirit shuddered, clouds of dust pouring off of its limbs. The orange glow of its eyes turned bloody red.”
- “Another blast of lightning hit the boss, and this time his shield didn’t hold. He fell to the ground, and for a second his halo of stones sagged.”
- “Illyria shook a wand at the boss. Blue-black bolts shot toward him. With a wave of his hand and a flash from one of his rings, he threw them back at her.”
- “With a casual swipe, the boss slapped the drake out of the air.” - Unsure if this is a result of the rings/stones, but it doesn’t seem to be a spell that Varian cast, so I don’t know.
- “With a thought, I summoned them to me. Ten rings leaped to my fingers. A moment later, the Azlanti stones took up orbit around my brow.”
- “By silent will, I called upon the ring with a platinum sihedron to conjure a garment black as shadow.”
- “One of my Azlanti stones sustained me without food or drink, so I did not share her hunger.”
- “Between those stored in my rings, stones, scrolls, and mind, an arcane arsenal lay at my command. I was prepared.”
- “With the golem out of the way, I raised a hand to blast Ygresta with a ring. The fiery ray spilled over him, burning his clothes and the last few wisps of his hair.”
- “I unleashed the power of my most destructive ring. The instant I willed it to fire,”
- “There was no time to explain that I knew how the rings and stones defending Zutha could also redirect the lightning. The white shower danced across an invisible barrier around Zutha. The runelord reeled, still weak as a newborn. Even so, his Crest defended him. The power of the ring deflected Svannostel’s breath to cascade over Durante’s body.”
- “With the other he gestured toward the wall, where a great black hand gripped Svannostel by the throat.”
- “He pointed one of his rings at me and the boss. Its diamond head flared. Four crackling balls of lightning flew at us.”
- “The boss and Illyria threw more spells at Zutha. Magic shields from his crown of stones absorbed them. Svannostel blasted him with lightning. Another floating stone sucked the bolt out of the air.”
Varian makes specific mention of the rings and stones both being a part of his spell preparation, they can create a magical barrier that deflects a dragon's lightning breath at least once, can create clothing, and sustain Varian so that he does not need food or drink.
Each of the above are the most not spell-like things these seem to be capable of, but any one of the other examples could also be tied to the rings and stones rather than any spell Varian had prepared.