The Eye of Cyrus
‘Oh, that’s quite a find. Cheap, too, in the circumstances. What it is? Haven’t you heard of the Eye of Cyrus? I see you haven’t. Very well, then. Cyrus the Grey was a warlock of fearsome power. They say he could see all, from the furthest stars to the depths of the ocean. But he wished to see more and more, and one day he made this. His ‘Eye,’ he called it. They say that touching it will let you pass wherever you wish, unseen and unheard. If I’ve tried it? No, I’m afraid not. I leave that to my customers, and especially when it comes to items of this power. Cyrus himself just vanished one day. Just like that. But it’s odd how the people in his village say they can still hear him in their dreams, just out of reach.'
This thread is basically for posting Ravenloftian magic items. I believe there was another thread like this once, but it appears to have gotten lost in the Mists.The Eye of Cyrus is a pale blue crystal, about the size of a large egg. Its heart seems to glow slightly, as if with St. Elmo’s Fire. Touching the crystal, a standard action, causes the wearer and any equipment to be affected as though by the spell Ethereal Jaunt. The Eye differs from the spell in one important way, however. The user can remain in the Near Ethereal for as long as he wishes, touching the Eye again to return to the world of the living. However, the Eye also bears a terrible curse. The DM should keep track of the number of rounds total spent in the Near Ethereal. This number decreases by 1 for each full day the Eye is not used. As the number increases, the character finds himself losing touch with this world.
At first, the character might find that his shadow and reflection are strangely blurred. As the effect worsens, he might pass straight through things without noticing, although he cannot choose to do this consciously. Once the number reaches 50, the character is considered to have the Ethereal Empathy feat. Once it reaches 75, he also gets the Ghostsight feat. However, these feats are lost once the number goes below the required value, and they cannot be used to fulfil prerequisites for other feats or prestige classes.
Once the number reaches 100, the Eye becomes substantial and falls to the ground. The unfortunate character is forever trapped in the Near Ethereal. Not even special abilities or spells which allow travel to and from the Near Etheral will help. The only escape is the destruction of the Eye and its powers. Unfortunately, the Eye is impervious to harm while it contains the magic, and the effect must first be suppressed before the Eye can be destroyed.
Moderate Transmutation; CL 13th; Craft Wondrous Item; Ethereal Jaunt, Bestow Curse.