Crystal of the Ebon Flame
Encyclopedia
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame is a powerful artifact of the World of Greyhawk setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
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(1976).
.
.
In Reverse Dungeon, the artifact grants several powers related to flame (such as fireball, burning hands, light, chromatic orb, and immunity to heat and flame, and faerie fire), while filling its users with greed and an unwillingness to let the artifact out of their sight. It also drains power from other magic items in the wielders' possession.
Powers attributed to the crystal in 4th edition include blasts of fire and necrotic damage, the ability to destroy enemies beyond even the reach of raise dead rituals, and even the power to resurrect the crystal's owner, if the Crystal is sufficiently pleased.
Suggested means of destruction include being melted in the core of the world, shattered on the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, or crushed beneath the hammer of Thor. "Artifacts of Oerth
" in Dragon #294 claims that the Crystal can only be crushed beneath Golbi, the hammer of Fortubo
.
swear that only a dwarf could carve a gem so perfectly. Some scholars suggest that such a stone could have come from nowhere on Oerth
, but must have been mined from the heart of a burned-out star. The Plane Below claims this artifact is a tear shed by Tharizdun
, or a seed of evil he planted that works in secret to win its master's escape. It is said that the gods tried and failed to destroy the Crystal, and instead they placed a powerful curse on it, forcing the artifact to move from owner to owner. The Crystal of the Ebon Flame is thus a dual-natured item with two separate groups of goals. The artifact seeks always to free the Chained God, corrupt its wielders to evil and destruction, and empower those who revere the dark god or one of his aspects. The curse, on the other hand, seeks always to constrain the artifact's power and to find a just and righteous hero to serve as its custodian, keeping it from the cultists of Tharizdun.
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame was already of extraordinary antiquity when it was brought to the Flanaess
by the migrating Oeridians
. The timing in which they employed it, and their use of planar travel and teleportation magic in bringing it from battlefield to battlefield, made it devastating and crucial to the Oeridians' success during the Great Migrations
.
At some point, the crystal became a holy relic of an obscure cult of fire worshipers, possibly the Cult of the Black Flame. Once powerful and influential, this cult was largely wiped out when its vile practices led to its persecution (again, this fits the description of the Cult of the Black Flame, although it also fits the description of Tharizdun's cult; then again, little enough is known of the Cult of the Black Flame that they could be a cult of Tharizdun, or of the Elder Elemental Eye). The few devout members of the cult continue to practice their faith in secrecy.
In the adventure Reverse Dungeon, the Crystal of the Ebon Flame appears in the custody of a group of cloaker
s in the Vault Level of the dungeon, having placed there by the wizard Blaise some time within the last 600 years after it fulfilled whatever purpose he had for it. The cloakers are too alien in spirit and mind to access the Crystal's powers, but occasionally they engage in weird dances around the Crystal's glow, accompanied by the moans of their fellows. Any would die to keep the beauty of the crystalline artifact from being taken from them.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame first appeared in the fourth supplement to the original D&D rules, Eldritch WizardryEldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
(1976).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame was also mentioned in the original 1979 Dungeon Master's GuideDungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame was further developed in 1993's Book of ArtifactsBook of Artifacts
The Book of Artifacts is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book, published by TSR, Inc. in 1993, details 50 different artifacts, special magic items found within the game at the Dungeon Master's...
.
Description
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame is diamond-like, crystalline stone variously described as the size of a woman's hand or slightly smaller than a human skull, cut in a faceted shape that suggests a flickering candle flame. Deep in its center, a small ebon flame flickers and darts. Eldritch Wizardry reports that the crystal constantly emits waves of brilliant light that cause all to behold it to flee in terror. The Plane Below describes it as a black, fist-sized, flame-shaped crystal that whispers menacingly when grasped, the discordant, clashing whispers simultaneously offering power and warning of corruption.Powers
Various powers are attributed to the Crystal in various sources, including the ability to detect invisible objects, fire rays of cold, time stop, and warnings that the item drains the user's ability scores and makes the user unable to touch metal. There's also a warning that those who venture too near the crystal risk being charmed by the artifact and suggested to become devout members of a cult dedicated to it. The stone's sinister intelligence wishes to increase its power by adding more mind-controlled worshipers and slaying the followers of other gods.In Reverse Dungeon, the artifact grants several powers related to flame (such as fireball, burning hands, light, chromatic orb, and immunity to heat and flame, and faerie fire), while filling its users with greed and an unwillingness to let the artifact out of their sight. It also drains power from other magic items in the wielders' possession.
Powers attributed to the crystal in 4th edition include blasts of fire and necrotic damage, the ability to destroy enemies beyond even the reach of raise dead rituals, and even the power to resurrect the crystal's owner, if the Crystal is sufficiently pleased.
Suggested means of destruction include being melted in the core of the world, shattered on the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, or crushed beneath the hammer of Thor. "Artifacts of Oerth
Oerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
" in Dragon #294 claims that the Crystal can only be crushed beneath Golbi, the hammer of Fortubo
Fortubo
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Fortubo is the god of Stone, Metals, Mountains, and Guardianship. Originally a member of the Suel pantheon, Fortubo abandoned the Suloise upon discovering that the Suel were behind the creation of the derro...
.
History
As with so many artifacts, the origin of the Crystal of the Ebon Flame are unclear. The dwarvesDwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
swear that only a dwarf could carve a gem so perfectly. Some scholars suggest that such a stone could have come from nowhere on Oerth
Oerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
, but must have been mined from the heart of a burned-out star. The Plane Below claims this artifact is a tear shed by Tharizdun
Tharizdun
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Decay, Entropy, Malign Knowledge, Insanity, and Cold....
, or a seed of evil he planted that works in secret to win its master's escape. It is said that the gods tried and failed to destroy the Crystal, and instead they placed a powerful curse on it, forcing the artifact to move from owner to owner. The Crystal of the Ebon Flame is thus a dual-natured item with two separate groups of goals. The artifact seeks always to free the Chained God, corrupt its wielders to evil and destruction, and empower those who revere the dark god or one of his aspects. The curse, on the other hand, seeks always to constrain the artifact's power and to find a just and righteous hero to serve as its custodian, keeping it from the cultists of Tharizdun.
The Crystal of the Ebon Flame was already of extraordinary antiquity when it was brought to the Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
by the migrating Oeridians
Oeridians
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Oeridians are a race of humans living in the Flanaess...
. The timing in which they employed it, and their use of planar travel and teleportation magic in bringing it from battlefield to battlefield, made it devastating and crucial to the Oeridians' success during the Great Migrations
Great Migrations (Greyhawk)
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Great Migrations is a general term applying to the migration of great hordes of Oeridians and Suel humans into the Flanaess from western Oerik...
.
At some point, the crystal became a holy relic of an obscure cult of fire worshipers, possibly the Cult of the Black Flame. Once powerful and influential, this cult was largely wiped out when its vile practices led to its persecution (again, this fits the description of the Cult of the Black Flame, although it also fits the description of Tharizdun's cult; then again, little enough is known of the Cult of the Black Flame that they could be a cult of Tharizdun, or of the Elder Elemental Eye). The few devout members of the cult continue to practice their faith in secrecy.
In the adventure Reverse Dungeon, the Crystal of the Ebon Flame appears in the custody of a group of cloaker
Cloaker
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the cloaker is a type of fictional monster for player characters to encounter. It is portrayed as being able to disguise its body to resemble a cloak when at rest. The cloaker pacifies victims with an eerie moan, and engulfs its prey within its...
s in the Vault Level of the dungeon, having placed there by the wizard Blaise some time within the last 600 years after it fulfilled whatever purpose he had for it. The cloakers are too alien in spirit and mind to access the Crystal's powers, but occasionally they engage in weird dances around the Crystal's glow, accompanied by the moans of their fellows. Any would die to keep the beauty of the crystalline artifact from being taken from them.
Additional reading
- Henson, Dale, and Doug Stewart, eds. Encyclopedia Magica Vol 1. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.
- Sargent, CarlCarl SargentCarl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, unpublished. Available online: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads