Amulet of Xarvox

(Note: Format follows Tome Of Artifacts. Eldritch Relics And Wonders)

Major Artifact

Strong Abjuration; CL 20th
Slot: Neck
Weight: —

DESCRIPTION

This rune-etched amulet of dark, matte gray metal bears a complex arrangement of symbols — an interwoven six-pointed star enclosed within a circle, surrounded by concentric rings of indecipherable script. Set at its center is a small, living green eye resembling that of a lizard. Though unblinking most of the time, the eye will occasionally dart in sudden, unpredictable motions, as though tracking something unseen.

The inner ring of runes names twelve guardinals in an ancient celestial dialect, while the outer markings resist all attempts at translation, even by magical means. Despite its celestial origin, the amulet radiates no good alignment aura, only a powerful field of abjuration magic — a peculiarity attributed to the neutral nature of the being that became it.

Whenever the wearer is in proximity to mundane reptiles (excluding dragons and their kin), such creatures display unusual calmness and curiosity, approaching without fear unless provoked.

POWERS OF THE AMULET OF XARVOX

Upon donning the amulet, the wearer does not immediately understand its full capabilities. Over the course of 2d4 weeks, its functions reveal themselves gradually through instinct, sensation, and subtle auditory cues. During this time, any fear or phobia of reptiles is permanently cured.

While worn, the amulet communicates through faint hisses and clicks audible only to the wearer, warning of the presence of evil outsiders within 110 feet. When such creatures are nearby, the central eye animates, shifting and faintly glowing as it seeks them out.

Constant Effects

• Grants a +3 enhancement bonus to natural armor.
• Functions as detect evil, but only for creatures of the outsider type, within a 110-foot radius (constant effect).

Activated Powers (5/day each)

• Banishment (as the spell; CL 20th)
• Control Area (Evil Outsiders) – The wearer may exert supernatural dominion over a 110-foot radius, functioning as magic circle against evil combined with dimensional anchor, but affecting only evil outsiders. Creatures within the area suffer a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks, and cannot use teleportation or planar travel to enter or exit the area.

Drawback

Any evil creature that wears the Amulet of Xarvox immediately gains two negative levels. These negative levels persist for as long as the amulet is worn and disappear instantly upon its removal. These levels cannot be prevented or removed by any means while the amulet remains worn.

THE TALE OF THE AMULET OF XARVOX

Hundreds of years ago, Xarvox was a wizard driven not by ambition, but by exhaustion. His homeland had become a hunting ground for fiends — demons and devils spilling into the world through rituals conducted by a reclusive lich hidden deep within a northern mountain range. Countless adventurers had perished attempting to end the threat, and with each failure, Xarvox’s desperation deepened.

The breaking point came not with a battlefield loss, but something smaller — crueler. A favored companion of his, a woman of no renown beyond her kindness, was slain by an imp sent merely to torment him. It was then that Xarvox abandoned conventional magic and began delving into forbidden texts, searching not for power, but for an answer.

One such tome — ancient, fragmented, and dangerously incomplete — spoke of a different kind of pact. Not with the fiends ravaging his land, but with beings of the Upper Planes. Through a ritual whose margins warned “success is neither guaranteed nor survivable,” Xarvox called out beyond the veil… and was answered.

The entity that came was a lacertal, a lizard-like guardinal — a creature of neutrality and vigilance. Rather than bargain in words, the being listened. It understood. And in an act not of service, but of purpose, it transformed itself — body, soul, and will — into the amulet that now bears Xarvox’s name.

With this artifact, Xarvox and a final band of adventurers succeeded where all others had failed. The lich was destroyed, its planar breaches sealed, and the fiendish incursions ended. Xarvox lived out the remainder of his life in quiet obscurity, and upon his death, the amulet was buried with him.

It did not remain there.

Whether guided by instinct, lingering will, or something deeper, the Amulet of Xarvox returned to the world. It does not speak. It does not choose its bearer. But it endures, drawn ever toward the presence of evil outsiders — continuing the purpose for which it was created.

RESEARCHING THE AMULET OF XARVOX

Knowledge of the amulet is rare and fragmented.

DC	Knowledge Gained
15	The amulet was created during a crisis involving a powerful lich.
20	The lich was summoning outsiders; the amulet is particularly effective against them.
25	The amulet can banish outsiders and offers strong protection to its bearer.
30+	The full history, origin, and all powers of the amulet are revealed.

USING THE AMULET OF XARVOX IN A CAMPAIGN

The Amulet of Xarvox is an ideal tool for introducing outsider-focused threats without overwhelming a party. It provides strong defensive utility and situational control, but does not trivialize encounters outside its niche.

Its mute, semi-sentient nature also allows for subtle storytelling — the DM can describe its reactions, eye movements, or auditory warnings as a form of nonverbal guidance.

ADVENTURE SEED

Beware, Fiends! Please?
A well-meaning but dangerously overconfident paladin acquires the amulet and begins hunting fiends far beyond his capability. When the artifact is inevitably lost during one such misadventure, he seeks out the party to recover it — before something far worse finds it first.

DESTRUCTION

The Amulet of Xarvox can only be destroyed if it is worn by a balor at the exact moment of the demon’s death throes explosion. Only in that instant — when abyssal fire consumes both body and soul — is the celestial essence within the amulet finally unmade.