Hurdy-Gurdy of the Wandering Chorus

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Hurdy-Gurdy of the Wandering Chorus


Aura moderate enchantment; CL 9th
Slot —; Price 18,500 gp; Weight 7 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

This hand-cranked string instrument, known in scattered medieval traditions as a hurdy-gurdy, produces a continuous, droning harmony beneath a simple keyed melody. The Hurdy-Gurdy of the Wandering Chorus appears weathered and unassuming - its wooden body worn smooth by countless hands, its wheel darkened with age - yet it hums faintly even when untouched.

The instrument is exceptionally easy to use. Any creature with at least 1 rank in Perform (string instruments) may play it without penalty, and even untrained users may produce basic melodies (treat as having 1 rank for purposes of activation). When played as a standard action, the instrument produces a layered harmonic effect that bolsters allies within 30 feet. A successful Perform check (DC 15) grants affected allies a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and Will saves against fear effects for as long as the performance is maintained (up to 9 rounds per day, divided as the user chooses).

If the performer achieves a Perform check of DC 20 or higher, the resonance deepens into a chorus-like echo. In addition to the above bonuses, affected allies gain fast healing 2 for the duration of the performance. This effect ends immediately when the music stops.

Once per day, the wielder may invoke the instrument’s greater harmony as a full-round action while playing. This creates an effect identical to good hope (caster level 9th), centered on the performer, lasting for 9 rounds. Unlike standard bardic music, this effect does not require Bardic Music uses and may be activated by non-bards.

The hurdy-gurdy counts as a masterwork instrument for purposes of Perform checks.

LORE

Few instruments have traveled as widely - or as quietly - as the hurdy-gurdy. Often dismissed as a peasant’s tool or a street performer’s companion, it has nonetheless appeared in courts, cloisters, and caravan trails alike. The Wandering Chorus is said to be one of the earliest enchanted variants, crafted not for virtuosos, but for those who lacked the refinement of trained musicians yet still carried something worth expressing.

Its origin is uncertain, though scattered accounts place similar instruments in the hands of pilgrims, mendicants, and itinerant healers. Unlike the grand lutes of noble bards or the ornate harps of elven courts, the hurdy-gurdy required no elegance - only persistence. One simply turned the crank, pressed the keys, and allowed the instrument to do what it had always done: fill silence with something resembling companionship.

Stories persist of weary travelers kept alive through harsh winters by the steady hum of its resonance, or of small villages spared despair when a lone musician arrived with nothing but this instrument and a willingness to play. The magic, it seems, does not elevate the performer - it steadies those who listen.

More curiously, some accounts suggest that the instrument subtly adapts to its wielder. Over time, its tone shifts - warmer for the hopeful, somber for the burdened, resolute for the determined. Whether this is enchantment or merely the projection of human sentiment remains… inconclusive.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, good hope, cure moderate wounds; Cost 9,250 gp, 740 XP

Kelwyn’s Notes

There exists, in the architecture of magic, a peculiar reverence for effort unrefined. One might assume that the arcane arts favor mastery - precision, discipline, and cultivated brilliance - yet instruments such as this reveal a quieter truth. Magic does not always demand excellence. Sometimes, it responds simply to persistence.

The hurdy-gurdy is not elegant. It does not seduce the ear with virtuosity, nor does it elevate its wielder into the realm of legend. Instead, it endures. Its music is continuous, almost stubborn, like a voice that refuses to be silenced even when it has nothing particularly grand to say. And therein lies its power - it does not inspire through brilliance, but through presence.

Those who hear it are not swept away into heroic fervor. They are steadied. Anchored. Reminded, perhaps, that they are not alone within the moment they occupy. The magic does not create courage so much as it sustains it, quietly reinforcing what was already there, waiting to falter.

I find myself… respecting that. Not all magic must dazzle. Some of it must simply remain, unwavering, while the world attempts to shake itself apart around it.

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