Fiend's Embrace

by Wayne Reynolds

This dark red cloak bears a lighter umber-colored lining. It is thick and scaly and radiates a strong aura of evil. Its metal clasp is shaped like a six-fingered hand. While this cloak is worn it provides the following benefits:

• +1 resistance bonus on all saving throws

• +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence

• Fire resistance 10

Fiend's Embrace is so tainted with evil that it bestows one negative level on any good creature attempting to wear it. The negative level remains as long as the cloak is worn and disappears whenever it is removed.

Worse, Fiend's Embrace retains a small sliver intelligence from the pit fiend it was harvested from. The cloak has an intelligence of 13, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 13. It communicates via empathy, and has 60 ft vision and hearing. The cloak is CE, and has an Ego of 7.

The transformation to magic cloak has perverted this shard of intelligence, and now the cloak wants little more than to serve the one it was created for - the witch queen Iggwilv. Fiend's Embrace won't rest until it is draped comfortably over its mistress' shapely shoulders once again; until then, it tries to influence it current owner into tracking down Iggwilv, wherever she may be, so she can reclaim the cloak.

The influence Fiend's Embrace has is subtle. If it ever wins a personality conflict with its possessor, it allows its owner to retain control of his actions for the most part but infuses him with an obsession with Iggwilv, forcing him to discover her current location.

CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item; fox's cunning; resistance; resist energy