The Iron-Throat Drum of the Runic Bards
A war-drum standing waist-high, its shell beaten from a single plate of iron salvaged from a collapsed siege-engine and its head stretched from the hide of a thunder-hawk, the great war-bird whose feathers still ring its rim like a crown of dark quills. Deep siege-runes are carved spiraling around its body, and when struck, the sound does not merely travel through air but through the stone of the earth itself.
Artifact Details
- Type
- Relic
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Crafted collaboratively by Runic Bards and Stone-Keepers at Kragthar Hold during a period of prolonged war, when rapid battlefield communication between scattered tribes became a matter of survival. The iron shell was consecrated with Iron-Blood Alchemy by a Binder-ranked Stone-Keeper, permanently fusing the drum's voice to the earth-spirit network.
Overview
The Iron-Throat Drum of the Runic Bards is a rare relic in Landorya. Its known origin is Crafted collaboratively by Runic Bards and Stone-Keepers at Kragthar Hold during a period of prolonged war, when rapid battlefield communication between scattered tribes became a matter of survival. The iron shell was consecrated with Iron-Blood Alchemy by a Binder-ranked Stone-Keeper, permanently fusing the drum's voice to the earth-spirit network.. Its most cited abilities include Beats carry through the Stone-Singing network, transmitting coordinated signals to Stone-Keepers across mountain ranges, Rhythms can calm or enrage bonded war-beasts within earshot, and Sustained drumming during Storm-Chanting amplifies the shaman's reach, pulling weather-spirits faster. Accounts also warn of a drawback: Striking the drum with anything other than its original iron-capped beater causes a catastrophic resonance pulse, potentially shattering nearby Siege-Rune insc…
History
The drum was carried at the front of every major Orcish tribal muster for over a century, its beating heard as far as the Highland Passes and interpreted by Stone-Keepers to coordinate flanking maneuvers and siege timings. It was briefly captured by a Dwarven raiding party and held at an Ironpeak outpost, but recovered within a season by a Scout company who tracked it through the vibrations its iron shell still sent through the rock. It now rests in Kragthar Hold between campaigns.
Powers & Abilities
- ✦ Beats carry through the Stone-Singing network, transmitting coordinated signals to Stone-Keepers across mountain ranges
- ✦ Rhythms can calm or enrage bonded war-beasts within earshot
- ✦ Sustained drumming during Storm-Chanting amplifies the shaman's reach, pulling weather-spirits faster
- ✦ The resonance weakens enemy siege-engine runes when played within proximity
Curse or Drawback
Striking the drum with anything other than its original iron-capped beater causes a catastrophic resonance pulse, potentially shattering nearby Siege-Rune inscriptions and disorienting any Stone-Keeper in communion with the network at that moment.