Burnished Rampart

Description

A Burnished Rampart, sometimes called an Undying Shield, a Brazen Shield or occasionally even an Orichalcum Shield is most often made of metal, with an iridescent gloaming finish. The shield itself is difficult to destroy without the use of magic.

It was first devised by the runesmiths of the Steinr to test the resolve of young warriors. Many cocky youngsters would claim that if only their shields had not been shattered by the hammers of the trolls, they would have held the line until their deaths. Tired of such boasting, a Runesmith named Thyra created the first Undying Shields and offered them such warriors, telling him that if true heroism burned in their souls, then such a shield would never fail them. Some were worthy of the shields' magic while some fled with little but splinters.

A Burnished Rampart may be engraved with the rune Pallas, often inlaid in gold or a gold-orichalcum alloy. Some bearers will mark their shields with paint to show how often it had been broken and repaired, as a display of their determination and dedication to the Virtue of Pride.

Rules

• Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a full-sized shield. You cannot make a magic buckler. You must be wielding this shield to use its magical properties.
• Requirement: You must have the shield skill to bond to this item.
• Effect: You may repair this shield by expending a hero point and spending at least five seconds of uninterrupted appropriate roleplaying involving handling the item. If the shield is struck with a blow while using this ability, the blow is considered to have struck your arm as usual and you must begin the appropriate roleplaying again. If you are attacked or make an attack while using this ability the attempt fails and you must begin the roleplaying again.
• Materials: Crafting a Burnished Rampart requires fourteen ingots of orichalcum and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.