Ashes of Floran Blood-Eye

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Sephzero

Entry in the 2007 Holy Artifacts Challenge

Appearance: A glass cylinder with ornamental designs on the top and bottom holding the ashes of Floran One-Eye a noted follower of Paladine. The container itself is roughly a foot long with a delicate handle on the top for carrying. A platinum dragon image wraps along the surface of the glass stretching from the bottom up to the top.

History: Floran Blood-Eye was a notorious bandit lord in his youth leading a campaign of terror and pillaging across the northern shores of Ansalon in the early years of the Age of Might. He lost one of his eyes during a particular raid in the land of Istar where is infamy was particularly notorious. He was a man without a care in the world; the wealth accumulated from his pillaging made him the envy of many lords. Yet it was the betrayal of one of his own costing him his family, which shook him deeply to the core. Lamenting the emptiness left to him in the wake, Floran brazenly demanded for some sort of solace to his misery.

A voice answered his despair; Floran looked to see the statue of Paladine which had acquired in a raid on a temple spoke to him. It offered him a vision of a different path from one had taken of a way to soothe the emptiness within. The words of the deity touched the bandit lord convincing him of the errors of his ways. He cast asides his past, instead dedicating himself to goodness traveling the lands doing noble deeds and quests. At first few believed the notorious bandit had truly turned a leaf and many times Floran was force to flee from those whom he tried to protect.

Slowly his deeds outweigh the fear he had garnered before as people began to openly praise and cheer his name. People soon forgot the tales of the dreaded bandit Blood-Eye and instead welcome Floran as a great hero noted for his benevolence. Paladine church itself openly welcomed Floran as a symbol of redemption and the ability for the wicked to turn aside from their path. He would remain close to the church. After his death fighting against a fire spirit unleashed by a Sargonnas cult, the church accepted his ashes as a powerful religious relic of the faith according it great honor.

The item became a powerful relic for those who come to Paladine seeking redemption from past wrongs. Some say the spirit of Floran which still reside in the ashes provided protection and bulwark to the individual. Warning and aiding them from slipping back down the path of darkness from which they seek to leave. It would help guide them down the path to which the can atone themselves. All of whom would eventually return the ashes back once they've found their atonement. This practice carried on for many centuries until the era of the last Kingpriest of Istar.

While many lands forgave and welcome Floran in the end, the land of Istar never forgot the horrendous bandit Blood-Eye. The priesthood scoffed at the tale of redemption of Floran Blood-Eye seeing as a farce conducted by a horrible bandit. When the Knights of the Divine Hammer scurried the lands retrieving relics to bring to the Hall of Sacrilege, the Ashes of Floran Blood-Eye was one such item seized and sequestered in the tower.

Anger was stoked by this action, but against Istar's might there was little any could do to rectify the situation. The fall of Istar in the Cataclysm gave some the bitter satisfaction of punishment for the act. Others lament the lost of relic, looking to the tale of Floran for inspiration for themselves now that the relic was believed lost.

Mystery: While there are many tales speaking of how the Ashes were used to aid in those who seek redemption in their quest. There is little spoken about or noted on those who have failed in their quest falling back to darkness whether by temptation or innate weakness. Rumors speak of the ashes whisking away such individuals to prevent evil from spreading. The church itself denied such allegations citing the Ashes are a tool of redemption and not of punishment.

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