The Ram Ring
An innocuous vellum sheet lies in a dusty corner of the Pontiff's library in Selentium, describing the siege of Alusia in 40AS. Perhaps deliberately hidden amongst the dry record of the Twelfth Legion's casualties, prisoners taken, and treasures pillaged, this recounts the first known recorded use of a unique, powerful magical ring.
The scribe drily recites the Twelfth Legion's campaign against the secessionist rebels of what is now northern Chaubrette. The legion had besieged the fortress village for thirty-nine days, without their sappers or siege engines making any appreciable progress towards breaching the impregnable fortress.
On the fortieth day, the legion's commander (Legatus Legionis) Magnus Vispasius Sulla called for a parley with the chieftain of the defenders. As a show of faith, Magnus agreed to meet in the shadows of the gatehouse, thirty paces from the great, iron-banded gates of the fortress. Magnus was only accompanied by two adjutants and arrived bareheaded and without his shield (scutum). The chieftain and his retinue sallied forth from a small postern gate to stand defiantly before the commander.
After much posturing from the barbarians, Magnus grew tired of the negotiations and told the chieftain that, without unconditional surrender by the count of three, he would knock the gates down, sack the fortress, put its defenders to the sword, and take any non-combatants as slaves. At this apparently idle threat, the chieftain muttered various choice insults, theatrically moved to stand with his back against the great gates, arms held wide, and invited the Selentine to take his best shot.
Magnus duly counted down and, on reaching one, pointed a large golden ring on his left hand at the gates. He intoned an unrecorded phrase and, mere seconds after, the gates smashed asunder with a tremendous crack. The legionaries surged forward at this pre-arranged signal, capturing the gate and, ultimately, subduing the entire fortress. The sight of their hapless chieftain crushed to pulp against the broken gates broke the morale of the occupying barbarians.
Magnus suffered two arrow wounds in the ensuing chaos but was shielded from further injury by his adjutants as they fell behind the advancing legionaries. It is well known that the Twelfth Legion disappeared in the forests of Kurland just a few years after the siege of Alusia, but there are no reports of what became of Magnus Sulla of this ring. No further mention of the ring is made in records of Sulla's Alusian campaign.
The Battering or Ram Ring is an ancient magical device of considerable power. Crafted from solid gold, this large ring resembles the head of a mountain goat, with onyx inlays in its eyes and mouth. This ring enables the wearer to summon a spectral battering ram in the shape of a log, 8m long, and 1m in diameter. A character with Psychic Talent of at least 9 will observe, when the ring is activated, that a translucent, shadowy image of a giant ram-headed battering ram appears. There are no visible wielders of the ram, but some observers have heard the clanking of chains as the ram has swung back and forth. It appears to be capped by an iron head whose shape is a larger version of the ram's head on the ring.
To activate the Ram Ring requires the wearer to point the ring towards its intended target, such as doors, gates, or other fortifications. The wearer must recite a phrase from ancient Bacchile, which arcane scholars have translated in a somewhat bemused fashion as approximating to “Heave Ho, Ker Chung”. The ethereal ram appears approximately 20m from the wearer so its effective range is approximately 25−30m. Unlike most magical rings, the Ram Ring holds just 3 charges and then must be recharged. A Sorcerer of Rank 8 or higher may recharge it, with the rituals and process taking one lunar month per charge.
The spectral ram strikes slowly but with tremendous force that will demolish stout doors, batter down castle gates, and smash half a metre into solid rock. Any unfortunate being who fails to evade it (SPEED 8) will suffer 8d6 HP damage and be knocked backwards a number of metres equivalent to 1d6 +18 less their Strength.
This article first appeared in the Casket of Fays Issue 3.