Legendary Divine Talismans
The Legendary Divine Talismans are a broad class of magical items referring to unique items crafted by one of the Nine themselves.
These items are bestowed on worthy heroes and heroines after the would-be item wielder accomplishes a series of trials or quests on behalf of a god or goddess.
A disproportionately high number of wielders of Legendary Divine Talismans are theurgists or clergy but this is not required. Theoretically any mortal that wins the favor of one of the Nine may receive one regardless of his or background.
Note that Mera's idea of what constitutes a "worthy hero" is very different from Maylar's idea of what constitutes a "worthy hero." But the basic idea is the same. Legendary Divine Talismans are bestowed to reward their best followers and to arm them with weapons and tools to accomplish further great deeds in the name of their god or goddess.
When the hero or heroine dies (or less commonly retires), the Legendary Divine Talisman disappears, presumably to reappear in the Aetherial Realm. There it will wait until the god or goddess find a new mortal worthy of such a great power.
Each of the Nine has a small cache of legendary magical items that they give only to the worthiest heroes (though keep in mind that Maylar's idea of a "worthy hero" is very different from Mera's idea of a "worthy hero").
History
While Legendary Divine Talisman are typically wielded by legendary men and women, the fame of the Talisman often eclipses the person wielding it. A lot of historians and minstrels alike can recite long lists of the names of mortals who once carried a specific Legendary Divine Talisman but they cannot provide any details about these luminaries other than their names. Normally worthy heroes have to pass a series of quests to gain access to a Legendary Divine Talisman. These items and the items divine creator reclaims the magic item back after the hero or heroine's death often lingering in the possession of their divine creator for generations at a time. At least this is the tradition works during normal times. During the Second Unmaking, the normal rules didn't apply. During this time of calamity, the Nine were far less picky and gave their best weapons, armor and tools of healing to the most heroic mortals they could find skipping the need for time consuming quests of worthiness. A few of these items were destroyed or stolen by the minions of the Void but most of them were recovered and then immediately bequeathed to new heroes as the previous heroes died in an constant cycle.Akeem of Magicland, professor Emeritus of Historyby Eron12 with Hero ForgeI am not sure if Legendary Divine Talismans were present during the First Age, but historical records show that while they were never common, they were very well known during the Second Age and have arguably become even more prominent during the current Third Age in which we live now.
Significance
"The Legendary Divine Talismans are not just powerful, they are sacred. Each one represents a great gift generously bestowed by the Nine on one of us lowly mortals. It is extremely sacrilegious when mortals, especially priests and priests opt to make simulacra of the Legendary Divine Talismans." -Priest Benek of the Cult of the Compact
It is only fitting that we seek to emulate the great heroes of yesteryear and today by emulating their actions and also their possessions. Obviously the Cloak of the Mighty Winds is a priceless piece of Nami's majesty, but I've seen three lesser cloaks of the winds in my travels. I hear there are a lot more than three. These lesser cloaks were all created by Nami's followers wielding Nami's divine power in order to fulfill Nami's ideals. How can their creation possibly be construed as an insult to Lady Nami?""The Nine did not create the Legendary Divine Talismans just to look pretty. Nor are they merely very powerful tools. They are intended to inspire mortals to greatness. Since the Talismans are wielded by the greatest heroes and heroines of each generation and we are to look to the heroes of today and yesteryear for inspiration.
Item type
Magical
Used by
Rarity
It is generally believed that each of the Nine has a couple dozen Legendary Divine Talismans to bestow on mortals they find worthy.
Normally, most of the items are held in reserve as it were and only a small portion of them are physically present in the material plane at any given time.
Some of these items are relatively well-known with the item being bestowed on a new mortal almost immediately upon one wielder's death while others only pop up once in a millennium, if even that often.
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