Wondrous Item

Legendary Pact of Shadows

The Fabula Obumbratio grants the following abilities to its wielder:  

Arcane Power Unleashed:

While attuned to the tome, the wielder can cast the following spells without expending a spell slot. Each spell can be cast once per long rest.   After casting one of these spells, the wielder must roll on the Toll on Sanity curse table (see Curses).  

Forbidden Knowledge:

The tome reveals one of three powerful rituals to the wielder once per long rest. The wielder can spend 1 hour studying the tome to perform one of the following dark rituals:  

• Ritual of Undeath: Summon and bind a powerful undead servant, such as a Wraith or a Boneclaw, for 24 hours.

• Ritual of Shadow Warding: Create a warded area for 24 hours, granting all creatures within it resistance to radiant damage and advantage on Stealth checks.

• Ritual of the Black Gate: Open a portal to a shadowy demiplane under the influence of Axmos, which can serve as a temporary sanctuary or prison for up to 8 hours.

Dark Arcana:

The wielder gains proficiency in Intelligence (Arcana). If the wielder is already proficient, they double their proficiency bonus when making checks to understand, research, or manipulate shadow magic, curses, or forbidden knowledge.  

Shadowstep:

Once per long rest, the wielder can use the tome's power to teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space they can see in dim light or darkness. The wielder briefly becomes a shadowy blur, immune to opportunity attacks until the end of their turn.  

Enhanced Properties (Post-Attunement)

Once attuned, the Fabula Obumbratio grants additional power to its wielder:  

Eternal Scholar of Shadows:

The wielder can add the spells Shadow of Moil and Dream to their list of known spells. These spells do not count against the number of spells known or prepared.  

Shadow Mastery:

The wielder’s shadow becomes semi-sentient. It can act as an extension of their senses, allowing them to see and hear through it as if it were a familiar. The shadow can extend up to 60 feet away from the wielder but must remain within line of sight.  

Whispers of the Beyond:

When consulting the tome for 1 hour, the wielder can call forth the knowledge of Axmos directly. This allows them to ask a single question (as per the Commune spell) but with no chance of false information. However, each use of this power causes the wielder to roll on the Whispers of the Void curse table (see Curses).  

Bound to Darkness:

The wielder becomes immune to the frightened condition and gains resistance to necrotic and psychic damage. However, they become vulnerable to radiant damage.  

Dominion of Shadows:

While attuned to the tome, the wielder can control shadow-based effects, such as Darkness, Shadow of Moil, and Pass Without Trace, as if they were concentration-free. Only one such effect can be active at a time.  

Special Ability - Soulbinding Ritual

Once per month, the wielder can perform a Soulbinding Ritual as detailed within the tome.   The ritual requires a willing or incapacitated creature as a subject. The creature's soul is bound to a shadow entity under Axmos's dominion.   The subject gains enhanced abilities, including +2 to their Constitution and proficiency in two saving throws of the wielder's choice.   The bound creature becomes enslaved to the wielder, obeying their commands without question.   Drawback: The wielder permanently loses 1d4 maximum hit points and suffers nightmares of the souls they have bound, causing them to be unable to gain the benefits of a long rest unless a remove curse spell is used.  

Curses

Toll on Sanity:

Each time the wielder casts a spell from the tome without using a spell slot, they must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save:  

• The wielder suffers a permanent point of Wisdom reduction.

• The wielder experiences hallucinations of shadowy figures that whisper lies and secrets.

 

Corruption of Morality:

Each week, the wielder must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save:  

• They become more ruthless, power-hungry, and morally apathetic.

• After failing three saves, the wielder’s alignment shifts to evil unless they atone or receive divine intervention.

Whispers of the Void:

The tome constantly whispers into the wielder's mind, causing paranoia and obsession. Each dawn, the wielder must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save:  

• The wielder suffers disadvantage on Perception and Persuasion checks for 24 hours.

The Fabula Obumbratio is a forbidden tome bound in shadow-black leather that feels cold to the touch. The cover bears a shifting sigil of Axmos, God of Shadows, Secrets, and the Unseen. The sigil twists and morphs like a living shadow, and gazing upon it too long instills a sense of dread. The pages are made of thin, jet-black parchment marked with glowing silver runes that shift and reconfigure, making the text incomprehensible to the uninitiated. The book contains knowledge that mortals were never meant to wield—rituals, spells, and shadow-bound secrets that defy natural law. Those who attune to the tome find their understanding of reality slowly twisted as their moral compass degrades.

The Fabula Obumbratio grants unparalleled power, but its whispers grow louder with every use. It tempts the wielder with promises of absolute mastery over shadow magic and forbidden knowledge, but each step toward power brings them closer to the cold, merciless void of Axmos' dominion.