Artifacts of Dol Azur - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 EnderXenocide0 Aug 21, 2015 19:59:30	Dol Azur, more commonly known as The Mockery, has a few artifacts or powerful magic items tied to him. I've found 3 references to items attributed to this deity: The Eye of Dol Azur, The Orb of Dol Azur, and The Blade of Dol Azur. The Eye is referenced in Gearing Up for Eberron, The Orb in Heroic Journeys and Keith's novel The Queen of Stone, and the Blade is referenced in the introductory text to The Daughters of Sora Kell, Part 1. Any speculations on what these artifacts do? The Mockery certainly isn't a kind deity and I wouldn't be surprised if these artifacts fit the theme of betrayal, vengeance, or murder.
#2 Beoric Aug 22, 2015 22:32:40	Do you have the page reference for Queen of Stone?
#3 EnderXenocide0 Aug 23, 2015 0:24:56	Sadly, I do not. I've only got an ebook copy of it which was not created with real page numbers. Here's the relevant reference, though: Show "I came seeking a treasure of the Crag," he said, and his voice was hollow, filled with despair. "The Orb of Dol Azur, a powerful artifact which might serve as a weapon in days to come. Sora Maenya ground my bones to dust and bound my spirit so that I might have eternity to consider the error of my ways." ... The Orb of Dol Azur, Steel said. I wonder if he's with Karrnathi intelligence or the Three Faces of War.
#4 EnderXenocide0 Aug 23, 2015 0:36:20	Keith's Dragonmark article about Droaam and the Daughters of Sora Kell references the Sword of Dol Azur, which I would assume is the same as the Blade. This post also mentions the Blade a couple times. I also realized that the Blade is referenced again in the Daughters of Sora Kell, Part 1 article, down in the main text in addition to the introductory story.
#5 Beoric Aug 23, 2015 6:59:53	Well, if Orb and Blade are with the sisters, it seems plausible that the Eye is as well. It would be interesting if the Eye gave, or enhanced, Terza's oracular powers. The Orb could enhance Katra's persuasive abilities, and the Blade would naturally fall to Maenya as the most warlike. The power of the artifacts is what allowed them to build a nation using disorganized and often chaotic monsters. So, using the 3e domains, the Blade would be associated with War and Destruction, and the Orb would be associated with Domination and Illusion. The Eye could be Evil and Trickery, but it could also allow the bearer to see things as they are, as sort of an inversion of the Illusion/Trickery aspects of the Mockery. OR, since they are the Artifacts of Dol Azur, not the Artifacts of the Mockery, one or more of them could predate the betrayal and banishment and have different powers entirely. Or they could actually have been associated with that missing sovereign, and the missing sovereign and the seizing of the artifacts is associated with the betrayal. All three artifacts would have a role in prophecy, and would no doubt be a component in whatever the Sisters' end game may be. Another interpretation is that Eye and Orb, like Blade and Sword, are the same object. But I like it better the other way.
#6 EnderXenocide0 Aug 23, 2015 7:46:31	That's certainly a possibility, though it feels a little unlikely. If the Orb is related to negative energy, given the evidence, it seems a bit of a stretch for it to make Katra more persuasive. Maenya prefers to fight and kill with her bare hands, though she may wield a battle axe or greatsword into battle if leading others. According to the ECS, The Mockery's favored weapon is the kama, which any artifact weapon of Dol Azur would likely be, and that doesn't seem like Maenya's brute-strength style. I think the important consideration is what Dol Azur stands for: betrayal, dishonorable combat, pain, murder, and bloodshed. Here's some thoughts: The Eye - If it's called The Eye, chances are, it's associated with divination. Perhaps the eye shows an enemy's weeknesses and gives you the ability to strike them where they are most vulnerable (both physically and metaphorically). Or perhaps it allows you to scry on someone who has wronged you as you seek vengeance. Alternatively, the Eye may affect what others see. It could allow you to craft illusions to deceive your enemies or show them their worst fears to cripple them emotionally. The Blade - Since his favored weapon is the kama, let's go with that. It's also a weapon of war and would be thematically appropriate for the Three Faces of War. Quoted from Keith's post Vol, the Dark Six, and the Trouble with Aundair (WordPress links currently broken): But war can get ugly… and that’s where Dol Azur comes in. The Mockery pursues victory at any cost. He shows you the path to defeat the undefeatable foe. He’s not honorable. He’s not strong. But he will win, and so will you… if you’re willing to follow his path.
#7 Beoric Aug 23, 2015 10:10:05	Well, if the Blade is a kama, then the Sword must be a different artifact. Note that if the Blade is something you use to lead troops into battle, a sword is a more traditional commander's weapon than a kama, so I prefer to think of the Blade and the Sword as being the same weapon. Plus, three is a good mystical number. Vol's interest in the artifacts may have something to do with the theme of betrayal (how she sees the attack by the elves on her house, and her mother tunring her into a lich against her will). Vol may also want powerful artifiacts for any number of reasons unrelated to necromancy; powerful enough illusions and powers of persuasion to rejoin society for instance. Or what if the Orb is a Siberys shard, and has the power to restore to her a living dragonmark? Or what if she beleives the Orb to be her phylactery, or even the key to finding her phylactery (maybe there ie a prophecy that she will regain her phylactery if a certain person controls the Orb, and she wants to make sure that person has it). Or what if the Sisters and Vol are pursuing mutually exclusive prophecies, and the key to them is the Orb? She wants to drain the Orb not because she covets its power, but because draining it ensures her version of the prophecy comes to pass. Maybe the prophecy is that the destruction of the Orb of Dol Azur results in the righting of the betrayal of Vol by the Aerenal?
#8 EnderXenocide0 Aug 23, 2015 11:10:48	RIGHT. I managed to already forget about the Sword. I do prefer a total of three items as well. Man, it just seems weird for the Blade of Dol Azure to not be The Mockery's favored weapon. Maybe the Sword reference was a mistake (yes, I'm stretching a bit, here). We don't actually have any evidence that Erandis is after the Orb or any of the other artifacts. Keith's reference sounded like more of a hypothetical way of her gaining power. Buuuuuut... if she did want them, then I think their relation to betrayal makes perfect sense. Certainly for the elves, though I don't know about her family. I always got the impression that she would feel her family was trying to save her (which they were). But that's neither here nor there. If the Orb was her phylactery, I don't see a particular reason why she wouldn't come back near it, so that seems unlikely. Though if that thought about the Eye showing vulnerabilities was true, then perhaps she could use that to find her phylactery, as that's her only weakness. I'm going to tell you a secret. And most folks might find my stance a little crazy... but I'm just not a huge fan of using the Prophecy as the answer to "why?" in my games. Unless, that is, I can justify it. For instance, if the Prophecy said "If the Orb of the first betrayer is consumed by the child of the emerald, then the treason against house of death will be righted.", then I'd want a line of dominos set up that would begin with Erandis draining the Orb and ending with her getting revenge on Lord Haensu and showing that he had fabricated evidence that convinced the elves to attack, or somesuch. Hm... this actually sounds like a really interesting train of thought for my current campaign...
#9 Beoric Aug 23, 2015 12:52:23	The thing about the phylactery comes from some comments I thought Keith made about Vol not knowing the location of her phylactery. If so, presumably her mother intentionally made it hard to find, iand what better way than to place Erandis' soul in a vessel associated with issusion and trickery? It could have been intnetinal or an accident that this artifact of deception respawns Erandis at a location other than the location of her phylactery. I have been running with the "doesn't knwo the location of her phylactery" thing in my own campaign. I figure Vol didn't want to become a lich, and is prevented from realizing her destiny because "as an undead being, Erandis cannot use her mark" (ECG 250). One of the easiest ways to fix that is to be resurrected, which she needs her phylactery to do.
#10 EnderXenocide0 Aug 23, 2015 14:49:48	All certainly possible. I usually play her as recognizing that her mother made the only choice possible to keep her child alive, given that Lord Haensu was pretty much breaking down the doors. Erandis does want to be resurrected to regain the power of her dragonmark. I just choose to have her understand her mother's motives. I suppose that binding a lich's soul to an item of trickery could account for the random resurrection location. The Mockery's propensity for trickery, though, always struck me more as deceit, particularly harmful deceit. Something utterly random seems more like The Traveler's domain.
#11 Beoric Aug 23, 2015 20:41:12	Perhaps the intention was that Vol's enemies be deceived, while she was not. It was the artifacts nature that caused it to betray her mother's intentions.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

EnderXenocide0

Aug 21, 2015 19:59:30

Dol Azur, more commonly known as The Mockery, has a few artifacts or powerful magic items tied to him. I've found 3 references to items attributed to this deity: The Eye of Dol Azur, The Orb of Dol Azur, and The Blade of Dol Azur. The Eye is referenced in Gearing Up for Eberron, The Orb in Heroic Journeys and Keith's novel The Queen of Stone, and the Blade is referenced in the introductory text to The Daughters of Sora Kell, Part 1. Any speculations on what these artifacts do? The Mockery certainly isn't a kind deity and I wouldn't be surprised if these artifacts fit the theme of betrayal, vengeance, or murder.

Beoric

Aug 22, 2015 22:32:40

Do you have the page reference for Queen of Stone?

EnderXenocide0

Aug 23, 2015 0:24:56

Sadly, I do not. I've only got an ebook copy of it which was not created with real page numbers. Here's the relevant reference, though:

Show

"I came seeking a treasure of the Crag," he said, and his voice was hollow, filled with despair. "The Orb of Dol Azur, a powerful artifact which might serve as a weapon in days to come. Sora Maenya ground my bones to dust and bound my spirit so that I might have eternity to consider the error of my ways."

...

The Orb of Dol Azur, Steel said. I wonder if he's with Karrnathi intelligence or the Three Faces of War.

EnderXenocide0

Aug 23, 2015 0:36:20

Keith's Dragonmark article about Droaam and the Daughters of Sora Kell references the Sword of Dol Azur, which I would assume is the same as the Blade. This post also mentions the Blade a couple times. I also realized that the Blade is referenced again in the Daughters of Sora Kell, Part 1 article, down in the main text in addition to the introductory story.

Beoric

Aug 23, 2015 6:59:53

Well, if Orb and Blade are with the sisters, it seems plausible that the Eye is as well. It would be interesting if the Eye gave, or enhanced, Terza's oracular powers. The Orb could enhance Katra's persuasive abilities, and the Blade would naturally fall to Maenya as the most warlike. The power of the artifacts is what allowed them to build a nation using disorganized and often chaotic monsters.

So, using the 3e domains, the Blade would be associated with War and Destruction, and the Orb would be associated with Domination and Illusion. The Eye could be Evil and Trickery, but it could also allow the bearer to see things as they are, as sort of an inversion of the Illusion/Trickery aspects of the Mockery.

OR, since they are the Artifacts of Dol Azur, not the Artifacts of the Mockery, one or more of them could predate the betrayal and banishment and have different powers entirely. Or they could actually have been associated with that missing sovereign, and the missing sovereign and the seizing of the artifacts is associated with the betrayal.

All three artifacts would have a role in prophecy, and would no doubt be a component in whatever the Sisters' end game may be.

Another interpretation is that Eye and Orb, like Blade and Sword, are the same object. But I like it better the other way.

EnderXenocide0

Aug 23, 2015 7:46:31

That's certainly a possibility, though it feels a little unlikely. If the Orb is related to negative energy, given the evidence, it seems a bit of a stretch for it to make Katra more persuasive. Maenya prefers to fight and kill with her bare hands, though she may wield a battle axe or greatsword into battle if leading others. According to the ECS, The Mockery's favored weapon is the kama, which any artifact weapon of Dol Azur would likely be, and that doesn't seem like Maenya's brute-strength style. I think the important consideration is what Dol Azur stands for: betrayal, dishonorable combat, pain, murder, and bloodshed. Here's some thoughts:

The Eye - If it's called The Eye, chances are, it's associated with divination. Perhaps the eye shows an enemy's weeknesses and gives you the ability to strike them where they are most vulnerable (both physically and metaphorically). Or perhaps it allows you to scry on someone who has wronged you as you seek vengeance. Alternatively, the Eye may affect what others see. It could allow you to craft illusions to deceive your enemies or show them their worst fears to cripple them emotionally.

The Blade - Since his favored weapon is the kama, let's go with that. It's also a weapon of war and would be thematically appropriate for the Three Faces of War. Quoted from Keith's post Vol, the Dark Six, and the Trouble with Aundair (WordPress links currently broken):

But war can get ugly… and that’s where Dol Azur comes in. The Mockery pursues victory at any cost. He shows you the path to defeat the undefeatable foe. He’s not honorable. He’s not strong. But he will win, and so will you… if you’re willing to follow his path.

Beoric

Aug 23, 2015 10:10:05

Well, if the Blade is a kama, then the Sword must be a different artifact. Note that if the Blade is something you use to lead troops into battle, a sword is a more traditional commander's weapon than a kama, so I prefer to think of the Blade and the Sword as being the same weapon. Plus, three is a good mystical number.

Vol's interest in the artifacts may have something to do with the theme of betrayal (how she sees the attack by the elves on her house, and her mother tunring her into a lich against her will). Vol may also want powerful artifiacts for any number of reasons unrelated to necromancy; powerful enough illusions and powers of persuasion to rejoin society for instance.

Or what if the Orb is a Siberys shard, and has the power to restore to her a living dragonmark? Or what if she beleives the Orb to be her phylactery, or even the key to finding her phylactery (maybe there ie a prophecy that she will regain her phylactery if a certain person controls the Orb, and she wants to make sure that person has it).

Or what if the Sisters and Vol are pursuing mutually exclusive prophecies, and the key to them is the Orb? She wants to drain the Orb not because she covets its power, but because draining it ensures her version of the prophecy comes to pass. Maybe the prophecy is that the destruction of the Orb of Dol Azur results in the righting of the betrayal of Vol by the Aerenal?

EnderXenocide0

Aug 23, 2015 11:10:48

RIGHT. I managed to already forget about the Sword. I do prefer a total of three items as well. Man, it just seems weird for the Blade of Dol Azure to not be The Mockery's favored weapon. Maybe the Sword reference was a mistake (yes, I'm stretching a bit, here). We don't actually have any evidence that Erandis is after the Orb or any of the other artifacts. Keith's reference sounded like more of a hypothetical way of her gaining power.

Buuuuuut... if she did want them, then I think their relation to betrayal makes perfect sense. Certainly for the elves, though I don't know about her family. I always got the impression that she would feel her family was trying to save her (which they were). But that's neither here nor there. If the Orb was her phylactery, I don't see a particular reason why she wouldn't come back near it, so that seems unlikely. Though if that thought about the Eye showing vulnerabilities was true, then perhaps she could use that to find her phylactery, as that's her only weakness.

I'm going to tell you a secret. And most folks might find my stance a little crazy... but I'm just not a huge fan of using the Prophecy as the answer to "why?" in my games. Unless, that is, I can justify it. For instance, if the Prophecy said "If the Orb of the first betrayer is consumed by the child of the emerald, then the treason against house of death will be righted.", then I'd want a line of dominos set up that would begin with Erandis draining the Orb and ending with her getting revenge on Lord Haensu and showing that he had fabricated evidence that convinced the elves to attack, or somesuch. Hm... this actually sounds like a really interesting train of thought for my current campaign...

Beoric

Aug 23, 2015 12:52:23

The thing about the phylactery comes from some comments I thought Keith made about Vol not knowing the location of her phylactery. If so, presumably her mother intentionally made it hard to find, iand what better way than to place Erandis' soul in a vessel associated with issusion and trickery? It could have been intnetinal or an accident that this artifact of deception respawns Erandis at a location other than the location of her phylactery.

I have been running with the "doesn't knwo the location of her phylactery" thing in my own campaign. I figure Vol didn't want to become a lich, and is prevented from realizing her destiny because "as an undead being, Erandis cannot use her mark" (ECG 250). One of the easiest ways to fix that is to be resurrected, which she needs her phylactery to do.

#10

EnderXenocide0

Aug 23, 2015 14:49:48

All certainly possible. I usually play her as recognizing that her mother made the only choice possible to keep her child alive, given that Lord Haensu was pretty much breaking down the doors. Erandis does want to be resurrected to regain the power of her dragonmark. I just choose to have her understand her mother's motives. I suppose that binding a lich's soul to an item of trickery could account for the random resurrection location. The Mockery's propensity for trickery, though, always struck me more as deceit, particularly harmful deceit. Something utterly random seems more like The Traveler's domain.

#11

Beoric

Aug 23, 2015 20:41:12

Perhaps the intention was that Vol's enemies be deceived, while she was not. It was the artifacts nature that caused it to betray her mother's intentions.