Jorin sought to cheat time. The amulet of the time-walker hung heavy around his neck, its tiny hourglass within always shifting, always moving. The amulet promised power, the power to bend time to his will, to move faster than his enemies, to slow their strikes to a crawl.
In the beginning, Jorin used it sparingly. In battle, he would slow time just enough to dodge a fatal blow or speed it up to allow his allies to deliver a decisive strike. However, rumor followed him, tales of men who used the amulet too much, their skin wrinkling as if years had passed in a moment. Jorin dismissed them, thinking himself immune.
But as the seasons turned, he began to notice the changes. His reflection showed an older man, his once dark hair now flecked with gray, his face lined with the passage of time. He felt the weight of the years each time he used the amulet, a burden that grew heavier with every battle. The power was intoxicating, but the price was steep.
One evening, as the sun set over the battlefield, Jorin held the amulet in his hand, feeling the sands shift within. He knew then that every second he stole from time was a second taken from his own life. The legends had been true. With a heavy heart, he cast the amulet into the river, watching it sink beneath the water.
Amulet of the Time-Walker
Wondrous Item (Amulet), Very Rare (Requires Attunement)
This amulet contains an hourglass of perpetually moving sand. As an action, you can turn the hourglass to create a 30-foot-radius sphere of modified time around yourself that lasts until the start of your next turn. Choose one of the following properties for the sphere:
- Alacrity. You turn the hourglass vertical. A creature that ends their turn within the sphere can immediately use a reaction to take an action.
- Lethargy. You turn the hourglass horizonal. A creature that enters the sphere or starts its turn there must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, until the end of its turn, its speed is halved and it cannot make more than one attack.
Each of these properties can be used once until the next dawn. If you use the same property on consecutive days you must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or age 2d6 years.
Check out last week’s item: the adventurer’s pie.
