In the Ferrous Weald there is a patch of the forest hidden in a valley. The barrier to the Feywild is thin there and the water from the mountains allowed a dense thicket of trees to thrive. This isolated area was prized by the Archfey known as Karrig the Moonlit because the spirits that she bound to the trees there made exceptionally strong and tall dryads.
A nearby kingdom of humans and gnomes noticed the quality of the timber in the Ferrous Weald and began logging operations. Karrig saw the damage these intruders could do with their machines and decided to strike at their camp.
Riding a chimera from the Feywild, she charged the logging camp with her dryad and goblin army. The battle was fierce but decisive. The humans and gnomes fled and Karrig was victorious, but her mount was mortally wounded. As the chimera died a goblin armorsmith named Steelgnasher made a shield from the detritus of the battle and Karrig enchanted it with the essence of the chimera.
Years later, when Karrig was asked to serve as a liaison to the Unseelie Court she discarded the shield in a river as it made her mournful to look upon it.
Shield of the Chimera
Armor (Shield), Legendary (Requires Attunement)
This round shield has a bronze device in the shape of a monstrous head with the features of a lion, a goat, and a dragon.
This item has 6 charges. It regains all expended charges daily at dawn.
While holding this shield, you gain a +2 bonus to AC (this bonus is in addition to the shield’s normal bonus to AC), advantage on saving throws against breath weapons, and access to the following effects:
Lion’s Bite. When a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction and expend a charge to deal piercing damage equal to 2d6 + your proficiency bonus to the creature.
Horn Smash. When you hit a creature with a melee attack you can expend a charge to have a ghostly image of a goat emerge from the shield and push that creature up to 20 feet away from you.
Dragon Fire. As an action, you can expend 2 charges and have the head emit a 30-foot-cone of fire. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (7d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Monstrous Flight. As an action, you can expend 2 charges to have wings sprout from the shield. You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed for 1 hour.
Story hooks for DMs:
- The adventuring party is at an inn when they hear a harengon bard named Keera perform a somber ballad called “The Sacrifice of Parik” about a heroic warrior with a legendary shield who sacrificed himself to save the rest of his group from a balor demon. She mentions that the song is based on a true event. If questioned after her performance she reveals that she was paid by the survivors of Parik’s group to write the song as a tribute. If the party is generous in tipping or buys her any drinks, she will also reveal the location of the dungeon where Parik died, and where the Shield of the Chimera can be recovered in the treasure hoard of a balor.
- In the wilderness, the party encounters a mote of sentient energy trapped in a crystal. It speaks telepathically to any lawful characters and tells them that it has been split into three parts. It has no memory of how this came to be—only that the next nearest mote is to the west in an ocean trench guarded by a terrible sea beast, and the third is somewhere in the tunnels of a volcanic mountain far to the south. If the party can gather all three motes, a solar will appear, take the motes, and leave the Shield of the Chimera behind as it planeshifts away.
- The adventurers hear that Ondros the Blunt-Tusked, a famous loxodon hero from a nearby city, has died. His wish was for his adventuring equipment to be sold at an auction and the proceeds used to fortify the city’s defenses. Among the treasures being auctioned are a few uncommon magic items including Sylvan Scale Armor, and the Shield of the Chimera. At the auction a few groups attempt to win the shield by paying less than 80,000 gp: members of a thieves’ guild attempt to intimidate the other groups, a pair of wizards try subtly casting spells to distract or confuse who they think will bid the highest, and a mercenary company try to sell lesser items to drain the finances of the adventurers.
