The adventurer Shoon briefly possessed
this magical shield. Its true origin is un-
known, but he seized it from the body of a
slain male drow during a battle deep be-
neath the Hill of Lost Souls. Amongst the
drow, as speak with the dead has revealed,
the buckler was known as a ?blink shield?;
it was unique, and its making a mystery.
Shoon later gave the shield to the fighter
Gorlaung ?Blackhelm? in exchange for
training; Gorlaung fell in battle with orcs in
the Stonelands, and his body was stripped
of weapons and valuables by his slayers.
The present location of the Buckler is not
known.
The Buckler is a 1' diameter disk of
black metal with a fist grip, all fashioned of
one piece, and bearing no inscriptions.
Despite its small size, the Buckler functions
as a +2 shield. Its other easily discernible
power is the ability to glow (equal in radi-
ance to a light spell) upon the mental com-
mand of the bearer; the light dies away to
nothing when the bearer wills it to, falls
asleep, dies, or loses sanity or conscious-
ness. This power will be discovered when-
ever a being holding the Buckler thinks
about the poor light, wishes he could see
better, or so forth. Whenever the o
operates thus, three words in the common
tongue will appear in small glowing letters
around its inside edge: ?Tethema,? ?Se-
koe,? and ?Brund.?
If ?Tethema? is said aloud by any crea-
ture holding the shield, that figure becomes
the master of the Buckler until another
creature holds the shield and repeats the
word. Control of the Buckler enables a
being to override the mental commands of
another figure holding the Buckler regard-
ing its radiance, even from afar (up to 16?
distant). Control also allows the following
two powers to be enacted when the master
is not touching the Buckler, and is up to 16"
distant:
If the word ?Sekoe? is spoken, the Buck-
ler will levitate for up to 6 rounds, moving
about under the mental direction of the
bearer (or the master, if these are two differ-
ent beings; in that case, the master?s com-
mands take precedence). The shield can
carry or support up to 600 pounds of weight
resting upon it or suspended from it, and
any number of creatures or objects can
make up this cargo. If its load ever exceeds
this limit, the shield will instantly cease to
levitate for at least 6 rounds and will fall.
Thus, the bearer can levitate himself up or
down at will, and also move horizontally
about by pushing off walls, or the Buckler?s
master can from afar move the shield about
? plus, perhaps, an unwilling cargo.
If the word ?Brund? is spoken by the
master of the Buckler, any other active
shield powers cease; then the shield and any
creature(s) touching it will blink,
as per the
magic-user spell, about the location of the
shield when it was activated, until 7 rounds
have elapsed or the master wills it to end
(whichever occurs first).
These powers can be used repeatedly in
consecutive rounds and in any order (al-
though only levitate and light can be used
in
combination) if the commands are known.
Anyone who discovers the Buckler will not
be informed of any facts about its operation
by any revelation or by magical means short
of a wish, but must learn them by trial and
error. Note that the blink power will not
function for anyone who discovers the shield
until that figure has established himself as
the master of the Buckler by using the com-
mand word $ethema.?
| Dragon | - | Six Shields | - | Dragon #89 |
