Magic Item: Keshti, the Brazen Wings

Keshti, the Brazen Wings: A wonder of deceptively delicate craftsmanship, Keshti at rest or in default is a clockwork eagle with wingspan of eight feet or better. Feathered in copper and brass and intricately detailed, the Brazen Wings boasts eyes of rosy pearl, claws of crystal, a beak of cinnabar-stained ivory and internal workings of gold and glass and silvered steel.

Attuned by a drop of its owner's blood, the Brazen Wings may function as an enchanted mechanical [AC 2, HD 3, hp 24, move 60'(30') fly 180'(60'), Att: 2 claws + 1 bite, Dam: 1-4/1-4/1-6, Sv F3, Mrl 12] clever enough to carry messages or objects to specified individuals or to act as a scout.

When commanded, however, Keshti's clockwork and plates shift configuration; attaching to its owner's shoulders and flanks with claws and beak (causing 1-8 hit points of damage that cannot be healed until Keshti is removed), the Brazen Wings molds to the torso and extend those selfsame wings -- now under the direct control of Keshti's owner, who may fly as if born with the ability.

In either shape the Brazen Wings may only be active for six hours out of twenty-four.


Originally a creation of the Lapis Vizirs, Keshti has travelled far from its desert home in the Shining Sands over the intervening centuries; the legends of the shining bird are exceeded only by the tales of brazen-winged heroes and killers who -- despite their shining trademark -- all seem to disappear without a trace.