Ivory Chain of Pao

The Ivory Chain of Pao, also called the Demon Binder, was a legendary artifact of Shou Lung history. It had the power to bind any spirit or being of the outer planes.

Description
It was a length of chain, with links fashioned from ivory. Unusually, each link was finely carved into the figure of a man with arms outstretched and hooked, giving the effect of each holding hands with the next in the line. Though the loops were not closed as in a typical metal chain, they were so cunningly wrought it was very difficult to unhook them without a certain combination of twists and slides, so there was no risk of them falling apart. Though the Ivory Chain appeared very fragile, this was far from the case. When complete, the chain was reported to be 9.8 feet (3 meters) or 12 feet (3.6 meters) in total length. There were 48 links altogether.

Powers
The Ivory Chain of Pao had two different powers, depending on whether it was whole or separated into individual links.

First, if the complete Ivory Chain was wrapped around a spirit or outer-planar creature, whether around their wrists, ankles, waist, neck, or an equivalent body part, that creature was instantly bound. When the owner of the chain gripped one end and issued a command, the bound creature was compelled to obey that command to the full. As fragile as the chain seemed, the bound creature was utterly unable to break it or throw it off. The creature could not use any of its powers unless commanded by the chain's owner.

When one of the links was broken, either manually or by external force, the bound creature was freed. Moreover, the Ivory Chain carried an odd curse or flaw: for every day that a creature was bound, there was a 1 in 20 chance that it would break and disappear in an instant, freeing the bound creature. In either case, the freed creature would be very possibly vengeful against its former captor. Afterward, the broken chain would magically reform into a single piece once more. If the Ivory Chain was completely disassembled, it had no more binding power.

Second, if a separated link was hurled at a creature, it carried all the effects of a holy word spell. However, they disappeared immediately after being used in this way.

History
The Ivory Chain of Pao had a long and storied history, known well in Kara-Tur but barely heard of in Faerûn, with only fragments known to sages who'd had communication with the east. The following account is considered to be only heavily abbreviated.

According to tradition, it was crafted by Master Pao of Mount Yei, a Lesser Immortal of the Celestial Empire, during the Age of Red Earth. The Ivory Chain was gifted to the Nine Empires as a symbol of their unity and the harmony of the peoples of the empire they ruled jointly.

However, in the seventh year of their reign, a daring thief infiltrated their treasury. The thief was inspired by another— some stories said it was an evil deity, others pinned the blame on Monkey, the Lord of Mischief. Regardless, the thief stole the Ivory Chain of Pao. Not long after, the Black Leopard Cult grew in power and prominence in the south, causing strife. Around the same time, the Nine Emperors ascended to the Celestial Heavens, and their reign passed to others, with Tan Chin becoming emperor in Shou Year −127 (−1377 DR).

In fact, the Black Leopard Cult had used the Ivory Chain of Pao to trap and bind the Black Leopard himself. In this state, he was known as a great demon panther. Under their villainous high priest Nan Kung Chi, the cult terrorized the once-peaceful lands of the Fenghsintzu River.

Then, in the seventh year of his reign, in Shou Year −120 (−1370 DR), Emperor Tan Chin heard rumors of the Black Leopard Cult's crimes and decided to destroy the cult. First, he sent seven parties of heroes, one after the other, but none came back alive. But he did learn that the high priest was a mighty wu jen, and unassailable in his lair, and decided he must do it himself. First, he read in the libraries of Kuo Meilan the legend of the demon panther trapped by the ivory chain and compelled to serve the cult. Accompanied by his friend, the poet wu jen Kar Wuan, Tan Chin went in secrecy to the main temple in Durkon. But Nan Kung Chi saw them with his magic and surprised them, and summoned the Black Leopard to kill the blood brothers. However, guided by Kar Wuan, Tan Chin cut the Ivory Chain with a sweep of his spear, Shan Tien, and managed to free the Black Leopard, who quickly seized Nan Kung Chi and dragged him screaming into the night. The Second High Priest and the surviving cultists escaped out to sea, but their power was ended (but the cult would see resurgences).

Destruction
Some proposed means of destroying the Ivory Chain of Pao were as follows. One was to reform it using a secret way of joining each link whereby the hands could not touch. Another supposed that each link was associated with a living hero, and that if all were slain, then the Ivory Chain would crumble. Finally, it might be given to an elephant god, who would smash the ivory.

Notable Owners

 * Emperor Tan Chin