The Simbul's Sly Smile

The Simbul's Sly Smile was an enchanted item of wondrous power, allegedly gifted to Volothamp Geddarm by the Witch-Queen of Aglarond herself – The Simbul.

Description
The magic item appeared to be nothing more than a simple rock, riddled with thin spiral carvings.

Powers
The Simbul's Sly Smile possessed magics that reduced all harm done to the stone's owner. The enchantments remained active as long as the item remained in their possession.

History
Esteemed researcher, traveler, and writer, Volothamp Geddarm, angered many of Faerûn's mages in the when he published the infamous Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. Wizards felt that Volo exposed their secrets through the book and actively sought to punish the man. The Simbul of Aglarond was amused by the commotion caused by the hapless bard. She transformed Volo into a bird and made him fly into a wall as a punishment. The Witch-Queen dispensed some other magical chastisement on the writer, yet in the end, she gifted him an enchanted etched stone with a sly smile. The Simbul told Volo in a soft voice that his survival might depend on the stone's magic. She also warned the man that were he ever foolish enough to anger every spellcaster on Toril, no trinket would be enough to save his hide.

Volothamp Geddarm carried the stone with him for years, until his faithful voyage to Samarach in the. While in the exotic new locale, Volo researched Samarach's customs, landmarks, and places of interest from the safety of Sa'Sani's merchant outpost in Samargol. Volo showed interest in the locals' fear and paranoia over the dreaded yuan-ti and asked a group of mercenaries, who arrived in the region on the same note as he, to procure ancient yuan-ti stone tablets from a (not so) abandoned temple deep in the jungles north of the city. Were they mercenaries were successful, Volo was ready to gift them with The Simbul's Sly Smile.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * ''Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir