Old Roaring Rage was a magically animated red dragon head that could be worn as a costume. It was available for rent from the Wyrmworks shop located on Many Cats Lane in Silverymoon circa the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.[2]
Description[]
The hollowed-out head was about six times the size of an average human head and weighed about 60 lb (27 kg). It appeared to be from a young adult of the species and was complete down to the upper portion of the neck. From the outside, it was very life-like: the scaly skin rippled as if muscles moved under it, the lips drew back to bare sharp teeth, the jaw opened and closed naturally, the blinking artificial eyes looked real and moved independently from the head, and even the tongue appeared moist and articulate. Inside, there was rigging and a harness to secure the skull onto the head and shoulders of the person wearing it. A speaking tube was positioned near the wearer's mouth and two words were engraved on the inside surface and glowed dimly: "Raulithus" and "Torthar".[1]
Cutaway view showing the harness inside Old Roaring Rage mounted on a mannequin. Click to enlarge.
Powers[]
Speaking the word "Raulithus" caused Old Roaring Rage to seem alive and awake: the head appeared to breathe, it turned this way and that, the eyes looked around, and it occasionally made a slight yawn or perhaps a gentle sigh. Speaking the word "Torthar" caused the head to simulate sleep: the eyes drooped and closed, the breathing motions became slow and deep, and occasionally the head would shift slightly or emit a low growl from its throat. Neither of these effects required a person inside the head, it would perform all these actions while sitting on its stand in the shop. Saying the last-used activation word again caused all animations to cease.[1]
Inside the head, there were levers to move the eyes and open and close the jaws. If the wearer spoke into the tube, the speech was magically amplified and modified to be deep and wetly sibilant.[1]
History[]
Delgrath and Roryk, the retired proprietors of the Wyrmworks shop, discovered the animated head in an abandoned wizard's tower during their adventuring days and possessed it ever since. The original creator and/or previous owners remain unknown. The unique curiosity was not for sale, but it could be rented out for 100 gold pieces per day.[1]
Reputation[]
Old Roaring Rage was locally famous and attracted people into the shop just to see it. When the jaw opened sufficiently to pull the lips back and expose the full set of teeth, the head looked extremely fierce. For those unfortunately familiar with red dragon rage, the only flaw in the verisimilitude was the lack of flaring nostrils. This visage prompted Roryk to name the item "Old Roaring Rage" and also to move the eerie mask away from the front entrance because it tended to scare off potential customers.[2]
Crafting[]
Creating an item like Old Roaring Rage required a mage proficient in crafting wondrous items and able to cast major image, and gentle repose. In addition to the intact head of a dragon, it required at least 2,600 gold pieces worth of materials.[1][3]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ed Greenwood (August 2004). “Elminster's Guide to the Realms: The Wyrmworks”. In Matthew Sernett ed. Dragon #322 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 85.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ed Greenwood (August 2004). “Elminster's Guide to the Realms: The Wyrmworks”. In Matthew Sernett ed. Dragon #322 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 84.
- ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 92–93. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.