Curse of the Pale Prow
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The Pearl Heart

Relic Artifact — Unique

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The Pearl Heart is a rare and ancient relic, believed to form naturally within colossal deep-sea oysters. Sailors claim they house reincarnated souls, though such origins remain the stuff of legend.

Pearl Heart can hold a soul and reshape the fate of all bound to it.

Soul Capture

A Pearl Heart can contain one soul.
The act of capture occurs when the pearl is touched by:

  • A drop of the dying creature’s blood,

  • And a final plea strong enough to imprint the spirit.

Once captured, the soul becomes dormant within the heart, preserved but unable to pass on.

The Curse of Devotion

The Pearl Heart does not merely hold a soul, it binds the living to it.

Anyone with a powerful emotional bond to the captured soul (love, loyalty, obsession, or sworn devotion) becomes cursed:

  • They rise from death as undead; vampires, revenants, ghouls, ghasts, wight, or similar forms which align with their forms in life.

  • Their unlife is anchored to the trapped soul

  • They cannot rest until the soul is released

This curse is not chosen and not reversible except through ritual.

The undead bound to a Pearl Heart:

  • Feel its presence across great distances

  • Know instinctively when it changes hands

  • Are driven to recover it at any cost

Legends of the Pearl Hearts

Tales claim:

  • Ancient kings used Pearl Hearts to cheat death, repeatedly soulbinding themselves to younger bodies

  • Warlocks whispered of transferring the souls of enemies into pearls to enslave their spirits

  • Some cultures believed a Pearl Heart granted immortality, though always at dire cost

  • Mariners say every Pearl Heart contains a story of love, grief, or betrayal strong enough to echo beyond death

Breaking or Twisting the Curse

There are three ways to end the curse.

  • Ritual of Release

  • Ritual of Soulbinding

  • Destroy the Pearl Heart

Pearl Heart — Artifact Stat Block

Pearl Heart (Relic Artifact)

  • HP: 200

  • Immune: non-magical damage

  • Regeneration: Regains 10 HP per day unless reduced to 0

  • Soul Vessel: Holds one soul; cannot hold more than one at a time

  • Curse of Devotion: Any who deeply loved or were bound to the captured soul rise as undead upon death

Destroying the Heart:
Only powerful magic, artifacts, or specific divine rites can reduce it to 0 HP.

Ritual of Release

Legendary 3-hour ceremony

The Ritual of Release is the only method known to free a soul trapped in a Pearl Heart and end the curse that binds its undead devotees.

A sacred rite performed over the Pearl Heart frees the soul within.

Effects:

  • The soul ascends peacefully

  • All undead bound to it are released and turn to ash

  • The Pearl Heart becomes inert, losing all magic

Only a handful of ancient traditions still know fragments of this ritual.

Ritual

Requirements

1 Ritual Leader (any spellcaster)

  • 1–2 Assistants (pure of intent or connected to the soul)

  • Components:

    • The Pearl Heart

    • Seawater gathered at dawn

    • A silver blade

    • Incense/herbs

    • A circle of salt

  • Location: consecrated ground, a shoreline, or a meaningful site

Ritual Steps

1. Form the Circle — 10 minutes

The ritual leader traces a salt circle and places the Pearl Heart in its center.

Invocation:
“By sea, by salt, by sorrow, let the spirit be heard.”

The Heart glimmers faintly.

2. Name the Soul — 5 minutes

The ritual leader speaks the soul’s full true name while touching the personal token.

If the wrong name is spoken, the ritual ends immediately.

3. The Chant of Severing — 2 hours

Participants chant while incense burns:

“Your vigil ends. Your watch is done.
Walk free from death. Walk into dawn.”

The ritual leader must succeed on two checks:

  • DC 14 Religion

  • DC 14 Wisdom (Insight or spellcasting focus)

Failure triggers ritual backlash (see below).

As the chant continues, bound undead weaken; some may crumble or stagger.

4. The Dawn Blade — 5 minutes

The silver blade is dipped in seawater and a ring of water is drawn around the Heart.

Final Words:
“Let the tide carry you home.”

The Heart cracks.

5. Release — Instant

The soul rises in spectral form, thanks the participants, and ascends.

Effects of success:

  • All undead bound to the Heart turn to ash

  • The Pearl Heart becomes inert and non-magical

  • The curse ends permanently

Consequences of Failure

Minor Failure (one check fails)

  • The Heart seals itself; retry after a full day and night has passed.

  • Cursed undead sense the attempt and become more aggressive

Major Failure (two checks fail)

  • The soul becomes a vengeful ghost, retry after 7-days.

  • Bound undead gain +1 CR until the soul is properly released

Ritual of Soulbinding

Forbidden 3-hour ceremony

This twisted ritual transfers the soul trapped within a Pearl Heart into a living host, while trapping the host’s soul inside the Heart. It ends the undead curse for the original bound followers — but begins a new one for those devoted to the new host.

Ritual

Requirements

  • 1 Ritual Leader (any spellcaster with dark intent)

  • 1 Mortal Vessel (willing or restrained)

  • Components:

    • The Pearl Heart

    • A drop of the vessel’s blood

    • Black candles

    • A circle drawn in ash

  • Location: desecrated ground, a haunted site, or aboard an undead vessel

Ritual Steps

1. Prepare the Vessel — 10 minutes

The mortal lays (or is bound) within the circle.
Their blood is placed on the Pearl Heart.

2. Invoke the Exchange — 1 hour

The ritual leader chants:

“One soul for one vessel.
One life for one life.
Let the heart be opened.”

Checks required (success on both):

  • DC 15 Arcana

  • DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion)

Failure causes backlash (see below).

3. The Binding Pulse — 1 hour

The Pearl Heart glows, then releases a spectral form that merges with the mortal vessel.

The mortal’s original soul is drawn into the pearl.
The trapped soul takes possession of the body.

4. Sealing the Curse — 10 minutes

The ritual leader traces a line of ash over the vessel’s heart and speaks:

“Bound in flesh, bound in fate.
The heart chooses its keeper.”

The Pearl Heart now holds the vessel’s displaced soul.

Outcome

Success

  • The trapped soul now controls the mortal vessel

  • The vessel’s original soul is stored within the Pearl Heart

  • The original undead bound to the Heart are freed

  • Anyone deeply devoted to the new vessel becomes cursed upon death, rising as undead tied to the Heart

Failure

Minor Failure (one check fails)

  • The possession is unstable; the host periodically loses control

  • The Pearl Heart becomes volatile, glowing and whispering

  • May try again after one day and night.

Major Failure (both checks fail)

  • The trapped soul rejects the vessel, remaining trapped.

  • The mortal vessel’s soul is destroyed and the mortal being dies.

  • A new mortal vessel must be found to try again.

Destruction of the Pearl Heart

A Pearl Heart can be destroyed only by extraordinary means.
If shattered:

  • The trapped soul is released as a restless ghost, bound forever to the mortal world

  • All undead cursed to that soul remain undying, doomed to wander the world eternally

  • If the ghost is destroyed, it reforms in 1d10 years, never able to depart

A broken Pearl Heart is a curse with no cure.