Name This Artifact

[kbob]

So I have an artifact that I created as a plot item. I want the players to have a short duration of fun with it but make it too dangerous to to keep. They are quested to retrieve it but they may choose to destroy (I doubt the latter as the party trends evil). I will describe the artifact but I need help with a really cool name and “eye of vecna” is taken already.
It is a skull with one eye filled with a gem (ruby).
Upon uttering the command-word, which they will have to discover somehow, one creature that is not undead, nor construct, must make a con save DC ? or lose their soul to the artifact thus slaying the target. The skull can hold up to 20 souls. It starts with 1d4 souls already. Each time it is used the user must roll a d20, before the target rolls for his/her save, and roll above the total number of souls or the skull traps the user’s soul, killing the user. If this would bring the total number of souls to 20 then the target is sparred. A lich can use a ritual to release the souls whereupon he/she may devour them. This is the only way to free the souls. A wish spell does not work. Destroying the artifact destroys the souls. (Have not come up with a way to destroy it yet).
Anyway, that’s it. Anyone have any creative ideas as to what to name it?

[Amnestic]

Ravas Méti'faug, or Ravas' Last Gasp as a loose translation from the original elvish. Ravas was an elven necromancer in life obsessed with staving off death despite, or perhaps because of, an elf's naturally long life span. The artifact in question is crafted from the skull of his beloved wife, and her soul was the first to inhabit it, stored within the ruby socketed in the eye. He thought he'd do anything for eternal life. Anything. But as his wife's skull continued to stare one-eyed at him over the years the grief and regret grew and grew, until eventually he could take it no longer and released the souls stored - that of his wife, his children, and many other innocents - to their afterlife, before finally entombing his own soul in the item as a last attempt at atonement for his horrific acts.

The skull was eventually discovered in the ruined, soulless remnants of Ravas' home village, long since destroyed in his mad quest for immortality, and given its name after the travelers who found it pieced the story together from journal entries.

[TyGuy]

Ruby-eyed death skull

[Unoriginal]

So I have an artifact that I created as a plot item. I want the players to have a short duration of fun with it but make it too dangerous to to keep. They are quested to retrieve it but they may choose to destroy (I doubt the latter as the party trends evil). I will describe the artifact but I need help with a really cool name and “eye of vecna” is taken already.
It is a skull with one eye filled with a gem (ruby).
Upon uttering the command-word, which they will have to discover somehow, one creature that is not undead, nor construct, must make a con save DC ? or lose their soul to the artifact thus slaying the target. The skull can hold up to 20 souls. It starts with 1d4 souls already. Each time it is used the user must roll a d20, before the target rolls for his/her save, and roll above the total number of souls or the skull traps the user’s soul, killing the user. If this would bring the total number of souls to 20 then the target is sparred. A lich can use a ritual to release the souls whereupon he/she may devour them. This is the only way to free the souls. A wish spell does not work. Destroying the artifact destroys the souls. (Have not come up with a way to destroy it yet).
Anyway, that’s it. Anyone have any creative ideas as to what to name it?

I would call it something like Sakdos's Hunger.

[Fnissalot]

I would go with something foreboding but unclear until they realize what it actually does.

Herald's Foresight
Impending Twilight
Sepulchre Egotica

[iTreeby]

....Head of vecna...

[Kyutaru]

The Black Cauldron

[Xtreme_Banana]

Jailer's Triumph and Raviig's Solitude

The item was a prison, set up by duke Inaam the Jailer for his archenemy Raviig. Raviig was a master arcane trickster, bent on destroying Inaam's life, murdering his family, ravaging his domain and making him as miserable as possible – all because of one minor offence in the past. Inaam captured him 99 times, and 99 times Raviig escaped. Having lost everything, duke called to Orcus and Vecna to punish his enemy no matter the price. One of them happily granted the request, killing the Jailer on the spot and stuffing Raviig into his skull. He would not escape for a very, very long time now...

[kbob]

thank y’all for the responses! Any other suggestions?

[Personification]

The Jar. Have people in the lead-in refer to it exclusively as "The Jar" with reverent and fearful voices. Then, when they find it, have them see that it is on a pedestal that says "The Snack Jar". After they all laugh or groan that the menacing jar was just a morbid snack jar, figure out a way to show them how it works (I prefer the perceived accident route) and remind them who made it and what they eat.

[opaopajr]

:smalltongue: "Bubble's the Lich" Happy Fun Time Astral Summer Camp for Spiritual Safekeeping!

But it probably sounds more "respectably metal" if you put too many consonants and apostrophes to the point of being unpronounceable. :smallamused:

[Edea]

*Megalovania intensifies*

The Rubied Skull of Abi-Dalzim
======================
Infamous for his devising of the dreaded horrid wilting spell, the desert-dwelling necromancer known as Abi-Dalzim met an unfortunate (more accurately, fortunate for everyone else save himself) end when his attempt to progress from a dry lich to an experimental 'dry demilich' form came to a disastrous conclusion, leaving behind aught but his skull and a single, corrupted soul gem made of ruby, its first meal having been the very soul of the sorcerer who attempted to create it.

[loki_ragnarock]

Look. It doesn't matter what we call it.

The half-orc barbarian is going to name it "Steve."

Just you friggan wait. He's going to rest it on a stick and use it as a puppet. Coming up behind people and pushing the stick over their shoulder to exclaim, "Hi, guys! I'm Steve," in the most muppety voice they can throw together, "What's your name!"

So lean into it. Take his power before he makes the flex.

Name it "Steve."

[Lord Vukodlak]

“The Soul Head”
“Skull of the Dammed”
“The Ocularis Spiritus”
“The Crucible”

One change I’d make is have it work on anything you rule has a soul. No need to universally restrict it from undead as many of them have or are souls. Why not let it try to extract the soul from anything that contains one.

As for a means of destruction, you must take the skull containing at least one soul, travel back in time to any point in the past where it contained that same soul and use the future skull on its past self.
The paradox will destroy the future skull.

[cutlery]

"Skull of [lich-person]".

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Eye of Entrapment.

[rlc]

Bulk's Skull

[Xervous]

Quite clearly the boneheaded creatures that formerly owned it (adventurer’s looting rights and whatnot) call it the Winker Drinker on account of its activation appearing to wink the eye, and the horrible lips-plastered-to-sodacan sounds it makes when slurping up a soul.

[KorvinStarmast]

The Head of Hoover
or
Hoover's Head


(Reference to Hoover vacuum cleaners, which suck things into them ...)

[Mud Puppy]

As for a means of destruction, you must take the skull containing at least one soul, travel back in time to any point in the past where it contained that same soul and use the future skull on its past self.
The paradox will destroy the future skull.

This is the most freaking awesome plot element I've ever heard of and I am going to shamelessly steal this for something in the campaign I am running.... this is amazing!

[TyGuy]

The Rubied Skull of Abi-Dalzim


I was being tongue and cheek, but this actually has my vote. I like tying in familiar names, even in original settings.

[Spectrulus]

I think it would be prudent to let a Wish remove one soul at random, as saving souls from nigh unsalvagable situations is one it's more common uses.

I would name that artifact Essence Gorger.

[Unoriginal]

I change my vote.


Call it the Bonehead.

[Xervous]

Verondalas’ Very Voluminous Vitae Vacuuming Vessel

[furby076]

Ravas Méti'faug, or Ravas' Last Gasp as a loose translation from the original elvish. Ravas was an elven necromancer in life obsessed with staving off death despite, or perhaps because of, an elf's naturally long life span. The artifact in question is crafted from the skull of his beloved wife, and her soul was the first to inhabit it, stored within the ruby socketed in the eye. He thought he'd do anything for eternal life. Anything. But as his wife's skull continued to stare one-eyed at him over the years the grief and regret grew and grew, until eventually he could take it no longer and released the souls stored - that of his wife, his children, and many other innocents - to their afterlife, before finally entombing his own soul in the item as a last attempt at atonement for his horrific acts.

The skull was eventually discovered in the ruined, soulless remnants of Ravas' home village, long since destroyed in his mad quest for immortality, and given its name after the travelers who found it pieced the story together from journal entries.



One change I’d make is have it work on anything you rule has a soul. No need to universally restrict it from undead as many of them have or are souls. Why not let it try to extract the soul from anything that contains one.

As for a means of destruction, you must take the skull containing at least one soul, travel back in time to any point in the past where it contained that same soul and use the future skull on its past self.
The paradox will destroy the future skull.


I like both of these. I'd use em if I were a DM