Spellsong nightingale

A spellsong nightingale is a magical item and construct resembling a bird that serves as a novel kind of spellbook for a wizard . Not only does it hold some of their spells, it also protects its owner with its magical song. [1]

It's enchanting your feeble excuse for a brain, yes. I recommend you wear those earplugs I gave you before it's too late.
— Thondred to Ember while pursuing a spellsong nightingale [1]
What? I can't hear you through these earplugs.
— Mialee to Thondred [1]

Creation

To fashion one requires skill in metalworking, the scribing of magical scrolls, and the making of constructs, as well the spells fly and imbue with spell ability and materials worth 13,125 gp in total. Hence, they have always needed the collaboration of an arcane spellcaster and an artificer , the former prepared to sacrifice some of their knowledge and the latter desiring to imbue power into an unusual thing. [1]

Description

It is a clockwork mechanism designed to look like a small, delicate, eye-catching songbird; though named after a nightingale, examples include a golden finch , a red cardinal , and a green-and-yellow lovebird . It is built of brass, silver, and gold components, which may be brightly enameled or decorated with actual feathers. The beak is ivory or horn and the eyes are gems. Although mechanical, it moves elegantly and exactly like a living bird, with wings that can flap as normal and claws capable of grasping a perch. [1]

Powers

Like a small spellbook, a spellsong nightingale may hold a few minor spells, up to four pages' worth. [1]

In addition, to aid its owner, it is also programmed with an enchanting song and a warding song. Typical enchanting spells include calm emotions , crushing despair , charm monster , charm person , deep slumber , enthrall , good hope , touch of idiocy , and sleep , while typical protective songs include protection from evil (or good , chaos , or law ), protection from arrows , shield , resist energy , and nondetection . The owner of the spellsong nightingale can freely command it to "sing" (that is, cast) a desired song. However, these can only be sung 25 times in total, after which the spellsong nightingale needs to be recharged, which requires 250 pg worth of diamond dust and the owner's own mental energy, and the songs cannot be replaced. [1]

Finally, a spellsong nightingale can sing several ordinary songs and "remember" spoken words such as a poem or eulogy up to 500 words in length, which it could subsequently recite in a sing-song voice. [1]

A silence spell prevents a spellsong nightingale from singing, and thus from casting its magical songs. Earplugs are also a way to avoid hearing its enchanting song. It also cannot trigger other magical items, regardless of whether it had recorded the command word. [1]

Behavior

Without its owner to command it, a spellsong nightingale falls silent and motionless. It will stay this way until retrieved or identified and claimed by another. [1]

Reputation

Spellsong nightingales are, or were, quite popular with Cyrans who dabbled in magic and had the money to afford them. [1]

While a spellsong nightingale is valued at 26,250 gp, abandoned spellsong nightingales are often mistaken for mundane artworks and go for only 2000 gp, based on their materials and workmanship alone. A few of these spellsong nightingales have shown up as mascots of military squadrons and companies.

History

It is speculated that some Cyran spellsong nightingales still function after the Day of Mourning . Because of a recurring rumor that they can recall and mimic voices, Cyrans may seek to retrieve them from the Mournland in order to hear the voice of a loved one again. [1]

Thondred , Mialee , and Ember once pursed a spellsong nightingale through a building. They used earplugs to prevent themselves hearing its enchanting song. [1]

At one frontier temple of the Sovereign Host , a somewhat intelligent and autonomous spellsong nightingale was used to protect people from attacks by the lawless and to draw people to attend services with its sweet song. However, it was looted by soldiers during the Last War , and is now in the possession of a band of monstrous humanoids . They are not just charmed by it, they are under its influence and turned to banditry to serve it. Unknowing, the priest desires the bird's recovery. [1]

Appendix

References