The Ring of Pride
"Other sacrifices than blood could open different doors. Consider a bottle of tears, or a growing rope of hair. Anything that a person values can be sacrificed. Pride, for example. Since our last letter I've constructed a minor prototype based on that idea: the silver ring that I've enclosed for you. When someone bows or kneels to kiss the ring, that constitutes a sacrifice of pride. The prouder and more resistant they are, the better. (For practicality's sake, their actual lips don't actually have to make contact with the ring. It's the thought that counts.) They don't even realize a sacrifice has been made, because the ring doesn't draw from their blood or pain or life force or anything like that. And while the Second Law applies, it will only deplete the charge slowly, allowing you to bank up small amounts of power. The ring has performed well in basic testing but I suspect, considering your environment, you'll get more use out of it than I would. Let me know how it holds up."
-letter from Harrier Wren to Ava Gilleth
-letter from Harrier Wren to Ava Gilleth
The Ring of Pride is, it would seem, a basic silver ring with subtle turquoise gemstones. It is a prototype that grew out of an extended discussion between the necromancer Harrier Wren and the elementalist Ava Gilleth. It's quite a minor item, a proof of concept for larger experiments.
The ring functions as a modest power reservoir that Gilleth can use at need. It accrues its banked power a small amount at a time, as many magical items do.
What's unique about the Ring of Pride is its unique power source: the sacrifice upon which it draws is the sacrifice of pride bound up in, more or less precisely, bowing to kiss the ring. The ring's subtle enchantment and the nature of the price paid ensure that nobody but a skilled, alert mage will realize that any magic has been involved at all. It's not as though the person bowing to kiss the ring has had anything other than a normal experience.
