The Third Eye is nothing special to look at – a milky-pale stone inlaid into an irregular case of beaten bronze. It is only thanks to the magic woven into the metal and the gem that green patina hasn’t overtaken the orange gleam yet.

Because of its popularity with adventurers, warriors, and explorers, the amulet has sustained nicks and dents over the many centuries since its creation. The protective enchantments have worn thinner with time and exposure to elements, offensive magic, and regular wear and tear.

On the back of the amulet, almost hidden now under the scratches and cuts, are the etched initials of its original creator. The glyphs belong to an alphabet that has long since fallen out of use, though some speculate it might be the ancient script of the equally ancient old tongue of the Komodi.

In plainest terms, the Third Eye allows its wearer to ‘see’ lifeforms up to a certain point. The enchantment extends to a radius of about five meters around the amulet, and no further. It ceases to work the moment it leaves the possession of a living being – if it is, for example, torn from its necklace and thrown to the ground.

‘See’ is perhaps overly generous, though – the Third Eye does nothing so special as to mark these lifeforms with a shiny glow. What the enchantment actually does is this: the closer some kind of being is to the wearer, the warmer the amulet grows. In addition to the change in temperature, the amulet also has a tendency to ‘lean’ in the direction of the nearest being, tugging on its chain or dancing in a pocket.

The enchantment thus has its uses, but it is as coarse as it is inaccurate. The heat can also become a problem, especially if the wearer finds themselves surrounded by a whole host of creatures. It’s been known to leave deep burns in such situations. Some say that it can even grow hot enough to boil water.

There is, however, another effect woven into the lattice of ancient enchantments that surround the amulet. It is the least known and the most insidious of all, the reasons for which go hand-in-hand – over a long period of use, the Third Eye causes blindness. This takes years, of course, but because of the solitary nature of the wearers – explorers and adventurers all – few have survived to tell of this deep flaw in its magic. Stricken by their inability to see, many have stumbled over the edge of a cliff, wandered in circles until starvation claimed them, or simply fell to ravenous wildlife when they couldn’t fend it off.

Nobody knows exactly who made the Third Eye. The few scholars who have possessed it over the centuries have ascribed it both to the Komodan and Orcish tribes from the Age of Uroghosh. The only consensus is that it is extremely old, and thus likely a product of one of the oldest forms of enchantment – rune magic.

It has changed thousands of hands throughout history, and records of its many wearers exist in various cultures. Different species call it by different names; some believe it an artifact of the gods, others a vessel of evil brought to the world in order to tempt the weak-willed and unwary.

Story about a chieftain who avoided getting assassinated b/c of the amulet