lore

The Seven Lost Rings of Mhzentul contain magics of great power. Legends have spoken often of them since the death of their maker, but their locations have rarely been more than a matter of colorful rumor. Mhzentul was a powerful, respected mage who perished at the battle of the River Rising, where he became a pillar of living flame and blazed across the battlefield, destroying many foes. Mhzentul is remembered for his works: the seven Lost Rings of Mhzentul and a book, Mhzentul's Runes, said to contain the process for making a ring of spell storing, information on the construction of rings that become guardian creatures on command, and much research into fire magic. 63 The Zhentarim mage Whisper is known to have found the book and some of the rings, but when he was slain by Doust Sulwood and his companions (the future Knights of Myth Drannor) in his subterranean home, Whisper's Crypt, north of Eveningstar, only two of the rings were found. The highest-ranking Zhentarim agent in northern Cormyr at the time, Whisper was cruel and coldly calculating. A man of relatively feeble magic, he possessed a cunning mind and gargantuan ambition. His duties were to arrange the ambush of selected merchants and king's messengers, to watch and listen to Cormyrean trade and troop movements, and to pass what he learned on to Darkhold. Whisper did this quietly and well, but at the same time he hatched plans to become far more than a minor Zhentarim wizard by creating a sinister force loyal only to him. He was establishing strongholds of his brigands in the Stonelands when his attacks on Doust's band provoked them to hunt him down, overcome his guardian enchantments and creatures, and destroy him. Whisper proved to hold two of the Seven Lost Rings. The Knights gave both of these to the House of the Morning, a temple of Lathander in the village of Eveningstar in Cormyr. They did not find any of the other five rings or Mhzentul's Runes. Four of the Lost Rings and the tome Mhzentul's Runes may still lie hidden in Whisper's Crypt in the Stonelands or somewhere in the Haunted Halls north of Eveningstar. The seventh Lost Ring may still be in the vicinity of Mhzentul's destruction, perhaps purloined by the undead spirit of an enemy commander Mhzentul fought against. The wizard's essence may be trapped in the ring, or may still exist elsewhere and in either case, may whisper advice to anyone who puts on the ring. Each of the Seven Lost Rings of Mhzentul is a simple band, forged of mithral, treated with dwarven everbright. Each ring is engraved with a complex series of runes believed to be derived from an ancient elven dialect. The original meanings of these runes have been lost to passing time (even to lore magic).

powers

Each of the Seven Lost Rings of Mhzentul has set powers, suggested by its runes, and the rings share the ability to heal a wearer when she or he wills it, becoming dormant for a day as a consequence. This power also purges the wearer of poisons, charms, and unnatural changes in state (invisibility, petrification, shapes not their own brought about through magic, and so on). Unlike normal rings of spell storing, all of the seven rings regenerate their stored spells.

The runes on this band are surrounded by flowing outlines that suggest leaping flames. The ring wearer can call forth each of the following spells once per day, directing them as if she or he were a 20th-level wizard: flaming sphere, fireball, wall of fire, delayed blast fireball, and meteor swarm. Every time a meteor swarm is called out of the ring, there is a 20% chance that the wearer is transformed into a greater firetail, known as a tshala.67 The transformation lasts for a maximum of 10 rounds and can be reversed at will. However, at the end of each round or whenever the ring wearer wills himself or herself to change back, there is a 10% cumulative chance that the ring wearer is uncontrollably forced back into his or her original form while suffering the effects of a triple-strength shroud of flame spell (no saving throw allowed). This fiery effect continues until a successful dispel magic is cast upon the wearer by another being against 20th-level wizard magic (while the ring wearer is still alive) or the ring wearer is reduced to asheswhereupon the ring teleports to a random location in Faerûn to await rediscovery. Only a wish spell brings anyone destroyed in this manner back to life. It is believed that Mhzentul destroyed himself while trying to return from tshala form while using this ring during the Battle of the River Rising. The ring was not found after the battle, and Mhzentul's corpse was never recovered.

Ring Tshala (Greater Firetail): AC2; MV21 (B); HD 9+9; 81 hit points or wearer's own, whichever is greater; THAC0 12; #AT 4; Dmg 1d12 each attack (fire damage plus ignite flammable materials); SA heat (extra 1d12 damage on any one successful attack, once every 3 rounds), magic use as 14th-level mage: fireball 1/turn, plane shift (itself and 1d6 lesser firetails as a group), remove curse, heal, feeblemind, maze, fire trapall 1/day; SD + 1 or greater weapons needed to hit; MR 90%; SZ S (4 feet long); ML as ring wearer; Int as ring wearer; AL as ring wearer; XP as ring wearer; MC11.

Notes: this comes originally from volo's guide to all things magical