Description: This small, intricately carved wooden box, adorned with mysterious runes and fungal motifs, contains an ancient, sentient spore-based plague. The box has an unsettling aura, as if it pulses with a life of its own.

Properties:

• Release Spores:

  • Activation: As an action, you can open the box to release the spores.
  • Area of Effect: The spores spread in a 10-foot radius and remain active for 1 hour.
  • Invisibility: The spores are invisible to the naked eye, requiring a DC 18 Perception check to notice any unusual disturbances in the air.

• Infection:

  • Effect: Any creature that starts its turn within the spore cloud must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw.
  • Failure: On a failed save, the creature becomes infected with the spores, suffering from minor disease-like symptoms such as fatigue, coughing, or mild hallucinations (your choice).
  • Cumulative Effect: If a creature fails this saving throw three times, it falls under the control of the box's attuned user.

• Control:

  • Sight and Hearing: While within 1 mile of an infected creature, you can use an action to see through their eyes and hear through their ears until the start of your next turn.
  • Mental Commands: You can use an action to issue simple mental commands to the infected creatures, such as "move," "stay," "fetch," or "alert me if you see someone." The infected creature must follow these commands to the best of its ability.

• Cure:

  • Removal: The infection can be cured by any spell or effect that removes diseases, such as lesser restoration or heal.
  • Deactivation: Closing the box immediately deactivates the spores, ending the infection for all affected creatures and preventing new infections.

Drawbacks:

• Backlash: If the box is used more than once per day, the user must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected with their own spores, suffering the same minor symptoms.
• Corruption: Prolonged use of the box (over 30 days) begins to subtly influence the user’s mind, increasing their alignment towards Chaotic Evil if they are not already aligned that way.

Lore: This ancient artifact, known as The Whispering Plague, was created by a long-forgotten sect of druids who sought to control and manipulate life at its most fundamental level. Its power is both revered and feared, capable of turning friend into foe and giving its wielder eyes and ears in the darkest corners of the world.