The Remorseful Tankard

by Frazer 👁 11 views

This squat pewter tankard is heavy for its size, with a thumb-worn handle and a broad rim polished bright by countless nervous sips. A hairline crack runs around its middle but never leaks. The inside is etched with tiny overlapping apologies in several different hands, while the outside bears a tarnished silver engraving of two hands offering and refusing the same cup. When held in silence, it smells faintly of whatever its previous owner is drinking, accompanied by the ghost of a quiet sigh.

Borrowed Drink The tankard is magically linked to its previous owner: the last creature to own it before you. While that creature is alive, conscious, and on the same plane of existence, the tankard contains a serving of whatever nonmagical liquid that creature is currently drinking. If the previous owner is not drinking, the tankard contains clean water. The liquid vanishes when poured out or consumed, and the tankard refills with the appropriate liquid at the start of your next turn.

A Sincere Apology Once per long rest, when you offer a sincere apology while holding the tankard, you gain advantage on one Charisma (Persuasion) check made as part of that apology. The advantage is lost if you are knowingly insincere.

Guilt in the Metal The tankard carries a faint emotional echo of its maker's remorse. You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks made to determine whether a creature genuinely regrets an action. However, you have disadvantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to disguise your own remorse or guilt.

Atonement's Limit The tankard cannot produce poison, acid, or any other harmful substance through Borrowed Drink. If the previous owner is drinking such a substance, the tankard instead produces bitter, lukewarm water.

Lore

The tankard was made to carry an apology that words could not. Its enchantment was intended to let the wronged party share one final drink with the person who had hurt them, no matter how far apart they traveled. The apology was accepted, but forgiveness never came easily, and the tankard retained the maker's guilt as a persistent magical imprint.

History

It was fashioned by Oren Vale, a remorseful silversmith who sold a family heirloom to pay a debt incurred through betrayal. Oren gave the tankard to the heir as restitution, promising that every drink poured from it would remind him of what he had done. The heir eventually passed it to a traveling priest, who carried it through three wars before losing it in a roadside tavern. Since then, it has passed from hand to hand, always carrying an echo of the person who last possessed it and whatever they happen to be drinking.

Created by Frazer 👁 11 views