Crown of Horns
Encyclopedia
The Crown of Horns is a fictional evil, intelligent artifact of great power from the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Forged by a Netherese arcanist and enchanted by Myrkul
, the former god of the dead, it carries with it a long history of corruption and tragedy.
At one point, the Crown possessed Laeral Silverhand, one of the Seven Sisters
, and was sundered by her husband, the archmage
Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, who locked its pieces away within the heavily-protected walls of his tower. However, when Myrkul died at Midnight the Mage's hand during the Time of Troubles
, the god tore the broken shards of the 'Crown' from Blackstaff Tower, reforged it in a new shape, and infused it with the remains of his sentience before teleporting away. To this day, Myrkul, through the Crown, has been spreading evil through the Realms, tormenting members of the Church of Cyric
as well as hapless innocents.
The Crown of Horns appears as a silver circlet with a black diamond set on the brow and four bone horns mounted around its edge. It imbues the wearer with several considerable necromantic
powers - including the unique "Myrkul's Hand" property - but has a tendency to strongly influence that action of the wearer, changing his alignment to neutral evil and gradually making him into an undead creature
, among other things.
The Crown of Horns was last seen in the possession of a yuan-ti
pureblood named Nhyris D'Hothek, who disappeared from his haunts in Skullport in 1370 DR, after the Crown transformed him into a lich
. People and creatures who have remained dedicated to Myrkul after, or have become dedicated to him since his demise, devote themselves to him through the Crown of Horns and are known as 'Horned Harbingers,' including Nhyris. The statistics for the Crown can be found in the Forgotten Realms 3rd edition book 'Magic of Faerun'.
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. Forged by a Netherese arcanist and enchanted by Myrkul
Myrkul
Myrkul was the fictional Lord of the Dead in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based upon the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Further aliases of Myrkul include the Reaper and Old Lord Skull. His symbol is a skull against a black field, known to occur in nightmares of many of the...
, the former god of the dead, it carries with it a long history of corruption and tragedy.
At one point, the Crown possessed Laeral Silverhand, one of the Seven Sisters
Seven Sisters (Forgotten Realms)
The Seven Sisters—fictional characters of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons Role Playing Game. The sisters are epic level characters of differing abilities, most of which involve some form of spellcasting and use of magic...
, and was sundered by her husband, the archmage
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, who locked its pieces away within the heavily-protected walls of his tower. However, when Myrkul died at Midnight the Mage's hand during the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles (Forgotten Realms)
The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, is a fictional time period in the chronology of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game...
, the god tore the broken shards of the 'Crown' from Blackstaff Tower, reforged it in a new shape, and infused it with the remains of his sentience before teleporting away. To this day, Myrkul, through the Crown, has been spreading evil through the Realms, tormenting members of the Church of Cyric
Cyric
Cyric is a deity in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a branch of Dungeons & Dragons. Cyric has many titles, including the Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun, the Black Sun, the Mad God, and the Lord of Three Crowns...
as well as hapless innocents.
The Crown of Horns appears as a silver circlet with a black diamond set on the brow and four bone horns mounted around its edge. It imbues the wearer with several considerable necromantic
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
powers - including the unique "Myrkul's Hand" property - but has a tendency to strongly influence that action of the wearer, changing his alignment to neutral evil and gradually making him into an undead creature
Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, among other things.
The Crown of Horns was last seen in the possession of a yuan-ti
Yuan-ti
The yuan-ti are a fictional species of evil snakemen in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The species comprises a number of castes. In some campaign settings, the yuan-ti are descended from evil human cultists who mixed their bloodlines with those of serpents...
pureblood named Nhyris D'Hothek, who disappeared from his haunts in Skullport in 1370 DR, after the Crown transformed him into a lich
Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
. People and creatures who have remained dedicated to Myrkul after, or have become dedicated to him since his demise, devote themselves to him through the Crown of Horns and are known as 'Horned Harbingers,' including Nhyris. The statistics for the Crown can be found in the Forgotten Realms 3rd edition book 'Magic of Faerun'.