Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar

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Greyhawk Item
Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar
The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar, as depicted in Book of Artifacts (1993).
General information
Type:Artifacts
Publishing
First published:The Strategic Review #7 (1976).


The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar were gifted shortly after the Invoked Devastation by the Baklunish gods[citation needed] to their most exalted high priest, Al'Akbar, in what are now known as the Plains of the Ulakandar. The Cup and Talisman have great powers of healing.

"Know ye, O stranger, that this story begins long ago, in the Seventh Dynasty of the Sultans of Arir. During the reign of Sultan Amhara, infidel invaders swarmed from the East, swallowing Annan defenders and driving refugees before them. Their violent wave threatened even the magnificent capital city of Khaibar, in which Arir's greatest treasures were hidden for safekeeping. By repute this treasure included more gems of all kinds than there were stars in the sky; and of course, the treasure beside which all others pale—the Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar."—Day of Al'Akbar[1]

Description

Cup
"Twelve great gems form a riqg around the rim of this large gold chalice, which requires two hands to carry. Thr chalice glows with a faint golden light."[2]
Talisman
"This eight-printed star of hammered platinum hangs on a chain of gold and pearls. Each point of the star is tipped with a diamond, and elaborate patterns of gold inlay cover its surface."[2]

History

In the long and acient history of the Cup and Talisman, the two never appear in historical record insgly; they are always reported jointly.[2]

"After the artifacts were first used to care for the injured and sick,conflicts arose over the ownership of the Cup and Talisman. Some sought to use the items for good, while others wanted to support armiesofconquest,and skirmishes raged over their possession until the artifacts disappeared."[2]

"The Cup and Talisman were ... great treasures which had to be protected at all costs. They were hidden in a place of safety, surrounded by guards and wards of organic, mystical, and mechanical nature. History records that the invaders were beaten off at the very gates of Khaibar, but the Sultan was tragically killed at the height of the fighting. He alone apparently knew the only safe method of retrieving the Cup and Talisman... for many spiritual and temporal leaders made bold proclamations about being appointed by Providence to lead Arir, followed inevitably by an expedition to retrieve the Cup and Talisman, from which none ever returned."—Day of Al'Akbar[1]

The Cup and Talisman were granted to Al'Akbar by Al'Asran, described as "a being bathed in light,"[3] shortly after the Invoked Devastation[3][4][5][6] in order to help heal the suffering of the Baklunish people. Although it isn't known what this was specifically, there are legends which say it was either "a great plague created by evil deities or demon lords" or "a war in which great heroes were grievously wounded and killed."[2] "Once that time had passed and the artifacts were no longer crucial to survival and victory,

Al'Akbar brought the artifacts with him to Ekbir, where they remained in an honored place in the Mosque of Al'Akbar in Ekbir City. Eventually, however, "their very presence led to hostilities. All sought to own the artifacts, including their owners' enemies, neutral parties who sought their power, and even the owners' allies."[2] In 2878 BH (219 CY), the Procession of Blessing was attacked by a group of "strange elves who were as tall as men" who escaped pursuit astride giant eagles, heading toward the Barrier Peaks.[7] (This likely refers to valley elves and the location of the Valley of the Mage.) The grand mufti was held responsible for this loss and exiled from Ekbir forever. In response, he formed the rival True Faith of Al'Akbar in the Yatil Mountains, claiming that without the authority of the Cup and Talisman, the caliph was no longer Al'Akbar's true spiritual heir.[7]

The present locations of the Cup and Talisman are unknown, although some rumors insist they have been brought to the Pinnacles of Azor'alq.[8] They also have been reported in the southeastern Bandit Kingdoms[citation needed] and in Ekbir "somewhere in Glendaloch's Moors, not far from the sinister Morskmogil's Coast."[9]

Powers

As an artifact, the Cup and Talisman have an "ego", and thus, has its own goals. It seeks to use its powers to achieve its goals—"to prevent death and disease, avoid creating conflict because of the artifacts' allure, and atone for the past pain and bloodshed the artifacts have cause."[2]

Though the items are each individually powerful, they communicate as one entity. They speak and think as one.

"'Originally [in first edition], certain classes (cleric, druid, paladin, or ranger) could "fill the Cup with holy water and immerse the Talisman into the fluid to create a potion once a week," determined randomly."[10] It could produce potions, salves and ointments of various sorts, including healing potions, poison antidotes, curing disease, removing curses, and even a blam to raise dead.[10]

In later versions, these artifacts were also given powers beyond the random tables of the 1E DMG. The Cup could bless on contact and cure light wounds, while the Talisman could cure disease on contact and remove curse. Together, both artifacts could also resurrect a slain comrade up to seven times/week.'

[...] The Cup and Talisman had their own curious drawbacks as well as powers—particularly if non-good characters possessed or dared use either one. Using the Cup resulted in such a character losing 5d6 pounds every time; using the Talisman aged a character 3-30 years until he or she became a "deathless withered zombie guardian" of the very Talisman itself."[10]

Publishing history

First edition (1977-1988)

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar were also mentioned in the original 1979 Dungeon Master's Guide.[11]

Second edition (1989-1999)

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar were further developed in 1993's Book of Artifacts.[12]

Third edition (2000-2008)

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar appeared in the Book of Exalted Deeds (2003).[13]

Fourth edition

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar appeared in the Dungeon Masters Guide 2 (2009)[2] and in Dragon #379.[10]

Creative origins

The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar were created by Neal Healey for The Strategic Review #7 (1976), where they were associated with Allah.[14]

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

  • Carroll, Bart; Steve Winter. Artifacts | . Wizards.com. WotC, September 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 20123. Retrieved on 10 March 2025.

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ a b I9 Day of Al'Akbar (1986), p.2.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (2009), p.152-153.
  3. ↑ a b Living Greyhawk Journal #23 (Dungeon #104/Polyhedron #163, Nov 2003), p.106.  
  4. ↑ Book of Artifacts (1993), p.30.
  5. ↑ I9 Day of Al'Akbar (1986), p.20.
  6. ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (2009), p.152.
  7. ↑ a b Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.43.
  8. ↑ Greyhawk Adventures (1988), p.89.
  9. ↑ Living Greyhawk Journal #4 (May 2001), p.28.  
  10. ↑ a b c d Carroll, Bart; Steve Winter. Dragon #379, D&D Alumni-"Artifacts". Wizards.com. WotC, September 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 20123. Retrieved on 10 March 2025.
  11. ↑ Gygax, Gary (1979), Dungeon Masters Guide, Lake Geneva WI: TSR
  12. ↑ Cook, David. Book of Artifacts. (TSR, 1993)
  13. ↑ Wyatt, James, Darrin Drader, and Christopher Perkins. Book of Exalted Deeds. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003
  14. ↑ Healey, Neal. "Mighty Magic Miscellany." The Strategic Review #7. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, April 1976

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Al'Akbar, Cup of Item Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 157
Al'Akbar, Cup of Item Dragon magazine #299 101
Al'Akbar, Cup of Item Greyhawk Adventures 89, 99
Al'Akbar, Cup of Item I9 Day of Al'Akbar 2, 4, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 26, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38
Al'Akbar, Cup of Item Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 43, 165
Al'Akbar, Cup of Item Living Greyhawk Journal #4 28
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 157
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item Dragon magazine #294 93
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item Dragon magazine #299 101
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item Greyhawk Adventures 89, 99
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item I9 Day of Al'Akbar 2, 4, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 26, 31, 32, 34, 35
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 43, 165
Al'Akbar, Talisman of Item Living Greyhawk Journal #4 28
By the Light of the Cup and Talisman all Truth is Revealed (Al'Akbar) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Polyhedron magazine #163 106
Invoke the Cup and Talisman (Al'Akbar) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Polyhedron magazine #163 107
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