Eye of Gilbraxis

Eye of Gilbraxis

The Eye of Gilbraxis is an infernal artifact of immense magical power, fashioned to resemble an eye of bronze, brass, and pearl. Shade recovered one in Session 43 and attuned to it by replacing one of her own eyes with it. It is not an inert relic — it has a will of its own, the soul of a dead wizard, and it has made that will increasingly, audibly known to its bearer.

Appearance

An artificial eye crafted from bronze, brass, and pearl. To the magically sensitive it radiates immense power. Shade, drawing on her infernal background, recognized it by name as the Eye of Gilbraxis — "or at least one of them," implying more than one may exist.

Properties

The Eye grants its bearer the ability to cast, at will and as free actions:

• Detect Magic
• Identify
• See Invisibility
• Comprehend Languages

It can also be sent out of the socket to act as an invisible, near-invulnerable arcane eye for remote scouting — it tears itself free of the socket with a graphic, wet sound and flies under the bearer's control, returning to the socket as a bonus action (costing the bearer a small amount of bleeding damage — 1d4 — each time it is out).

Sentience and Will

The Eye is aware, and it communicates with Shade — at first only in pressed impressions (warnings, revulsion, wants), and later in a clear telepathic voice. It takes its own place in the initiative order during a fight, and it has its own agenda.

• A sense for danger. In Session 45, as the party fought the mythic Mind Gobbler, the Eye recoiled in open terror and pressed an insistent warning onto Shade across multiple rounds — a visceral "get out of here… that thing is terrifying, you don't know what you're doing" — that helped push the company to flee. In Session 46 it warned her away from the Aboleth's lake ("avoid the water").
• It was a wizard. In Session 48, among Maccath the Crimson's salvaged spellbooks, the Eye spoke up in plain words — "That book, the black one, on the left. Let me see that book" — and revealed its own history: "This is a powerful spellbook from a powerful wizard. I was a wizard before I was slain. And I can help you use some of these spells." It insisted Shade physically press it into the pages ("Put me in the pages, open the book, and put me in there. I need to touch it!"), bonded with the necromantic tome, and afterward declared its satisfaction.
• It gates Shade's necromancy. Following that bonding, the spellbook's magic only works through Shade "so long as the Eye of Gilbraxis agrees with what you want to do" — the artifact is now a partner (and a check) on her casting, not just a tool.

Curse

The Eye carries a curse: its bearer is partially blind to non-magical creatures and objects — disadvantage on related Perception/Investigation checks and saves, and a penalty to weapon attacks against the mundane.

Attunement

The Eye cannot be worn or held — to attune to it, the user must replace one of their own eyes with it. Shade did so in Session 43; Alexios removed her eye and she seated the artifact in the empty socket. By Session 46 it was established that the Eye can no longer be un-attuned — it is permanently part of her.

Improved Eye of Gilbraxis (Session 48)

In Session 48, among the spellbooks Maccath the Crimson had salvaged in Arauthator's lair, the Eye recognized a black necromancer's spellbook as the work of a wizard like the one it once was, and had Shade bond it into the book (at the cost of a point of damage), creating the Improved Eye of Gilbraxis. The upgrade:

• No longer occupies an attunement slot.
• Gains a 5-charge spell system drawn from the necromancer's book (spells cost 1–5 charges, recharging on a long rest) — including necromancy magic such as Animate Dead, Reincarnate, and Gentle Repose, alongside its retained Identify and Comprehend Languages.

The book must be carried for the granted spells to be available, and the Eye must "agree" for them to be cast. This bonding directly foreshadowed Shade's own turn from bard toward necromancy ("I am a master of the dead now").

History

Found in a hidden vault deep within Garmok's Mine (a chest with red-tinted gold, magical full plate, and a Wand of Protection from Good); implanted by Shade in Session 43; began making its will and warnings known to her in Session 45; made permanent by Session 46; spoke aloud and revealed its wizard origin while upgrading to the Improved Eye in Session 48.

Current Bearer

Shade, in place of one of her natural eyes.