The Gauntlet of Ventyr is a single, right-handed gauntlet made up of many carved plates of ivory, jade, and silver, all interlocked together, which gives the Gauntlet impressive articulation. The Gauntlet was very beautiful. Each of the plates has a different magical pictogram on it, with some being so tiny the person who has the Gauntlet cannot make out the carving. It is an intelligent artifact and communicates telepathically.
History[]
The Gauntlet of Ventyr was created by dwarves from Thorbardin during the War of the Mountain. Before it was to be used to stop the Empire of Ergoth’s wizards, Kith-Kanan was able to have both sides sign the Swordsheath Scroll. For the next two thousand years, Ventyr remained in Thorbardin's treasury until, just before the Cataclysm, the Hylar Thane Beldris gave the Gauntlet to Aniirin I in exchange for two boatloads of grain (according to the Gauntlet).
Aniirin the First, a renegade wizard, used the Gauntlet to protect his city of Qindaras from the mages of the Towers of High Sorcery from magical attack. He cursed the Gauntlet so that only his decedents could use it, and if it left the palace of Qindaris, the palace would be destroyed. He also heavily enchanted the city and charged the Gauntlet with keeping the enchantments powered and operational.
It continued to be used by Aniirin II who was also a wizard. When Aniirin III ascended the throne, he never learned magic, never used the Gauntlet, and it slowly drained all its stored up magical power by keeping the palace enchantments functioning. Eventually Ventyr appeared to Lyim Rhistadt who seized control of the city and he took the Gauntlet. Together Lyim and the Gauntlet led the people of Qindaras on an attack against the Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth. Lyim was defeated and the Gauntlet was turned over to a Thorbardin Hylar Dwarf dwarf named Hothjor.
Hothjor took the Gauntlet back to Thorbardin and there it sat in a vault. After the Chaos War, the Gauntlet of Ventyr went into a deep hibernation. In 412 AC, Severus Stonehand took the Gauntlet with him to find the lost nation of Thoradin. He found the nation and nearly drained all the magic from the Gauntlet. Somehow the Gauntlet was able to escape and Daewar Dwarves were sent out into the world to find it.
The Gauntlet created the persona "Trenna" and began traveling to the Tower of Wayreth in hopes of companionship and a source of energy to survive. Trenna claimed to be from Sanction and received a curse in an ancient temple below Sanction that makes her ill when using sorcery. It lied to adventurers to gain help, claiming to be cursed and trying to get to Wayreth to remove the curse. The Daewar hunting for it believed that Trenna was a thief that stole the Gauntlet. When Trenna arrives at the Tower, the Master of the Tower of Wayreth dispels the polymorph and takes the Gauntlet into custody.
Versions[]
Novelization[]
The Gauntlet absorbs the ambient magic of the world. By it's own description, it functions like a grazing animal, eating any energy in the area. The Gauntlet generally absorbed local energy in a way that was not noticed but was pressed by Lyim to absorb ambient energy across Ansalon, causing all wizards to suffer intermittent failures when trying to cast spells. At the peak of it's power, the Gauntlet prevented all magic by the Wizards of High Sorcery across the continent.
In a direct confrontation, the Gauntlet could counter any arcane spell and generate anti-magic fields. It held no power over faerie magic. It was impervious to physical damage and could be used as a shield or weapon in combat.
The Gauntlet was able to create the illusion of a person in anyone's mind and it used this to create a visible "person" that it used to communicate. The Gauntlet was also capable of various other effects, like making someone invisible to specific people (such as guards, but not their allies) or controlling Fiends from the Abyss.
The Gauntlet of Ventyr first appears to Lyim as a lithe human woman with mother-of-pearl hair wearing a mauve, gossamer wrap. Later she appears to Lyim and Guerrand DiThon as a red haired woman wearing a gossamer wrap of sparkling, crushed ruby. The form evokes their mutual romantic partner Esme. The Gauntlet's form is insubstantial and can transform into mist or return to the Gauntlet at will. The Gauntlet says it uses these form when speaking to men. In these personas, it goes by the name "Ventyr."
SAGA[]
Six times per day, the Gauntlet can analyze magical auras. It can negate magical effects of any pre-Chaos War magic item. It can also generate a sphere of anti-magic once per day, but it only effects pre-Chaos War magic; Spells and innate abilities still function.
The Gauntlet can also polymorph itself into a humanoid physical form. Her preferred form is Trenna, a human sorceress. She can use any school of sorcery, can affect living things, and has no maximum sorcery points. Her physical stats reflect her stored sorcery points. She can regain points by absorbing the charges from pre-Chaos War magical items.
D20 System[]
The Gauntlet can absorb arcane magic from any source. Any spell cast within ten feet is automatically absorbed. It can absorb 100 levels of spells and that power can be used by the wielder to power their own spells. It can create a type of anti-magic field, increasing the size of the effect 1 ft. per day. The gauntlet can communicate with it's wielder as far as 25 miles away. The Gauntlet's powers only work on arcane magic and are useless against divine magic.
The Gauntlet can also polymorph itself into a humanoid physical form. Her preferred form is Trenna, a human, tenth level sorceress.
References[]
- The Seventh Sentinel (Novel), p. 73-76, 227, 239, 303
- The Last Tower: The Legacy of Raistlin, "Secrets of the Tower" pg. 95-96, "Adventures in Magic" throughout
- Towers of High Sorcery (Sourcebook), p. 61-62