1. Unique Helms

Legendary helmets, crowns, and other types of headgear have a significant role in the stories about any great hero of old. Quite often, when the legends describe a hero's face, they actually give the depiction of the fearsome helmet or mask that he or she wore in battle.

A. Normal Helms – powerful artifacts that have a recent, more earthly origin, and belonged to rich or famous people or adventurers. They have been created by mortal men, by means that were quite superior to the ways of a common blacksmith.

Biggin's Bonnet (cap)

Description: A specifically shaped leather cap with decorations and ear protectors.

History: Biggin is the name of a sea-faring merchant who lived approximately 70 years ago. He traveled the Twin Seas and made occasional trips along the coast of the Sea of Light. His primary items of trade were expensive curios, books from the East, and various smaller weapons. He is also known to have traded with art and precious gems. His success stemmed not only from his exceptional skill in trading and bargaining, but also in his organizational skills, which ensured that his crew was always loyal and capable.

Along his journeys, Biggin always wore a leather bonnet, which had nothing unusual about it. It was a common ornamented cap, which, as he claimed, was his lucky charm. Biggin received many special gifts from magi he traded with, and often these gifts were in the form of item enchantment scrolls. The merchant always applied these enchantments on his "lucky bonnet" and thus bestowed magical properties upon it.

After his death, his four sons divided his wealth among them, but none even suspected about the power hidden in his bonnet. The simple leather cap was sold together with Biggin's other clothes and various personal belongings. It was only after the cap fell into the hands of an old sage when its secret was revealed... The Bonnet's magical nature can explain the vigor and zeal exhibited by Biggin, even in the later years of his life.

Its current location is unknown. It is clear, however, that Biggin's Bonnet has changed several owners, but their tracks are easily lost. The probability for the cap to turn up among a trader's goods is pretty low, and thus it is most probably still in possession of someone, or lost somewhere after it was supposedly thrown away or stashed somewhere along with other mundane items.

Effects: The numerous enchantments placed on the bonnet have created a unique effect, which bestows several powers upon the wearer. According to most accounts, the Bonnet gives a feeling of health and clearness of mind, as well as increased physical strength and feeling of fitness.

Tarnhelm (skullcap)

Description: A common-looking skullcap with a distinctive rust-like color.

History: Jaryk Darren was a well-known treasure hunter in Westmarch about a century ago. He went on numerous errands under the shroud of the moonless night, and desecrated numerous graves, half-ruined churches, and other sites that attracted a treasure hunter's attention. He is rumored to have discovered tons of gold and precious items, though no proof could ever be found, and Jaryk himself led a modest and simple life. In the beginning of his days as a treasure hunter, Jaryk sought mainly gold, gems, and magical jewels. Later, he specialized himself in hunting for various magical weapons, armor, and other artifacts which could be sold for much more than a couple of low-quality gems that could be found around old tombs.

One day Jaryk stumbled upon an old tower, where he discovered several magic rings and amulets. Something more important that he discovered was a very old and large book, whose covers were ornamented with gold. He took that book away and studied its secrets for a year. He was able to understand that the tome dealt with theory and spells related to the intricacies of luck and chance.

He found an enchantment inside the book, which was said to give special magic properties of good luck to an item. Jaryk tested the spell on a brand-new skullcap he had bought, and it did transform the item. Its color resembled that of rust, and the metal appeared tarnished and damaged, yet according to the book that was the correct effect of the spell. The book said: "Money is the root of evil, and that root grows in sick and tarnished soil."

Jaryk wore the transformed skullcap, and indeed discovered more and better treasures than ever before. He quickly earned a small fortune, and could afford to live a life away from graverobbing and the risky nocturnal expeditions. He coined the name "Tarnhelm" for his artifact, because of its unusual damaged appearance, which deceived the eyes of anyone who would try to determine if Jaryk had any artifacts to help him accumulate his wealth.

Eventually, the book's warning proved to be true – Jaryk was murdered by robbers who broke into his house during the night, with the intent of stealing his wealth...

The Tarnhelm was last reported to have been found in the vault of an old Zakarum cathedral, left there among the golden chalices by unknown hands. The priest who discovered it felt the unusual energies that surrounded the seemingly rusted and useless skullcap, swore that it alone attracted the gold to itself, and took it away for further study. The artifact's tracks are lost from this point on...

Effects: The Tarnhelm has the miraculous ability to improve the luck of its wearer. He or she is more likely to come across treasures of items of great power, and it is speculated that somehow the helm can direct its wearer to large amounts of gold. The enchantment placed on the helm by Jaryk a century ago is still strong, and attracts all kinds of precious items to itself, in a way few magi are able to explain. The book's warning must still be taken into consideration – too much wealth may attract unwanted attention...

Coif of Glory (helm)

Description: A large, massive, black helmet, shaped as the ones worn by ancient Praetorian guards.

History: The village of Brackenwood in Westmarch has been known for its deadly tournament, which takes place in a vast underground region, known as the Shadow Crypts. Adventurers of many kinds would gather at Brackenwood at the start of the Summer Festival and engage in contests of strength, agility, and intellect. The final and ultimate contest, however, takes place in the Shadow Crypts. The brave adventurers enter through the Black Gate into an underground world of danger and treasures.

There are numerous chambers within the Shadow Crypts – some of them are treasuries, armories, libraries of arcane wisdom, and other amazing chambers, holding great rewards, as well as great dangers for the unwary. The adventurer who is the first to reach the gold coffin hidden somewhere in the Crypts is the winner, and is allowed to carry away whatever treasures the sages of Brackenwood have hidden inside.

One adventurer of interest is Osmond Bane, who won the tournament three times in a row. After his third victory, he entered the Black Crypts once again, and sought out an ancient blacksmith shop, which was buried somewhere in the Crypts. When he discovered it, he alone could open its door, using a peculiar amulet – the prize of the triple winner in the tournament. He discovered precious metals, arcane essences, and other ingredients in the long-abandoned forge, as well as the plans to forge a helmet of unequaled design and power. The name Osmond gave it was "Coif of Glory."

The helmet he crafted for three days and nights was given to the sages of Brackenwood, and it was designated to be an honorable reward for the winner in the tournament. Every winner was allowed to wear the helmet until next year, when he or she would have to pass the artifact to the next winner, or enter the Crypts once again, and fight to keep the title and the prize of the winner one more year.

The tradition lasted for two centuries, until mysterious thieves stole the Coif of Glory, and its fate from there on is unknown... However, it is certain that he or she who finds the helmet will be able to enjoy its magical powers, as well as the respect its grim visage instills.

Effects: According to the information I was able to gather, the Coif of Glory possesses miraculous power, described by some as "the helmet himself seems to be imbued with anger." Our research into the possible enchantments used to craft it show that it is possible that the artifact was imbued with an essence of righteous wrath and vengeance.

One of the most significant effects of the helmet is that it is able to temporarily blind the victim of the wearer, clouding the sufferer's eyes with a blistering cloud of dark rage.

It is also known that he whoever attacks the wearer of the Coif of Glory would be struck by a magic force, electrical in nature, which emanates from the helm. The wearer's weapons are also infused with the vengeful power of lightning. Above all else, the helmet provides protection, magically strengthened against missile attacks.

Duskdeep (full helm)

Description: Old southwestern style helm, with a feeble glow.

History: During the Sin War, the small town of Satarnab, in the southern regions of Khanduras, was besieged by the forces of Darkness, led by a dark mage, whose name has been lost over the ages. Hordes of shadowy soldiers, aided by several summoned demons attacked the walls of Satarnab.

Due to the attackers' lack of siege machines, the defenders of the town were able to hold off the assault for a week, at the cost of heavy casualties. Surround by all sides, it was clear that the defenders would not last much longer against the dark mage's army, which was reinforced daily by summoned demons. The elders of Satarnab gathered, and resolved to divine a way to save the town, even if that required their own sacrifice...

Rabanast, the oldest and wisest guru among the elders of Satarnab, proposed that the siege could be broken if the dark mage who led the army (and held control over it through magical means) could be slain. This was a difficult task, since he was always surrounded by demonic bodyguards, and he commanded powerful elemental spells, which could destroy any potential assassin. The elders claimed these impediments made the task of slaying the mage impossible, and denied his proposal.

Despising them as fools, Rabanast stormed out of the meeting, and decided to devise his own plan to end the siege and save his beloved city. The old guru met a young and proud man, who was a well-known hunter in Satarnab, and proposed him the task of sneaking under the guise of darkness, and assassinating the dark mage.

The young hunter was brave, yet he realized how difficult his mission was. To aid him, Rabanast took the hero to an ancient disused shrine, dedicated to one of the pagan Goddesses of Night, and invoked a powerful enchantment on the helmet that the young man usually wore while hunting. The hunter watched in disbelief, as an ethereal figure, resembling that of a woman with an unnaturally long hair and skin as pale as the moonlit sky, came down from the temple's ruined altar and touched the helmet, giving it a slight glow. Rabanast felt that the old helm possessed a defensive blessing that would offer the needed protection against the dark mage.

The hunter sneaked into the dark mage's camp, and engaged his demonic bodyguards in fierce combat. He was struck by several bolts of fire and lightning cast by the dark mage, who was immensely surprised by the insignificant damage they caused. His surprise did not last for long, as the hero's hand buried his sword into the mage's evil heart... The next day, the siege was over, the young man was acclaimed as the hero of Satarnab, and the whole council of elders apologized to Rabanast for their foolishness.

After the hero's death, his helmet was returned to the wilderness where he had spent so much time. It was abandoned there, and its fate from there on is unknown...

Effects: Clearly, the defensive blessing put on "Duskdeep" (as it is named in some of the old records) is one of improved defense, elemental resistances (to all elements, most probably) and a light-devouring aura, which helps the wearer to sneak in the dark.

Howltusk (great helm)

Description: Great horned helm, with a shiny black tinting of the metal.

History: The horsemen tribes of the northern steppes were renowned in the past for their blacksmithing skills, which were also often involved with the magic arts, creating items of superb quality and strength.

One of the more special items created by these tribes' smiths was a helmet known as "Howltusk." It was a great helmet, colored black by a secret technique of adding onyx and obsidian to the metal during the process of smithing. No craftsman in the Western kingdoms has been able to reproduce this process yet...

The helmet was dedicated to the Keeper of the sacred burial ground where the great warriors, shamans, craftsmen, and kings of the northern tribes were laid to rest. That was a region where the land itself was pale gray, and fog often clouded the numerous stone structures that rose as silent witnesses to the greatness of those who lay buried under them. The Keeper of the burial grounds was a skilled warrior, appointed to guard alone the site against graverobbers and any other being who would seek to disturb the peace of the tombs...

The Keeper's position is a highly honorable one, and these few chosen were entitled to the most powerful arcane items that the tribes possessed. The Howltusk helmet was crafted with enchantments, carefully inscribed and entwined by the old blacksmith. Legend tells that this was his last creation before he retired forever...

A tale of reasonable authenticity exists, which claims that the burial ground once became the target of a rogue Necromancer, who started raising the honorable dead as skeletons – undead automatons of cold precision and desire to kill. The Keeper, aided by Howltusk, fought alone with legions of the monstrosities and, the tale claims, he stood upon a hill formed by the broken bones of his undead adversaries. Tired and angered beyond measure, he charged at the Necromancer, who cast upon him a terrible curse – the Iron Maiden. The Keeper struck the Necromancer and killed him, even though he perfectly realized the consequences of that strike...

The Iron Maiden's effect left the Keeper mortally wounded. Before his death, he took the helmet off, so that he could breathe, and threw it to his side. The thick fog that had fallen over the burial grounds during the battle concealed the helmet... and it disappeared.

The tribesmen came, buried all the shattered bones again, built a tomb for the heroically fallen Keeper, and concealed the traces of the sacrilege. However, no matter how hard they searched the area, they could never find the Howltusk. Still, rumors of its mysterious appearances in many areas around Sanctuary abound and none can explain them...

Effects: As an item oriented towards a guardian of a sacred site, the Howltusk's magical nature is oriented towards defense, damage reduction, as well as other combat-handy effects, such as Knockback. It is also told that the victims of the wearer's strikes would hear a ghostly wolf-like howl in their minds, and run away in terror, but this information has not yet been confirmed.

The Face of Horror (mask)

Description: A mask, with several strange markings on its face.

History: The old wizard Koln was well known in the northern regions of Kurast for his numerous magical pranks. His mischievous spells were amusing for many of his colleagues and fellow citizens alike, even though his jokes were sometimes cruel, and some of their victims were humiliated, scared, or even injured.

Koln's magical powers were far from humble, yet he never claimed he was a great mage, and he never contested with his colleagues. He led a simple life in his tower near a small town, and amused the local populace with his tricks.

Koln's specialty was spells of illusion, which served him very well in his pranks. This was also the field of magical study he first delved into as a young wizard apprentice. He was very skilled in his craft, and his illusions were immaculate – detectable only by the most powerful of wizards.

Then, one day, another wizard, named Serryn, decided to play a joke on the joker, and prepare a special magical prank for Koln. To make it even funnier, he decided to use the very art Koln excelled at.

Serryn created an illusory bridge over the river near the town marketplace, one that was only visible to Koln and no one else. When the wizard came along, absent-minded as usual, he decided to walk trough Serryn's bridge. The local townsfolk were very amused to see Koln head towards the river and fall into it with a scream of surprise. A splash, then laughter – everyone was laughing at the wet Koln...

The old prankster made funny jokes, but he alone could not accept them. He knew the prank was Serryn's design, and wanted revenge. As the other mage had made fun of him, Koln decided to scare Serryn to death. He personally crafted a mask, similar to the ones worn by some local warriors. He studied several books on the magic of fear and managed to devise a formula to imbue the highest possible number of fear spells into the mask.

The result was better than he expected – Serryn ran away the moment he saw Koln wearing his mask, screaming like a little girl. Everyone in town laughed once again, and life went on as before – with the old wizard's usual pranks. Koln threw away his mask, as it made him nervous even when he looked at it. Magical artifacts, however, are not easily lost. The mask fell in the hands of a group of merchants, and was taken away in an unknown direction...

Effects: It is interesting to note that the intricate combination of fear spells that Koln placed on the mask created an effect of suppressing the wearer's own fear, granting him or her increased strength and defensive abilities. Another interesting side effect was that the mask granted better damage against undead, which probably has something to do with the fact that these creatures do not have souls. A similar fear-suppressing mechanism has produced a side effect of increased elemental resistances that can only be explained by advanced magi. The mask also retains its high fear-causing potential.

Undead Crown (crown)

Description: A royal crown, with a deep black color, very cold to the touch.

History: The arrival of the northern Lord Leoric was a major event for Khanduras. He put an end to the infighting among the kingdom's nobility, and established his seat of power at Tristram, as a king of the newly united kingdom.

Proclaiming himself King in the name of Zakarum, the deeply religious Leoric brought many knights and priests with him, and renovated the decrepit monastery near Tristram, which became his new palace. Aided by his trusted advisor, the Archbishop Lazarus, Leoric established his authority and earned the respect of the initially untrusting local townsfolk.

Leoric reigned with might and honor, until a dark and mysterious illness fell over him. His body was weakened, and his mind clouded by an unknown affliction. The priests of Zakarum and the citizens of Khanduras recognized the terrible change in their beloved king. The Order of Light were worried that a dark force might have directed its destructive efforts against Leoric, yet the Archbishop Lazarus assured them that Leoric's illness was temporary and would be cured quickly. That never happened.

Leoric became known as the Black King for his cruelty and horrifying change. He executed many, terrorized the local villages, and even sent his knights on a suicidal attack against the kingdom of Westmarch.

The recent mysterious disappearance of Leoric's son, Albrecht, drove him into madness, which made it necessary for his own soldiers to confront him.

When Leoric was surrounded by his former bodyguards in one of the monastery's subterranean chambers, he brought down a terrible curse upon his soldiers, the moment Lachdanan's sword pierced his blackened heart.

Rumors claim that it was in this exact moment that a gruesome change came over the King's royal crown. Ghostly blue flames erupted from it, and it changed its color to pitch black – even the metal and the gems became as black as the deepest dungeons of the monastery.

Lachdanan is said to have picked up that crown, yet it was so cold to the touch that he dropped it immediately and ordered his knights to bury it together with the Black King. This is where it should be right now, even though several refugees from Tristram claimed that one of the reckless adventurers has recently discovered and taken the "undead crown" out of the Labyrinth...

Effects: The name "undead crown" comes from the supposed power of the black crown to bind powerful spirits of the underworld to its will. As a Necromancer explained it in the terms of his own trade – "It gives mastery over the undead, while it does not directly allow their raising. It only binds the souls, and commands them as the wearer demands." Information on the "undead crown" is scarce, yet it is speculated that it may grant other abilities and resistances related to the undead.

Wormskull (bone helm)

Description: An oddly shaped skull, a little larger than a human head, with ornaments

History: An old hermit, former Necromancer, lived in the farthest southeastern regions of Kurast, on the shore of the Sea of Light. His name was Tetanus, and he was exiled from the Necromancer's underground cities after an accident, caused by his own clumsiness, resulting in the deaths of several young necromancer acolytes. The High Priest of Rathma banished Tetanus and told him never to return until he could prove himself worthy of being accepted back into their fold.

Tetanus lived as a hermit on the coast, torn between the shame of his previous failure and the anger towards his former brothers and sisters, who cast him out like a leper. He settled at an area that looked suitable enough. He could also feel something strange there around the coast – something only a Necromancer could sense. He settled there, determined to discover the source of the strange feeling.

He survived by growing plants and fishing. He occasionally sold potions he personally concocted at the nearest village (two days away), and bought anything he needed from there.

One day, the strange feeling in the area became stronger, and a huge, worm-like creature emerged from the raging sea. Tetanus recognized a creature attuned to the Great Cycle of Being, a creature that could help him a lot... if he could only kill it.

He swam to the sea monster and attacked it boldly with nothing but his dagger. He climbed on the creature's head and started to strike it with all the strength he had. The monster tried everything to get rid of the human, by shaking violently and diving underwater. Yet, at the end, Tetanus prevailed, and the water all around him was red with the dead sea monster's blood.

He chopped off the creature's head and cleaned the skull to the bone. He could feel the potential emanated by that skull, and he knew that sightings of the worm-like creatures were extremely rare. He possessed a priceless item.

He brought the skull to the Necromancer's gathering, and presented it to them. They were sincerely amazed, since that was the first time one of them managed to hunt down and catch one of the worm-like creatures, which possessed an unexplainable attunement to the Cycle. Tetanus was accepted back in the Order of Rathma with honors, and the skull was used to create a helmet, which possessed significant Necromantic powers innate to it.

The recent fate of the "Wormskull" is unknown, as several Necromantic outposts have recently been raided by the Flayers of the jungles, including the outpost where Tetanus lived nearly a century ago...

Effects: The skull of the mysterious sea monster has powerful necromantic effects, increasing the powers and skills of any priest of Rathma who would wear it. It also possesses several skills, similarly useful for one who communes with the dead, but they have not yet been confirmed.

I still wonder if this thing has potential - perhaps I should write a few more chapters before I decide...

Feedback would be greatly appreciated - do you you enjoy this kind of fan fic?