Amulets.

Soulbinder Amulets:

Created long ago in the Taymoran Empire by servants of the Necromancer-Kings, these vile devices store the souls of the slain. The Amulets are shaped like tiny, razor-sharp ritual daggers on mithril chains; to absorb soul essence, the blade must be plunged into the throat of the victim (or some other vital place, in the case of non-humanoid victims, such as Treants) before death takes them. For those who know how, the soul essence can be used to increase the range, duration, and/or damage caused for many spells - the more essence consumed, the greater the increase. The Amulets can also be used to acquire special abilities for their bearers from the victims, as long as the souls all belong to a single specific race. Once five souls have been captured, a single ability may be gained - for instance, an Elf's infravision, or immunity to paralysis - with another ability at ten souls, a third at twenty souls, and so on - the number of souls required doubles each time. The wielder cannot control which ability is acquired, and the abilities are only available so long as the Necromancer carries the Amulet about her person. There is no limit, apart from availability and expense, to how many of these Amulets a single person may have. As an example, the Necromancer Khelasis was rumoured to have an Amulet containing 10 Elf souls, which granted her infravision and immunity to paralysis; one containing at least 5 Treant souls, allowing animation of trees; and another with random soul essence, which she used as a spell-booster.

Hundreds of these Amulets were made during the Taymoran era, and a few may yet survive. Use of such an item is considered an EXTREMELY evil act, and would certainly result in an alignment shift if used by good characters. Carrying one, however, is not evil, so long as no attempt is made to use it. Destruction of a Soulbinder Amulet - not an easy task, as the devices become more durable with every soul taken - could be the object of a difficult quest for mid-level characters, particularly since the bearer becomes subject to horrific nightmares, thanks to the imprisoned souls.

Contribution from : CQuaif@aol.com