The Soul Stein of Degron the Loquacious
by Kevin WytonAfter a long and fruitful life as a silversmith Degron could feel the end of his years approaching. As many dwarves do he began preparations for his masterwork creation. He soon concluded that only a stein would suit his tastes. He sought out the best silver he could find, prepared his forge and after many days produced an excellent drinking stein.
The sides of the stein depict an axe-wielding dwarf in platemail delivering the deathblow to a dragon. The neck and head of the dragon form the handle of the stein with the rest of the scene wrapped around the sides. The workmanship is exquisite, definitely the work of a dwarven master.
As Degron applied the final touches to his masterwork he felt himself slipping away.
Degron's soul now resides within the stein he created. He can see through the eyes of the dwarf depicted on the stein but his vision is limited to the direction the mug is facing and to a range of about six feet. While Degron can communicate with holder of the mug by telepathy, he is very selective about whom he speaks to. He will introduce himself almost immediately to goodly aligned dwarves but others generally only hear him after he has liberally "sampled" whatever they are drinking.
Thanks to several hundred years of "close contact" with a variety of alcohols Degron has built up an astounding fortitude for alcohol and an amazing array of tavern tales and drinking songs.
Degron's "sampling" of his contents generally amounts to no more than a few ounces but he is capable of draining himself several times if the mood strikes him. This usually results in almost immediate intoxication for him.
One particular side effect of his new form is that he is completely unaffected by poison. Just as he can "taste" the alcohol within him, (and he usually gives his dwarven opinion on its quality) he can taste poison, and depending on his relationship with his current bearer he might inform him/her of it.