Ring of Unshackled Desire

Ring of Unshackled Desire

Also known as	The Ring of Raven
Type	Artifact, perhaps pre-Imperial
Power	Reveals the wearer’s deepest desire and the surest path to it
Whereabouts	Unknown; existence disputed

The Ring of Unshackled Desire - sometimes called the Ring of Raven after the great heroine, though historians agree it has no true link to her - is an ancient relic, perhaps older even than the Empire. By legend it shows its wearer the greatest longing of their soul, and then lays before them the surest path to obtain it. Kingdoms are said to have risen and fallen for its sake.

While scholars dismiss the Raven connection, both Najin Delinqa’s *Raven: A Critical Look* and Olo the Bard’s *Fables of Relics* tie the ring instead to Ismareldor, the Crimson Knight. Its appearance is described too inconsistently for certainty, and some doubt it survives - or ever existed - at all.

The Contest

A great contest is held to win the ring, drawing champions from across the world - each chasing a longing only the relic might satisfy. They come both as lone hopefuls and as bands: the fellowship of the Faithful Companions, the demon-hunting Cursed Conclave, the Messengers (a delegation of envoys sent by the great nations to carry the prize home), the Servants of Eldrai, dispatched by a lich, and the mercenary Red Hawk. Among the solitary entrants are the apathetic goblin Pisma Janbir, the diviner Therastria Galanodel, the steppe-born Ostani Te, and the feather-cloaked Valentin Orlana.

References

• One of the Regalia of the Empire, catalogued by Growla Taboar of GUNAM.

Sources & Attribution

• Primary lore: content/Books/Regalia of the Empire.md (Growla Taboar, GUNAM); also content/Books/Raven A Critical Look.md and content/Books/Fables of Relics.md, author TrueMichato.