Crown of Horns The Crown of Horns was an evil , intelligent artifact of great power . Forged by Trebbe , a Netherese arcanist , and later enhanced by Myrkul , the former god of Death , it carried with it a long history of corruption and tragedy . Description . After its destruction and subsequent reformation , the " Crown of Horns " appeared as a silver circlet with a black diamond set on the brow and four bone horns mounted around its edge . Powers . It is unknown what powers the artifact had before it was possessed by Myrkul other than its sentience and its capability to interfere with the minds of its wearers . After its possession however , the " Crown " imbued the wearer with several considerable necromantic powers — including the unique " Myrkul ' s Hand " property — but had a tendency to strongly influence that action of the wearer , changing his or her alignment to neutral evil and gradually making him or her into an undead creature , among other things . History . The " Crown of Horns " was originally designed by the Netherese archwizard Trebbe , the founder of the flying Netherese enclave Shadowtop Borough . In - 2237 DR , while working on the " Crown " , it exploded , killing Trebbe and destroying a block of the enclave . The " Crown " itself wasn ' t destroyed , but it was lost . In - 1423 DR , the " Crown " was seen again , this time in the hands of another archwizard , Requiar . Requiar used it to slay 30 other archwizards and conquer Shadowtop Borough . The artefact drove Requiar mad though and he was rendered incapable . After the insensate arcanist was overthrown , his killers searched for the " Crown " but despite powerful divinations , a thorough search of the city , and many parties of adventurers scouring the Eastern Forest over the next 150 years , they failed to find it . In - 644 DR , the " Crown " was finally rediscovered by the archwizard Shadelorn . Shadelorn was working on a project to succeed where Ioulaum had failed in creating an improved mythallar . In - 342 DR , another archwizard , Shenandra , was working on countering the " lifedrain " magic of the phaerimm at the same time . As misfortune would have it , the two successfully completed their projects at precisely the same time on Shadowtop Borough . The " Crown " , wanting revenge on the city for its previous defeat , had been imperceptibly corrupting Shadelorn ' s work and when he activated his new mythallar , it drained all magic and memorized spells from everything and everyone within a 20 - mile radius . The enclave fell , its inhabitants died , the threat from the phaerimm persisted and the only thing to survive intact was the " Crown " . At one point , the " Crown " was in the possession of the Netherese lich Aumvor the Undying , who wished to use the crown to make Laeral Silverhand his bride by leaving it for her adventuring band , The Nine , to find . Laeral donned the crown in 1337 DR but Aumvor ' s plot failed when the " Crown " ' s powers conflicted with Laeral Silverhand ' s spellfire power and drove her into madness . The " Crown " was sundered by her future consort , the archmage Khelben " Blackstaff " Arunsun , who locked its pieces away within the heavily protected walls of his tower , Blackstaff Tower . However , when Myrkul died at Midnight ' s hand during the Time of Troubles , the god tore the broken shards of the " Crown " from Blackstaff Tower , reforged it into a new shape , and infused it with the remains of his sentience before teleporting away . Myrkul , through the " Crown " , continued to spread evil through the Realms , tormenting members of the Church of Cyric as well as hapless innocents , avoiding allies of Khelben and temples of Mystra . The " Crown of Horns " was seen in the possession of a yuan - ti pureblood named Nhyris D ' Hothek in 1370 DR , who disappeared from his haunts in Skullport after the " Crown " transformed him into a lich . People and creatures who have remained dedicated to Myrkul , or who have become dedicated to him since his demise , devoted themselves to him through the Crown of Horns by touching it and were known as Horned Harbinger s – Nhyris included .