Antlered Crown of Athalantar

The Crown of Athalantar, commonly known as the Antlered Crown of Athalantar, was a symbol of office for the monarch of the lost realm of Athalantar.
==Description==
The crown was described as magnificent, a jeweled metal browband, with seven antler-like spires sweeping up from it, and three flatter, wider spires sweeping down - two that would go down in front of the ears, and one that would go down the back of the head.
==Powers==
The crown possessed only simple enchantments to protect the metal from tarnishing, and ward off fire and physical damage.
==History==
The crown was a gift to the King of Athalantar (exactly which king was not noted) from the elves who resided west of the nation. It was intended as a gesture of neighborly friendship but the majority of Athalantans thought the elves had enchanted the crown so that they could control the king who wore it.
As such, a crude replica with barely any of the craftsmanship of the original was created, and a permanent illusion placed on it so that a casual observer would not be able to tell the difference.
When elves with the ability to detect or see through the illusion queried why this was, they were told that the King believed it to be too great a treasure to be worn all of the time.
By the time Elminster came of age in Athalantar, the true crown had been consigned to legend as an artifact that proved the elves as sinister and false. The Magelords never wore either the true crown nor the replica, and by the time that they were overthrown in 240 DR, neither version of it could be found.
However, the crown did not stay lost forever. It resurfaced a millennia later circa 1242 DR in the hands of Drace Harandrur of Saerloon, a merchant wizard. He discovered that the magic of the crown was easily traceable with simple divination spells, so he passed it onto a pirate that he worked with, one Laeruth "Redhand" Redelrar, claiming that it was the "lucky pirate crown of Astrigrar", a dead pirate who, long ago, plied the Sea of Fallen Stars and earned himself plenty of infamy. This allowed Drace to track Laeruth, making sure that he could tip him off to ships belonging to his rivals and protect his own fleet from attack. Laeruth was killed by another pirate, Murluth Selkurt in 1247 DR, but Murluth chose to keep the crown rather than melting it down or selling it, allowing Drace to assassinate Murluth. Drace disappeared soon after Murluth's death, and the crown disappeared with him.
==Rumors and Legends==
Ed Greenwood has suggested that Drace Harandrur pursued the path of lichdom and could still have the Antlered Crown in his possession at his home in Selgaunt, but did not confirm this to be true.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Crowns
Category:Magic items
Category:Elven items