Binding Collars of Shul Ux Han

A manuscript was sealed in the Dungeon: Scuttle's compass coffer, tied to the top of a box, wound with ancient looking paper seals. The box contained a bracelet and collar of shining black metal, each with simple clasp snaps, chained together with a six foot long fine chain of the same shining black metal. The manuscript, read by a handful of adventurers read as the following:

Foreword

The Binding Collars of Shul Ux Han manuscript sets before you – Late in our works, before the Era of Upheaval went into full fall, the scholarship of Shul Ux discovered that they had need to seal the power of mages.  Their Magnus Demna Wonika developed a powerful collar system, aided by the unfurled ingenuity of her students.  The Shul Magi were prepared to take significant measures to prohibit the misuse of magic.  Here before you is a brief treatise on these works that would bind the minds of mages that wore them.

I, Izekiel Mongrace Kerthm, Magus of Shul, and student of the late Magnus Demna Wonika, affirm this humble record.

Greetings to you, in the name of Three from Whom all glories and perfections descend,

It was clear as the Dawn Age concluded; the fall of the Magnus, Athartus Heige and many of his students, the bickering between the colleges as other Magni proposed more and more maniacal spells, and rogue magic from the nativist mutants able to twist the gifts if the Three Moons, not even to mention the increased incidence of the creatures calling themselves Neetghyng, and the Camisado’s Rage incident that destroyed Hath'hamia; the students of Shul Ux Han College must proceed with their plan: to create a system to incarcerate those who feel libertine to do vileness with the arcane.

My student meister, Magus Totharus Dagen, a well intentioned but mislead Mikken, of otherwise admirable character, objected to our pursuit.  Sadly, he would accuse the staff, mostly Antha, of being predatory in our mindset.  He could not imagine a crime meet to restrict magic in any creature.  While I adore his valiant protection of personal freedoms, I felt he lacked vision of the greater evil that would be left to those who felt above not only law and custom, but above reproach in their flaunting of order.  Thus was he the first to leave our ranks.  There would be dozens after him, and eventually, when the College at Allise and its master Gregary Botathella learned of our industry, they would make no end of opposition to us, going so far as to engage in terrorism of our sacred lands.

The students, the Magi of Shul would continue to work through our holy work, and sadly we had to make many compromises to insure a just, and perfect gift to the world.  However, in spite of the odds against us, and the wretched small-mindedness of the other mages of our community, we would impose dignity back unto our gods affirming craft, at any cost.

It was in the third day of Thatus, in the year 1256, after a fine morning meal had in our solarium, that we rose and set the final spells over the prototype.  A captured creature, formerly a mage of Allise, labeled C175 for punitive purposes, was brought to the lecture hall at Lumbay.  The level of charming magic, the *mind embellishment* that had to be cast on C175, had taken a toll on Magus Solbrites, and it affirmed our final commitment, and rid us of jitters, natural with any final experiment.  Solbrites was like many before him, exhausted from trying to quash the reckless impulses of criminal arcanists.  He would finally have a time to rest.  Student Guide Magus Otharus Del Thanna rose and stood with with the bracelet in place and the the collar poised to snap around C175's neck.  Solbrites dropped his *mind embellishment*, "charm person" as the students have began to call it, and C175 became aware as the collar snapped around it's neck.  *Countermand arcana* was prepared by several Quick-Cast Magi, as protocol demanded.

C175 did just as I had predicted to the gathered Magi in yesterday's lecture.  It stood, naked save for our holy collar, binding it to Thanna's wrist, and was brazen enough to speak the word to cast *displace self.*The effect was immediate, and satisfying, C175 collapsed to the ground in agony.  Thanna laughed heartily as the weight of the subject pulled him forward unexpectedly, and it was contagious, we had done it!  Tears and laughter of joy came and filled lecture hall 23.

Within days we had several prototypes finalized to the specs used in Alpha.  The bracelet could be unbound and it and the chain left on the floor, and the arcanist so trapped could no more touch the collar than they could touch the surface of Luxi.  They could do nothing to their Binder, the one wearing the bracelet, if they so much as thought of violence against their Binder they would fall sick, utterly and completely helpless.  Its effect is tantamount to *mind embellishment* cast permanently upon the Gaoled, the subject committed to the collar.  However, the subject is aware of their normal natural mind state, yet are bound to the command of the Binder, and absolutely, utterly unable to escape.  While this is a flaw that could never be overcame from the original design, the psychological effect is regardless, chilling upon the mind of the Gaoled.

Additional time spent with C175, C143, and B27 (a long term test subject that had survived admirably), with the Alpha, Beta and Gama Collars revealed that the Binder was given an unobstructed view of the Gaoled's mind, as if under *mental scan*.  While some of the younger magi found this continual *mental scan* unnerving, particularly since the Gaoled subjects thought such cruel and horrid things, I found it to be pleasing, and a good assurance of the Binder's absolute control.  Again, the Gaoled were an opened book to their Binders.  Finally, we had created a perfect cell for the renegade arcanist.

Curiously, we discovered a most excellent boon to our magics, unexpected in initial research.  The Binder has absolute control over the magic of the Gaoled.  Not that the Gaoled can cast, to touch the magisphere is to be filled with inexorable agony.  However, this agony can be staved off if the Binder allows and guides the Gaoled to cast under their command.  Not only can criminals be punitively prohibited their evils, but the Binder sealing them, can *cast though them using the subject's magic!*  This is a blessing beyond blessings!  Not only can we punish the wicked, but we can force them to right their wrongs with their own magic.

We shall present our findings to the colleges of Ten Her'ra and Vhig Frome, Chut Chiese, Bethmelel and the Bachsine's school Honara Zeadra, school of the Goddess of the Black Moon.  May peace return to our land!

Under the Ebony, the Crimson and the Alabaster Moons, to them all glory,

Demna Wonika, High Mattana of Zeela Hath, Magnus of Shul Ux Han College