The Ring of Exhaustion was a magical cursed ring that caused the wearer to suffer one further level of Exhaustion per day, leading to their eventual death. The ring could only be removed after transferring it (and thus the curse) to another victim. This victim had to take the ring willingly, but didn't need to know about the curse itself.
It was initially given to Toby Treacletart as a gift by Doug Rubble, who claimed it was a "Ring of Mind Shielding". After realizing about the curse, the ring was transferred to Uthgar, a god whom Toby's friend Skud Derringer had a gripe with (Uthgar was Skud's distant father). Wearing the Ring, and realizing that Skud had cursed him, caused Uthgar to undergo a change of heart, eventually resulting in his apologizing to his son. Uthgar vowed to be a better father, and the two became closer. As a result, Skud convinced his faithful servant Gengar to take the ring, freeing Uthgar. The campaign ended before Gengar's fate was resolved, so he presumably died because of it.
Recent Events[]
Toby Treacletart and his friends helped Doug Rubble in fighting a Mind Flayer Elder Brain, and acquiring some of its brain brine for drugs. As a reward, Doug gifted Toby with a Ring of Mind Shielding. It's alleged purpose was to prevent Toby's thoughts from being read, but also had the added benefit of, if Toby were to die while wearing it, absorbing his soul, to be collected later.
After a few days, Toby began to feel the true effects of the ring. He felt tired, worn out, like a weight was crushing him down. They investigated the ring, heading to a nearby Temple of Mordin, where the local priest there informed them that it was, in fact, a Ring of Exhaustion, which would kill him in a few short days unless he could pass it off to someone else. Several ideas were tossed around as to how they would accomplish this. Ultimately, they decided to transfer it to Skud Derringer's father, Uthgar, who was a real piece of work. Skud took the ring from Toby, thus clearing the young gnome, but cursing Skud. They then went to Uthgar, and Skud was able to convince his father to take it, by pretending it had the ability to let Uthgar pull off his favorite skateboarding trick. Uthgar took the ring (thus freeing Skud from the curse), but immediately realized that it was cursed, and he'd been duped. Skud and co. then ran off.
Later, Skud died. His soul (on its way to a clone body that Toby had prepared for him) was intercepted by Uthgar, and the two had an emotional moment of connection. Having been cursed by his son, Uthgar realized that he'd been making the wrong decisions in life, and was determined to be a better father to Skud. He offered his services, should Skud ever need them. He also decided to keep wearing the Ring, as it was a constant reminder of his failures, and of his mission to be a better father.
Later still, when Skud and co. were on their way to fight a Tarrasque, Uthgar appeared to them. We was noticibly weaker, the effects of the Ring clearing taking their toll. But despite this, Uthgar volunteered to help them in their fight. His assistance proved quite valuable, and they were successful in defeating the Tarrasque. After this, he again volunteered to accompany them on their quest to find Bigby and/or Trant Thumble, again despite his weakness due to the Ring. They agreed to let him come, but this was subsequently forgotten about, so Uthgar didn't end up going with them.
After they found out what Trant was up to, the party contacted as many gods as they could, to warn them of Trant's plot to kill all the gods/wreak havoc. Toby and Lahni Caplain met with Uthgar, to warn him. He was still wearing the ring, re-iterating his conviction for his son, and resolve to wear it as a reminder of his past.
Before the final battle, the party was preparing themselves for the end, not knowing if they were going to survive. Uthgar made another appearance, still wearing the Ring, and still suffering it's ill effects. In order to get him to take the Ring off, they convinced Skud to give Uthgar another gift. And so, Skud made (very quickly) some macaroni art, and gave it to his dad. This did the trick, and Uthgar agreed to remove the Ring. The only viable candidate for who should take it was Skud's level 4 Fighter companion, Gengar, who was loyal to Skud. This was a big decision, but Gengar agreed to do it, due to his loyalty. That, and because his existence was nothing but pain and suffering whatever. Finally freed from the curse, Uthgar told Skud he was proud of him, and faded away.
Later, Skud was imprisoned in an unknown dimension, seemingly for eternity. This happened at the end of the main campaign. Gengar's fate was left unknown, but it can be presumed that he was killed by the Ring's curse.
Notable Owners[]
Quotes[]
- "I am essentially mortal right now, because of this terrible ring. But, it's the only gift you've ever given me, so I'm keeping it." ~ Uthgar