Nightmare Helm

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The first Nightmare Helm was made by a Tragaran wizard named Phûru Hlotho-Tam. She got the idea from failed designs and recipes found in the ruins of Drachlaz. From the bits of historical text found, she gathered that Varelay wanted to bring nightmares to Bal-Kriav to serve as a calvary for patrolling Anutoth's plains. She also learned that they had the same problem she had as a vampire, animals steered clear of her and potential mounts were unwilling to let her type or the demons use them as mounts. The demons decided that they needed to bring in some steeds that were native to Nawirrûs's darker systems. They had their demon enchanters try and bring in nightmares using conjuration, but this did not work out so well since it was like coming upon a wild horse, except ten times worse, on first chance the beast will try to throw you and if you happen to be weaker than it, the carnivore will turn you into a meal. Phûru used the demon spells of summoning and their rituals of bindings magic. She bound the summoned nightmare to a helmet and not to the summoner, something that the demons tried but seemed to have lacked the proper binding spells.

Nightmare Helms are coal black with two ornately carved horse legs that are shaped to be kicking back from the sides of the helm. The helmet has a 2' long blood red plume which comes is made from the tail of a breed of stench cows.

Across the worlds where evil is strong, nightmares prey on stench cows more than any other. The tail on the Nightmare Helm is the magical lure that entices the nightmare to answer the helm's summoning.

- Phûru, from the Nightmare Helm item creation recipe - "The Lure"

When wearing the helm, the footfalls of the wearer produce small clouds of low-lying noxious smoke. These clouds fill a small area around the user's feet but are such that most small pests are knocked out if they enter it.