Captain's Bracers
By Tom Gafkjen A.K.A Wingnut

Description: These bracers are made from sharkskin and dyed a sea blue tint. Tooled into the hide is an image of dolphins playing in the wake of a ship. Gold wire trims the top and bottom of the bracers with bits of sapphires as the eyes of the dolphins.

Lore: Martic Barck, a merchant from the city of Seaport, ran a profitable trading company. He was always the first to open new shipping lanes with other cities. His ships never seemed to be attacked by pirates as much as the other merchant families of Seaport. The townsfolk thought he was blessed by the God of Storms and flocked to his ships when he needed sailors.

Martic, ever the businessman, wanted to decrease the time his ship took to sail to the City of Waterhaven. As it was, they had to sail around the archipelago islands known as the Storm Isles. To sail through the archipelago meant certain death for the crew, since the waves caused by the storms sunk many a ship. He commissioned these bracers to be crafted for the Captain of The Blue Dolphin, one of his trade galleys. The first few times the trip went perfectly, the captain commanded the sea to calm and they sailed through the Storm Isles. Two weeks were cut off the round trip. Martic's profits soared.

After many runs through the archipelagos, it finally drew the attention of the God of Storms. Someone was violating one of his sacred locations. Enraged, he commanded one of his Sahuagin Shamans to stop this. The Shaman compelled his tribe to travel to the isles and wait. Sure enough The Blue Dolphin sailed in, calmed the raging waters and started making their way through the isles. That is when the Sahuagin struck. The crew was unprepared for the savage fury of these beasts and the ship sank with everyone aboard.

These bracers have resurfaced many times with the same results. A captain of a ship would be able to successfully use these several times before the Sahuagin would rise up out of the calm waters and destroy the ship and crew. It is unknown how these bracers continually make their way back to human ships. Some think that they are discovered and sold by sea elf treasure hunters; others think it is the Shaman using these to become favored by his god, by returning these to human hands and destroying the violator when called upon. Either way, many believe they are cursed and will not set sail on a ship with a captain wearing these bracers.

Captain's Bracers: These bracers, engraved with dolphins around it, give the wearer a +5 circumstance bonus to the following knowledge skills; seamanship, weather sense, and navigation. It grants a +2 bonus to the wearer's Charisma when aboard a ship. They calm the waters for 1 mile around the ship upon command. Three times a day these bracers can release a water bolt doing 6d6 damage at a range of 100 yards (Ref Save DC 15 for half damage). Moderate transformation; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item; Price 18,000gp.