Dating back to the Age of Might, before theHeresy of Igrane, the Crown of Power has an illustrious history. Let’s take a closer look at Miceram, The Crown of Power. Buy Holy Order of the Stars: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/3239/Holy-Orders-of-the-Stars-35e?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
It is a major artifact from the Age of Dreams, let’s take a closer look at Miceram, The Crown of Power.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Miceram, The Crown of Power. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing the Holy Orders of the Stars and War of the Lance sourcebooks for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below.
Discussion
The true origins of Miceram, The Crown of Power are unknown, however it is widely believed that it originates with Takhisis’ chosen children, the Ogres from the Age of Dreams. This would suggest that it is always a crown under Takhisis’ dominion, though the history of the crown includes those of good divinity wielding it prior to the Cataclysm, so on second thought, perhaps it’s always been a tool of corruption.
We know that in The Foundation from 9000 to 6320 Prae Cataclius, the crown was worn by the king of the ogres, but between 6320 and 5980 Prae Cataclius, the Heresy of Igrane changed the Ogres irrevocably. The ogre Igrane chose not to punish a slave for disobaying an order. The catch was that by disobeying the order, the slave saved Igranes daughter. Hence the ethical dilemma. You see, Ogres weren’t twisted and ugly in this time, they were arguably the most beautiful of all the races, though let’s not kid ourselves, they were an enslaving evil race. Their patron was Takhisis after all. So the refusal to punish the slave was anathema to the ogre culture. Those who chose to break away from their brothers and sisters renamed themselves Irda ogres and migrated north of Ansalon. This spurred the physical change in ogres as they degenerated more and more into evil, their physical forms began to manifest their beliefs and behaviors. This also degenerated the culture and the crown was lost to time.
The Crown of Power would be lost to history, not without many searching for it, much in the same way our own human cultures saw scholars and adventurers searching for the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail. It wouldn’t return to the historical record for another five thousand plus years! In the Age of Might, Symeon, head of the holy church, overthrew the Emperor Vemior, and ordered the creation of the Great Temple of Istar and “a crown of surpassed beauty, befitting the voice of Paladine on Krynn.” There was actually an old Istar proverb that arose around the crown: Site ceram biriat, abat.– whoever wears the Crown, rules. This may seem to belie the origins of Miceram unless you take in the full context of the Kingpriest’s of Istar and their ultimate fate. Lending credence to its true unholy origins, at least to me.
Now whether the crown mysteriously appeared on Symeon’s private altar, or whether it was placed there by the Dark Queen is unknown. There are even suggestions that the crown was crafted by Algando of Calah or even a commission from the dwarves of Zhakar. We know neither of those tales are true, and at best, one of the two may have rediscovered it and placed it on Symeon’s altar themselves. Once Symeon placed the crown on his head, the dissension in Istar ceased, revealing the primary power of the crown, command. Symeon would declare himself the Kingpriest marking the beginning of the mightiest dynasty on Ansalon, and what could be seen as the beginning of the end of the Age of Might.
For the next century and a half, Miceram passed from Kingpriest to Kingpriest until Vasari I died without an heir in 120 Prae Cataclius. Three clerics would vie for control, erupting in war. One of the clerics, Pradian was declared heir, albeit in private, and took Miceram into hiding. He schemed to rediscover the crown, thereby winning the war and being declared by all the next Kingpriest, only destiny had another plan. Pradian would die in the campaigns and Miceram would remain in the catacombs beneath the city of Govinna for a century. In 39 Prae Cataclius Beldyn of Kharolis with Cathan recovered Miceram. Beldyn renamed himself Beldinas Lightbringer and marched on the capital, overthrowing the tyrant Kurnos the Deceiver. This is where we see the true evil genius of the Crown of Power, for as the kingpriest continued to utilize his power for good, it actually corrupted him. He would stand against the gods he once worshiped causing the Cataclysm. It is here that the Crown once again was lost to history. At least for a while.
The history of the crown states that Takhisis claimed it and twisted it to evil, but I believe the history reveals the truth that she simply reclaimed what was always hers. And when her schemes were set for her entering Krynn, she gifted Miceram to Ariakas, declaring him emperor in the Time of Dragons in the Age of Despair around 332 Alt Cataclius. Ariakas would wear the crown to great effect, controlling the various Dragonarmies and their highlords until Raistlin Majere provides an opportunity for Tanis Half-Elven to kill Ariakas, claiming the Crown of Power for himself. Instead he threw it into the masses of the gathered Dragonarmies and it was ultimately retrieved by the deathknight Lord Soth for Kitiara Uth Matar. Kitiara would use the crown to control the Dragonarmies, but after the Blue Ladies War, it would return to obscurity, never to be seen again. Whether Miceram the Crown of Power will return in the Are of Mortals is unknown, but I would hedge a bet that with the death of Takhisis, the crown’s true master, it will remain lost to history.
The crown was made of bright gold, intricately carved with twisting designs and lined on the inside with red velvet. Its cap rose to a high point, with ten more points spaced evenly about its rim. Each of those tips were also adorned with large blood-red rubies, the center ruby being the size of a hen’s egg. Each shone with an inner silver glow. Its most prominent power is control over those around it. It is also imbued with spells of divine protection and wrath, known only to the wearer. It is known to greatly enhance the divine power of the priest wearing it, as well as revealing new powers as needed, telepathically to its wearer. Again, IF Takhisis was the originator of this crown, as it was her chosen people who first wielded it, and it left a wake of evil and corruption to those of good alignment who wore it would suggest, then I am not entirely convinced it would continue to work in her absence. I also wonder if this was ever a proper artifact with its own inherent properties, or merely a token that connected the wearer to Takhisis’ will. I don’t suppose we will ever know, as it is widely accepted to have been an artifact of good, twisted to evil.
Outro
But that is all I have to say about Miceram, The Crown of Power. I hope you enjoyed the information. Do you think Miceram was ever a good artifact? Do you think it will pop up in the Age of Mortals? And finally, would you ever use the Crown of Power in your home campaigns? Leave a comment below.
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A chap who can point at you and say ‘die’ has the distinct advantage.
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