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>Defense Bracers
>Arcana to Identify: 25
"What is something like you doing in the middle of a cavern's hotsprings?" you ask no one in particular, and nothing answers the question. To be expected, really. You're all alone on an island - a boulder really - at the center of a basin beneath a hotspring. If someone answered you, chances are that you would be in big trouble. Best cases, your chastity would be in danger... not that you value it all that much. Worse case, you'd become some monster's meal.
<span class="mu-s"><span class="mu-r">Passive Arcana 17 fails to understand the nature of Dungeons</span></span>
Still, though, you almost wish someone had.
You understand that from simple Kobold Caves to winding Labyrinths, chests within dungeons will always have <span class="mu-i">something</span> of value... when they're not a mimic. Your old man mentioned a few things about dungeons in his lectures to you, something about how they prefer to trap people rather than kill them. It had something to do with the cycle of mana and the flow of memories through the ley lines, and how loot is just a half-remembered echo of the previous civilization.
It was all high concept stuff that you barely understood, but the <span class="mu-i">gist</span> of it is that dungeons create stuff out of nothing, and the stuff it created for you... well, you almost fear that you ate up all of you luck finding it. Once you're certain that the bracers are not trapped, you immediately slip them on and feel the seven stars of the Pleiades grant you their blessing.
<span class="mu-s"><span class="mu-b">Bracers of the Pleiades</span></span>
+2 Enhancement Bonus to AC
+2 Natural Armor Bonus to AC
+2 Deflection Bonus to AC
+2 Resistance Bonus to Saving Throws
2 Energy Resistance against Fire
2 Energy Resistance against Cold
2 Damage Reduction
<span class="mu-s"><span class="mu-r">Status Update</span></span> Herta's AC has increased to 18. Herta's Saves are now Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +4.
It's not exactly the sort of cheat item that you could use to instantly clear even a low level dungeon, but each of the blessings is extremely useful. You've heard adventurers complain about grinding for the Pleiades in the Labyrinth beneath the capital, because it makes more dangerous delves easier. With your hands on a set of them right now, you certainly understand <span class="mu-i">why</span> they'd want such an item.
The silver bracers are lined with black fur and hold seven glowing jewels a piece in the shape of the Pleiades constellation. Once you close them about each arm, they resize themselves for a perfect fit. Somehow, having them wrapped snugly around your forearms fills you with confidence that you hadn't realized you were missing.
With your new gear equipped, you strike out for the northern passage.
You're fairly sure you felt a cool breeze coming down that passageway. Perhaps it will lead you back to the surface?
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