The Crystal Shard | D&D Artifact

[@CONTINGENCY_sys]

Or as my friends joke "Cinnabun" But this thing is no joke. A real mega phylactery.

[@michaelwilson5114]

Yeah - I always called it that too XD

[@jamesg9840]

Everyone fails a "Cinn-a-bon" saving throw.

[@Nova-oc2ry]

Crenshinibon in the hands of a powerful demon lord is also the main antagonist(s) of the Icewind Dale pc game, which is insanely good btw if anyone is wondering :)

[@haydem0823]

Ive listened to a lot of the salvatore books featuring crow-cinnabon (lol). Salvatore gave it a much more direct “voice” that could be heard in ones head and made the speed of coming under its thrall pretty quick. Jarlaxal himself had the artifact for a while and used it *somewhat* sparingly but was being dominated in less than a year. Also in the books grannyanon seemed to almost prefer more powerful people, but would become “upset” if the wielder wasnt trying to become more powerful. There was a bit of a fun catch 22 to the shard as well: as the wielder used it more and gained more power and the shard dominated them more, they would begin to think less clearly and lose focus and become paranoid and stop thinking how to accomplish thier goals of domination, only that they wished to rule. So even a master schemer like jarlaxal was able to be tricked by artemis antreri into losing the shard

[@crazybagoham]

it took a year to gently coax jarlaxle into his own direction, the only way the artifact could achieve its goals with him

[@steve4278]

Been reading The Crystal Shard out loud before bed with my girlfriend. I read a lot of the Drizzt books when I was younger and it's fun revisiting them. The writing's a little rough (you can really tell it was early in Salvatore's career) but it's a dumb story you can't help but have run reading. Great timing with the video!

[@johnsnow9210]

What is your favorite?

[@ddesouz6]

I’ve been listening to all the audio books now! I read all of Salvator’s books when I was in high school. It’s great to revisit them. And audio books makes it much easier. I’m about to finish the Pirate King now. Great stuff to get your creative juices flowing.

[@ddesouz6]

John Snow dark elf trilogy is my favorite of Salvator’s books, but the icewind dale trilogy is great too. That’s where the famous adventuring group assembles. Artemis Entreri also happens to be my favorite bad guy. The first d&d character I made was based after him.

[@gagepittman7639]

My uncle got me into them this last school year and now I'm on the 27th book and I still need to buy the next 10.

[@spikegilfer1997]

@@gagepittman7639 For almost any other series of books that would be an absurd statement, but good ol' Bob has been grinding for over three decades now so "I'm only on the sixteenth book of one of his series" becomes a factual statement. If George R.R. Martin had a tenth the implacable work ethic I'm pretty sure we'd have Bible 7 by now.

[@johnsnow9210]

This was my first Drizzt book. I love his effort here.

[@brandonechavez412]

I want to add that the crystal shard was also posessed by revered brother poquelin for a short time before being found by akar kessel years later...i won't state the source for spoiler reasons but yeah...haha

[@haydem0823]

Tolkien had the one ring, mtg had the mirrari, forgotton realms has the crenshinabon and a thousand other things...

[@rburk121]

It's great for creating varied adventures with different world ending flavors.

[@haydem0823]

@@rburk121 totally. i love items that corrupt even on small levels, like cursed swords and stuff.

[@johnsnow9210]

You better put some respect on that MIrrari! Shout out to chainer.

[@haydem0823]

@@johnsnow9210 probably my favorite book series from the mtg universe, even more than the kamigawa stories

[@johnsnow9210]

@@haydem0823 only mtg novels i keep on the main bookshelf. Damn that thing did a number on otaria and mirrodin.

[@scottcampbell9515]

I love how you tie Magic: the Gathering art into your videos. Keep up the great work.

[@digunder14]

i'd personally peg the crystal as being neutral evil in the "self serving, selfish, i'm the only one who matters" kind of sense

[@PaperadiGomma123]

Yeah, seems dildo-shaped enough to peg it

[@marcanthony3167]

Absolutely love r.a salvatores books the way their written just blows my mind! Epic!

[@ymeynot0405]

+jorphdan Thank you for not putting spoilers for the R.A. Salvatore books in the video.

[@Jorphdan]

of course! This is why I don't cover a lot of characters in the forgotten realms. It's hard to talk about them without giving book spoilers. I prefer to stay with the info provided in game books and supplements.

[@jamespearsoniii914]

Think I can use this as part of my homebrew campaign: act1 has the group find an ancient show room of the Aearee(creator race), w/ hints and details on how to unlock a portal( Wally DM puzzle). Act2 introduces Arkan the cruel and Tiamat, as red herrings. A cover for knowledge of ancient burial site being stolen(Sarrukh another creator race). This leads to a showdown in the dungeon seen in C2 of CR( Angel of irons). The Sarrukh is risen by the power of the Crystal Shard Act3 the group meets the winddukes of Aaqa, and hunt down the last Aearee… in the halls of frozen memory( in the 9hells on Stygia) Act 4 the final assault on the rising empire of the Sarrukh, with the help of the wind dukes etc

[@tb4495]

Enjoyed the video. This was the first book I read within the forgotten realms way back in the early 90’s. Your video brought back great memories and I’ve decided to read this book. Thank you!

[@johnsnow9210]

Same

[@drziegler]

Thank you for not having spoilers I just finished passage to dawn.

[@crazybagoham]

i love all of them, but i really like the Sellswords Trilogy (you're getting close)

[@quietcool69]

Very good video. I will be using the Crystal Shard in our 5e campaign I am currently running.

[@LachesisRising]

Feels like RA was inspired by The Dark Crystal. I like it.

[@That80sGuy1972]

I homebrewed a form of this for my 2nd Ed AD&D campaign before the stats came out. Its maximum capabilities were akin to what was in the novel but were far harder to exhaust. During the day, it used no charges and it recharged when not using powers. Most of its powers did not use charges anyway. During the night, it bled charges and used them. For mine, it was Elfin in origin.

[@ns0557212]

I love artifacts! Please more of this! I love them! Been binging your channel! It rocks.

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks so much, welcome to the channel

[@riakm921]

Good ol’ Cream Cinnabon!

[@BGells]

This was a great video for me because I am using Crenshinibon in my current campaign, which started using the 5e playtest adventure Legacy of the Crystal Shard, and has since continued into my own homebrew version of Storm King's Thunder, using Akar Kessel, Crenshinibon, and the black ice as the main driving factor and bbeg behind the aggressiveness of the giant-kin rather than the random bait and switch villain as written. I had created stats for it loosely based on those original statistics and other 5e magic items, using some of the light-based wizard spells from xanathars to create a list of spells the wielder can spend charges to cast. There is something quite interesting to me about an undead creature calling down the radiant fury of the sun.

[@sirrealism7300]

Read this book when I was 11, i realized years later that it was part of DnD canon when I was in a game and someone told me.

[@fuzzybear-vi1px]

Dragonlance has some awesome artifacts as well.... The title weapon for one.... The Disks of Mishakal The Blue Crystal Staff..... I could go on forever......

[@thyownshadow]

Think I might have this book. Crazy to stumble across this. Thanks Jordan.

[@Jorphdan]

Welcome!

[@thyownshadow]

@@Jorphdan Jorphdan* forgive me. Indeed great work friend.

[@brent8994]

Very happy you did an artifact video

[@chriswandell3570]

your missing the fact that the devil Belifet in the game icewind dale briefly possessed Crenshinibon and used it to rally forces for an unholy army in icewind dale, before his defeat at Easthaven. It was after his defeat by about 60 years or so that Kessel found Crenshinibon.

[@alignmentunknown3156]

Legacy if the Crystal Shard has been converted to 5e on Fantasy Grounds. It's currently on sale for $11.99 Regular price $19.99.

[@taylorfriend6787]

I had an item like this also created by a group of liches but I will be using this lore as the base for what my lich group trying to perfect crenshinibon without the use of sunlight

[@ryanrizzo4869]

Awesome video! I have read every book concerning the Crystal Shard! :) Also...>.> It's me, again, Jorphdan, here to ask you for those individual Dale videos. ;) lol Keep up the great content!

[@80budokai]

Jorphdan, great video! Enjoy your Thursday!💯😍

[@OddlySpecificwithAudra]

I will now use this as a morality test. Got a group with dubious motives that have made their way into Candlekeep’s good graces & are about to spend a leg in Strixhaven. May have this dangled out as a temptation to draw out those with potentially maligned intent.

[@gagepittman7639]

The Crystal Shards best wielder, in my opinion, was Jarlaxle.

[@voshadxgathic]

Hands down.

[@cullenfarran3750]

Jarlaxle weilding the Crystal shard is the worst Jarlaxle in my opinion.

[@ddisaster626]

@@cullenfarran3750 Worst Jarlaxle but still the best wielder.

[@spikegilfer1997]

@@ddisaster626 "I've seen the company you keep. The competition ain't too fierce."

[@texasbeast239]

The Crystal Shard controlled Jarlaxle's mind repeatedly. He couldn't beat it. .. But Entreri didn't give a dang. He dominated it immediately.

[@DungeonDad]

One shared to rule them all baby!

[@michelepella2768]

Anyone who's following Dingo Doodle D&d campaign is FREAKING OUT after this

[@texasbeast239]

Fun fact: Crenshinibon was never described as green until Artemis Entreri mastered it through sheer force of will in Servant of the Shard. Once it met its superior, it became a scared, little, broken, green lump of rock.

[@Zeemis]

Some of my favorite lore! I was basing a D&D 5e Forgotten Realms campaign around this, well sort of. My party was going to be summoned by a dwarf to come to the city of Neverwinter. There, Jarlaxle tells Drizzt and his companions that his sister Vierna Do'Urden's soul is being held captive by someone or something in the Shadowfell. This peeks Drizzt' interest and angers him, forcing him to grab Jarlaxle by the scruff of his neck and ask for more information. Jarlaxle then tells him that Lolth made a pact with Errtu in exchange for something, but he doesn't fully know what for. This further enrages Drizzt, but his companions calm him down. Jarlaxle makes a deal with Drizzt and his companions that he'll open a portal with one of his magic items to the Shadowfell, but requires that if he somehow comes across anything of magical value, bring it back to him. Drizzt begrudgingly agrees and enters the portal. This is a rare chance for Jarlaxle to quite possibly obtain some powerful magical items from the Shadowfell, a place he's not yet fully explored, or wanted to explore personally. There, the party over time figures out more information that it's "The Ghost King" who has his fallen sister's soul and that they're held up in none other than Thultanthar, the Shade Enclave itself. At this point, Jarlaxle had been scrying through a planar gem and knowing of just how powerful Chrenshinibon is, he knows that Drizzt would betray him and quite possibly destroy the artifact. He summons Artemis much like he did Drizzt and hires him to kill Drizzt; however, Artemis comes with a high price since he knows entering the Shadowfell as well with dealing with Drizzt will be a difficult task. They come to an agreement and he enters the Shadowfell and begins shadowing Drizzt. Meanwhile, I play a cutscene for my players. In a scene showing some backstory, Errtu approaches the Ghost King and gains his favor by delivering Drizzt' sister's soul to him, telling him that he'll definitely come for her. The Ghost King asks what he wants in return for this alliance, and Errtu simply replies he wants to also see Drizzt suffer. In reality, Errtu does want Drizzt to suffer, but wants the power of Crenshinibon more. He wants Drizzt to kill him, and then will usurp it's power when the ghost king's weak, and will finally be able to kill a weakened Drizzt. Back in present time, Drizzt and his party finally enter and fight their way through the shade enclave and confront the ghost king who had been preparing for this confrontation. There were spell traps all around him, as well as enslaved Shadowvar under the Ghost King's will. A battle ensues after dialog and when it looks like Drizzt and his party are getting the upper hand, Errtu approaches and together him and The Ghost King almost completely annihilate Drizzt and his companions; however, in an unlikely alliance, a shadowing Artemis emerges and saves Drizzt! Together, they take on Errtu and The Ghost King! Errtu is killed and sent back to his abyssal plane while the Ghost King's essence is absorbed into the Shadow Fell, further empowering the Shadoweave. All that is left is Crenshinibon, the powerful artifact that Jarlaxle had requested Drizzt return. Crenshinibon begins to manipulate them both with it's seductive lust for power tendances. Tensions arise between the two former allies but then Vierna Do'Urden's soul appears in front of them, apparently free from the grasp of the now defeated Ghost King. Drizzt, seeing his sister, comes to his senses; but only for Artemis to obtain the crystal! A portal opens behind him, apparently by Jarlaxle who wants his payment. Drizzt, or rather the players, have the option to help redeem Vierna's soul that would forever be trapped in the Shadowfell, or stop Artemis from taking Crenshinibon back to the Prime Material Plane. Drizzt in a act of love for his sister saves her from being absorbed into the Shadoweave. Artemis enters back to Faerun, leaving Drizzt and his companions stuck in the Shadowfell! My next campaign will start them in the Shadowfell trying to find a pocket portal back to the prime material plane. When they finally do return, they find out that Crenshinibon had gained more power after returning to the Prime in it's weakened state, and has fully seduced Jarlaxle. Artemis' fate is unknown, but what is known is that there are crystal spires appearing in Faerun!

[@nicholasschoonbeck6866]

Jarlaxle would never let anyone, even Drizzt, grab him. lol

[@brent8994]

Would love to see more detailed artifact videos from popular novels

[@TuckBolt]

How to have an evil celestial warlock. The Crenshinibon is your patron!

[@Jorphdan]

Love it! Great idea :)

[@TuckBolt]

@@Jorphdan So there's obviously a power disparity between a deity that can make clerics and a patron that can make warlocks. Do you think Crenshinibon would be powerful enough to create a Light Cleric? Or maybe a paladin (Oath of Conquest)?

[@FellVoice]

Crenshinibon, my favorite cinnamon rolls!

[@mechanova]

Very cool. Personally i'd like more info on the over arching plot of planescape and the bloodwar through out all the editions over the years. No one seems to cover this on youtube and most people don't know about it despite how big planescape was.

[@nicholasschoonbeck6866]

I still own those original novels, from when I was a kid.

[@michaelwilson5114]

I've still got SoS, and THG but have no idea where my copy of TCS went. Don't have the Dark Elf trilogy in their individual books but have the compendium. Everything after that I have the originals of up to Road of the Patriarch.

[@DStrormer]

In 5e I actually think Crenshinibon would make a fascinating Warlock patron. Gain spell casting, various abilities similar to the magic item properties it's had in the past, etc. It could be interesting, especially introduced after a campaign is already running.

[@shanefox1177]

Warlock pack with ghost king as patron

[@kidelloco]

Many thanks for the wisdom and lore 🖤

[@vesuvyusgaming2890]

Hope you do a video to pair with this regarding the ghost king

[@Matsosian]

Great video Jorfdan!

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks!

[@MgFalcon]

Cinnabon sounds like a cool artifact!

[@Publiusaurus]

sounds perfect as a warlock patron

[@moonringXD]

Are you going to do more artifacts lore video? If so you should do the 7 imaskarcana!

[@thegreatbroohighny9766]

i was going through and watching your forgotten realms deities videos and there's one i wanna learn about that nobodies made a video on, The Cat Lord. Could you make a video about him/her?

[@tylermiller1699]

That relic could be used by a warlock backstory. Person finds the crystal shard, now they have a patron.

[@nickr1818]

Well shit I definitely want to now! This seems like an item on par with the ring of winter or wand of orcus. And yeah if you wanted to stat the whole thing up it'd be like a page long. Me like!

[@ddesouz6]

Make more artifact videos. These are great!

[@johnnyscifi]

Theres no need for its stats as its been destroyed, kinda twice. Its last form was the ghost king amalgamation, along with Hephaestus, and a mindflayer...

[@tinyhowie]

1:30 Where can I buy Crenshinibon?

[@Jorphdan]

Your local thrift store it looks like 🤑

[@zawwin1846]

Only if the shard could have met Escanor. It would have a never ending buffet.

[@rosacetus]

I think if i were to use it I would use the pre sultan version, so many cursed items that force you to be evil in dnd, an artifact that will guide but not force you is much more interesting, and its ability to be a near impregnable tower would make it interesting for an npc wizard

[@JohnSmith-xm4dk]

Hey Jorphdan, what do you think about MrRhexx's video on powerful artifacts?

[@Jorphdan]

Watching it now :D Thanks for the heads up!

[@JohnSmith-xm4dk]

@@Jorphdan Cool, I just brought it up because the crystal shard makes an appearance in the video titled "The 10 Coolest Magic Items in Dungeons and Dragons"

[@c.t.1175]

Who else thinks this might be a big part of the upcoming "Rime of the Frostmaiden" adventure?

[@LightStreak567]

Even though Rime of the Frostmaiden is set more than 100 years after The Crystal Shard? Maybe...?

[@FuberDoodle]

Future survey says: kind of!

[@seanpinkey2188]

Hey, Jorphdan I've really enjoyed your videos over the last several years, I think I was in the first 50 subscribers to this channel. However I've little commented and got a theory: The Black Obelisks, found throughout the Forgotten Realms, are in fact finely sculpted remnants of Creshinibon. Fashioned to make the most of the magic weave and...spacetime...these are worthy of being protected me thinks. What are your thoughts? Hope your family is happy and healthy. Thanks

[@Jorphdan]

Hi! Thanks for being with me from the beginning! There are black obelisk answers involving Vecna in the Frostmaiden adventure! I'm curious where the plot will go.

[@O4C209]

I DM a game that's running through RotFM where one of the PCs has an Awakened Gazer familiar (no, it doesn't make sense) that is an author obsessed with Drizzt working on their next book, "Drizztory". I plan to make this familiar the slave to the Crystal Shard. That'll be fun.

[@peterhamstra8871]

Errtu directly argued with and struggled to dominate Crenshinibon in the Forgotten Realms Novels. Errtu was initially more powerful than Crenshinibon, but he definitely weakened to Crenshinibon's influence over time. Crenshinibon wanted to dominate as many creatures as possible and would seek to expand it's influence until it collapsed due to outside invasion, at which point, it would begin again. Crenshinibon always wanted to be wielded by the most powerful people it could, but also wanted to totally dominate those people, so yes, Crenshinibon wanted weak-willed people to possess it, but it also wanted them to be powerful in their own right as well.

[@Darknimbus3]

5:18 The lore said it was an Astral Deva, not a Solar

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Nice history lesson and good video

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks!

[@carloss3499]

5:25 could thrown it to either to positive or negative planes that would made it impossible to retrieve or destroy it. A Better option would to have thrown it to the far realm.

[@louiesatterwhite3885]

You cant simply throw something into the far realm.

[@deansturtevant4345]

Love this thank you

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks for watching!

[@nonnayerbusiness7704]

I am currently DMing Legacy of the Crystal Shard for my party and I am finding it to be one of the best 5th edition adventures.

[@vincemoreno8187]

Its part of my main story bbg lol works perfectly for what i have planned.

[@jaycethebigguy]

I’m definitely add this into a game

[@Dragonangel426]

The Crystal shard?! By Gelfling hand, or else by none!

[@SimonDouville1]

i fancy myself an healthy dose of sentient evil magic crystal.

[@boaboy8052]

Now i want Cinna-bon

[@lancearmada]

Sounds OP

[@jasonbritnell42]

In your pazuzu video you said he was involved in making the crystal shard.. which is it?

[@Jorphdan]

The Shard of Pure Evil, and the Crystal Shard are two different things. :)

[@imoweenlodestone5447]

Thanks for the video! I am gonna use this on my human turned God made it bleed, hurt, and fall under her control and makes a nasty sword out of it.

[@primordial-chaos00]

Could you possibly make a lore video about Sardior the god of gem dragons

[@Jorphdan]

I'll add it to the list!

[@hrobertb]

I haven't read or thought about the "Crystal Shard" in years, over a decade. I had a random thought about it the other day. I come into youtube and here this is... super awkward.

[@ns0557212]

And I use a Cinnabon in everyone one of my campaigns. (They're so delicious)

[@michaelwilson5114]

Thats why its so popular in The Elder Scrolls. XD

[@havindatadhd]

Oh yeah, Christ's Cinnabon, love that thing

[@cullenfarran3750]

Aw yeeesh crencinnabun delicious!

[@sonichalo1527]

this is good and all, but it doesn't exist on its own anymore. Its power merged with the dragon Hephaestus and the mind of an Illithid after nearly being destroyed to create the Dracolich known as the Ghost King. This is from the Drizzt novel: The Ghost King

[@johnnyscifi]

Crenshinobon

[@wailandkarisma4279]

Imagine if a champion of lathander got hold of the crystal. No evil is safe... whhhhaaaaaatt?! Is that a horde of undead? Crenshinebon.. wait is that village haunted by malicious and evil spirits??! Crenshinebon. The bon bon all day long, everyday.

[@ParsonsMAD]

yes YES! I needed an end game item for my campaigns bbe. Oath of tyrant paladin from a sun worshipping ancient culture

[@Loewe003]

Good Video, but wasn't Crenshinibon destroyed? If I remember correctly (and the wiki where I looked it up again was right) it was destroyed by a red Dragon and later became part of the entity known as the Ghost King. But he was destroyed as well. So, Crenshinibon seems to be destroyed for good. I think thats also why there are no 5th editon stats for it. Well, another cool Artifact destroyed in the wake of the Spellplague.

[@haildorothygale]

Super powerful/Amorphous goals/fickle/Communicates via dreams/If not furthering it's agenda it will withhold its power from you until you do what it says. Almost sounds like a warlock patron.

[@elliajohn7663]

Sooo Im new to DnD and my DM had us face off with a Fire Elemental that was going bad shit because it was stabbed by a crystal, which ended up feeding off of the elemental. My character and crew ended up putting the Elemental out of its misery. Afterwards, my character picked up the crystal which then attached to her.....Im not sure if this crystal is the same thing, but it speaks to my character and it also provokes her to get more heat. It can gain power and also makes my character as frozen as Elsa....Should I try to get rid of it or keep it??? #firstcampaign

[@informedconsumer5293]

Wait...ultimate magic shards are crafted by groups of powerful & intentional mages?

[@Jorphdan]

powerful & intentional liches!

[@informedconsumer5293]

@@JorphdanI mean the obyriths were aberrations/demons and they made the shard of ultimate evil...

[@marcussimoes2909]

will be nice if you make videos about the forgotten realms novels!.

[@dalebullock201]

So wheres the detail from The Crystal Shard to The Ghost King?

[@Jorphdan]

In the novels! I didn't want to spoil the books.

[@dalebullock201]

@@Jorphdan the books are al relatively old so if people wanted to read them they've had the chance. Plus alot of the info you've already included is in novels.

[@informedconsumer5293]

I wonder if it's an antithesis of the shard of ultimate evil... Nope more similar than anything

[@georgemercer402]

Can the crystal be destroyed and not just lose power?

[@Jorphdan]

I believe so, lots of artifacts like this have a destruction clause; the trick is finding it!

[@georgemercer402]

@@Jorphdan Fair enough; I'll think of some manner for its destruction if I decide to use it in my campaign.

[@aaronparrish659]

CREN SHEN A BON

[@samsamsamsamsamanilla5281]

Cinnabon?

[@yellowmartian]

Is anyone else getting hungry for a Cinnabon?

[@haydem0823]

William Stocks now i am, damn...

[@jemm113]

Hey hey hey! I see that Final fantasy XIV Crystal Tower shot!... Pls Squeenix can we have official Final Fantasy Campaign rules for D&D??? We'll give you a Crystal Sphere for each game universe!... Oh shit, XIV Midgarsomer and Omega rode the phlogisten to make it to Hydalin didn't he?? (or XIV has a really big crystal sphere!) It would also explain the mechanism for each Final Fantasy game that gets direct crossovers in XIV. They're either from one of Hydalin's reflections (hello Abeir-Toril's Tearfall & Sunderings!) or a different crystal sphere entirely!

[@Jorphdan]

There's actually some really great fan-made Final Fantasy RPGs out there tabletop I mean. If you search around on KZbin there are a few people that have reviewed them

[@HandlesAreStupid2025]

Who is that really tan guy in The Crystal Shard book? Kappa

[@placeholdername3818]

Crystal Tower as a Warlock Patron when?

[@Jorphdan]

I like this idea.

[@trusarmor4957]

1:28 so i can get it at Hobby Lobby for 3.99 ! ! ! ! !

[@monsunoguy19]

Okay but which crystal shard The Crystal Shard Yeah but which one THE Crystal Shard

[@kiba21ryuu]

My wife will, thank you.

[@MinscFromBaldursGate92]

Akar Kessel is basically a fantasy incel.