Benzegegoth's spirit shackle
Thunder the Aardvark's spirit shackle
Spirit shackles are a form of ritual magic that the Vampire Kings use to grant abilities to themselves and their Lieutenants. The abilities they bestow seem to be totally random and does not necessarily correlate with the abilities or power of the Spirit that is bound. The size and shape of spirit shackles vary wildly between spirits, but are usually stationary objects, heavily protected by fortifications and/or guardians around the clock.
Networks of spirit shackles also protect the area around them from divinations, though the extent of this power is unknown. For a short while after a shackle is broken, this protection is disabled until the shackle can be reclaimed, this also disrupts the protection granted by the whole network of shackles. The Rahjs use their custom Burst Divinations to maximize the potential of divining useful information during this period. Additionally, the shackle makes all teleportation within a certain radius of it impossible.
Known spirit shackles and their powers[]
- Benzegegoth: A stack of bricks in an underground bunker under Swayne's control. Protected by a lodestone marauder and a cadaver golem, with a band of three of Swayne's Deadly Riders on call as re-enforcements. This shackle grants control over the Denevan Erelo'ch (Aptly described as a "Gargantuan ravaging shadow monster" by Lady Hazemura) whose powers make it such that it is only effective against the living. All the defenders were slain when The Party broke the shackle during the events of episode 27 & 28.
- Thunder the Aardvark: A stained glass window bearing a sun on a church of Pelor deep within Mount Pillar and controlled by Swayne. Protected by Balvan the Millstone, a maze, earth elementals, and a Grisgol. Effect of the shackle is unknown. The Grisgol and all the Earth Elementals along with a few very large spiders were slain before the party broke the shackle over the events of episodes 46-49.