2025 Jul 11: Curse-Pots

 Similar to Incantation Bowls, Curse-Pots are small ceramic containers inscribed with a spell to trap demons or spirits. Unlike Incantation bowls, however, they are designed to just for containment, but also for eventual release. With spirits one would usually bargain to release them in exchange for some boon, while demons-filled Curse-Pots are used as a weapons. Simply throwing the pot at someone with enough force to break it releases the demon, which will most likely attack and/or curse the closest person, who is usually the one the pot was thrown at.

Of course not all Curse-Pots are created equal. Even disregarding the entity housed within, older pots have a much higher effectiveness than ones created recently. With a 'fresh' pot, the released entity might just ignore the target, and fly off to take revenge on the one that trapped it, while a pot that has been left undisturbed for hundreds of years will have its entity be much more violent, and much more indiscriminate in their attack. This makes Curse-Pots one of the few weapons, where ancient ones found in some tomb are generally more fearsome and of much higher quality than the ones made more recently. Of course every merchant will tell you that their pots have laid undisturbed for thousands of years, so the ability to determine the age of the pot and the spellwork can come in very handy.

 Image from Elden Ring