Ancient and Lost Artifacts

The Talisman of Skull Island

The largest pure ruby in the world, the rare and illustrious Skull Island Talisman was a priceless treasure known to only a few of the richest rulers of the ancient world. Cut from one of the largest rubies ever found, this exquisite jewel is shaped like a small cat figurine and possesses a brilliant glow, as well as a value that would bring its possessor "wealth beyond imagining." The talisman's last owner took great pains to ensure its safety, storing it inside a hidden cave deep within Skull Island. A wooden doll — an exact replica of the gem — was designed as a key which would unlock a secret door in the side of Skull Mountain, providing access to the hidden caves where the ruby was kept.

Left: A wooden replica of the talisman, the key to "wealth beyond imagining."

The talisman was sought by a petty thief known as Covington, who acquired its wooden counterpart and intended to claim the gem as his own. However, an unexpected mixup with old rivals forced him to ditch the doll, which was recovered by Molly Cunningham. A series of adventures led to Skull Island itself, where Covington found the ruby. Unfortunately, the priceless gem slipped out of his hands and fell into an underground pool, lost for good.

The Idol of Doom

Long ago in a quiet village nestled deep in the Alpacan mountains, a powerful sorcerer built a mysterious and terrible weapon — the Idol of Doom. This gold statuette, shaped like a llama, possessed destructive magical powers which could by summoned by anyone who recited a version of the incantation:

"Idol of doom, storm and fire,
Great golden llama, grant my desire."

Using the idol's mystic power, the sorcerer terrorized the peaceful land for many years, until its people finally rose up as one and took the idol from him, intending to destroy it. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done — the Idol of Doom was indestructible, impervious to damage of any kind. Many were driven insane trying to

destroy the idol, which was eventually hidden in a secret temple deep within the Alpacan jungle. There it was to remain, until a prophesied hero would come — the "Great Llama" — to destroy the evil forever. A line of fortune-tellers was entrusted with a prophetic scroll and a special bracelet which would guide the Great Llama to his destiny.

The Great Llama turned out to be Baloo, who was traveling through the area with Kit on his vacation. Recognized as the destined hero by local fortune-teller Una, Baloo was given the bracelet and instructed to destroy the Idol of Doom before a local named El Gato could find it. Defeating El Gato, Baloo finally fulfilled his destiny by ordering the Idol to obliterate itself.

Right: The magic bracelet which would guide the Great Llama to his destiny.

The Idol of Kafusalum

The Idol of Kafusalum is one of the most valuable artifacts in the world. Made of carved wood, the Idol was stolen from its native land centuries ago and hidden somewhere within the Land of 1,001 Lakes for a thousand years. The only clue to its location was this cryptic riddle:

"The Idol is in the Land of 1,001 Lakes,
Right under your nose."

Determined to retrieve this important part of his country's history, the sultan of Kafusalum offered a thirteen million torbit reward for its return, drawing fortune hunters from far and wide to hunt for the idol. Only two — Baloo and Colonel Spigot — discovered the Idol's location in the fire swamp of Moose Lake. Spigot claimed the idol for Thembria, but strange circumstances during his return forced him to relinquish the idol to Baloo, who collected his reward from the Sultan. The Idol is currently on display in the Museum of Kafusalum.

The Idol of the Spirit-Switcher

Its origin is unknown, but the Idol of the Spirit-Switcher was revered by natives deep within the jungle for its extraordinary powers. According to ancient writings, these natives believed in the transfer of souls from one physical form to another. The Idol of the Spirit Switcher was central to their occult religion. When struck by lightning, the idol purportedly emitted a blast of mystical energy. Anyone caught looking at the Idol at this moment would switch bodies with whoever closest to him was looking at the Idol as well. The process was reversible, but only within twenty-four hours of the original soul-switching; otherwise, the victims would remain that way forever.

The Idol of the Spirit-Switcher remained only a legend until an excavation in the jungle revealed the ancient temple where it was kept. Professor O'Bowens was the first to discover the idol, but a run-in with Air Pirates forced him to leave the Idol with Baloo and Kit. Naturally, they switched bodies while staring at the idol during a thunderstorm — leading to a series of misadventures which resulted in their return to normal, and the Idol's fall into the ocean just outside Cape Suzette.

Magic Spells of the Sea

Ancient mariners held many myths and superstitions about the ocean. Through the ages, this sailors' lore was compiled into a volume entitled Magic Spells of the Sea. A collection of spells dealing with every problem from scurvy to squid, this book was a regular part of a ship's reading material up to the previous century. While most sea captains regarded it as mere superstition, a few actually believed in the writings contained in the book.

A SPELL TO DISPEL GHOST SHIPS (excerpted)

"Mermaids and herrings and ancient boat slips,
Take to the heavens, illusionary ships.
Forever and always to sail the skies,
Now part from this world, on wings to arise."

Medallion of the Lost Valley

According to a legend, in the uncharted regions of the Mogabi Desert there exists a lost valley. Every one hundred years, ancient water flows from deep within the earth, magically transforming this deserted crater into a lush paradise filled with prehistoric creatures.

The valley lies somewhere within the most desolate region of the Mogabi, and is virtually unfindable unless one knows precisely where to look. This clay talisman provides just that information — inscribed in an archaic language, the medallion contains a map to the Lost Valley. The medallion's most recent owner was a hunter, O'Roarke by name, who planned to turn the valley into a private hunting reserve. However, when his first hunting party arrived to find only a barren wasteland, one of O'Roarke's angry patrons snatched the medallion and broke it into a dozen pieces. Without that map, the Lost Valley will remain forever lost.

The Ruby Wings

One of the priceless treasures of the Walla-Walla-Bing-Bang Royal Family, the fabulous Ruby Wings of Queen Maureen are the ultimate token of royalty within the nation. Whoever wears the Ruby Wings rules Walla-Walla-Bing-Bang, a fact which made the wings particularly important to the royal dynasty. The Ruby Wings were stolen centuries ago from the royal palace and hidden in secret caves within the formidable Walla-Walla-Bing-Bang Rockies, until the recent ascension of Princess Grace.

When Princess Grace's right to the throne was challenged by a long-lost cousin, Prince Rudolph, she enlisted the help of an old classmate from finishing school — Plane Jane — to find the Ruby Wings and establish Grace's right to rule. The reward of ten thousand wubles also caught the eye of Baloo, who reluctantly teamed up with Jane to recover the wings and prove that Rudolph was an imposter. The Ruby Wings now reside on the shoulders of Queen Grace of Walla-Walla-Bing-Bang, who is intent on preserving this treasure for future successors to the throne.

The Tablet of King Utmost

The Tablet of King Utmost is one of the world's rarest archeological treasures, a map which provides the only clues to finding the long-lost pyramid of the ancient Aridian pharaoh, King Utmost. Containing hieroglyphics in Aridian, the tablet uses references like the sun and nearby landmarks to indicate the precise location of the pyramid.

The lost tablet was found, of all places, on sale in a thrift shop. Transported to Aridia by Baloo and Wildcat, the tablet was turned over to minister of culture Myra Foxworthy, who deciphered the tablet and determined that not only was the lost pyramid located underneath the city's airport, but it was also built upside-down! Amazingly, an incident with Air Pirates unearthed the pyramid and placed it right-side up again — it and the ancient tablet are now part of Aridia's Museum of Ancient History, which Myra supervises as curator.

The Three Bells of Tinabula

Discovered by archeologist Katie Dodd, the three golden bells of Tinabula are the only remaining artifacts from the legendary Lost City of Bells. Referred to in several pieces of ancient Tinabulian lore, these three cylindrical bells were said to have the power to resurrect the lost city of Tinabula out of a sandstorm. The actual way in which this would be accomplished was never specified in the legend — only that all three bells must be sounded in order for this event to occur.

After the destruction of Tinabula nearly three thousand years ago, the bells were lost in the sand-covered ruins of the city until Ms. Dodd began searching for them. After five years she finally recovered all three bells, at which point they were taken from her by a mysterious stranger, Thaddeus E. Klang. Using the bells, Klang activated two giant scarab statues guarding

the entrance to the city. Flapping their motorized wings, the statues created howling winds which uncovered the city, allowing Klang to find Tinabula's powerful golden weapon.

However, the "sound that silences all" — the city's Master Bell — was activated by Ms. Dodd's friends and destroyed the city once and for all. The only thing left of Tinabula's culture are the three bells, which Ms. Dodd has graciously donated to the Ghafia Museum.