Karhu Al'Lishar - the venom of the tongue

An exquisite, coiled silver brooch shaped in the form of sand viper, its head poised in mid-strike, its tiny ruby eyes gleaming with malevolent life. The silver is chased with such intricate detail that each scale seems to ripple, and the tip of its forked tongue is a sharpened, needle-fine point, almost uncannily lifelike. The brooch feels strangely cool to the touch, no matter how scorching the heat , and seems to subtly pulse with a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.   Decades ago, this very brooch was the prized possession of Malik Al'Nassir, a man renowned for his sharp wit and even sharper political skill. Malik was a master of courtly intrigue, rising swiftly into the Sultan's favor by skillfully navigating the labyrinth of whispers and rumors that defined palace life. He attributed his success to his ability to always know what was being spoken, a reputation he carefully cultivated.   However, Malik was not merely skilled; he was paranoid to the extreme. And in his desire to learn even more secrets, he secretly commissioned the finest jewelers of the realm to craft a brooch for him. It should not just symbolize his vigilance, but guarantee it. He sought a masterwork of magic that would bring every stray whisper, every sidelong glance, every hidden judgment directly to his awareness. He offered a king's ransom, but when one of the master jewelers took up his offer, he had him sentenced to death after delivery instead - all to prevent the secret of the brooch coming out. But on his dying breath, the jeweller spoke a terrible curse upon the brooch before falling still forevermore.   And so it came to be that the brooch indeed granted Malik his wish, but twisted it into a cruel torment. Within a season of wearing it, Malik, the man who once thrived on gossip, became its victim. He heard his name in every quiet rustle of silk, saw accusations in every averted gaze. His once-sharp mind, fed by the brooch's insidious whispers, curdled into a bitter stew of suspicion. He accused loyal servants, banished trusted advisors, and eventually, in a fit of delusion, publicly denounced the Sultan's most favored concubine. Stripped of his titles, exiled, and driven mad by the constant imaginary accusations, he died alone in the desert, his last breath a choked whisper of names that had never even mentioned him.