------------------------------------------------------------------- Bracers of the Ocean ......................... Appearance: The Ocean bracers appear to be ordinary wrist guards or arm guards with a minimum of engraving. What it does have is that of waves around the top half and that of bubbles on the under side. The original pair was designed by the Diabolist Katrin, these bracers were for her husband who was a soldier on a sailing ship. With the dangers of the ocean in mind, she made it so that the Bracers of the Ocean allow the wearer to swim at a continuous rate of 20 feet per minute for 6 hours a day, or 5 feet per minute indefinitely. As the wearer swims, the bracers enable the wearer to breath water for an indefinite period. Being more of a survival device, the bracers were not intended as a combat device or assistant. This being the case, they do allow the wearer to use weapons underwater (such as bows, swords, axes) nor shields as one would be able to do on the land. Taking into consideration the dangers of the deep, Katrin placed protection wards on the inside of the bracers to repel sharks, stingrays, and octopi. The bracers do not repel "intelligent" sea creatures though. Since the time of Katrin, many others have made bracers of this type using Katrin's design. Value: 4,500 gp -Bill Knight (knight@alaska.net) -------------------------------------------------------------------