Shepherd pipes is a relic of Bloom, the affinity of growth, beasts and living ground. It holds an old piece of Covenant-stuff, the substance of the Seal-shards, bound into a set of reed pipes, and its treasure spirit answers to Wefan, the Weaver.
The pipes do not make their holder's army stronger. They make the enemy gentler. While they are held, every company that comes against the holder strikes less hard, whatever it is. It is the same patience Greenmother's Call teaches, the call that beasts answer, turned on soldiers.
Heaven counts the pipes in their holder's Weight, so the Law of Equals sets that kingdom among heavier rivals, and a conqueror can carry them off as spoils.
No one knows who made them. The flock wardens, a kind of Wanderer who all share the same knowledge, say the pipes were made to settle a flock, and that an army is only a flock that has forgotten itself. That is their belief. A flock warden in service does not need the pipes to do its work, and the pipes do not need a warden.
Tellan, the Keeper of Tallies keeps them among the Mnemoliths between Turnings. There is one set in each Turning, and if it is lost, its shard returns to his keeping for the recasting.
Player-visible facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Use | Permanent |
| Battle item | No |