Friendship Bond Rings

A set of identical rings first discovered by Regent Altansarnai Tsagaanbaatar of Warehouse 7 while searching through the area of northern China in 1254. The artifacts have only been activated twice since then, and they remain uncollected.

Effects
The artifacts only activate when worn by two friends with a strong bond. When activated, the artifacts allow the friends to become one with each other, able to sense each other's feelings and physical status as well as see what the other can see. The stronger the bond between the friends is, the more powerful the bond between them becomes, which can even allow the two to share their knowledge and skills actively between them. However, after the passage of time of eighteen months, the artifact causes the two bodies to merge into one, quickly wiping out both bodies. This can occur regardless of distance between the two. Based on reports collected by the Warehouse agents, the longer the artifacts are used, the more painful the bonding events become, starting within the first six months after use and increasing to crippling pain and suffering before the merging of the bodies occurs. Within the last six months of use, the pain begins to become a constant, even without usage of the rings.

According to reports from Japan in 1642, the rings cannot be removed for the first six months after putting them on, and they can link the two users to the point that if one dies, so will the other. However, these are unsubstantiated claims, and are unconfirmed to be effects. Agents should keep this in mind when searching for reports of similar artifact activity.

The downside is believed to be reversible, but the method to do so is unclear.

History
This artifact was first discovered to exist in the year 1254, in the area of northern China. Regent Altansarnai Tsagaanbaatar, who was searching for a different artifact reported to be in the area at the time, heard reports of two friends who had merged together and exploded, leaving blood, guts and bones all over a village square. When she arrived to look over the scene, it had already been cleaned up. Asking the locals about what happened, she discovered that the pair who died had been friends since they were very young, about twenty years or so. About a year and a half prior, one of the friends had bought a pair of rings from a foreign merchant and given one to his friend as a sign of their bond. They had claimed to be able to sense each other's thoughts and movements, though after six months they began experiencing pain. Apparently, this pain slowly increased until it became a constant, about six months prior. Unfortunately, the rings were stolen from the bodies, and Altansarnai was unable to track them down.

In 1642, rumors reached the Warehouse in India that an occurrence similar to what had occurred centuries before had been reported in Japan. However, Japan was an isolated country, and agents were unable to enter the country. Relying on reports of specialized Chinese traders to get information on possible artifacts in the country of Japan, the Warehouse received their report of the incident and believed the artifact might be the Friendship Bond Rings. However, it was later discovered that many of these reports were unreliable, and not every happenstance reported actually occurred.

In 1947, two U.S. Marines who were in Occupied Japan at the time began reporting that they were experiencing pain after becoming one with each other thanks to a set of rings that one of the locals had given them, claiming that the two friends were so close, "that these rings will help you grow stronger together". However, by the time Warehouse agents went to Japan and interviewed the two Marines, they discovered that the two rings had been sold to a merchant, and the artifacts dropped off of the Warehouse's radar.

Trivia

 * Several other bifurcated artifacts have been discovered by the Warehouse over the years which have similar effects, some of which have been collected over the years. The most similar artifact to the Rings are the Friendship Statues, which have almost identical effects but completely different downsides.