William Stoughton's Gavel | |
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Origin |
William Stoughton |
Type |
Gavel |
Effects |
Allows the user to bring a death sentence upon their victim |
Downsides |
Effects |
Activation |
Banging |
Collected by |
|
Section |
|
Aisle |
529273-2991 |
Shelf |
972442-1395-272 |
Date of Collection |
March 1754 |
[Source] |
Origin[]
William Stoughton was a political magistrate of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and became a major figure in the Salem Witch Trials, acting as the judge and prosecutor. Unlike most judges, he accepted spectral evidence as proof and never admitted it was wrong to do so.
Effects[]
Used by the famous judge of the Salem Witch trials, it was empowered by the fear and anger of the hand that wielded it. This gavel, when banged against any surface, will allow the user to "Pass Sentence" onto anyone who the user's rage is directed against. The sentence will always be a death sentence. The target for the artifact will die in one of four ways.
- Hanging: An invisible force will wrap itself around their neck and lift the victim up into the air where they will either die by choking or a broken neck.
- Drowning: The victim will start to gasp and cough violently as they spit up a seemingly endless stream of water.
- Pressing: The victim will be forced to the ground by some unseen force and crushed as if a giant boulder was on top of them.
- Burning: The victim will suddenly burst into flames.
These deaths are chosen at random by the gavel itself. This gavel will also instill the mindset of Stoughton in the user as it is used.
Witchcraft Artifacts | |
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Wiccan / Occult Practices | Circe's Wand • Doreen Valiente's Athame • Cipher Manuscripts • Tamsin Blight's Cauldron • Gerard Gardner's Book of Shadows |
Witch Hunts and Trials | Belvoir Witches' Corsned • Danish Witch Doll • Matthew Hopkins' Witch-Pricking Pin • Malleus Maleficarum • Abigail William's Pendent • Friedrich Spee’s Cassock • William Stoughton's Gavel • Rebecca Towne Nurse's Noose • Grace Sherwood's Sickle • Ergot Bread from Salem • Giles Cory's Shoe Buckle • Anton Praetorius' Hynm Book • Moll Dyer's Rock |
Popular Media | Dominus Trinus by Book of Shadows • The Sanderson Sisters' Black Flame Candle • Margaret Hamilton's Broomstick • Salem Saberhagen Animatron • Elizabeth Montgomery's Hair Curlers • Idina Menzel's Broomstick |
Miscellaneous | Three Witches' Cauldrons from Macbeth • La Voisin's Ceremonial Basin |