Charlotte's Necklace

Charlotte's Necklace is a sealed cursed relic left by Charlotte, the last princess of Antioch. Although it appears to be an ordinary silver necklace at Kargas's underground auction, its power can turn lingering spirits into specters and banshees on a national scale. Theodore Miller prevents the Orcus Company from acquiring it and later expends it as the offering for a mythological summon.

History

The Kargas duel bid

Gluttony identifies the necklace during an underground auction as a Treasure-rated object whose curse is blocked by a saint's seal. Theodore initially sees a possible way to produce evil spirits for Gluttony to consume, but his immediate reason for bidding is defensive: the black-magic-linked Orcus Company openly wants the relic, and he cannot accept the disaster that might follow if its seal is removed. When the auction reaches its price ceiling, the dispute becomes a duel bid. (Chapter 131)

Randolph Clovis fights on Theodore's behalf and defeats the Orcus agent's death knight with the Clovis two-sword technique. The victory gives Theodore the necklace and makes the Orcus Company a lasting enemy. Its Four Horsemen later cite the lost relic and the destruction of their headquarters among their reasons for pursuing him across the Central Continent and sea. (Chapters 132–135, 147, and 232)

Offering for Fafnir

Theodore keeps the saint's seal intact rather than experimenting with the curse in Aquilo's territory. During the battle at sea, Satomer uses Theodore's body and summoning expertise to turn the necklace into an offering. The cursed history of a destroyed country—its displaced people, fallen knights, and dead—provides the causality needed to answer the summons. The relic burns away after the Ring of Muspelheim accepts it. (Chapters 145 and 151)

The sacrifice calls a projected portion of Fafnir, a dragon of Muspelheim, rather than bringing the transcendent's complete body into the material world. Even with a correct spell and a Treasure-rated offering, the summon persists only for seconds because the world's binding force resists beings of that magnitude. Later explanations use the necklace and Fafnir as the example of how offerings provide causality while the summoner's soul forms the connection. (Chapters 151–152 and 283)

Abilities and limitations

• Antioch's Curse: Unsealed, the necklace curses the living and transforms nearby spiritual bodies that retain attachment into powerful evil spirits. A skilled necromancer could use it at the scale of a national treasure. (Chapter 131)
• Saint's seal: The curse is dormant while the holy seal remains in place, making the object appear to be only an old accessory. Theodore never demonstrates the curse directly. (Chapters 131 and 145)
• Dangerous consumption: Gluttony's appraisal promises a large amount of magic power but also warns of serious mental damage, an eleven-day digestion period, and the application of Antioch's Curse. Theodore does not choose this route. (Chapter 131)
• Summoning causality: Satomer can use the relic's accumulated history as a sacrifice to bring Fafnir's shadow across the dimensional boundary. The offering is consumed permanently and does not remove the world's limits on the summon. (Chapters 151–152 and 283)

Ownership and custody