The Warden's Aegis

The Warden's Aegis is a heavy steel shield of unremarkable dimensions, bearing the Blue Knights' sigil in enamel that has not faded in two thousand years. It is not a beautiful object. It was never meant to be. The founding Commander of the Blue Knights was, by all surviving accounts, a person who regarded aesthetic considerations in military equipment as a failure of priorities, and the Aegis reflects this. It is functional, well-balanced, and maintained to a standard that has not degraded across twenty centuries of successive holders despite the fact that no mundane maintenance has ever been sufficient to explain its condition.

Arcanthos blessed the Aegis at the Blue Knights' founding -- not as a reward or a mark of favor, but as a practical measure. The god of magic and founder of the Orders was creating an organization whose purpose was to police other practitioners of arcane power. He understood that an organization facing hostile wizards needed equipment that could withstand hostile wizards. The blessing reflects this understanding: the Aegis was made to hold a line against arcane force, and it does.

Venn-Sorn has carried it for eleven years, since assuming the Commandership. He did not seek it. It was given to him by his predecessor in a formal ceremony whose words he has memorized and whose weight he has not. He is aware that the shield is older than the Weohstannuk Empire, older than Caernguard's current walls, older than most of the institutions he is responsible for policing. He carries it anyway. The alternative is leaving it in a case, and a shield in a case is not what it was made for.

Properties

• Arcane Ward: +3 bonus to AC. Additionally, you have resistance to damage from spells.
• Spell Reflection: When targeted by a spell that requires an attack roll, you may use your reaction to interpose the Aegis. The attacker must reroll the attack. You may use this property a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
• Warden's Authority: While carrying the Aegis, you have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation and Persuasion) checks made against arcane spellcasters. Creatures with the Spellcasting trait that can see the Aegis must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw to make a hostile arcane spell attack against you on their first turn. On a success, they are immune to this property for 24 hours.
• Sanctioned Power: Once per long rest, as a bonus action, you may cause the Aegis to emit bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. Unsanctioned arcane spellcasters (those operating without Order licensing, or those whom the wielder has specifically designated) within the bright light must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or have their spell slots of 3rd level and lower suppressed for 1 minute.
• The Mandate: The Aegis cannot be used to harm a licensed, law-abiding member of any Order of Wizardry. Any attack made against such a creature with the Aegis simply fails. The shield knows.