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Details of enchanted and noteworthy items that are now, once were, or are going to be in the possession of our heroes. Feel free to add any uncommon items in your character's possession.
Powerful items whose whereabouts are unknown.
Somewhere on Temesia.
Items owned by player characters. Items marked by an asterisk are unwise to discuss or sell, due to the circumstances under which they were acquired.
Your basic light war hammer but double-headed (one side brass, one side silver) and a steel handle. Here is a physical model. Enchanted for battle versus devils (+4) and demons (+4). [Vidan]
Found on the corpse of a Dracartan traveller on Mount Mandu, this exquisitely balanced saber holds a very sharp edge (+1 to Attack for balance, +2 damage). Three times a day, the bearer can strike a defensive posture, becoming a whirlwind of dazzling bladework that may scare off lesser foes (WIL check modified by bearer's CHA; Mishap: collapse (feint), Fail: run away, Partial Success: -3 penalty for one round; Full Success: no effect; Critical Success: Free attempt to disarm bearer. [Aldak]
This collar style necklace is adorned with a dizzying array of precious stones set in a platinum and gold web. The necklace has 630 carats of sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds and a memory crystal crafted to look like "just another" gemstone. The collar has a secret locket, accessible only when not being worn. The locket is etched with Malgon's likeness and holds a lock of his hair.
When activated by the phrase "Malgon, I need your help!" the necklace adds +3 to the wearer's Combat Rating and provides 30 points of ablative armor. The armor manifests in the spectral form of Malgon rising up from behind the wearer to hover protectively overhead. Incoming damage is deflected by a blast of spectral glitter, launched by the ghostly Malgon. The enchantment runs for 49 rounds, whether or not the armor has been used up (i.e. it must be dispelled if more armor is desired). There is no deactivation phrase.
The memory crystal contains many phrases recorded by Malgon that appear in one of three circumstances: upon activating the necklace, when damage is deflected, or when nothing has happened for the previous six rounds. It contains even more phrases added by Malgon's friends on the IHoP. |
This silver ring has a permanent enchantment that provides a subtle awareness of one's surroundings. This awareness negates the first -3 points of any penalty to Perception tests or Perception-based skills. |
This sturdy leather pouch measures eight inches deep by six inches wide and has straps on the back to attach it to a belt. The intricate tooling on the flap has a triquetra seal surrounded by a finely detailed border of nested circles. Pouches like these were utility items for high-status Numenian officers and couriers. The idea is they don't find themselves short on cash or lacking for a small tool while on the road or on campaign. The fact that this one pouch does many things is remarkable and points to a very high status owner. Each of the features of the pouch may be used once per day.
Produce up to thirty Numenian gold coins. By weight, these are worth one-half gold lumen. The coins have random imperfections and persist indefinitely.
Produce steel or iron tool(s) weighing up to one-half pound, in whatever shape and form you verbally request ("Handful of nails!" "Shape of a chisel!"). The metal looks perfect and persists indefinitely.
Produce a toiletries kit containing a small bar of soap (fresh, flowery scent), a small bottle of dipilatory lotion, two tooth sticks (strongly tasting of some forgotten spice), and a polishing cloth to help make your metal and leather gleam. These are conjured items and will persist for one hour.
This copy is on vellum pages, bound in dragonhide and protected against the ravages of time by minor enchantments (it is in excellent condition). The book was created for the last King of Xambria; the diagrams and drawings are quite elaborate and there is much attention paid to the presentation of the material (raising questions about possible editing). While most scholars agree that Koraq's great work was written very early in his life, very few of them believe Koraq did so (or was even born) before the Torquarans destroyed Xambria. The very existence of this tome challenges what is known about Koraq.
Language: Archean
Difficulty: a successful check at -20 + 2*MR + INT is needed. See ref for further bonuses.
Benefits: +10 Experience, +1 MR
Study Time: 7 weeks, at which time the reader can determine if the copy is flawed (90% probability)
Value: 12,000 gl (1,200 if flawed) x market value of a book from the Xambrian King's library.
Currently with: the I.H.O.P.
This copy is on vellum pages, bound in blue leather, and shows minor wear. Like all items recovered under Omen, it is in remarkably good condition for its age. An abbrievated version of the full Book of Names, this handbook has listings of minor beings considered safe for summoning by Numenian functionaries. The text is encoded, requiring a critical success on a Cryptography roll or magical means to unlock its secrets. Author is unknown.
Language: Archean
Difficulty: a successful check at -2 + 2*MR is needed
Benefits: +2 Experience, +1 Summoning mode
Study Time: 4 weeks
Value: unknown
Currently with: the I.H.O.P.
Six hexagonal disks of polished purple stone form this set of books. Each disk is about 4" across and one-half inch thick. The disks are featureless but for a small pattern of indentations indicating the volume number. This series, authored by ancient Xambria's most renowned philosopher, is a treatise on Perception, Reality, and Responsibility. This set was taken from the royal library under Omen.
Language: not applicable. A full success on a Meditation skill check is required each time a volume is "read."
Difficulty: a successful check at -10 + 2*WIL +1 for every 2 levels in Meditation is needed to gain the benefits of study.
Benefits:
Vol 1: +30 experience towards Mysticism: Illusion
Vol 2: +30 experience towards Mysticism: Influence
Vol 3: +30 experience towards Mysticism: Divination
Vol 4: +30 experience towards Mysticism: Ward
Vol 5: +30 experience towards Mysticism: Enchantment
Vol 6: +30 experience towards Mysticism: Move
Study Time: 7 weeks per volume
Value: unknown
Currently with: the I.H.O.P.
A collection of teachings on meditation techniques and life practices that will lead the reader towards inner peace. Edited by Bardan of Xambria, this work is hand-painted on leaves of breezes captured and solidified at Altan and bound in Tamaranth spring waters. The book is marked as a gift from the Ariane to the king of Xambria.
Language: Xambrian
Difficulty: a successful check + 2*WIL is needed
Benefits: +30 Experience towards Meditation, +10 Experience towards Artisan: Gardener
Study Time: 8 weeks
Value: unknown
Currently with: the I.H.O.P.
Five weighty tomes clad in blue iron and glittering red scales, each several hundred pages long, these books celebrate the combat traditions and discipline of the Osmaran nation in exhaustive detail. Only the most dedicated scholars of military techniques are likely to go cover to cover through these deadly dull books. This set is from the royal library under Omen.
Language: Archaen
Difficulty: a successful check - 10 + 2*WIL is needed
Benefits: +1 CR after completing volumes 1-4. +1 RC after completing volumes 1,3-5.
Vol 1: +25 experience points towards Command
Vol 2: Formation Fighting + ability to teach it to others (as Mirin Formation Fighting)
Vol 3: +25 experience points towards Guard
Vol 4: +25 experience points towards Tactics
Vol 5: +25 experience points towards Artillerist specialty of player's choice
Study Time: 5 weeks each
Value: unknown
Currently with: the I.H.O.P.
A series of 148 volumes, originally brass-bound but often found under new covers or republished. Copies of volumes 122 through 148 are at the Lyceum Arcanum in Cymril. No known copies of the earlier volumes have been found. Hotan made no effort to sequence the volumes; they are numbered in order of publication.
Difficulty: full success on 2*WIL - 4 is required.
Benefits: each volume mastered provides a +1 bonus to History checks for the era covered.
The following volumes were found in 'Millhaven Manor' or its Nightmare doppleganger.
Vol 17: The Proximate Causes of the Four Nations' War
Vol 125: The Decline and Fall of Numenia
Vol 133: The Rise of Elande
Vol 142: The Torquaran Wastes in the Age of Decline
Study Time: 2 weeks each
Value: 100 to 400 g.l. each for known volumes (brass-bound); 10x for lost volumes.
An infamous series of volumes detailing the rites and practices of the Chana witchfolk, the cannibals of Pana-Ku, the Stryx, and other tribal cults, including the beginnings of the Rajan cult of Death. The writing style is clear and evocative but the casual reader should know that Mordante spared no details in authoring the volumes. Careless use of Volume 6 is particularly deadly.
Difficulty: full success on 2*MR+INT - 13 is required to properly understand a volume, though partial success will allow the reader to attempt the rites described therein.
Benefits: each volume mastered provides +10 experience points towards Arcane Lore and +5 experience points towards learning the Order:Necromancy. Each volume contains detailed descriptions of rites, spells, and enchantments. Users of Necromancy, Witchcraft, or Shamanism may benefit thereby.
Volume 3, focusing primarily on the Chana witchfolk, was found in 'Millhaven Manor'
Study Time: Three weeks each.
Value: 10,000+ g.l. each for Volumes 3-5; 20,000+ for Volumes 6 and 7. Volumes 1 and 2 are presumed lost.
A series of primers by Bracillor of Phandril, each dealing with a different topic of concern for well-to-do readers. Bracillor was widely derided in his time for relying on fear to sell his scrolls, but the workmanship and materials are of good quality. Bracilor's prose favors sensational turns of phrase and praise for the reader's choice of his works. Despite this, the guide books provide a decent introduction to their various topics. This collection came from the Osmaran envoy's rooms under Omen.
Language: Archaen
Difficulty: a successful check + 2 + 2*INT is needed
Benefits:
Mark! An Honest Man's Guide to Scoundrels and Their Ways - +20 experience towards Streetwise
Spy! An Honest Man's Guide to Keeping Secrets Safe - +30 experience towards Espionage
Fake! An Honest Man's Guide to Forgers and Their Ilk - + 30 experience towards Forgery
Study Time: 5 to 8 weeks of study and practice (each week > 5 adds + 1 to the check)
Value: unknown
Currently with: the I.H.O.P.
An elaborately decorated pen, covered in fine geometric patterns and runes formed by inlays of enamel, will flawlessly take dictation in Archaen. The barrel of the pen opens to reveal a hollow where a cryptographic cylinder may be inserted. The nib contains a small reservoir in which a sample of the desired ink is placed. It will take dictation for up to 2 glasses (58m), three times per day. The pen was found in the room of the envoy from Jalaad, under Omen. The patterns on the pen are representative of that city's decorative arts.
A large white conch shell overlaid with gold work and inlaid gems. The mouthpiece is a lotus blossom; the top is a spiral band with details of creatures long since extinct; the middle area is mostly open, showing the shell along with seven golden symbols. There are seven small gemstones inlaid in the gold: three at the central flare of the shell, three around the top, and one at the mouthpiece. A Buddhist horn is the physical model for this item. Though meant to be played, this horn has much to teach to one who listens. [Keja]
Vidan has this tattooed on his left forearm, just above his gauntlet. After one round of studying the tattoo, he can use the next round to create a Circle of Protection up to twenty feet in diameter. It will defend him and up to six others against devils, demons, spirits, or magic (depending on which type of Circle is drawn). [Vidan]
A sturdy chest made from durable materials, with a complicated lock; the chest is covered with sigils, protective runes, curses, warnings, and other ominous markings. It can only be opened (as far as we know) by a strange key which responds only to Vidan's fingers. The key takes the form of a flat disk when Vidan isn't holding it. The box is at least a thousand years old. [Vidan, but stored for him at House Mordigan]
Items owned by non-player characters.
Forty-two twenty-carat black diamonds(? not sure of count and size). These gems were in Gothrahim's Machine of Transmutation, set in three pairs of counter-rotating rings, each ring having seven gems evenly set around its circumference. The stones are completely matched in source, cut, and quality.
Sold through House Mordigan to a Black Savant for 84,000 gl.
A box about six feet long, one foot high, and two and one-half feet wide. Made of ironwood, amberglass, and treated with a quicksilver based mixture of indeterminate ingredients, the Void is designed to keep its contents protected against scrying, divination, and discovery of all sorts.
supposedly enchanted with Conceal at level 20 and ... ?
Value: unknown
Currently with: Barga the Zann, the Thirsty Heart, Zanth
A medallion, with powerful enchantments against devils.
value: somewhere around 250,000 gold lumens
currently with: House Mordigan, or whoever bought it from them