Gaming Group

Inventory

The following is a list of the significant items that were recovered from the last adventure. There is also quite a bit of loot worth cash, but I haven't calculated that out yet. Let me know if you have a problem with anything here.

Inventory of Treasures of the Mud Sorceror's Tomb

The Uzrivoy -- This mudship is controlled by the _Talisman of the Uzrivoy_ and unlocked by the mud rings. The ships stats for maneuvarability and speed, as well as the duration of some powers, are directly determined by the rank of the thread tied to the Talisman. Lesser powers: Beginning at rank 1, the ship may sail equally well across earth and water. It is very solidly built, able to withstand most any impact, and water is totally unable to damage it (even as steam). Repeated hits from other elements, such as fire, will eventually destroy it, but even then it would take many fire cannon hits before being rendered inoperable. Major abilities: At rank 1, may submerge in earth or water for up to 1 minute without ill effect. This is just enough time to surface from it's current location. Duration extends at higher ranks, for which the adepts currently do not have key knowledges. Other abilities may be gained as well.

Talisman of the Uzrivoy -- this solid silver amulet is clearly a unique magical item; it's powers at the first rank are described above. On the front is the symbol "Earth Dominant", and on the reverse is "Water Dominant". Each is etched directly into the silver. Even in pitch blackness, the amulet shines with a dim glow, 'though this cannot be used as a light source.

Mud Ring (x8) -- E'lan and Kore agree that this common magical item, in addition to operating mud sorceror locks and secret doors, operates the locks on the Uzrivoy's cabin and cargo hold doors, and also will cause the wearer to easily shed dirt, dust, and water, allowing them to clean up quickly and easily.

Stangulation Necklace -- Kore believes that this common magical item responds to the victim's pulsebeat, tightening as long as the pulse esists. It is a corruption of a common "fit-all" necklace.

Spell Crystals (general) -- These items are invested with a spell, and hold all needed threads. Casting the spell within requires an action, and all spellcasting and effect rolls are based on the user's totals. E'lan concludes that they can be re-used only with difficulty. They must first be re-enchanted using elementalist half-magic. He is not yet certain of the difficulty, but it does not look easy, though not nearly so difficult as creating one from scratch. The spell they are to hold is permanently set at the time of their creation. However, Kore believes that attempting to plumb their secrets may prove to be worthwhile, as the knowledge of how to create these items was partially lost during the Scourge: the current versions are rare, able to hold no threads, only the spell itself, and are not rechargable.

Further research will determine that the spells in crystals were:

(Fzalle's Trap) -- Breathable Bubbles (area-effect breathe water)

(Tzila's Antechamber) -- Purify Water

(Tzila's Antechamber) -- Dark Spy (from AMoB)

(Tzila's Antechamber) -- Whisper Through the Night (from AMoB)

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Stone Speak

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Earth Darts

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Porter

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Dry & Wet

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Summon Bridge

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Recovery

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Pass Ward

(Tzolo's Tomb) -- Mass Pain (targets = spellcast step)

Forged Mace -- Damage +4

125 Gems (Tzila) -- Pearls and Aquamarines

3 Elemental Earth Coins

2 Elemental Water Coins

Insect Repellant Mat -- Kore easily recognizes this common item; it has been enchanted so that insects will not touch it, making it a perfect sleeping mat.

It is 5' x 7', approximately the size of an average 2-man tent. It is unknown why Tzila would keep such a weak item; perhaps she had a fear of insects disturbing her sleep.

Thread Broadsword

Forged Dagger -- Damage +2

Thread Ring

Thread Wand (lesser)

Thread Scepter

Forged Two-Handed Sword -- Damage +7 (special effect: the very edge of the blade is translucent)

Books (general) -- all of the tomes found EXCEPT the next one are written in code, and will take time to decipher.

Intact Book -- Kaia Jezulein Phophaetus Minorum, "Minor Book of Jezulein Prohesies",

Damaged Book -- Perfectus Fe Syrcae Magica et os Jezulein, "Perfect Iron Circle Magic and the Jezulein", this book appears to be about group magic and ritual magic.

Intact Book -- Novices' primer for elementalists. Contains: Crunch Climb, Earth Blend, Plant Talk, Resist Fire, Heat Food, Mud Pit (c1, reduces init & speed based on success level), 2 "utility" spells designed by Shaun

Intact Book -- Novices' primer for nethermancers.

Damaged Book -- Kaia Jezulein Triomphe Illustrae, "Illustrated Book of Jezulein Trumphs", nearly all of the writing in this book has been damaged, though a few words still stand out here and there. The main portion that survived intact were the illustrations, which show scenes much like those depicted by the statues.

Damaged Book -- Title destroyed. This book appears to be an accounting record of the Jezulein order. It shows that just before their interrment, they converted nearly all of their worldly assets into cash, and sold nearly all of the minor magics they owned (light crystals, common items, etc.) to finance their interrment rituals and convert their base of operations. They also divested the entirety of their slave population. In the end, it appears that cost overruns occurred, forcing them to sell the greatest of their treasures (given the amounts of money involved) to purchase the pitiful rites of passage and protection that you saw on the outside of the tomb. One might speculate that this is because they had fallen out of favor with the Theran government, and were forced to look for another source for the rites.

Book Remnants -- spellbook remnants containing intact: Slow Metal Weapon, Path Home, Earthen Walkway (c2, speeds land travel), Icy Defense (c2, creates field of sharp ice shards), Porter, Plant Feast, Uneven Ground, 3 additional "utility" spells designed by Shaun. In addition, a bonus may be granted to researching spells if fragmentary knowledge has been found.

Braziers (x4) -- It takes Kore a little while on this common item, but eventually he realizes that the coals are not actually coals, but petrified herbs of the type that repels insects. Normal-sized insects are repelled in area filled by smoke. Note that this works best in an enclosed area. There are sufficient "coals" to burn for several days of continued operation.

Crystals (Tzolo's Tomb) -- you'll find out soon enough... heh

Statue #1 (Ork) -- Kore is uncertain of the name of this hero. The most famous of his order was Kaynna, and this statue may depict that worthy individual.

Statue #2 (Troll) -- Dai and Jerris identify this statue as Morn, an infamous sky raider. He was known for his hatred of the Therans, and never took Theran prisoners. He was often mentioned by those who didn't like Dai during his early training. Unfortunately, his defenses against macig were not what they should have been, and he died an unheroic death at the hands of a ritual spell. The crystal armor cannot be removed, but the shield is a typical living crystal shield.

Statue #3 (Troll) -- Several people recognize this statue (Jerris, E'Lan, and Dai). It depicts an elementalist / weaponsmith named Illyr, who specialized in fire-magics. He often ventured into Death's Sea to find the purest iron. While his clothing was often the worse for wear, he is known to have been burned only once, by dragon fire. Even then, his arms were not harmed, nor was his face. The dragon, fortunately, had only been trying to make a point about those who thought themselves immune to dragon-fire, and did not further harm the helpless adept.

Statue #4 (Obsidiman) -- Unidentified. The stone broadsword appears to be a common thread item.

Statue #5 (Human) -- Derlenn easily identifies this statue as that of Nioku, a famous Archer adept. Few people know of the story of her defeat by and escape from the Therans. Derlenn is one of those people. Derlenn is also easily able to see that the bow is a non-magical replica of the famous _ Nioku's Bow_. The necklace, on the other hand, looks to be the true trophy. As she examines it, Derlenn feels a strong "connection" to it, 'though she is unable to put it into terms any less vague.

Statue #6 (Human) -- From the stance, it can be surmised that this man was a swordmaster. The clothes he wears are atypically drab, however, so he may have been one of the less flamboyant variety. His name is unknown. The sword he bears is well made, but neither enchanted nor forged. His bracers, on the other hand, are likely to be thread items.

Statue #7 (T'skrang) -- Jerris is uncertain, but thinks this might be Tarka, the T'skrang troubador. He was known for his reliance on blood magic. T'skrang are known for their ability to hold their breath; it he was killed by drowning, it was probably a long and drawn-out process.

Statue #8 (Ork) -- Jerris believes this to be Nerius, an Ork hero of Cara Fahd who was known for his prowess as a merchant and trader. During the period when he lived, the Therans were attempting to force the orks into submission using economic means. Nerius was known for his wit and cleverness; he prevented Theran success for nearly 30 years. He lived to a ripe old age (for an Ork), before he was foully slain in a caravan ambush. It was not previously known who his killers were. His most notable deed was obtaining a copy of the rites of passage and protection without resorting to economic slavery. The coins are three gold and two silver, of typical pre-Scourge minting.

Synopsis: Kaia Jezulein Prophaetus Minorum

Title Translation: (The) Minor Book (of) Jezulein Prophesies

Language: Old Theran

Description: The tome is clearly magical in nature, having survived a direct hit from an extended blizard sphere, unlike the other tomes with it, some of which, it can be deduced from their fragmentary remains, did have some protections to prevent them from accidental destruction. Despite it's great age, it is only slightly worn on the covers. The pages are still in pristine condition. >From the style of binding and manufacture, it can be deduced that it was handcrafted sometime during the middle of the Orichalcum Wars, approximately 370 TH. This makes the book over 1000 years old.

Notes: Unlike the tomes that it was found with, this tome was not encoded with the Mud Seal cryptograph. The tome posesses a magical property which causes it to always open to the last page which has writing, which appears to be in the center of the book. If an effort is made to prevent this from occurring, the book can be opened to any location desired; however, it natually falls open to the center of the book if opened anywhere near the center. Another oddity is that if the reader flips backward from the center, it seems to take many more pages turned than are actually there: one might speculate that the book makes room for the number of pages it holds by use of an astral pocket. Any reasonable attempt to mar or alter the book (short of methods which risk its destruction), including writing new entries, fails. Neither ink nor ash adhere to the page, and burning does not brand it, although this was attemped using only small coals. Even more exotic inks do not appear to affect the book.

To astral examination, the book appears have little pattern of its own, having much the same complexity as many common magic items. However, pattern appears to reflect, mirror, and link to a greater pattern, much as a minor pattern item might link to the pattern of an adept.

A count of the used pages of the book yields approximately 600 pages, with the number of entries probably five times that number. the bound book appears to hold approximately 250 pages, with approximately half being blank.

The first entry in the tome reads: In the year of Grimeye's Fire will be completed this Tome and its childer, at the hands of the Blood Farmers. In that year they shall re-name themselves Jezulein, and a new legacy shall be born.

Following this entry are several entries predicting growth and good fortune for the Jezulein. Many of the first entries are blotted out: it may be surmised that these were either errors or information that later Jezulein did not want known. Given the incriminating nature of some of the intact early entries, the former is the more likely possibility. The number of blotted entries is reduced as one reads further, to the point that near the last entries of the book they are fairly rare.

The final entry reads:

In the year of Valor's Fading, shall the (indecipherable blur) come to the halls of the Jezulein, to complete the work of the Inheritor. In payment for their service, they shall leave that place triple-bound to Death, by blood and spell and prophecy. They shall be so bound together until all are released by the dark hand of Death.

The previous two entries read:

(Different handwriting): And so shall the Jezulein prepare for their sleep, to wait undisturbed in their peace until the time of awakening by their inheritors.

(Same handwriting as final entry): And it shall come to pass that that peace will be the peace of Death, for all save the inheritors. All shall awaken, but only one, the Inheritor, shall ever see the Scourge-blackened world.

A general review of the book indicates that it predicts nothing but good fortune for the Jezulein, and comparisons with the historical documents of a library will bear out the fact that in all the predicted events, the Jezulein did indeed benefit from extreme good fortune.

However, the book does not appear to have ever been used to directly predict events: instead, many qualifiers were used throughout the book with few if any direct statements. For example, at one point, rather than say that the Jezulein would be saved, the book predicts that the shifting tides of battle will hide their leaders well, and many would be given the opportunity to escape. This may be a clue to the limits of the power of the book.

The fact that the Jezulein were eventually decimated by the angered Barsaivan people, and that they lost the backing of Thera in their final days, may also provide some indications of the limits of the power of the book.

Back