Lost Tomes 3

L is for Lost Tomes (previously here, and here)

5 more books quickly ginned up to keep the Alphabet Dungeon stocked:

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Lebelia's Bestiary.
Written in High Elf, this book describe various small to medium monsters and animals, with intricately-drawn figures of the creatures in question. Most pages are missing, apparent torn free.
Each remaining page, if torn out, burned and spoken over with correct incanation, will release the depicted monster (or monsters) up to 3 HD as per summon monster, except the spell duration is twice as long.  There will be 2d10 pages remaining, with random creatures pictured.

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Chionld's Codex of Rejuvenated Lands:
Crafted by a druid committed to rehabilitating dead lands, this book, bound in dark brown bark, smells of earth and cut grass.  The book contains powerful ritual magics for the restoration of blighted or cursed lands to fruitfulness. Only readable by high-level druids conversant in the Old Tongue.

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Lotus-Warrior Scroll:
Written in a foreign calligraphy, the scroll depicts a running creature trailing leaf-like feathers.  The scroll is 'planted' in the ground, anointed with 4 hp of blood, and the chant written on the scroll is repeated three times.  The ritual will call a Lotus-warrior from its plane of training and contemplation. The plant-based humanoid resembles a weasel coated in a close 'fur' of leaves. This magical creature bounds and tumbles from its home plane, and joyously announces its intent to serve its summoner in the pursuit of good and beauty. When faced with an enemy, the Lotus-warrior gambols and tumbles, striking and tripping with its whip-like head-leaf and stabbing with its lance-like wooden sword.  At the end of a day, the warrior will take a deep bow, and disappear in a flash of green.  An art object or valuable gem in possession of the party will disappear with it.
Lotus-warrior - 3HD, AC 4/16 (dodging and tumbling), Atk: (2) 1d6 (Head-leaf ) and 1d8 (lance). Special: 15' reach with head-leaf, target makes DEX save on successful hit or tripped. Warrior may strike creatures immune to normal weapons. May cast Protection from Evil once per day.

The Summoner's Gag:
This scroll appears to contain one to three offensive or attack spells (e.g. magic missile, web, lightning, etc.) However, if the caster reads from it, hidden glyphs become visible, animating the scroll, and gagging and suffocating the user, rendering them helpless (typically at the worst possible moment in melee). The scroll will deal 1d4 points choking and pummeling damage per round for 1d4+1 rounds. During this time, the spellcaster will be unable to speak or defend themselves against attack. The scroll may be burned to free the caster, but they will take half damage from the fire.

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The Inquisitor's Scrollcase:
This relic, created by the Grand Inquisitor Tamrad three generations ago, amplifies mental control spells on scrolls stored within (e.g. charm).  Saves against spells stored in the scroll case are made at -2.  Additionally, the scroll case, if touched to an 'interviewee' will compel them to answer three questions to the best of their ability.

Lost Tomes 8 - D6 More Books...

Crap - It's been over three years since I've written a list of random books, my Lost Tomes series.

Let's fix that. A quick little list from a bit of evening freewriting... 

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D6 Weird Books You Just Found

1. Primer of the Flower: An identification guide of the obscure flowers and plants native to the fae forests and their qualities. Binding covered in dried petals, smells faintly of lilac.

   

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2. The Femmentabula: A soothsayer's guide to smoke augury - the art of fortune telling through the turnings and driftings of the smoke of sacred fires. Bound in oily leather. Book smolders periodically.
3. Calls the Avaro: Summoning for a extra dimensional guide from outside of time. Its escort gives one the  power to alter fates and corrupt timelines. Book bound in shimmering mica flakes. Small grains of sand constantly sift from between its pages.

   

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4. The Coffadwriaeth: Allows its reader to recall songs long ago heard and forgotten, and relive the intense memories occasionally contained within such recollections. Dull black cover, absorbs light. Pages make no sound when turned.
5. Hiravato Verses: Contains poems to neutralize the powers/gaze of the medusa, and charm them into compliance and acquiescence. Cover of dense slate inscribed with the names of gorgons past. Smells of flint.
6. Breitetsichaus Book: A manual of the ancient art of sandwichanordnungschicht, the sacred halfling art of sandwich esthetics and competitive topping arrangement. Dull brown pressboard covers, likely stained, pages smell of bread and spicy mustard.

   

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Lost Tomes 6

Hi +j garrison! Thank you for hosting this month's RPG Blog Carnival, "Journals, Grimoires and Spell-Books."

It's been a while (just over a year, sheesh!) since I last did a list of 'Lost Tomes,' so this was a fine inspiration to dig in my notes and gin up a few bits of the written word for your adventurers to find or seek.  So here's seven more for the library:

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1. The Caldrie Registry: An old wedding contract blessed by priests of the Wooded Lands, the scroll records the marriage of the last of the First Rangers, Veeder Caldrie and her husband, Elburg Caldrie. As was the tradition in those days, he took her name, thus extending the matriarchal line, and reinforcing his place as an outsider in the Woods. Though the courtship and wedding was established in love, it soon soured, as Elburg chafed at his place as a second-class citizen within the Lands. The Conflagration of 1088 and the subsequent invasion of the eastern Wooded Lands by chaos forces was blamed on Elburg's jealousies, and he was scapegoated, driven from the lands and his family...

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2. The Agekel-sam:  Found within an abandoned elfin redoubt deep within the Seral Forest, the book is filled with an elaborate, curving script that shimmers and causes the reader to go dizzy. Non-fey readers must save or; 1) go mad; 2) go blind; 3) stare into the book, eschewing sleep or sustenance until dead; or 4) become possessed by the soul of a deceased elf. The script is not written on the page, but is "projected" onto it from the fey dimensions, a message from elfin lords that have passed on to the Rimlands. The script morphs and changes over time, reflecting the mercurial messaging and philosophies of the Rimland elves...

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3. Jared's Open Book: An indecipherable journal, found within the ruins of a itinerant alchemist-wizard's lab. The pages are stained, corroded and singed, outcomes of being too close to experiments both successful and failed. While several sages have attempted to unravel the script, it is not clear if the odd characters are an invented alphabet, or some foreign, alien language. The letters do not appear related to any known alphabet, leading some scholars to believe the script to be the fabrication of a madman. Others see too many connections and patterns, and believe the author to have been an individual displaced from location and perhaps even time. Artifacts and fragments of equipment found within the blasted rubble of the land suggest the latter. Early witnesses on site after the blast noted that the building had imploded, rather than exploded, as would be expected from the typical alchemist's failed experiment...

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4. Druidic spell-tube: "Careful, Sermos.  That there scroll tube was crafted up by the Druids, for holding their esoteric spells on what odd leaves, carved sticks, or rune-scribed bones that one of those 'nature-boys' calls a scroll...  Now don't be puttin' your fancy arcanist scrolls in there.  I hear tell it will eat the spell clean off them. Or spit them out as frogs. At least that what my auntie told me..." The scroll tube, fabricated from a combination of tree cambium and vines, and kept alive through druidic preservation magic, fortifies the magic held within a druid-crafted scroll (a great rarity). Due to its animist energies, the scroll tube is hostile to any arcane scrolls placed within, ripping the spell from the parchment within 1d4 hours.

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5. Molphilius' Soul Book: At the moment of death, the soul and personality of the lost mage was transferred to his old spellbook, where he still resides.  The book will be found in some forgotten, dusty corner, or among a boss-monster's treasures. If found/rescued, he will initially be grateful and gregarious, eager for word of the outside world. This mood will fade quickly, and he will soon chafe at his situation. While he may incant any of his known spells (random as per 7th Level MU), he is, as would be expected, a cranky old bugger, and may only acquiesce to assisting his 'bearer' under duress. At the first opportunity, he will attempt to charm his bearer into assisting him in his quest to locate a vivimancer of sufficient power and knowledge to reinstall him into a living body.

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6. The Pelagic Psalter: Contained within the salt-and-iodine reeking pages are a lyrical history of antediluvian times. The book contains the languages of ancient sea-going creatures that troll the abyss, only arising once a century to feed at the surface before descending back to the lightless depths. If one is fortunate enough to encounter one of these massive, languid creatures, the reader may hope to use the book to exchange a few pleasantries or gather a tidbit of wisdom from before the time that feet trod the land.

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7. Danroth's Album: A spellbook for conjuring the Paper Dragon (HD 2; AC 5 [14]; Atk: breath as 'shard's of paper causing minor cuts (1d3), save or blinded for 1d2 rounds; Move 12 (fly); Special: golem resistances, double damage from magical fire.) Each book will contain pages sufficient to create 1d4 dragons. As a golem, the 'dragon' will follow simple commands, including acting as a guard, retrieving small items (up to one pound), and performing minor scouting. An individual dragon is not durable, and will degrade within two weeks if not damaged otherwise.

PPreviously5, previously4, previously3, previously2, previously1

Twelve Lost Tomes

...to be injected into a library, treasure, or quest.  These may be very valuable to someone - either to be shared... or suppressed.

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1.  Genealogy of Geramda Barthammer:  Parchment bound within intricate hammered-iron leaves. A history of the dwarves of Rodamine Peaks, whose holding have since usurped by another dwarven clan.  The genealogy traces the succession of leadership back 20 generations, and is necessary for a descendant of Barthammer to reclaim the stronghold and his inheritance.

2. The S'thter:  Pictographs and cuniform etched on wire-bound sheets of mica.  History of the lizardfolk's 'lost' city, allegedly located in the Desert of Glass. It documents the history and advances of the race prior to the coming of the humanoids and the race's subsequent downfall.  The book may include information on advanced 'magics' known to the ancestral lizardfolk.

3. The Inkarthel - Journal of a high-level necromancer, describes the creation of various 'skin-golems' and provides instructions for tattooed runes to imbue them with certain abilities and resistances.  Includes component lists for inks for the runic tattoos.  the runes are intended for use with golems and constructs only.  If these runes are tattooed into living flesh the recipient will perish unless a successful save vs death roll is made.  In which case, success will transfer the tattoo's ability to the living character.  There will likely be another cost associated with this tattooing, even if the transferal is successful

4. Tome of Curagol - An Ogre-mage's grimoire written on human skin (Shifting runes tattooed on the cover requires the bearer save vs. Spells or insanity).  Successful save will increase influence over non-human humanoids (+2 reaction rolls, doubles any charm effects/duration on non-human humanoids), gives power of augury once per day.

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5. Ganein Codex - Illuminated parchment scroll listing of 1001 names of God.  The names glow in a holy light, and fade from visibility once read.  Anyone reading all names aloud will receive one 'boon' (roll 1d10):

1. Good Luck (+1 on all saving throws)
2. Knowledge of an ancient secret or lost relic of great power
3. Wisdom increased 1d4
4. Insanity and incapacitated, left a drooling husk of former self
5. Intelligence decreased 1d4
6. PC donates all worldly goods and walks the earth as a prophet
7. Chosen One of God, immediately attracts 3d4 fanatical followers
8. Smiter of God (+1 vs all of opposite alignment (AC/to hit/Dam/saves))
9. Struck mute
10. Struck down as a blasphemer (lightning, meteor strike, pack of wolves...)

5. The Song of Samhans - An epic poem carved into a millstone, lost and half-buried in the ruins of an abandoned halfling burrow-hold.  It recounts a legendary halfling battle against an incursion of evil into their lands. Wihtin the text are mentions of an artifact-weapon - the Staff-Sling of Peplyn - wielded by a renowned halfling sheriff and folk-hero who led a successful counter-attack and repulsion of the dark troops. The hero, and his favored weapon, disappeared some time later while he was pursuing a band of lycanthropes near the borderlands with Saydraver.  Some say it is held as a trophy by a werewolf lord.

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6.  Leaves of Sil'las - Ancient elven script on pages of beaten mithril - An elven history documenting genealogies and  place-names of elven cities lost during the advance of the Neferu Desert and the desertification of the ancestral homeland.  This record is actively sought by the Anfauglir (Plains Elves) as a relic text and resource for locating several lost cities and revered sites.

7. The Ecath'schoth - A scroll of serpent-hide housed within a case of blackened ironwood.  This scroll of forbidden rites is suspected to have lead to the downfall of a past empire - Any bearer will be branded as a heretic by most churches.  Any lawful cleric who comes in possession of the scroll will either switch alignment and become a follower of one of the Dark Gods (1/3) or immediately fall out of favor with their deity and lose all cleric abilities (2/3).

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9. The Ineydyn  - An accursed journal of a lost Vampire Lord - This blood-spattered book is sealed with a magic lock.  Attempts to open it without its single key will be unsuccessful due to the potent magics securing it.  The pages appear to be blank, but upon 'feeding' the book 1d4 HP of human blood, the text will illuminate.  The text bears clues to the location of the Denech, an accursed artifact utilized by numerous vampire lords to observe and influence several ruling families and their dynasties. Parties will make great efforts to either secure or destroy this document.  Hidden text within the book will curse any bearer to seek and use the artifact.

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10. Sihan'tldath - A book of the history of an attempted human genocide by a racist/conservative Elven faction a score of generations past.  The action was repelled and countered with the assistance of the dwarves.  Elves are still treated with distrust in spite of the faction's purge.  The book indicates the potential for surviving enclaves of the rebels and their machinations to regain power and influence within the general population.

11. The Tularmund - The documentation of the Mage overlords and their tyranny in the past ages. Retells the epics of the mage-killer knights and their divine allies who broke the wizard sects and eradicated them or drove them underground.  It describes the early pogroms and legislation against magic-users.  Hints and sigils sketched within the margins of the book may indicate the secret signs of crypto-wizard groups and surviving hidden schools.  These may be used to locate/train as a mage, or begin additional purges.  Rare factions may also seek reconciliation.

12. Quanunrion Codex - A green-covered book closed with a fine iron chain.  Within are sigils imprisoning the faerie godlet, Ksashiru, held in thrall by a sorcerer's machinations.  Smudging a sigil will summon Ksashiru for a period of one day.
She can:
Speak any language of the fey races.
Cast spells as a 5th level Illusionist.
Summon one monster up to 5HD
Any arcane spell cast in her presence will have the effect of being cast by a +2 levels higher magic user.
Improve the party's save vs. spells by +2.

There will be 3d4 sigils remaining within the book.  When the last sigil is used, Ksashiru will be released.  There is a 75% that she will take revenge on the last bearer of the book unless they atone and make sacrifices at a fey holy site within one week of the book's last use.  The individual will either be disfigured (-6 Cha), or be cursed with bad luck (-4 on all saves).

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Lost Tomes 4 - Five colorful books

The Orange - Greatly feared and suppressed, huge bounties for its recovery (and preferably, destruction) have been posted by kings and conquerors. It contains spells for the hegemonic connection of great forces, such as controlling an army, and causing it to move and act as a single mind. Current rumor implies that the death cult of Burver the Ever-bleeding intends to find it, and put it to use, plotting to cause the population of the city-state of Kinitan to march into the sea to its death.

The Red - Chants from the book are said to protect plane-walkers and other inter-dimensional travelers from the incorporeal guardians and watchdogs who seek to rend the sanity and souls of those with the temerity to intrude into planes or realities where they do not belong. Later chapters describe hopeful methods of regaining souls lost to inter-planer predators and demons.

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The Green - Anyone reading this book will have to fight a distracting buzzing of the teeth or lose concentration while trying to decipher its runes.  However, researchers overcoming such distractions will gain knowledge of sundry obscure acids, and insight into the creation of a Universal Solvent.

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The Blue - Lost in a deep well and guarded by a mostly-invisible cat - only its ears and massive clawed paws are visible. The guardian feline may only be driven off only with weapons of legendary quality. Crackling with energy, a reader's hair will stand on end. While the book is open and being read aloud, the user is immune to electrical attack. Held within the pages of the book is the spirit of an ancient blue dragon, Craeworeuth, trapped by a sorcerer who manipulated the dragon's hubris. The spirit, once freed, will act as a guide through the great Eastern Desert, its old territory, which no man has crossed.With enough cajoling and flattery, the spirit may tell great stories of its consort with the thunder gods.

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The Black - Compiled by the Alchemist/Magister Deloc the Fourth, wrapped in an iron cover, smelling slightly of sulfur and cardamom.  Research of the texts allows users to access methodologies to create golems, particularly earth and metal-based, for one-half of the exotic materials cost.

The White - Wrapped in superficial sheepskin, the pages appear blank, other than a few faint water-stains.  The text appear only once every few years under certain alignments of stars and planets, revealing prayers and rituals to speak to angels. Angels are happy to converse, as the afterlife is dull and flat. However, this boredom does lead to some mischievousness, and any individual making contact with an angel will likely find themselves under a geas to pursue some absurd quest or acquisition.

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Lost Tomes 7 - Oddball Spellbooks

1d12 crap spellbooks:

Some of these could be most awesome for your mage to find, but most are simply white elephants.  Have fun...

1. Mica-leafed, heavy and fragile, requires a special polarized lens to read the inscribed spells. Typically used for uncommon spells of illusionist or evocation nature.
2. Written on the hide of a living wild steer. Common to the plains herbimancers. The spells are only viable as long as the bovine remains alive. The spellbook is generally docile, but large and awkward, not suited for subterranean travels.
   
3. Shells strung on thongs, the spells glowing iridescent within the mother of pearl. Rattley.
4. A bag of prisms. Spells may only be read by projection through a specialized lamp. Typically houses illusions. 
5. A puzzle-cylinder, requiring proper alignment of the rings to make spells legible.
   

They Met at a Tavern 26: Miles Covered

Tonight's Cast of Characters:

• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief

(Thorn was sleeping one off, and Erol was out doing elf meditation things)

The party convened in Bettiholme, meeting Darkmist at the Lazy King. Some discussion, and an expedition north to the lost cities was chosen. A coastal trading ship with a sufficient hold for their mounts was hired. 

But first, we need to figure out where we are in the world. I'd scribbled up three "world" maps with large lakes/inland seas and other features. The party picked this one as their world.

The height of colored pencil technology

Bettiholme is on the southeast coastline of the large water body, by the smaller of the two rivers. 

The ship sailed, and things were all peachy until a wake was seen following. Spotted by Kiara, who was ill on the rail. 

Boo!

The serpent, possibly drawn by the scent of livestock on the ship, bore down, slamming into the hull multiple times. Chaotic action, as the party attempted to negotiate/intimidate the offloading of a cow on board to satiate the beast, while simultaneously hucking javelins and arrows at it. Fortunately, the serpent was dissuaded from continuing its attack by attrition of injuries, and the ship limped to harbor (cow still on board).

The port was a city located at the delta of the larger river. Named... Sulfurtown. For its mines. OK. The party disembarked as the ship put in for repairs. Time to go intelligence gathering on the lost cities. 

Drom sought out the library, where he was shown a fragmentary map of the city, and some old tomes describing its extent. The city was said to be dominated by a large causeway lined with markets and craft-halls, leading to the great temple, a pyramid at the city's heart. Drom is all about those ziggurats. 

Darkmist and Bjorr paid a visit to the local Temple of Ord, and while making some offerings, overheard that the lost city had generated energy for its many workshops and wonders from a volcano. Unfortunately, the city was lost when the volcano erupted, drowning it in lava.

Lost Tomes 5

....wherein we find more books to seek, stumble upon, or suppress....

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Funerary of Ildar:  A hide-bound book of resurrection of the dead.  The book contains powerful texts for the retrieval of the soul from beyond, and re-securing it to the mortal body.  However, the subject of the resurrection must now permanently keep the book in their possession to maintain their revivified status.  Physical separation from the book will sever the person's hold on life, rendering them permanently dead.  The book will be found with a decayed corpse a few feet away, in the attitude of crawling toward the volume.

The Mortuaria of Radow: A clandestine directory of maps to a dynasty's King-barrows.  It was compiled by generations of tomb-builders (and grave-robbers) in deepest secrecy.  If the map-book's unique cipher can be broken, the directory shows the locations, contents, and hazards of dozens of tombs.  Map fragments secreted in the book's cover consist of partial information, requiring a complicated sequence of overlays and foldings to depict the barrow locations. There is a likelihood that a number of these tombs may remain undefiled. If found on a person by the Dynasty's forces, the copy will be immediately destroyed, and the person and their companions buried alive in punishment.  Two copies are rumored to exist.

Worm-caller's Scrolls:  Stinking, fetid skins wrap parchment written in the runes of a mysterious subterranean cult.  The cult claims to speak the languages of and communes with various monstrous burrowing annelids.  The bearers of the scrolls may pass through giant worm-burrows without harm.  The odor of the scrolls identifies the bearers as 'worm-talkers,' causing generally negative reactions from other subterranean dwellers.  Mastering any of the associated worm-cants will allow communication with a number of species of giant hell-worms known or rumored in the land.

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Onieromancers' Somnambularium: A spellbook of an Onieromancer - an arcane practitioner and manipulator of sleep and the night.  The book contains numerous spells associated with the discipline,  including various 'dreamwalking' spells for the viewing and manipulation of dreams (and dreamers...).  The book's deep black cover imitates a moonless night sky. Any non-onieromancer handling the book must save vs spells or fall into a deep trance, simply staring at the book's cover until the book is removed or covered.

Gnoll-codex:  A discredited sage's study of the matrilineal lines and mating habits of the gnoll clans of the Outer Plains.  The illustrations are exceptionally detailed and hint at quite personalized research in the matter.

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The Cog-Rhack: Developed by secret castes of dwarven majicker-smiths, this iron-bound manual secured with complicated clockwork specifies the creation and operation of mobile automatons for the transport of ore and other heavy hauling.

Songbooks of Ghamoskel: A collection of chants and psalters of marginalized non-human gods.  The texts include:

1. Fungus Lord Hymnal  - Songs of hallucination and decay in dedication to the spore-gods. 
2. Insect Anthiem - Trilling songs of the hive and communal goals.  Certain phrases within the verses allow a disorienting gateway to the compound visions of the hive minds.
3. Labyrinthinos - Paeans to the minotaur-gods of the mazes and lost twisted places. The supplicant, while keeping up the songs, will not be misdirected in a maze.
4. The Yiap - Calls to an alien, one-legged saltating god of the plains.  With great leaping bounds it attempts to stomp out the unworthy...
5. Oestern Ent-songs - Sonorous, ponderous chants of the tree folk - takes days to complete a single verse.  Full choral symphonies in the language can outlast a human lifetime.
6. The Torhoninahin -  Subsonic moans and meditations of the near-immortal god-mammoth that tracks among the frozen northern wastes and is worshiped by the Hatgarrak Wanderers as the Tundra-lord.

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Random Magic Item: Staff-sling of Peplyn

Somewhat inspired by Timrod's musings on our favorite hairy-footed demi-humans -

From my previous post on 'Lost Tomes,' the "Song of Samhans" introduced us to the Staff-Sling of Peplyn.

Halfling slingers often discard the traditional sling in favor of the staff-sling, which allows for extra leverage, resulting in greater damage and range for their sling bullets.

Generic staff-sling (S&W specs, adjustable for other systems):
Damage: 1d4+1 (or +20% damage vs. sling).  The staff-sling may also be wielded as a light club in a pinch (1d4).  Users of staff-slings use DEX bonuses for to-hit and STR bonuses for damage due to the leverage provided by the weapon.
Rate of fire: 1/ round
Range: 50' (indoor)/150' outdoor (or +20% range vs. sling)
Weight: 3 lbs
Cost: 2gp

Staff-Sling of Peplyn: 

Constructed of an oaken staff with brass workings and rare opal insets, its sling is composed of tanned basilisk hide.

+1 to hit/dam (+3 when wielded by halflings). If the slingstone embeds within an enemy's body (rolls of 16-20), the target must save vs. petrification or be slowed (as per spell) until the slingstone is removed, due to enchantment of the slingstone by the basilisk hide, which causes partial petrification.  Removal of the slingstone will cause an additional 1d2 damage.

Additionally, Peplyn was a natty dresser.  Source

Bonus stats - Halfling Staff-Slinger Troops:
Staff-slingers work as auxiliary missile troops in support of other skirmishers and heavier infantry. Their light arms allow them to attack and retreat in the face of foes, keeping up a missile barrage and harassing retreating or disorganized foes. They can also act as light skirmishers if an enemy can close with them, although they much prefer to do their damage at range.

HD 1, AC 6/13
Armed with staff sling (1d4+1 missile/1d4 as club), short sword (1d6)
Occurrence: troops of 5d4 with one sergeant (+1 HD, AC 5/14)

April A-Z Challenge, the preemptive version, or, phoning it in this month.

OK, so I've never quite done things in the right order, or with the cool kids, or whatever.

So when +Jim Magnusson suggested an A to Z dungeon project back in February, I said to myself, "Why not?"

So without any real planning or intent, I gamely hammered out my 26 entries - rooms, critters, magic items, and NPCs in, roughly, a month. I don't recommend this methodology.

So here they are, for anyone who happens upon this page...and wants to save the effort of waiting for the next 30 days to see how it all pans out...

B - Boudoir of the Ogre
C - Copper Dragon Mask
D - Death Whistle
E - Exits
F - Forge of the Forgotten Dwarves
G - Graymalkin
H - Hegemonic Ooze
I _ Ilanuran Ibis
J - Jasek's Temple
K - Karst Caverns
L - Lost Tomes
M - Myconid Colony
N - Necropolis
O - Oubliette
P - Pool of the Naga
Q - Quartet in Brown
R - Ratling Warren
S - Scarf of the Danse
T - Turbulent Tunnels
U - Under-Druids
V - Lernys' Veranda
W - Washroom of the Troglodyets
X - Wand of Xeric Blast
Y&Z ( I cheated a little) - Yellow Coliseum/Zirconium Throne
A - (oops- forgot to do A, so here it is at the end...) - Random Armory

Happy April!

Campaign Journal: Negotiations and Remediations

Due to the three-day weekend, we only had Frederick and Jax. But you run for who shows. And so we went...

The party awoke to see a band of desert elves riding to meet them. Bogumir, the party's guide, walked out to greet the curious elves, who approached riding on a combination of mules, bison, and terror birds. So that's where the curious tracks came from...

Best be polite. 

Bogumir parlayed with the leader for some moments. The leader and a few lieutenants approached, while the rest stayed back, watchful. Findire, the leader, asked why the party was in the desert out of trading season. Frederick replied that they had lumber to trade, and were hoping to negotiate good prices away from the competition. Findire replied, fine, we'll trade you and you can go. A lieutenant inspected the two wagons, finding that the wood was an uncommon northern hardwood. 

Ok, might as well negotiate for real. We need to cross your territory, to reach the desert where the ruby sands might be found. What's your need for the sand? Frederick, roundabout, explained that the ruby was needed to restore the Barrier communication network. Finally, he showed a fragment of ruby lens that the party carried. The elves inspected it, and asked how it involved them. Well, Chaos is on the move after a long time, and twisting nature. We would think that you might find that offensive. Findire and his second, Arielen, discussed. Ok, what to you really have to trade then?

The party threw out their bag of unclaimed magic items, mostly potions and scrolls. The elves poked through them, mostly unimpressed. (Oh, a spellbook, looks like something we give children for reading.) Hmm, what's this book? The elves looked at an unclaimed and unread tome that has been sitting on a shelf in the party's home base. Opening it, a smell of grass and petrichor emerged. Sudden, hushed discussion.

Wait here. We will return with our shaman.

Lost Tomes 2

More Lost and Found Books

previously

Twelve more (hopefully) interesting documents to find in a library or trove....

1. Urnell's Screaming Spellbook
Urnell Oughaughen was a right bastard of a wizard, and highly protective of his spellbook from the prying eyes of his ne'er do-well acolytes. Not satisfied with a mere Wizard Lock, he enchanted his spellbook to be noisome and insulting to anyone attempting to use it besides the rightful owner.

A face appears on any opened page, eyes and mouth formed as hole in the page. Text flows around the face as it wanders about the page, shouting and insulting the user.  The yelling and movement has the following possible affects:

1) Negates surprise or attempts at silence if opened.
2) The face is immune to magic, esp. charm, silence, sleep, etc.
3) Movement and disturbance of text increases chance of spell failure, particularly catastrophic failure.
4) Increases save potential of a target, where applicable.
5) If a new spell is recorded in the book, there is a 1d6 chance per day that the face will 'eat' the new spell.
6)  Unnerves any familiar, and the magic user will not be able to benefit from any familiar abilities while in possession of the book.

(May be used as a 4th-level magic user spell. Requires Remove Curse to negate.)

The book will contain 1d6 random spells each of 1d4+2 levels.

Source

Campaign Journal: A Three Hour Tour....

Who woke up in Queen Adra's domain?

• Frederick - No Longer Dead Thief
• Slick - More Thief
• Jax - Barbarian

The smoke is clearing. The dead are being sorted and buried, or burned (more smoke, again). The Chirath forces were allowed to stay, for the time being, as long as they helped. Benedikt agreed, as a campaigner, himself. The troops went to work helping with rebuilding.

Oh, since you're here, and in light of our battle, perhaps Chirath may be useful in the end. Send me an engineer to help us reinforce our defenses. Benedikt agreed, and he knew a guy. He tasked Gerhard with flying back to the city. So off he went:

by Nicholas Roerich

Somewhere in this, I mis-labeled the flying carpet as a flying blanket, so apparently now it's a magic quilt. 

In the meantime, the Librarian had work to do. He took a lens and locked tomes to the lakeside tower.

via Dyson

Rondel (offscreen during this session), the Library Paladins, and desert elf Goladan joined in the effort. Librarian Grancet opened the book, then took out a small lead box and a fist-sized ruby (where was that when we were collecting rubies?!?). From the box he took a ring and put it on. A tiny figure appeared in the ruby. "What is your name!?" Grancet demanded. The tiny demon (for that is what it was) cringed and said, "Raz'Gonol." With that, Grancet guided the demon in the slow process of etching the runes for the anchor lens. 

Since it would take a few days, and thieves tend to get into trouble, Adra "asked" the remaining three members of the party to cross the lake to collect her sister Salax, and her followers, who had arrived on the south shore. Adra provided longboats for the party to use, as well as crews. 

Off they went. Each out and back crossing would take a day, and it would take three days to complete the ferrying process.

Tenkar's Landing Crowdsource Hex 18.16, Redux

I made some small revisions to the previous version of my contribution to the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting, as well as adding a bit of a roll-your-own mini dungeon in the form of the lava tubes riddling Mt. Hrada, set in the southern portion of the hex. The tubes contain a handful of ancient rooms, a smattering of artifacts, and a couple of new critters.

Full text below, or you may download here, if you are so inclined.

The Head of the Ghavor (Hex 18.16)
Contribution to the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting

Overview:

The River Ghavor is sourced among a ring of volcanoes occupying the southern portion of the area.  It flows from a lake fed by geothermal springs and mountain snowmelt.  A colony of lizardfolk has settled there, and have driven off other humanoids for miles around.  No one is certain why they have arrived here, or even how they arrived upon the island, many leagues from their favored marshy territories.  However, they have mined obsidian from the volcano's slope, forming and erecting stele throughout the forest for mysterious rituals. North of the volcanoes lies a lush evergreen forest, mostly uninhabited, but rife with tempting game,and a few odd predators. As long as one's incursions are brief, and does not raise the lizardfolk's notice, a fat hart or boar may be taken without raising their ire.  More intrusive exploration must be undertaken with great caution...