Item stories!
DARBRUNNE FAMILY SHIELD
Heavy steel shield, 100 gp cost, +1 AC bonus
The history of the Darbrunne family is one of peerless nobility, and yet few realize just how recently that title was appointed. Over two hundred years ago, the entirety of the current Darbrunne line could be traced back to a single man: Hálfdan Darbrun, a simple commonborn guardsman in the service of King Alcott II.
Alcott, an ecomonic reformer, was immensely popular among the citizens of Valkland for his highly successful agricultural policies. These same policies, which emphasized the use of half-elf and half-orc slave labor, nearly led to his death when a disgruntled half-elven assassin aimed to take his life. Illegally trained in dark magic, the assassin attacked during a royal masquerade, summoning a host of undead to descend upon the king and his helpless subjects.
Paralyzed with fear, those members of the royal guard who were not cut down where they stood fled for their lives. Only one remained behind: Hálfdan, scarcely twenty years old, who ordered the king and his guests to escape while he gave his life to buy them time.
The king and his subjects narrowly escaped, and the royal keep was eventually retaken. The assassin was put to death, and in honor of his sacrifice, Hálfdan was posthumously appointed the title of Royal Knight, and his family given full rites of nobility. King Alcott himself presented this shield to Hálfdan’s widow, who passed it down to her infant son; it has passed from father to eldest child of the Darbrunne family ever since.
Lady Urd, the current scion of the Darbrunne line, was meant to inherit this shield upon completion of her knighthood; unfortunately, the shield was allegedly stolen by a family slave, who was put to death for her crime. Strangely enough, a few scant days after Urd’s disappearance, the shield re-surfaced in the possession of her younger brother, Ulrich, who claimed to have discovered it hidden in the slaves’ quarters. Following his untimely demise, it has at last found itself in the hands of its rightful heir.
UMBRAL EYE
Amulet, 300 gp cost, +1 turning attempts
This smooth, flawless black amulet appears to have been shaped out of solid shadow: obsidian, perhaps, or volcanic stone. The stone has been shaped in a sideways oval, an unblinking dark eye on a simple leather chain. Cold to the touch, but not unbearably so, the Umbral Eye exudes the faint trace of an aura that is neither kind nor malevolent.
An inscription on the back of the amulet, written in Draconic, reads: “Fear not the shadow; fear what may lurk within it. And know that when you look into the dark, the dark looks back into you.”
GLOVES OF FASCINATION
Gloves, 300 gp cost, charm/compulsion spells last 1.5x as long and have -1 resistance DC
Casimiro Verma despised direct confrontation, a trait that nearly cost him his status as a Syndicate assassin during his training. In contrast to his peers, who were all too eager to thrust themselves into the fray and take lives with their own hands, Casimiro hated getting his hands dirty, preferring to work behind the scenes and allow others to do his killing for him.
Obviously, a dislike for combat and killing presented a significant problem for an assassin-to-be, and so Casimiro commissioned these gloves to enhance his natural talent at charm and mind-control magic. The youngest son of the Verma family was a talented sorcerer and a firm believer in manipulation, magical or otherwise, and earned his status in the Syndicate by simply forcing his victims to kill each other. Although many in the Syndicate had reservations about the idea of framing innocents for their killings- they had standards, after all -none could deny the effectiveness of Casimiro’s methods.
In his more twisted fantasies, Casimiro often dreamed of using these gloves to enslave the will of the youngest Vosser daughter, for whom he had lusted since adolescence. Sadly for him, this dream did not develop quite as he had planned, and Casimiro learned too late that charm and guile are of little defense against a fireball to the face.
HEARTWOOD RING
Ring, 50 gp, +1 AC bonus
This gnarled ring of wood fits snugly around the finger, and hardens the skin of its wearer by a small fraction. Its enchantment seems to be druidic in nature, though the ring’s exact origin is unknown.
During late nights in the Valkland rebel camp, the ranger Gale would often tell stories (of varying degrees of truth) to new recruits about his adventures in the Wild Edge as a young man. He once claimed to have been given this ring by a dying man he found in the wilderness as thanks for driving off the vultures eager for their next meal. The man didn’t live long enough to say where the ring came from, but Gale said he always had the idea that it belonged to someone very special.
The ring was later given to Lady Urd as thanks for her assistance in healing some of Gale’s rangers, and serves as a reminder of happier days.
THE SONG OF STEEL
Masterwork rapier, 1000 gp, some kind of bonus I haven’t figured out yet.
Mention the name “Laerius Caerlon” to any elf in Anshi and you will almost certainly be treated to a tale of adventure, heroism, and dashing exploits that dazzle the mind and confound the imagination. Even the lofty and immortal elves are not immune to the allure of hero-worship, and if ever there were an elf hero worth worshipping, it was Laerius.
Born the son of a simple servant in the elven court, Laerius nonetheless carried himself like a prince from the moment he could walk, his gallantry and brave spirit putting the actual royal family to shame. His studies of music and swordplay melded into one, and Laerius single-handedly proved that bards were more than mere entertainers.
Bladework and magic-enhanced music blurred into an artistic and elegant fighting style that made Laerius a legendary songblade, and his passionate hatred of injustice made him a hero among the poor and downtrodden. Laerius traveled the world, his blades laying waste to villains and monsters the globe over- meanwhile, his kind nature and dashing good looks made him the love of every man and woman he met. Truly, Laerius Caerlon was a champion among elves, songblades, and men across the world.
This sword did not belong to Laerius Caerlon. No, this sword belonged to Larry Caerlon, Laerius’ twin brother, a simple traveleing musician lacking any sort of ambition or heroic drive whatsoever. The sword was given to him by the High Queen of Valkland, who mistook him for his brother after Laerius left the country before she could give him his reward for freeing her from the clutches of a foul sorcerer. Before Larry could object, the queen pressed this legendary sword into his hands, kissed him deeply for fifteen minutes straight, and returned to the royal estate.
A bewildered Larry later sold the sword for fifteen silver pieces, which was immediately spent at the local brothel. It has since passed through many hands, but never did quite make it back to its original intended recipient.
Heavy steel shield, 100 gp cost, +1 AC bonus
The history of the Darbrunne family is one of peerless nobility, and yet few realize just how recently that title was appointed. Over two hundred years ago, the entirety of the current Darbrunne line could be traced back to a single man: Hálfdan Darbrun, a simple commonborn guardsman in the service of King Alcott II.
Alcott, an ecomonic reformer, was immensely popular among the citizens of Valkland for his highly successful agricultural policies. These same policies, which emphasized the use of half-elf and half-orc slave labor, nearly led to his death when a disgruntled half-elven assassin aimed to take his life. Illegally trained in dark magic, the assassin attacked during a royal masquerade, summoning a host of undead to descend upon the king and his helpless subjects.
Paralyzed with fear, those members of the royal guard who were not cut down where they stood fled for their lives. Only one remained behind: Hálfdan, scarcely twenty years old, who ordered the king and his guests to escape while he gave his life to buy them time.
The king and his subjects narrowly escaped, and the royal keep was eventually retaken. The assassin was put to death, and in honor of his sacrifice, Hálfdan was posthumously appointed the title of Royal Knight, and his family given full rites of nobility. King Alcott himself presented this shield to Hálfdan’s widow, who passed it down to her infant son; it has passed from father to eldest child of the Darbrunne family ever since.
Lady Urd, the current scion of the Darbrunne line, was meant to inherit this shield upon completion of her knighthood; unfortunately, the shield was allegedly stolen by a family slave, who was put to death for her crime. Strangely enough, a few scant days after Urd’s disappearance, the shield re-surfaced in the possession of her younger brother, Ulrich, who claimed to have discovered it hidden in the slaves’ quarters. Following his untimely demise, it has at last found itself in the hands of its rightful heir.
UMBRAL EYE
Amulet, 300 gp cost, +1 turning attempts
This smooth, flawless black amulet appears to have been shaped out of solid shadow: obsidian, perhaps, or volcanic stone. The stone has been shaped in a sideways oval, an unblinking dark eye on a simple leather chain. Cold to the touch, but not unbearably so, the Umbral Eye exudes the faint trace of an aura that is neither kind nor malevolent.
An inscription on the back of the amulet, written in Draconic, reads: “Fear not the shadow; fear what may lurk within it. And know that when you look into the dark, the dark looks back into you.”
GLOVES OF FASCINATION
Gloves, 300 gp cost, charm/compulsion spells last 1.5x as long and have -1 resistance DC
Casimiro Verma despised direct confrontation, a trait that nearly cost him his status as a Syndicate assassin during his training. In contrast to his peers, who were all too eager to thrust themselves into the fray and take lives with their own hands, Casimiro hated getting his hands dirty, preferring to work behind the scenes and allow others to do his killing for him.
Obviously, a dislike for combat and killing presented a significant problem for an assassin-to-be, and so Casimiro commissioned these gloves to enhance his natural talent at charm and mind-control magic. The youngest son of the Verma family was a talented sorcerer and a firm believer in manipulation, magical or otherwise, and earned his status in the Syndicate by simply forcing his victims to kill each other. Although many in the Syndicate had reservations about the idea of framing innocents for their killings- they had standards, after all -none could deny the effectiveness of Casimiro’s methods.
In his more twisted fantasies, Casimiro often dreamed of using these gloves to enslave the will of the youngest Vosser daughter, for whom he had lusted since adolescence. Sadly for him, this dream did not develop quite as he had planned, and Casimiro learned too late that charm and guile are of little defense against a fireball to the face.
HEARTWOOD RING
Ring, 50 gp, +1 AC bonus
This gnarled ring of wood fits snugly around the finger, and hardens the skin of its wearer by a small fraction. Its enchantment seems to be druidic in nature, though the ring’s exact origin is unknown.
During late nights in the Valkland rebel camp, the ranger Gale would often tell stories (of varying degrees of truth) to new recruits about his adventures in the Wild Edge as a young man. He once claimed to have been given this ring by a dying man he found in the wilderness as thanks for driving off the vultures eager for their next meal. The man didn’t live long enough to say where the ring came from, but Gale said he always had the idea that it belonged to someone very special.
The ring was later given to Lady Urd as thanks for her assistance in healing some of Gale’s rangers, and serves as a reminder of happier days.
THE SONG OF STEEL
Masterwork rapier, 1000 gp, some kind of bonus I haven’t figured out yet.
Mention the name “Laerius Caerlon” to any elf in Anshi and you will almost certainly be treated to a tale of adventure, heroism, and dashing exploits that dazzle the mind and confound the imagination. Even the lofty and immortal elves are not immune to the allure of hero-worship, and if ever there were an elf hero worth worshipping, it was Laerius.
Born the son of a simple servant in the elven court, Laerius nonetheless carried himself like a prince from the moment he could walk, his gallantry and brave spirit putting the actual royal family to shame. His studies of music and swordplay melded into one, and Laerius single-handedly proved that bards were more than mere entertainers.
Bladework and magic-enhanced music blurred into an artistic and elegant fighting style that made Laerius a legendary songblade, and his passionate hatred of injustice made him a hero among the poor and downtrodden. Laerius traveled the world, his blades laying waste to villains and monsters the globe over- meanwhile, his kind nature and dashing good looks made him the love of every man and woman he met. Truly, Laerius Caerlon was a champion among elves, songblades, and men across the world.
This sword did not belong to Laerius Caerlon. No, this sword belonged to Larry Caerlon, Laerius’ twin brother, a simple traveleing musician lacking any sort of ambition or heroic drive whatsoever. The sword was given to him by the High Queen of Valkland, who mistook him for his brother after Laerius left the country before she could give him his reward for freeing her from the clutches of a foul sorcerer. Before Larry could object, the queen pressed this legendary sword into his hands, kissed him deeply for fifteen minutes straight, and returned to the royal estate.
A bewildered Larry later sold the sword for fifteen silver pieces, which was immediately spent at the local brothel. It has since passed through many hands, but never did quite make it back to its original intended recipient.