Medals of the Dragon Throne

The troop stood silently in the village square, surrounded by the folk of the village as well as the curious looks of travellers passing through.  Battlelord Nerov commander of the Thunderstone garrison stepped forward and the crowd fell silent as he started to speak.

“Welcome all who have gathered here. Today we recognise and reward a brave soldier who faced down an owlbear alone allowing his fellows to regroup and recover after the beast ambushed them. The bravery of such a soldier is an inspiration to us all!”

After the cheering of the crowd quieted Nerov continued; “Step forward Blade Castleforn”. Gwillon Castleforn duly stepped forward, though somewhat awkwardly given his arm was in a sling and his left knee badly swollen. A massive grin lit up his not too pretty face  as he limped towards his commanding officer. Battlelord Nerov gently lifted a small copper badge and silver pin out of a wooden box being carried by the local Lords Herald. “In honour of your courage and selfless actions I hereby award you a medal of the Dragon Throne” his next words were drowned out by the roars of approval from the rest of the troop, though the Herald heard Nerov whisper to Castleforn “and don’t be so bloody stupid next time and run away like the rest……”

In the ongoing campaign simple medals are given to troops and other agents of the Crown who demonstrate actions for the betterment of the Crown and the Dragon Throne. The medals are more like badges with a silver pin attached, all badges are a stylised dragon and are made from a variety of substances, each of which gives a different benefit.

Wood +1 hitpoint

Copper +1 hitpoint per level

Bronze +1 AC

Silver +1 hitpoint per level and +1 AC bonus

Gold +1 AC and +1 to saving throws

Platinum +1 AC , +1 to saving throws, +1 to hit and +1 to damage

Iron +2 saves

Steel +2 AC

Meteoritic Steel +3 AC

Lead +3 to saves, -1 hitpoint/level

Mithral +2 AC and 1 damage reduction

Adamantite +2 to hit and damage, +1 to AC

It is rumoured that the pins given to officers and more important folk of the realm also have a minor spell ability that can be called upon once a day by the will of the wearer, (spells might include, sleep, detect invisibility, hold person and prayer)

Razenstar’s Spell Storing

Jeoly was carefully looking through the large travel chest the Sentinel of Mystra’s Shrine in Elventree had left her. A gift from her father he had said. The chest was crammed full to the brim with sheafs of parchment,  several  large glass jars filled with little glowing rocks or dozens of eyeballs from  something she did not recognise and one large jar filled with a very bright red liquid she assumed was blood. There are large books in here too she silently said to herself, she could only hope they might be spell tomes. At the  very bottom of the chest, carefully tucked away in one corner  was a small cotton bag holding a rolled up scroll of parchment, an exquistely made braclet made of a very lightweight silvery metal inset with 5 flawless rubies and a note that simply said; “This is perhaps the greatest spell I have ever crafted”. Jeoly recognised her fathers handwriting and sobbed very loudly and for a very long time………

Razenstar’s Spell Storing, Level 7, Wizard

CT  1 round / 1 hour ritual     R touch     D see below    SV  n/a     SR  n/a      Comp V,S,M

 

This spell allows the caster to make a non permanent item of spell storing (similar to a Ring of Spell Storing). The caster must have an exquisite item of jewellery made (of at least 10,000 gp value) with up to 5 gems embedded into the jewellery (each gem of at least 5,000 gp value).

The caster must prepare the item with a ritual casting of the ‘Enchant an Item’ spell immediately followed by Razenstar’s Spell Storing. This powers up each gem in the item allowing a wizard spell of up to fourth level to be cast into a gem one at a time (to a maximum of 5 spells/gems), the total time for all spells to be cast as part of the ritual cannot exceed 6 turns.

The wizard spells of level 4 and lower that are added as part of the ritual are absorbed by the gems and can be cast later by anyone wearing the spell storing item. The spell storing item created holds the spells indefinately until they are cast (at the level of the wizard who cast them into the item).

To renew/replace spells cast from a spell storing device requires another 6 turn ritual as described above although the caster has the option of leaving uncast spells in the item rather than replacing them with new spells.

The spell storing item is normally a bracelet, pectoral or tiara/head crown to accomodate the required worth of precious metals and gems, and is not destroyed by unleashing the spells from it.

Razenstar’s Anti-magic Ray

Jeoly was settling down to a quiet evening of reading when she noticed a person was stood by her chair, quickly looking up and calling her paralysis spell to mind, she asked quietly who he was and what he was doing in her room.

“Greetings Jeoly Silverwands, I am the Sentinal of Mystra’s Temple in Elventree and I bring you a gift”

” A gift?” Jeoly asked, sitting unmoved in her chair, the weight of the Sentinal’s eyes stopping her from standing up.

“Yes a gift from your Father, a promise made between us when he gifted spell scrolls to the temple”. Jeoly was chilled to the bone, her father was riven from her on another plane of existence, maybe even in another time stream. She sat there trembling and mutely nodded. The Sentinal smiled and left the gift…..

Razenstar’s Anti-magic Ray, Level 5 wizard

CT 1     R 120 feet     D 1round/3 caster levels    SV  n/a     SR  n/a      Comp V,S,M

This spell is a variant of dipel magic. It creates a small eye which appears on the casters hand, this eye can fire a beam at one target per round, the beam acts like a targetted dispel magic. The caster can perform other actions in any round they do not fire the beam (except cast another spell). The spell lasts 1 round for every 3 levels the caster possesses. The material componenet for this spell is a small vial of beholder blood

Clack – Alturiak 1379 Year of the Lost Keep

• Plowmaster Heddron Blackowl has been found frozen to death in his potting shed. Heddron who led the House of Plenty in Thunderstone was trialling a way of forcing spring vegetables to grow in the deep winter extending the growing season. Heddron died without a formal line of sucession and advice is being sort from the mother church in Mistledale as to who should lead the flock.
• Arthen Wood Knight has resigned his positon as the Lords Ranger of Thunderstone. Arthen had served for 46 years and he decided it was time for fresh blood to lead the wood folk of the Hullack.
• The deep winter chill continues across Cormyr. Food prices rise sharply in the major cities as winter vegetables stand frozen solid  in the fields they were planted.
• The Thunderflow has frozen solid giving the ‘Horrors of the Hullack an ice bridge into eastern Cormyr. Many strange beasts have been found south of the river as far south as Gars. Purple Dragon patrols are snowed in and little is being done to combat the marauding monsters.

Dancing Trees

Jaerdar had not meant to get seperated from the others whilst foraging for mushrooms but he had. He had caught sight of Silverbeard a magnificient Hullack stag, perhaps the biggest stag in the Hullack. The underneath of its muzzle was as white as snow and the white fur continued down its throat and sprayed across its chest, bright against the dark red and brown fur. Jaerder has stalked as quietly as he could after Silverbeard, watching him eat and scratch his newly grown antlers against trees to remove their velvet covering. Jaerdar watched entranced as the silver stag stopped abruptly, head held high. sniffing the wind. The stag lept away swiftly a blur of red and a flash of white against the  dark trees. Jaerdar heard a growl as two old wolves emerged from the undergrowth intent on making him their next meal, he stepped away and put his back firmly against a shadowtop. Watching them approach he drew his foraging knife from its sheath and started to cry, old and somewhat toothless these two wolves might be, Jaerder did not have the skill to fight them off. As they closed in on him he sank to the ground and heard his grandmothers voice singing to him just as she did when he was young, her voice was quiet at first  and then it become a roar as he felt the first wolf bite him, the roaring became louder and the pain in his arm unbearable, he opened his eyes to see the trees around him dancing and flailing their limbs and then the face of Arthen ‘Wood Knight’ loomed over him, Jaerder fainted…….

 

 

Roaring Wind

Spell level : Druid, 1st level

Range: 60 feet

Duration: 1 turn

This prayer causes a roaring wind to sound in a 20′ x 20′ area as determined by the caster. The sonic roar has an unsetlling effect on any natural animal of less than 3 HD causing a fear affect and driving the animals to flee from the caster. Animals of 4HD or more get a save to ignore the effect. Often called Dancing Trees, the roaring wind can affect vegetation in the area causing it to sway and move as well as stirring up dust and fallen leaves from the ground.

Clack – Hammer 1379 Year of the Lost Keep

• The bitterest winter in three generations has blanketed Cormyr in four foot of snow and ice for the last month. The mistfishers of Immsersea are frozen in despite the best efforts of the Wyvernspur household wizards to unfreeze the harbour. Reports from Arabel and Eveningstar confirm that the deep freeze is forcing many monsters from the Stonelands to venture into northern Cormyr looking for food.

• In the Halls of the Loyal (Tormite Church near Eagles Peak),  Obiedient Sword Harvyck Arantor has declared that the self styled Baron of Arabel, High Coin Most Fortunate Jenneth of Tymora is a rebel and will be dealt with in a swift and brutal manner in line with the Laws of Torm and Cormyr. Rumours abound that several war wizards stationed in High Horn have been teleporting to Arabel to deliver ‘Torm’s Judgement’ to the rebel Nobles supporting the High Priest of Tymora and his break-away kingdom of Immeresk before Arantor’s army marches at the first spring thaw, ‘To cleanse the chaos of Arabel and restore law and the true monarchy to its people”.

• Dragonshield Keep has announced that a jointly sponsored adevnturing band will be departing Eveningstar in early spring to provide succour to the small Stoneland hamlets north of the Starwater Gorge. The Priests of Torm from the Keep as well as Priests of Lathander from Eveningstar are welcoming this “bright light of co-operation” between their faiths and are hopeful that the adventurers will be able to drive back the chaos and evil that haunts the Stonelands. It is believed that the group are to be called the Lions of Arwyn Gorge.

Rat Race

Lord Xenith was carefully searching the abandoned thorp of  Erimar, Xaven the scout approached and quietly beckoned his liege forward. They espied an open barn and within it one darkly robed man and six armoured men. They had herded the dozen villagers into the barn and then the wizard had started his work.

Lord Xenith was too late to save any of the villagers, they had been tied up and then killed.The wizard was extracting the innards from the disembowled victims and keeping the liver and pancreas. A holy rage built up in Xenith and he strode forward to the open barn. The first warrior fell before he has time to draw his sword, the second had barely turned around before his head was smote from his body. Xaven killed the third and fourth with well placed arrows, the last two warriors charged Xenith in a futile attempt to overbear the paladin but failed and the price of their failure was a swift death.

The wizard stood looking at Xenith and carefuly cast a spell, Xenith readed himself for the magical assault but it did not come, instead something very odd and quite unsettling happened, the wizard became a shifting squeaking mass of rats, holding the same shape and size of the wizard and then the mass fell to the ground and dozens, perhaps a hundred or more rats spilled out in all directions, running and squeaking and clawing at the dead villagers. Xenith and Xaven hacked and hewed at the mass of rats who were quickly disappearing into every nook and cranny they could find. The rats had gone and so had the wizard…….

 

Rat Race

Spell Level: Magic User, 2nd Level

Range: Caster

Duration: 1 hour

Rat Race is a variant of the invisibility spell except as noted. The spell creates an illusion of the casters body turning into dozen’s of rats who then fall to the floor and scurry away as quickly as possible. The duration relates to how long the invisibility lasts (assuming the caster does not attack), See invisibility spell for other parameters.

Ceremony of the Cups

As part of the Feast of the Moon festival held at the start of winter that remembers and honours the dead, the Purple Dragon Soldiers in Thunderstone hold their own service with the support of the Lords of Thunderstone.

The Ceremony of the Cups remembers fallen soldiers from the Thunderstone garrison. Each dead soldier has a wooden cup carved for them from a branch of a shadowtop tree from the Hullack Forest, their name is engraved onto the cup and the cups are proudly displayed in the main hall of the Lords tower for all the villages to see.

After the dead are blessed in the communial graveyard the village folk return to the Lords Hall where warm spiced cider and hot soup is served to all whilst the garrison commander reads out the names of the soldiers that have died whilst defending the Dragon Throne. Although the event is a solemn one, the cider and soup soon warms everyone up for the rest of the day, culminating at night with a massive pig roast where more spiced cider is drunk, the tales of the dead grow every more fantastic and much dancing amd laughter take place. A positive way to end the day of mourning.

Rexinvar

Liongrym Sansilver was slowly making his way up the Thunder Way with the beautiful lands of Cormyr behind him. It was time for him to leave his home and his responsibilities and deal with the enemies of Cormyr decisively and violently once and for all. Politics stopped him from acting against them officially and he was sick to his back teeth with politics. As he rounded the bluff that held the abandoned brigand keep of Arrowspoint he heard voices above him, it seemed that the bandits were back. He smiled to himself and slowly drew his sword out of its scabbard. Silently he climbed the steps cut into the rock wall that led up the bluff and he carefully peered over the edge of the bluff into the shattered hall of Arrowspoint Keep.

“About bloody time Leo” said a famliar voice as Lancelord Black pulled Liongrym up and over the lip of the rockface and not-so-gently shoved him into the ruined main hall. Opposite Liongrym stood Swordlord Culthbert who quickly stepped towards him. Leo felt a thundering crunch on his left cheek and was felled by one punch from the Purple Dragon officier. Leo lay on the floor swallowing his own blood and trying not to choke on the broken tooth that was in his throat. Black gently pulled him up and presented him to Dowager Queen Filfaeril who held a scabbarded sword in her hands, Liongrym looked into her eyes and knew true fear……

 

Rexinvar

‘The Blade of the Lion’ is a Cormyrian steel bastard sword made at the request of Dowager Queen Fifaeril for Lord Liongrym Sansilver, Warden of the East, Lord of Thunderstone. Made in the Royal Armouries in 1385DR the sword’s blade is etched with a stylised Purple Dragon on both sides of the blade. The etchings have been treated with blueshine, making them stand out when the blade is drawn and ensuring it stay free of rust. The pommel is made of magically treated and shaped gold and appears as a roaring lions head with a full mane.

Game Stats:

+ 3 sword, Lions Roar (Great Shout) once a day deals 3d6 damage (save v magic for half damage) in a 60 foot cone as directed by the wielder. The Roar also causes deafness which lasts 1d4+1 rounds if the save is failed, 1 round if the save is made.

 

In the hands of a Knight (C&C) the sword becomes more powerful.

+3 Commanders Sword, when drawn and shown the Knight can command the loyalty of people nearby who would be normally friendly to the Knight (local peasants etc). This allows the Knight to command them to do a specific task (put that fire out), or calm down a frightened mob etc. If Purple Dragon soldiers are present they will obey the Knights command without question even unto death if the ‘Safety of the Realm is in Peril’.

The sword boosts the Knights abilities by 1 level i.e. the number of rounds embolden et al lasts, all skill checks and saving throws and the effective level the Knight is for the number of people his abilities influence. Hit points and base to hit bonus are not increased by this ability.

The sword bestows a +1 charisma bonus whilst the Knight is in possesion of the sword.

The sword bestows a +1 bonus to saving throws against acid when wielded by a Knight.

The Lions Roar does not allow a saving throw and the deafness last one round per Knight level (minimum 5 rounds).

Liongrym has dubbed this sword ‘The Traitors Blade’ as a reminder of how he was gifted it. In Leo’s hands there have been occasions when his voice has become squeaky, normally when he is hiding his true intentions and thoughts regarding the Realm whilst speaking politics (untruths) with others.

Anshaelon’s Choker

Jeoly Silverwands carefully put her hand into the phase spider silk bag she had been given for her first birthday and gently pulled forth a simple silver choker inset with a small red ruby that was warm to touch and blazed bright from a shimmering flame held within. She carefully offered it to Tamasham the Bard who quietly took it from her. Tamasham was a very wise and a very old Elf and as he mentally called upon his vast knowledge of magical lore the name Anshaelon came into his mind……

“Anshaelon was a sorceress of the Lythlorn Woods when Suzail was barely more than a few wooden huts clustered around a few muddy fields. She was skilled in battle magics and protected the eastern Wolf Woods from the everlasting ones that raided every spring from the swamps of Orva. Legends say that her spirit was of fire and when she realised that her fire was about to burn out, she breathed out her last spark of life as a living flame that cooled and coalesced into a small red ruby. Her apprentices crafted a silver choker and placed Anshaelon’s last breath at its centre, as they did so it flared brightly and the heat fused the ruby to the choker making an unbreakable bond. For many years it served the guardians of the east in repelling the annual troll raids but was lost in the swamp in 420 Dale Reckoning The Year of the Last Breath”

 

Anshaelons Choker is a very thin, exquisitely made elven silver choker set with a small ruby. The flame can be called forth once per day (once every 144 turns) and creates a one foot thick wall of fire that can be shaped by the wearer of the choker as they wish e.g. it can be shaped to form a box or shaped around objects or people as the caster determines making multiple turns and changes of direction to a maximum length of 240 feet. It functions as if cast by a 12th level caster for area of effect and damage dealt. The firewall always does maximum damage (24 points) and cannot be brought down by cold magics although it can be dispelled. It bypasses all magic/spell resistance and can even burn creatures that are immune to fire attacks albeit for 12 points of damage, (sages thoerize that the fire is actually the life force of Anshaelon rather than magical flame hence why it is so powerful).