Covenant Items Shard of the Glacier By Harrowed The history of this item is unknown beyond the last 5 yrs. All that is known comes from tales shared by the Snow Witches, if they know the true history they choose not to share it. Its known history starts with an unnamed Snow Witch making her pilgrimage to the Keep on the Glacier. While climbing through the ruins of the keep she spotted one of the Keep’s guardians. The guardians are mysterious; they protect chambers that seem to be without value but allow access to the power nexus at the base of the keep. This guardian was blocking the archway to a small chamber; inside that chamber the sheen of icy walls could be seen. Her curiosity peaked she climbed through the gaps in the rubble and approached the guardian. The guardian seemed to be made of the same ice that coated the room. She sat down in a corner and watched the guardian. Days past but she continued to sit and watch, something seemed to call to her from the room. Eventually without warning the guardian moved. It turned towards the room, withdrew an object from the room, and presented it to the Snow Witch. This staff was that object. A guardian of the Keep has never done that before to the knowledge of the Snow Witch’s. The Witches have started to search the Glacier’s Keep in hopes of finding that icy guardian and being given a similar gift. This staff is made from translucent Icewood. 7’ in height, 3” inches thick and tipped on both end with splintered shards of ice. The staff can be used as a quarterstaff in a fight. 1st Level: Provides a +4 to save versus the effects of natural weather. This includes all forms of natural energy damage such as lightning and lava. This stacks with the bonus from the Snow Witch prestige class. 4th Level: The Shard increases the power of a Snow Witch. The Snow Witch is considered to be one level higher for spells granted from the Way of the Snow Witch. Example: A 4th level Snow Witch has access to the spells from the 5th level Snow Witch list. This power is only available when the Witch is holding the staff. 7th Level: The Shard increases the power of all spells that the wielder casts with the Cold spell descriptor. This wielder is granted the Maximize Spell feat while holding the staff. This effect only works for spells with the Cold description. 10th Level: The Shard gains a +1 enchantment bonus. 14th Level: The Shard gains the Frost enchantment.

Imerin’s Tears By Harrowed Imerin was a town built in the Second Age just west of Riismark in Northern Erenland. It was rich in resources since the forests were plentiful and game was easy to find but most importantly the town was on the supply route to a major Fortress that was under construction. Life was hard in the frozen north but Imerin flourished for many years. When the probing attacks against the completed Fortress Wall started in 1920 SA Imerin swelled in size. Supplies were rushed from far to the nearby Fortress. Comforted by the Fortress the citizens of Imerin grew lax. “The Fortress is so close”, they said, “the soldiers will protect us.” A particularly cunning group of Gray Mother Orc raiders snuck through the Fortress Wall and fell upon Imerin. Unprepared for war Imerin’s few defenders died quickly and the town was defenceless. The legate leading the raiders, Dihrain the Cruel, was a Dorn traitor who had turned to the Shadow. With a hate that only a traitor can have for his own people he earned his nickname on the people of Imerin. The town blacksmith was forced to create a branding iron for the Legate. It was a wickedly ugly thing of iron and dark wood. An iron head in the shape of a horned skull was mounted to the end of its shaft. The blacksmith reward for his work was to have the hot steel quenched in his blood. The raiders forced all the surviving people to the town’s centre and Dihrain burned that horned skull brand into every man, woman and child. There were so many to be branded that it took an entire day for Dihrain to brand them all. The townspeople of Imerin were then forced from their city and marched north. The march took a horrible toll on the weak and elderly. The raiders left any who collapsed where they fell to freeze and die in the snow. The citizens of Imerin were marched by the raiders, through a gap in the Fortress lines and further north to vanish forever. The next supply train to the Fortress found Imerin empty, not a single soul remained of the town of twenty-five hundred. Imerin’s Tears passed from slaver to slaver and has gained power from the misery that it caused. 1st Level: Imerin’s Tears has a fearsome reputation. Wielding the item gives the bearer +2 on Intimidate checks. 2nd Level: Once per day the bearer can cast Bane as a Legate equal to his level. 4th Level: If Imerin’s Tears is heated and used to brand an intelligent humanoid the branded creature is crippled. The branded can only run at half their maximum movement rate (x4 reduced to x2). This effect has a DC of 14 to resist and lasts for 1 day. A number of humanoids up to the wielders level can be branded per day. This effect cannot be used in normal combat. The humanoid to be branded must be helpless.

The Value of Sasha By Harrowed Sasha was a pretty young girl, born into a small village family to loving parents. Her life was filled with hard work but she was happy. Sasha’s village produced food for the Shadow’s armies and due to its isolation was left unharassed by those armies. Then it all ended. A male Legate and his Oruk bodyguards because lost due to a storm and followed the road to Sasha’s village seeking shelter. Using his authority as a Legate to the Shadow he took the best home in the village for himself and the Oruks, kicking the residents out into the mud. The village leader, fearing the Legate’s temper, sent the best food and drink available to the Legate. He sent the prettiest girl in the village to deliver the food hoping that it would calm the Legate. That girl was Sasha. The Legate found the pretty redheaded girl irresistible and he wanted her. She refused him and when he tried to force himself upon her she slapped him and fled. This enraged the Legate that a stupid village girl would refuse him. He summoned the village leader and explained to him that he wanted Sasha and if she didn’t agree he would have everyone in the village killed. The village leader believed what the Legate said. He went to Sasha and her family and explained what the Legate had told him. Sasha agreed and left for the Legate residence with the cries of her mother and father ringing in her ears over the storm. The Legate, feeling humiliated in front of his Oruks, wanted Sasha punished. After he was finished violating her he turned his Oruk’s loose on the villagers. They slaughtered the villagers while the Legate forced Sasha to watch. When the Oruk’s finished their bloody work the Legate gave Sasha to them. They took their pleasure from her and left her to die in the mud in front of the burned wreckage of her home. The Legate passed by her on his way out of the destroyed village and stopped his horse. “A memento, to remember me by… in case you survive. Be more accommodating.” The Legate pulled a green silk scarf from his saddlebag and dismounted. He wrapped that embroidered scarf around her hair and left the village. Sasha died in that spot in the mud but she didn’t stay dead for long. She along with most of the villagers rose as Fell several days later. The group of Fell was killed by a roving band of Elves several weeks later. A Chaneller in that group noticed the magical aura and took the scarf. He used magic to speak with Sasha and learned her story. The group buried the Fell and the Chaneller gave that scarf to the first pretty redhead girl that he saw next, at Sasha’s request. The Value of Sasha is a beautiful green silk scarf embroidered with golden threads. The Value of Sasha: Scarf of Charisma +2; AL NG; Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 17; Speech; 60’ Darkvision and Hearing; Base Ego Score of 14 Special Purpose: Kill Legates

Dedicated Power: Dominate Person Personality: Sasha was a beautiful girl full of life and spirit that was cut down by a lecherous Legate. The loss of her friends and family, not to mention her own life, has enraged her. Her spirit has been twisted by need for revenge on male legates. This is the driving force in what passes for her existence. She will fight any possessor that does not agree with her need for vengeance, if she wins a Ego check verses an unwilling possessor she will have the person pass her on to another, preferable female. She will not stay with a person who will not follow her needs. Sasha prefers female owners. She will generally allow owners to go their own path as long as they quest for her vengeance with one exception. Sasha will try to convince a female owner to change her appearance to what Sasha’s was in life. If convincing doesn’t work Sasha will attempt Ego checks to accomplish this. Owners will awake with hair dyed red, cut to shoulder length, peasant style clothing, flowers in their hair, etc… If a female owner has failed four Ego checks, and therefore started to resemble Sasha she will start to have an obsession with mirrors. During these obsessive periods Sasha will use her possessor to speak to herself and weep at the life she lost. 1st level: 2 ranks in Knowledge: Nature (+2 Total), Sense Motive (+4 Total), and Diplomacy (+5 Total). 3rd level: +1 to Will saving throws. Ego Score increases to 15 5th level: 4 ranks in Knowledge: Nature (+4 Total), Sense Motive (+6 Total), and Diplomacy (+7 Total). 7th level: Scarf’s charisma bonus increases from +2 to +3. Ego Score increases to 16. 10th level: 6 ranks in Knowledge: Nature (+6 Total), Sense Motive (+8 Total), and Diplomacy (+9 Total). 13th level: 8 ranks in Knowledge: Nature (+8 Total), Sense Motive (+10 Total), and Diplomacy (+11 Total). 15th level: Scarf’s charisma bonus increases from +3 to +4. Ego Score increases to 17. 18th level: 10 ranks in Knowledge: Nature (+10 Total), Sense Motive (+12 Total), and Diplomacy (+13 Total).

The Shared Heart By Harrowed Chief Scribe Elomin Oakenshield Reference: Enchanted Items / First Age / Fey / The Shared Heart Appearance: An object that is heart like in size and shape. It is made of interwoven vines that have not been seen anywhere else. There are two types of these mysterious vines that the object consists of. The first is a greenish vine similar to the Idelish vines. It is possible that the Idelish vine is a descendant of that vine. The second type of vine is also a mystery. It is a grey-hued thorny vine, like the first, its kind has never been recorded by any druids or botanists. Two of the vines, one of green and the other of grey, loop out from the object. Weaved together they form the “chain” of the object. It is intended to be worn around the neck. History: This enchanted item is ancient come into existence in the First Age. Aradil has been requested in the past to provide a full history of the object for the archives, she has refused saying only ‘Their time has past and may not come again’. The only other mention of the object comes from a scroll from that age that mentions the object. Since the story cannot be collaborated this scholar cannot vouch for its accuracy. The scroll appears to have been from an unknown person that was present when the object was found. “It was a cold winter, even for the Veradeen. The fighting between the Erunsil and Orcs had slowed. Food was scarce on both sides and fighters had settled in to wait out the winter. The Whisper carried a message from an Erunsil wildlander. A message that could scarcely be believed. I don’t remember all the details but I’ll tell you what I know. The wildlander had seen a lone Orc approaching the edge of the forest. He must have been ready to strike him down when he noticed the Orc was carrying the body of an Erunsil male. He must have assumed that the Orc was scavenging corpses for food. Then came one of the strangest parts of the message, the Orc was crying. Can you imagine that? An Orc weeping! The wildlander must have noticed that the Whisper didn’t tell him about this Orc. That was what likely aroused his curiosity. The wildlander asked the Orc, “What are you doing with the body of my brother.” A tired grunt, “I’m returning him. What does it look like I’m doing?” “Returning him?’, ‘that wildlander must have been mighty puzzled’ “He was my friend and to be buried among the trees was his last request.” Without another word the Orc started digging. Those Vardatch’s must be just as

deadly to the ground as they are to flesh because he dug those that permafrost and made a grave under a giant oak tree and placed his friend in between the roots. While the Orc was digging the Wildlander snuck off to send his message through the Whisper. When he returned later he said that the Orc was sitting on the grave with his back to the tree. I guess it didn’t take him long to notice that the Orc wasn’t breathing. I would guess he didn’t know what to do. So he sent another message and who answers him, but the Witch Queen herself! She told him to dig the grave back up and put the Orc next to the elf. The wildlander, I suppose he was shocked to be talking to Aradil, asked ‘Why’? She answered, ‘He would have been a hope in a better time, now it’s too late. He died in service to the forest and it shall have him.’ The Wildlander said she paused for moment, “They were comrades and friends. That Orc served the forest as well as any other Fey and will be honored. The forest does not reject its own.” That was all he need to hear and in the Orc went. He covered that grave up and returned to his village to tell them the tale. When he returned, the next morning, with the elder Blood they found a clump of vines in the shape of a heart resting on the snowy grave. That’s all I know, I don’t know what happened to that heart thing after the Blood took it away. Except something another one of the Erunsil told me. He said that the wildlander that talked to an Orc on that cold winter day was never quite the same again. He became a quieter, more pensive warrior and since that day he always returns to that tree on that long winter night. I guess that he’s waiting for another Orc to carry his kinsmen home to the trees. Chief Scribe Elomin Oakenshield The Shared Heart carries powerful enchantments that show the common fey heritage between the Orcs and Elves. 1st level: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Diplomacy and Bluff rolls against Elves and Orcs 3rd level: The wearer can cast Protection from Evil twice per day. Effective against Elves and Orcs only. 5th level: The wearer gains the Leadership feat. The followers gained from this feat can only be Elves or Orcs. 7th level: The wearer of the object is considered to have a +4 Charisma bonus to Elves and Orcs only. 15th level: The Shared Heart protects the wearer with a permanent Sanctuary spell. A DC 18 roll is required to strike the wearer. This Sanctuary affects only Orcs and Elves.

Althorin’s Bill by Harrowed In the 3rd year of the Last Age a force of Orcs and Oruks led by the dragon Amorktia descended upon the Elven coastal city of Althorin. The Caransil defenders fought bravely but were butchered, their only success was in bringing low the Shadow-sworn dragon, Amorktia. When the dreaded Amortika collapsed into the fiery courtyard breathing her last breath the Caransil attacked. Every man, woman, and child that could still stand and fight rushed from their shelters, basements, and crumbling battlements into the courtyard of molten stone. Crippled, but not yet dead Amortika lashed out at the mob. Fiery breath, talons, and snapping teeth took a horrible toll but the defenders were many compared to her one. With bricks, chunks of rubble, and broken blades they vented the fury of a home lost on Amorktia’s scaly form. One fey, whose name has never been discovered, struck the final blow to Amorktia and rammed a spear through her remaining eye. The dragon’s death throes crushed or pitched the remaining defenders. As the molten courtyard cooled the Caransil defenders butchered the colossal corpse of that dragon, fears of another Zardrix rising to fight for the Shadow spurred them on even as Oruk’s ran through Althorin’s crumbling streets. Some of the Caransil escaped that final battle. Many of those that managed to escape carried trophies from that final stand: pieces of the dragon Amortika. Knowing the inherent power in the dragon they hoped to deny the price to the Shadow and gain something from the destruction from their city. They were successful. The Order of the Shadow was unable to salvage the corpse for their unholy rites. The armies that had encircled Althorin captured most of those retreating. Their bloody treasures followed them into Oruk stewpots. Several of the Caransil were able to break through the lines and retreat, one of those bloody and ash stained fey soldiers that escaped carried the greatest prize of all, the broken spear that killed Amortika. That soldier fed back to Caradul where the spear was presented to Aradil. Taking advantage of the power that the item already possessed it was ensorcelled to increase those powers. Althorin’s Bill has been a potent symbol for the elves, a reminder that some victory can be gained from a defeat. Althorin’s Bill has been wielded by numerous fey, having been lost several times but always seeming to appear when needed. It has become part of the weapon’s legend, always appearing on the eve of a hopeless battle. The fey take a grim pleasure in the spear’s appearance, knowing that they will likely die in a coming battle but that a valuable prize will be denied to the Shadow and won by the elves. The spear was last seen in the hands of a Danasil demon-hunter in 38LA at the Fall of Kassundaja. Appearance: Althorin’s Bill appears to be a bloodstained oak shaft 5 ½’ long with one end splintered and the other end capped with a simple steel pin. When its powers are

awakened, the spear changes in appearance. The splintered end vanishes and is replaced by a pitted metal blade that has a faint silvered glow. The wooden shaft grows from 5 ½’ to 8’ making the weapon 9’ in total height. A large red and white banner stitched with black lettering appears tied just under the spearhead with golden rope. The lettering spells, in High Elven, “The Price of Althorin”. Althorin’s Bill only functions in the hands of an Elven fey and even then only in times of dire need. When the bearer is in serious danger of death from minions of the Shadow the weapon will change from a broken shaft to its more deadly spear form. All powers below are only active and accessible when the item has changed to its spear shape. In it’s first form Althorin’s Bill acts as a short spear, when it changes to it’s more powerful form the stats shift to a long spear. 1st level: The spear illuminates a large area with a silvery glow. The wielder and all creatures fighting the Shadow within a 60’ radius are affected as per the Bless spell. The glow also acts as a Light spell, also with a 60’ radius. 4th level: The long spear glow increases in intensity and power. The wielder and all creatures allied against the Shadow within a 60’ radius are affected as per the Prayer spell. The glow also acts as a Light spell with a 120’ radius. This effect replaces the Bless power from 1st level. 8th level: Althorin’s Bill gains a +1 enchantment bonus to hit and damage. 12th level: The longspear’s critical range is increase from 20 / x3 to 19-20 / x4 16th level: Althorin’s Bill gains + 2 enchantment bonus to hit and damage. 20th level: Althorin’s Bill’s wielder gains Spell Resistance 18 while the spear is held. Sword of Vindication By Dirigible History: In the Ember Days of the Second Age... It was 1929 SA, nine years after the first probing raids of the orcish hosts that the Thunder of Sharuun rose to their greatest prominence. Prior to this, the twelve bold riders and their leader, Javeed Khosrow the Lightbearer, were regarded as disreputable, if basically honourable, vagabonds, mercenaries and adventurers that no wise man would invite to share his table. When they learned that the endless skirmishes with the Shadow's minions in the north was gradually increasing in scale and intensity, the men and women of the Thunder decided unanimously that they would go north and add their lances to the battle for Eredane. The orcs, giantmen and beasts of the Shadow soon learned to fear the resounding hooves and brilliantly executed, cunning attacks of the Thunder. Javeed’s warband single-handedly held the keep of Sarothsgaard for two days against an army of a thousand Shadow-corrupted human marauders until the garrison had fled. At

Gaibregh’s Field they ran through and over the dug-in orcish troops protecting a clutch of kurasatch udareen in the middle of a pivotal ritual that would have rendered the farms within fifty miles barren, and at Stoneburrowdown they routed Chorrslagg the Ogreprince from the dornish chieftain’s hall he squatted in, playing at king. Each of the twelve riders of the Thunder was a great champion or sage in his or her own right, but together under the leadership of Javeed, himself one of the greatest heroes of the waning Second Age, they were unbeatable. At this stage in his life, Javeed Khosrow was graying but still cut an impressive figure with his wiry body and aquiline features. A philosopher, theologist and warrior, he had dedicated his life to seeking a being or power that would allow the people of Eredane to stand against the Shadow on an equal footing. And according to the legends, he did just that: Javeed acquired a kind of holy power not seen since before the Sundering. The tales dispute the source; some say he uncovered a secret chamber deep under Sharuun, or a shrine along the banks of the Eren; some say it came from within his soul, discovered when he meditated in the fabled Nexus of Aradar or in some lost temple of the Light. Many of the stories mention his blade: a great two handed battle scimitar known as Khuroz, the Sword of Vindication. Whether his holiness bestowed power upon the blade or the sword granted spiritual might to him is, however, unknown. Javeed wielded Khuroz in the greatest battle of his life: the duel with Skhraeyn Marrowfeast, the Malak'sher of Izrador. The Battle of the Ring, as it was called, is remembered in stories across the continent. The Danisil hold Javeed in high esteem, and he is amongst their pantheon of demon-slaying heroes of legend. The dwarves use him as a parable of human courage and folly, being more prone to glumly focus on his eventual corruption and downfall. Skhraeyn, also known as the Principality of Carrion, Takhaan, the Corpse-Eater and the Buzzard Lord (and, to scholars of demonic lore who have made the connection to a later figure, the Mad Vrock), was a demon of low stature (but still ferociously powerful by mortal standards), one of the innumerable fiends that had scrounged away the millennia since the Sundering, lurking in the darkness practicing deeds of malice of vile intent. For His own reasons, the Dark God chose Skhraeyn to be His Malak’sher: the Shadow’s own herald and agent, tasked with carrying out His will on Aryth and commanding the Dark One’s demonic legions as advisor, rather than general. Skhraeyn Marrowfeast swelled with power, becoming the embodiment of the Shadow’s evil and power, and gathered the greatest swarm of demons and dread spirits seen for two thousand years, then lead them in an unholy crusade against Davindale. The seat of the Davins was all but leveled, and the demonic host had moved on towards Chandering by the time Javeed and his Thunder arrived to challenge the Shadow’s right-hand fiend. As the twelve fought off wave after wave of damned souls, mutant beasts and pitspawned horrors, standing shoulder to shoulder with each other in a truly epic battle, Javeed exchanged sword-blow for claw slash, stab for hooked beak lunged on top of a great stone knoll with Skhraeyn Marrowfeast, surrounded by a halo of impermeable light from Khuroz that gave the battle its name. For an hour they fought, breaking the ground into shards and unleashing waves of putrid and glorious energy against each other. At last, Javeed swung the Sword of Vindication in a conclusive blow that crippled the demon’s left wing. With a screech of pain, the Malak’sher crumpled and

cowered away from Javeed the Lightbearer, too dazed to call on his God... or perhaps Izrador was dissatisfied by His minion’s weakness. “Why do you persecute me so, warrior?” the demon wheedled, staring up at Javeed plaintively as he suckled at his own black blood. Javeed, who’s Code demanded that he be prepared to deal honestly and diplomatically with anyone, even his worst foe, gripped Khuroz’s hilt in both hands and declared: “Because you are evil.” The words were nothing but the simple truth, as Javeed saw it, spoken with cool confidence. The demon tilted his sarcophagic head in perplexity. “Evil? What is that?” Javeed, gritted his teeth, galled at being mocked by the defeated monster. “Evil is the foulness that flows from the Shadow. Everything it does, and by extention, you do, is evil by definition. All that you touch is tainted by your presence, because taint incarnate is what you are.” Javeed raised the Sword of Vindication, and prepared to strike the offending cranium from its perch. Skhraeyn half-closed his hellfire eyes, and gave a contented sigh. “Ahh, now I understand. Thank you, paladin, for making it so clear.” Javeed hesitated, and lowered his blade a fraction. Outside the glimmering mystical shield the sword’s magic had erected, his lieutenants Letisha and Eeoh locked eyes for a second, puzzled by their leader’s uncharacteristic behaviour. “What do you mean, demon? It cannot be that you are unaware of your own evil soul.” The demon looked up at the Lightbearer once more. “Oh, I know... pardon me, knew... but I had clearly been operating under a foolish misapprehension.” “How so?” “Hrm...” Skhraeyn cocked his vulture head. “I believed that evil was defined by what it did... the suffering it brought. The killings. The corruptions.” He smiled, as best a beak can. “But your wise words have shown me that it is not so...” “What?” demanded Javeed. Bewildered, he spluttered on forcefully: “No! The mark of your evil is the thousands of innocent lives lost in Davindale... the homes turned to ash, the ruined lands, the grief... That is your evil!” “No... you said that evil is the sole province of my Dark Master. I see the truth in that... only demons and orcs are capable of evil. Clearly what men do is beyond reproach... yes, good and evil, light and dark are merely names for the sides in this war we have fought since the Sundering.” “No! I misspoke. Men and fey are workers of evil... But it is not our nature. We fight against it, while you embrace it, and revel in it.” “Oh. It may be as you say, of course... but...”

“But? But what?” “If men are as virtuous as you say.... then why?” Seeing Javeed’s puzzlement, Skhraeyn continued. “Why is there so much death? Murder? Theft? Rape? Fratricide? Torture? All this required no touch of the Shadow’s hand. Why do your lords beat the poor to take what little they have? Why do your scholars pen words they know to be lies, simply to further their own diatribes? Why does your lieutenant, Letisha, take your bed when she wants most to lie in the arms of Tagil?” Rage filled Javeed Khosrow, and Khuroz, the Sword of Vindication lashed in a brutal arc, cutting Skhraeyn Marrowfeast apart. In a plume of black fire, the bifurcated Malak’sher vanished. With his defeat, the demonic legion wavered and faded like mist under the noon sun. As evening began to cool the blood-seared ground of the battlefield Javeed gathered the Thunder of Sharuun around him, and they sent their fallen comrades Mabbah and Copry to the flames. When the warriors questioned Javeed about his conversation with the Malak’sher, he fell into a brooding state and refused to answer them as he thought about the nature of his own soul, and felt the green poison of jealousy steal into his heart whenever he looked at Letisha or Tagil, imagining furtive and lustful glances between them. The war waited for no man’s moral dilemma, however, and the Thunder moved on in search of more of the Shadow’s armies to rout. For a time, they won many more victories and gained great prestige, though Javeed’s mood seldom lightened, and he became more cynical and suspicious of those around him. He had taken Skhraeyn’s words to heart: he now knew that his fellow man, for whom he had sacrificed so much, was as capable of malevolence as the grossest spawn of the Vale of Tears. His defining moment came when the Thunder came across one band of refugees stealing from another, though both had little more than crusts of bread in their hands and rags on their backs. In a fury, Javeed beat the leader of the brigands into the ground with this lance. Ironeye and Azzoni grabbed him by the arms and only just prevented him from killing the man, yelling at their leader to try and calm him down. When they demanded an explanation, Javeed simply replied that the man was as bad as any orc, and deserved to be treated no better. Things gradually grew worse after that. Javeed began treating the members of the Thunder, their fellow soldiers of Erenland and Fey allies with ever escalating harshness, lashing out with fists and words, calling them all corrupt, comparing them to the Shadow’s own minions. He was erratic; sometimes urging his warriors to acts of cruelty on the battlefield in the name of a swift victory, at others punishing any deviation from his Code savagely. Where before his eyes had seen only the good in people, windows into a soul of boundless optimism, now he became suspicious and contemptuous of all. Teal, Kell and Umar grew tired of Javeed’s burgeoning madness and crept away in the night to escape him. This only fed the Lightbearer’s paranoia. Finally, he snapped, and slew Tagil in a fit of jealous rage. Javeed’s remaining friends new that he had passed a point of no return. Eeoh stayed behind, grimly determined to hold back his younger liege while Letisha, Azzoni, Ketista, Briarthorn and Ironeye fled, for with Khuroz in hand and in the flower of rage and madness, Javeed was too deadly a foe for even all of them together to defeat.

Javeed stood over the body of his dead comrades, and doubt entered his mind. While in some ways his own crime proved that he had been right, that all people were irrevocably and inherently tainted, whatever had happened to him made him afraid, and he sought to flee from himself and the shadow of the Malak’sher. The man who had never sinned since his purification and elevation to Lightbearer-hood sought redemption the only way he knew how: serving others with his martial prowess. He would slay a dragon. Tragically, he picked a foe that was both over-powerful for him and not aligned with the Shadow. Bathkaddar was an avaricious, grouchy old lizard, but no great threat to anyone. He kept mainly to his lair, a great star-fall crater in the middle of the plains surrounded by barren hills, counting his hoard and turning any nearby creatures into stone with his petrification breath; as long as he was respected and left in peace, he did no harm. Sword of Vindication in hand, Javeed rode to enter the dragon’s demesne and challenge him. The battle was short and futile; after exchanging a few blows with the dragon amidst the rocky pillars and desolation of Bathkaddar’s lair, the dragon reared up and unleashed its primary breath weapon: a gust of earth-power that flooded over the fallen Lightbearer, transforming his flesh, clothing and armor into stone. Javeed Khosrow became one of the dead but living, part of Bathkaddar’s collection of victims, forever frozen in rock with the Sword of Vindication raised in defiance. Centuries passed. Some time during the Third Age, Javeed’s soul and fragments of his mind seeped into the blade by a strange sorcerers osmosis. Khuroz took on echoes of its wielder’s memories, intellect and personality, becoming a vessel for the dregs of his existence. At Present: Below are some possibilities for where the Sword of Vindication can be found today. Whatever the GM decides, a weapon as powerful as Khuroz is bound to have an inspiring and storied history. •

Khuroz may remain clutched in the stony hands of Javeed in the heart of Bathkaddar’s crater-lair, one hundred miles east of the Ardune. If the fallen Lightbearer is somehow restored to flesh, his body will drop dead and insensible to the floor straight away: though it looks as if it should be alive, his mind and soul have wedded themselves to the blade. Otherwise, would be wielders must chip away the fingers that hold the weapon, while doing battle with the gricks that haunt the desolate land and the herd of wild horses descended from Javeed’s stallion.

•

During the early Third Age, a band of Halfling looters may have come across the lair and stolen the sword, along with the majority of what was left of Bathkaddar’s horde after time and the elements were through with it. Sensing that it was enchanted, but not aware of its true power and worth (as a covenant weapon, its greater abilities were hidden from them), they traded it to merchants from a gnomish barge in exchange for some Dornish made spear

points and various sundry goods. The gnomes took the blade to Sharuun, where it was sold for a sussar’s ransom in rubies to Kamahl the Wanderer, a famed adventurer and explorer who needed an ensorcelled blade for his next quest. Kamahl supposedly took the Sword of Vindication with him to the Archipelago of the Eywulf. During some desperate battle there, the tainted blade betrayed him and Kamahl was forced to leave it in the vine-caressed jungle ruins and flee for his life. Khuroz remains somewhere amidst the strange structures, catacombs and spires of the archipelago, waiting for its next wielder. •

Perhaps an earthquake struck Bathkaddar’s crater, and the sword was lost in a plunge into the underworld of Eredane. It was found by a traveling group of deep elves (or grimlocks, or another subterranean race), who bore it north with them. As they traversed the passages under the Pellurian, however, they fell victim to a crude but deadly trap set by feral merfolk. The fish people combed through the wreckage around the drowned elves, and found Khuroz. They in turn lost it during an ill-considered assault on a Dornish pirate vessel. The sword was returned to Highwall for examination, but when that city later fell to the Shadow, the Sword of Vindication was taken from the vaults by a humble scribe, who took it and buried it in a field at his family’s farm, northwest of Fallport.

Redemption As things stand, the Sword of Vindication is corrupt. It contains echoes of Javeed the Lightbearer’s mind, and those thought-fragments are tainted by his loss off faith in all that is good. Before his petrifiction, he had become disillusioned about the battle between the Free Peoples and the Shadow, seeing little difference between the petty malice of everyday human and fey life and the brutal rampages of the orcs. This caused him to stray from his Code of behavior and indulge in exactly these violations himself, in a never ending spiral of despair, cynicism, contempt and self-loathing that pushed him deeper into the Shadow’s embrace. As the covenant weapon becomes more powerful, the wielder’s heroism unlocking ever greater secrets about it, Javeed’s consciousness also grows in power, and begins to try and bend the wielder to its will: the intolerant, violent punishment of anyone the sword deems to be ‘evil’ or ‘unworthy’. Initially, this will manifest as the sword muttering in the character’s mind, pointing out flaws and moral failing in everyone from the character himself to his companion to innocent bystanders. As its Ego increases, it will begin to suggest violent corrections of these flaws, urging harsh words, polemic speech and eventually beatings of summary executions. Here are some suggestions for how the PCs might try and redeem Javeed’s soul and transform the weapon back into a tool of good. •

The easy route is for the GM to assign a quest that will purify or the Sword of Vindication. Ideas include bathing it in the sacred waters of a hidden Miransil pool; slaying a powerful icon of evil, such as a Night Prince, the current Malak’sher or another notable foe; taking the blade and re-forging it in a

powerful Nexus (perhaps even Aradar itself) or re-consecrating it in an ancient temple under the guidance of a planetar angel. •

A more interesting route is to cast the PCs in the role of philosophers and counselors. They may be able to slowly restore Khuroz to mental stability by constantly proving their virtue and talking with the sword. This gives the opportunity for extensive role-playing and discussion on the nature of good and evil in the world of Midnight. Of course, it is entirely possible that Khuroz may sway them to its point of view, instead.

Khuroz is an ancient weapon, dating back to the beginning of the Second Age, when it was crafted by a group of monks dedicated to the Long Lost Gods in Paol. They took a sliver of sandstone from the cliffs overlooking the Gulf and imbued it with magic at a Nexus called the Sea’s Ribbon, then painstakingly crafted it into the shape of a two-handed scimitar (a falchion) on nights of the full moon over nearly a year. The resulting weapon was long bladed, with a few modest polished garnets set in the hilt and pommel, and a pale yellow-orange color. Magic allowed the sandstone to be harder and sharper than steel, and it was imbued with incredible protective energies. Sentient: Khuroz has an Ego equal to its wielder’s level. Personality clashes tend to occur in the situations detailed above, when the blade wishes to persecute evil and foster suspicion and judgment. It has Intelligence 16, Wisdom 19, Charisma 17, and Javeed remains knowledgeable about theology, philosophy, history and warcraft (4-12 ranks in relevant Knowledge skills). It can communicate with anyone touching its blade or hilt via telepathy. 1st level: Perfect Block: Once per day per point of Cha mod, when the wielder suffers a blow in melee or ranged combat that would reduce her to 0 or less hit points, Khuroz may block the blow, taking the damage itself. The sword is hardness 10, hp 20, but when it uses the Perfect Block ability the damage bypasses hardness. The blade regenerates 1 hp per day. 3rd level: A barely visible haze surrounds the wielder and seems to help ward off some blows, providing a +2 deflection bonus to AC. 4th level: Khuroz counts as magical and silver for the purpose of over overcoming DR. 6th level: The holy energies of blade bolster the mental and physical fortitude of those that wield it, granting a +2 resistance bonus to all saves. 9th level: +1 enhancement bonus. 10th level: Khuroz counts as magical, silver lawful and good for the purpose of over overcoming DR. 11th level: Aura of Repulse Khuroz can create a field of light that proves baneful to any unnatural creature that tries to enter it. This spell-like ability creates a 20’ radius ring centered on the wielder; it does not move with him, however, and if he

leaves the ring it vanishes, though he may move freely within it. Any evil outsider or spirit finds that the ring acts as a caster level 16 Antipathy spell (Will DC 21 or be unable to enter; even if passed, creatures suffer -4 Dex while in the area). This ability can be used once per week, and lasts as long as the wielder can keep his mind focused on it: this requires a Concentration check every minute, starting at a DC of 0 and increasing by 1 every time it is checked. 15th level: Khuroz is charged with a powerful, dynamic force of protection that can adapt to almost any hostile circumstance. Each round the wielder may choose one of the following effects: damage resistance 5/magic, or energy resistance 5 against once specific form of energy. So on one round she may chose fire resistance, the next acid resistance, the acid resistance again, then damage resistance, et cetera. The Thunder of Sharuun Javeed Khosrow, Male Sarcosan (Expert 3 / Fighter 9 / Lightbearer 6) Letisha, Female Sarcosan (Fighter 6 / Sarcosan Knight 3), Javeed’s consort and armswoman. Eeoh, Male Sarcosan (Fighter 6 / Sarcosan Knight 2), a haggard old veteran of the King’s Court. Azzoni, Female Sarcosan (Fighter 6 / Sarcosan Knight 2), a silent, grim warrior. Mabbah, Male Sarcosan (Fighter 6 / Sarcosan Knight 2), a wild man from the Kaladrun foothills. Tagil, Male Sarcosan (Fighter 6 / Sarcosan Knight 2), a former trick-rider from Sharuun. Umar, Male Sarcosan (Channeler 8 ), a much-tattooed nomad mage of frightening intensity. Ketista, Female Sarcosan (Channeler 6 / Sahi Astrologer 2, a thoughtful healer and scholar from Sharuun. Briarthorn, Male Erenlander (Wildlander 7 / Foe Hunter (orcs) 1), Azzoni’s lover and an equally grim and savage warrior. Kell, Male Dorn (Rogue 6 / Wilderness Rogue 2), a dashing northerner trickster. Ironeye, Male Dwarf (Barbarian 6 / Horned Knight 2*), a Kurgun with a terrible fear of heights, thus unsuited to mountain life. Teal, Female Elfling (Fighter 3 / Wildlander 3 / Deepwood Sniper 2), a quickwitted and jovial skirmisher. Copry, Male Halfling (Fighter 5 / Wogren Rider 3), a totem warrior who seeks to imitate his mount.

* An as-yet undesigned dwarven boro-riding prestige class. Probably very similar to the Sarcosan Knight. Balor's Flame By Dirigible "I love my gramma, I love my grampa. I will not burn in Balor's fire. I will not walk in forest's shadows. I will not dance in Faerie's ring. I will not burn in Balor's fire. I will not kiss the Stoneman's beard. I will not run with big bad wolves. I will not burn in Balor's fire. I will not go where dark things dwell. I will not burn in Balor's fire."

~ Fire's Rhyme, An Erenlander traditional rhyme. In the foothills of the Kaladruns there lies a ruin called Sundered Hall. Once, it was Stenggar's Hall, but not all that remains are jagged rims of stone around a smoking, blackened crater that falls deep into the earth. Sundered Hall was lost to the dwarven when it was overrun after the Last Battle; it had long been regarded as the most open and friendly of dwarven cities, and the gates stood welcoming and wide. Hundred of oruks took advantage of that welcome. For a time, the Shadow held Stenggar's Hall and used its stores for the war effort, rooms as barracks, folk as slaves and the ensorcelled forge hidden deep beneath it to create new tools of death for its armies. Stenggar's Hall was destroyed and became Sundered Hall when a terrible force long caged in its bowels was unleashed shortly after the Last Battle. Ages ago, the raging soul of the demon lord Balor was imprisoned by Stenggar Tenhammers, and in later years the unspeakable heat was used as a crucible to forge objects of mystical power for the battle against orcs and men. After the Shadow's victory, however, Balor's soul was able to worm its way free in a storm of dark sorcery and wings its way back to suckle at Izrador's dread teat, leaving its former durance a shattered pit. The fiend did not care about the oruks that died in the process, of course. The last item crafted before the demon's escape was a great, gnarled vardatch made for Vokor, the oruk commander of the garrison. The sword, Balor's Flame, was lost along with its wielder when the demon escaped, and has not been seen since. Taller than many men, it was made from orange-tinted iron, warm to the touch. The blade was cruelly serrated and waved like an oversized, brutish flaberge. Around the massive hilt the quillions sweep back towards the wielder's wrists and have the jagged look of broken bones; the blade's owner must be careful to avoid being cut by them. Balor's Flame is a large (3d6 damage) covenant vardatch.

1st level: Balor's Flame has the unnerving tendency to cling to its wielder. The metal seems to try and fuse with skin or gloves, and the spines around the hilt edge towards exposed wrists and palms, seeking to draw blood. This gives +4 to resist disarm attempts, but means that sheathing or releasing the blade takes a full-round action. 3rd level: Some dark influence seeps out of the blade into its wielder, imbuing her with unholy vigor. The wielder gains +4 to Fort saves while holding the blade. 5rd level: The bonus to resist disarms attempts increases to +10, but it takes one minute to prise the wielder's hands off the hilt. 7th level: Balor's Flame now counts as magical and evil for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. 10th level: The wielder cannot be disarmed, but it now takes one minute and a successful Strength check with a DC equal to the character's level to put down the blade. The check may be retried every minute. 13th level: Balor's Flame acquires a dire hunger for blood, and twists itself brutally in any wound it makes, ensuring it does more horrific damage. The wielder may re-roll any 1's on the 3d6 damage roll, so it will always do at least 6 points of damage (before strength bonus and any other factors are taken into account). Gallows of Winter By Dirigible As any wildlander will tell you, during the coldest of winters trees can explode. In the Veradeen, such split trunks are a fairly common sight, and they are regarded as a sign of bad luck by the snow elves; to make anything from the gnarled, ice-damaged wood is to court misfortune. And yet, a powerful artifact is made from just such a piece of cursed wood, and has proved a valuable tool to many an elven channeler. The Gallows of Winter is a long, snow-white piece of wood that looks like a twisted branch, but closer examination reveals it is in fact a warped length of heartwood. Knots jut out at odd angles, from which hang tangled leather straps and slings, sufficient to hold numerous fairly small objects, up to about the size of a cricket ball. These straps are usually full of odd, uncut gemstones, animal skulls and pieces of other natural materials. The Gallows is charged with necromantic energy and crafted with the lore of the Old Rituals, the power of charm magic. Taken together, this allows it to steal drips and drabs of the life-force of creatures around and empower the fetishes that hang from it, slowly transforming them into useful charms. The Gallows of Winter is a covenant staff. The wielder of the Gallows may choose to begin the charm creation process at any time, by selecting the type (effect) of the charm she wishes to create. One of the fetishes in the staff will begin to accumulate mystical energy from dead creatures nearby. By touching the Gallows of Winter to a freshly dead corpse (the corpse's effective HD halves every five minutes after death), the covenant item steals the last dregs of vitality, gaining a number of stored potential points equal to the creature's

HD. The staff cannot store any HD unless it has been willed to create a charm. To supplement the energy stolen from the dead, the caster may sacrifice 10hp at any time, and this effectively adds one HD to the staff's current total. Once it has enough HD stored, it begins the gestation process. The table below indicates the character levels required to create different sorts of charm, the number of HD needed and time to create the charm. 2nd level: Can create Minor charms (1 HD, d20+d6 hours). 7th level: Can create Lesser charms (5 HD, d3 days). 12th level: Can create Greater charms (15 HD, d10 days). 17th level: Can create True charms (40 HD, d20 days). Nameless Light By Dirigible Aeterian's breath froze and broke in the air in front of him. His palms were slippery with blood, gashed open by the dagger-sharp rocks on that lined the pass; too slippery to hold a sword, even if he hadn't lost his blade fording the swollen Fenflow river two days ago. A vulture's squawk resounded through the winter-clear sky above him, and Aeterian flinched involuntarily. He knew that every beast might be the bearer of his death, or worse; already he had been forced to kill his beloved, plains-born steed Faroe and his familiar, precious Maelkin. Add to that the scores of starlings that had assaulted him under the urging of the astirax that pursued him, and the snake that had bitten his ankle while he snatched a few hours of troubled sleep, and the Caransil knew he was in trouble. His companions were long gone, and Aeterian was tired. The sniffer-demon was relentless and formless; he was more afraid of it than of anything else he had seen in his short (by elven standards) life. His leg was crippled with pain; every muscle was laced with fatigue. On the verge of defeat, Aeterian slumped to his knees, trembling. Death was close and he could no longer muster the energy to resist. He scarcely even felt the vulture's beak lacerate his brow, stealing the last dregs of his magical essence. It was only when a strange, cold light washed over his downcast face that he opened his eyes. Hanging in the air before Aeterian was a vision of immaculate, awful majesty. It was a statue come to life, all cold angles and stony hate, flawless and terrible. At its feet were the broken remains of the possessed vulture. Hail Aeterian, the Dread Angel greeted him. I Am Your Salvation. Through Me You Will Find Victory, And Be Damned. "What.... what are you, spirit? What do you mean?" quailed the young Caransil.

”Your Foes Are Beyond You,” quoth the Dread Angel, its visage taking on a cruel, sharp aspect. “You Must Match Them In Savagery And Power To Emerge Victorious. Have You The Courage To Do So?” Aeterian heard a sound behind him, and turned to meet the snarling muzzle of a great mountain bear scarce some thirty feet away, shambling out of the woods with the deadly intent of a possessed beast. It's paws scratched at the stone as it advanced, huge and hungry, on the elf. ”Choose, Aeterian,” said the Dread Angel. “Your Life, Or Your Death. The Price Is In Your Hand.” And the Dread Angel was no more; only a blade of surpassing sharpness and hardness, made of a grey metal that gave no gleam or reflection. The astirax-bear drew closer, fangs crackling with spell-eating power and eyes red with madness Aeterian lifted his sword and struck, renewed vitality flowing through his arm. Blood gouted from the animal; both beast and demon screamed as they died. Never again would the astirax take on flesh form, for it had been sent back to its dark master. But as he struck, the veils of perception opened for Aeterian. He saw a queen robed in a mantle of white. He saw a light so bright and cold and terrible that it set the world afire and quenched it in ice. He saw the people of Eredane liberated from the tyranny of Shadow. He saw them liberated, and despair. He saw beasts that were once men, turned into what they fought. Made hollow vessels by rage, they were filled only with the Shadow. Letting the sword drop from his hand, Aeterian collapsed to the rock and wept. "Oh Dread Angel," he implored the blade. "Must it be so? Must the eminence that will save us from the Shadow be our doom?" ”Yes,” exulted the Dread Angel from all around and nowhere at once. “For The Light Will Be So Glorious That It Needs Must be Nameless.” Nameless Light is a thinblade (elven exotic, d8 damage, 18-20/x2, finessable) made of some resilient grey metal that seems to drink the light. It is very light but not at all flexible. The blade is innately tuned to prefer ruthless, brutal solutions, and loves to use the Shadow's tactics and weapons against it. 3rd level: Any time the PC performs an act of treachery or brutality in line with the sword's inclination, he or she gains a +2 moral bonus to attacks, saves or skill checks (as appropriate) for one minute. 5th level: Nameless Light gains the Ghost Touch property.

8th level: On a critical hit, the victim must make a Fort 16 save or be struck blind for 1 hour. 11th level: Nameless Light gains an enhancement bonus of +1.

Alternate, souped up powers for Nameless Light: 1st level: Any time the PC performs an act of treachery or brutality in line with the sword's inclination, he or she gains a +1 moral bonus to attacks, saves or skill checks (as appropriate) for one minute. 3rd level: Bonus increases to +2. 5th level: Nameless Light gains the Ghost Touch property. 7th level: Nameless Light gains an enhancement bonus of +1. 9th level: On a critical hit, the victim must make a Fort 16 save or be struck blind for 1 hour. 12th level: Whenever the PC performs an act in keeping with Nameless Light's taint, she is healed of d6 HP of damage. Note that, in this case, an entire combat or act of treachery or callousness would count as one action, not one action per round.

The Darkwood Palm By Dirigible "What is it?" Gaeldin peered dubiously into the ornate box, studying the object. The one-eyed gnome gave him a gap-toothed smile. "It is the answer to your prayers, friend. It will give you back what you have lost... and so much more." The gnome absently waved a hand, scattering incense fumes through the room. The herbalist gingerly picked it up with his single remaining hand. That's what it appeared to be; a perfectly carved human hand, made of darkwood, cool to the touch, and with deep runes carved around the wrist. He could almost feel power thrumming through it. "Magic... it has great magic," crooned the gnome. "It will... become one with your wounded flesh and replace what you have lost... and grant you so much more..." Gaeldin looks up and was about to speak, but suddenly felt a crushing pain in his wrist. He looked down, and with horror saw that is flesh was coming unraveled. Threads of bloody skin waved in the air, agonizingly, as the darkwood hand melded with the stump of his wrist and rewove themselves around it. Gagging in pain, he fell to his knees. After a long moment, he regained balance and stood, scowling at the

gnome. "We have a deal, then?" the trader asked, smirking. Gaeldin did not look at the ground where his hand had lain, but if he had, he would have seen fresh new shoots creeping their way out of the floorboards. --The door crashed open, and hulking, armored figures shouldered their way into the low room. The gnome cowered as two orcs dragged him forwards. From behind a fanged helm, the legate hissed. "Save yourself some pain, Fey, and tell me where the Palm is..." A short chain snapped in the priest's hand ready to reward unwanted words with pain. "I no longer have it!" the trader squealed, his arms being twisted and tugged unmercifully. "But... but I know who does..." It was all going to plan... The Darkwood Palm must be attached to the stump of a missing humanoid hand; it can resize to fit Small, Medium or Large creatures. Once attached, it can only be removed by cutting it off. 1st level: The character gains +2 competences to Profession: Herbalist checks and Healing skill checks. 3rd level: The character may place a Witherseed in a plant, once per day. This curse only affects non-sentient, non-mobile plants, and deals 1 hp of damage per day with no limit on duration, ignoring hardness. It can be found with a Search DC 20 check and removed with a Profession (gardener, arborist, forester, herbalist etc) DC 15 check. 5th level: The bonus to skill checks increases to +4. 8th level: The character can use a special, limited form of the Plant Growth, once per day. It only affects plants in a 5' cube touched with the Palm. It causes all plants in that area to grow and flourish, changing from seed or shoot to fully grown in less than a minute. Any herbal plants aided by this spell is unusually potent, and increases it's beneficial effects by 25%. 11th level: The Darkwood Palm no longer exudes a magical aura, so it cannot be detected by Detect magic or an astirax's magic sense. 15th level: The bonus to skill checks increases to +6.

The Ghaal By Dirigible Long ago, the giantmen were a noble race, not yet corrupted by Izrador, who was known to them as Father Rot. Amongst the giantmen there were two princesses, who were feared and renowned as warriors and athletes. There was great competition between them, and the earth shook when they raced and wrestled. One day, the princesses were arguing about who was the better able to knock down the dwarven stone pillars that dotted their land. Finally, they agreed that each would go and find one person to aid them, and then they would settle the question. The elder princess, called Lahana, went north, higher into the peaks to search fo an ally, while her younger and more favored sister went south. After a time, Lahana came across A great, hairy beast, so big that she could have easily sat astride it. "Ho, there, little giant," said the beast with its long, fleshy nose. "I am Ghaal, the Dire Mammoth." "I am Lahana, great one. Will you help me win a contest?" And she told Ghaal of the contest between her and her sister. After a time of thought, Ghaal agreed to aid her. Lahana and Ghaal went back to the proving grounds, where they found her sister waiting with an ogre of prodigious size and strength. The contest began. Lahana's sister and the ogre pushed and heaved, trying to tip over as many pillars as they could, but squabbled often and got in each others way. When it was Ghaal and Lahana's turn, the giant mounted the mammoth, and the two rode together against the pillars. When the dust had settled, they had knocked over twice as many columns as the opposing pair! To celebrate, Ghaal gave Lahana a pice of his cast-off hide, with instructions on how to craft it into a powerful suit of armour to seal their friendship. The Ghaal is a suit of hide armor suitable for a Large creature. The breastplate is thick and studded with bone buttons, while the shoulders are reinforced with several overlapping, gull-winged layers of hide. 2nd level: The character gains +4 to resist any attempts to force her from the saddle when mounted. 6th level: The character gains DR 5 vs any projectiles larger than an arrow (javelins, throwing axes, catapult stones etc). 9th level: The Ghaal gains a +1 enhancement bonus. 16th level: While mounted, the wearer of the Ghaal gains +5' to her reach.

The Webmantle By Dirigible This long, soft cloak appears to be made of thick, silvery spider webs. It is a loose mesh rather than a cloth, and hands lightly on the wearer. Hecatae acquired it from a traveler from the Eastern Continent, where it was reputedly made by cultists out of the silk produced by their Bebilith overlord. 2nd level: The wearer may use the cloak as a net, and is considered proficient with its use. It has 25 hp and hardness 5. 4th level: The character gains +1 to attack rolls with the net, its range increases to 30 feet, and the Escape Artist DC increases to 25. 5th level: The wearer of the cloak can cast Spider Climb once per day as a channeler of her character level. 9th level: The wearer of the cloak is immune to poison. The Black Hilt By Arnon, Pheros, and Kingslayer The stories of the Black Hilt are usually bloody ones of assassinations, betrayals, and bravery. Weapons with a black hilt had appeared many times in the hands of many different people, both good and evil, which created legends that there were many of these enchanted weapons made. Truth is, there is only one Black Hilt. Each time its owner dies the blade shatters after a week of neglect and the Hilt is left there, until someone finds it and forges it back to a blade, the forger will find that he can attach it to any small or tiny weapon. Special: Whoever picks up the Hilt is compelled (Will save DC 20) to take it into their possession and, if need to, re-forge it. From then on, they feel naked without it on their person, and must make a Will save DC 15 every time they wish to move more that 10 ft away from it (this includes throwing it if it is a dagger). 1st level: The blade to witch the Hilt is connected always seems to find and guide the hand that wields it to where it hurts the most (+1d6 sneak attack). 2nd level: In a twist of fate, while the Hilt has been known to cause strife and play with its bearer minds, it also helps them face the most fearsome of foes. The bearer of the hilt gains a bonus of +2 vs. Fear. 3rd level: The wielder of the blade gains a +10 circumstance bonus on any slight of hand test to hide the blade on the person. 6th level: Once per day the wielder of the weapon can invoke Poison (as the spell) on the blade. 9th level: The Hilt gives the blade a +1 enhancement bonus.

12th level: The wielder of the blade gains the Improved Critical feat for whatever weapon type the Black hilt is forged into. Helm of Alestilan By Pheros In the middle of the Second Age, during the Sarcosian Invasion, the invading armies were at an impasse. The Dorns had faltered, and left the field of battle, but the Elves stood strong still. Their magic wrecked havoc among the Sarcosian lines, and a war at this cost could not be sustained. The Invasion force called back all five of their Generals, leading to an unspoken truce lasting 13 months. While gathered in Hallisport, the Generals conferred, shared tactics and strategies, and secrets of the weaknesses of elves. In addition to the sharing of knowledge, they were each outfitted with the finest steel armaments and armors. At the end of the meeting, they returned to their troops, and were able to press the fight all the way to Pethurian, where they had agreed to gather their armies for an all-out assault on the elves. At the head of the largest army was Alestilan, a great General and famous tactician who had been in charge of planning the assault. On the eve of the invasion, all the Generals gathered in Alestilan's tent near the center of their camps, to lay final plans. But their meeting was discovered by spies, and the elves sent assassins to the meeting. The other four Generals were killed before they even knew danger was present. Alestilan only had time to don his helm before meeting the same fate as the rest. The spies ransacked the bodies of the Generals and their tents, but left the helm where it lay, on Alestilan's head. It was said that that helm had been present with Alestilan through every meeting and battle since it was given to him, and that any other Sarcosian leader who wore it was destined to have Alestilan's skill and luck in battle. 1st level: The wearer gains (Knowledge: Warcraft) as a class skill, and a +2 bonus to it. 3rd level: The wearer gains a +4 to initiative. Anyone under his command during a battle gains a +2 to initiative, as well. 6th level: Allies in a 50 ft radius gain +1 AC and Attack bonus 9th level: Once per day, the wearer may create a number of floating eyes equal to half his character level, which may be given simple commands, as per Prying eyes. These eyes last for 1 hour, or until destroyed. 12th level: Once per day when the wearer is leading a corp., the wearer may forge a telepathic link with a number of his subordinates equal to his character level, as per Telepathic Bond. This effect may only be used before/during a battle, and lasts for the duration of the engagement.

Ring of the Guardian By Arnon Clan Teall of house Orin had or generations been the official guardians of the royalty of house Orin. The oldest male of the clan would be a personal guardian to the heir to be, watching over him constantly. It was rumored that the Guardian of the heir of house Orin could sense when the heir was in trouble, when he was sick, when he was happy... when he was dead. Much of these powers are due to a powerful item passed from generation of guardians to generation. It was said to be lost when Low Rock was destroyed. The Ring of the Guardian is the silver signet ring of clan Teall, and only manifests its powers to the eldest of the clan. 1st level: The ring identifies the bearer, citing back names of his forefathers 6 generations back. Also, if the Heir is alive the ring feels a bit warm on the finger; if the Heir is dead, the ring is cool. 3rd level: The Guardian may enter a Rage 1/day. If the charge of the Guardian is in physical danger the bearer of the ring will enter an involuntary Rage. If the bearer already Raged that day, he will become exhausted if he does not succeed at a Fortitude Save (DC 20), if he succeeds then he is only fatigued. This ability works no mater the distance between Guardian and charge. 5th level: Any melee weapon the bearer of the ring holds has a +1 enhancement bonus. 7th level: The Guardian feels the general direction of his charge. When his charge is within 5 ft. of him, the Guardian may defend him better, allowing the Guardian to lower his AC as much as his BaB and transform it to AC for his charge. The Guardian may Rage 2/day. 10th level: The Guardian is constantly aware of his charges condition (both physical and mental). 13th level: The enhancement to melee weapons increases to +2