Merry Xmas Everyone, remember to stay indoors, arm yourselves and await Santa's Purge....

Thanks to Daniel Stack for finding this!

...And the two T-Rexes are stopping over their table saw fight just long enough to observe the great K-T asteroid before it impacts.

Merry XMas everyone!!!!!

Review: Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures

I can stop looking for the OSR game I will run. I might use Basic Fantasy to fill in gaps and corners in Beyond the Wall (the two have enough in common for this to work) but I am completely smitten with how Beyond the Wall takes the concept of the playbook and makes it the most engaging and creative experience I've had in D&D in a long, long time. I want playbooks in 5E now, damnit!*

I'll provide some more detail as we go, but for those who are curious here's a bit about what Beyond the Wall does: it provides a very stripped-down, easy to use version of the classic D&D rules and focuses on a simpler, more fundamental fantasy setting derived from the works of Ursula K. Le Guin and Lloyd Alexander (using the two key examples provided by the author). The setting isn't so much defined as it is implied and enforced through concept...you fill in your own world, but use the framework of a land in which a village, that the heroes all grew up in, is the centerpiece of their heroic journey to become great defenders, protectors and explorers of the land. It exudes an interesting mythic resonance, and the game focuses heavily on making that feeling a reality in play.

The core rules provide a basic quick character creation system and all the rules you'll need to do your own thing if you so desire. Then it moves into the playbooks. The first supplement, Further Afield, expands the concept to include various style of sandbox play as well as more general ideas on how to GM open-ended campaigns.

The playbooks are basically lifepath generators (think RTG's Interlock system for a close example) with a different lifepath for each character concept: so you have things like the witch's apprentice and the would-be knight, the self trained wizard and the village hero. Conceptually these occupy the same space as the backgrounds that D&D 5E uses, but they are specifically aimed at building your character's history, not merely your personality. The D&D 5E approach is great....it really is....but when you start a Beyond the Wall playbook you end up a few minutes later with a complete character, ready to go, with a full history that ties them in to the other characters at the table. Cool stuff.

Beyond the Wall also dares to mess around with D&D magic. At first I was expecting to read yet another OSR system that faithfully tries to replicate an older edition magic system using the D20 SRD. Instead, I got a strong, flavorful variant on D20 magic that takes everything familiar and skews it toward theme, style and feel of the story, creating a system of cantrips, true spells and rituals that is so cool it almost pains me to think of doing D&D magic any other way now.

The GM has his own set of tools as well: scenario packs and playbooks for threats, which let you quickly construct a scenario and send adventurers off that is both unique and reusable. The scenario packs aren't just aimed at a generic adventure generator, either; each one is specifically tailored to create a variety of unique themes for the specific topic of the scenario, such as "The Angered Fae" and the "Hidden Cult" in the main rule book. You can use this to create more than one such scenario for even the same group...it's a simple bit of genius. Threats are equally interesting, letting you create random or custom major foes/villains for the overall story arc. All of this is designed to be quick, too: it will require a GM who's comfortable with a bit of improv, but I wouldn't say it requires an experienced GM....in fact, this method of play will make life easier for old vets like myself while simultaneously teaching new GMs how to run games in this style. It's an incredibly well executed idea that I think other games ought to learn from.

Beyond the Wall is doing something that only a handful of OSR games have dared to do, and that is make it's own unique flavor, strongly enforced by the game itself and its modifications to an otherwise familiar rule set. This is some incredible stuff, seriously....and it's a delight to read; this book was made to both be read and played.

Beyond the Wall didn't come out this year (it looks like the first tome dates from 2012-2014 in origins although it's first supplement "Futher Afield" was just released), but I did discover it in 2015, thanks initially to a Bundle of Holding that led me to the very nice quality color hard cover copies on rpgnow. As with most things in life for me, what was new in 2015 isn't necessarily what's got my attention, so my plan to put this on my top five games of the year list is my way of telling you that you need to get this game, now.

Ten Interesting Things About Beyond the Wall:
10. it has a freeform skill system
9. ascending AC
8. classes are not tied to race but races also get unique classes
7. the core mechanics make conversion to other OD&D and B/X D&D based systems simple
6. warriors get more useful stuff than in typical classic-D&D systems
5. The spell system's cantrips, true spells and rituals are compelling
4. there's a mythic resonance that exudes from every line written in this book
3. the playbooks are incredibly fun to roll through
2. the playbooks encourage relations with all PCs at the table; no more meeting in a bar unless the playbook pushes you there...
1. The GM's scenario packs and threat sheets are incredibly cool for facilitating quick play, overcoming lack of prep time and teaching new GMs how to run improvised games on the fly



*Playbooks differ from backgrounds in that they integrate character creation into the process. When you make a 5E character the background is usually the last thing you add on. When you start a playbook you end up with a complete character that makes contextual sense in terms of your life path rolls.

Chirak: The Serpent Caldera

Southern Mercurios: The Serpent Caldera

Locations:

Sulfur Lake

   This miles-wide and long lake is at the heart of the great caldera that marks the centerpoint of the Southern Kasarak Mountains. The lake water is often tainted by sulfurous emissions releasing from volcanic vents below, and little lives in the lake beyond some hardy fish and algae.

Lizard Man Territory

The lizard men of Serpent Caldera are a hearty group of expatriates who disagreed with the Hashykarystyr militarization of recent decades, and so broke off and migrated south to remain apart from it. Their dedication to the Ancentral Cult of Hossor, a prophet of great legend among the Hshykarystyr is what they are dedicated to. The Chieftain of the tribes is Shakat Haldaran, a fair but sometimes cruel leader who strives for neutrality with the neighbors in the region. They are only at odds with the orcs of Gozad and the kobold tribes, while staying neutral with the humans of Serimore. They avoid the soldiers of Fort Axeron, who are dedicated to enslaving them as curiosities for the arena, and they also avoid the territory of Sen’Samir whee the Kulaidoriin elves despise lizard folk of all types.

Kobold Territory

The kobolds inhabit numerous caves formed from lava tubes, creating long, winding hives. They are mostly nestled along the entrance to the caldera, a lengthy rise down which the Great River emerges from. The kobolds were until recently led by the winged urd named Mang Drog who was murdered, and the shaman Vosokos has taken over temporarily. They live a life of banditry and theft and are a plague on all other denizens in the region.

Goval

This is the southern Hsahykarystyr fortress led by general Kavoriss, a female lizard woman of great repute in the region. Goval was originally founded to defend against Kasark incursions a century ago when the barbarians, like men everywhere, reacted violently to the manifestation of a lizard man kingdom in their midst. Goval is one of the Basilisk Towers, and on its highest tower is mounted one of the dreaded Reflecting Mirrors, powered by the ancient basilisk eyes that the Hashykarystyr have used to enforce their borders against Kasark and Mercurious. No one knows what dire magics they used to create these artifacts.

Serimore

The town of Serimore has been here for two centuries and its hunters have learned to live with the basilisks, hunting them carefully and avoiding their petrifying gaze. Natives have, in fact, displayed a curious resistance to the basilisk gaze (gaining advantage) though none know why. In time, the town grew to 400 strong; there are another 300 or so who live in remote outlying communities in the area. There is also a small local dwarven population and the mayor of the town is a dwarf named Vax Durggen. The story is that the local dwarves came from Syrgia long ago to prospect for mithril in the mountains, but never succeeded and eventually settled down to stay.

The town was thrown into chaos one year ago when the Cult of the Night Serpent arrived, led by the medusa Goz  Semilta, who turned several threatening townsfolk to stone before they left her and the cult alone. In the last year the cult has grown hundreds strong and built an impressive earthen pyramid entrance to the eastern mountain cave once known as the breeding cave of the basilisks and now dubbed the Temple of the Night Serpent.

Temple of the Night Serpent

Once this was a cave where the basilisks descended every year to breed, lay eggs and let their next generation hatch and grow, usually with a matriarch basilisk overlooking the younglings. Now it is the entrance to an impressive temple to the Night Serpent of the new cult which claims to be pureblood descended serpent men of old, led by a high priestess medusa. The interior of this complex will detailed more later, but the exterior includes a shantytown of crude huts and tents which holds the ever growing population of pilgrims who believe they have the blood of the serpent god within them.

The Old Road

This ancient road winds its way through the eastern Kasarak Mountains, and remains in surprisingly good shape considering no one seems to maintain it. Passage on this road can take one all the way to the mountain city of Arus, and from there the Old Road skirts close to Castle Dorn before exiting in the southern merge of the Dryssyrian and Kasark ranges along the river that leads to Knovyskus. The Kasark barbarians use it as a principle “safe route” through the mountains.

Olegast

The town of Olegast was a thriving lake town before the first settlers ever came to Serimore. It was a major city in the days of the Pellucid Empire, but was sieged and destroyed by the Kasdalani forces four centuries ago. Olegast bounced back but never recovered as a city, remaining a smaller township for nearly a century and a half before it was destroyed by unknown forces. Decades later the first settlers at Serimore found only ruins and undead in Olegast, and decided the ground was cursed, so they settled northward. No one has ever discovered who or what sealed the town’s final fate.

The Tainted Lands

Some of the freshest lava flows can be found here, laid down only a century and a half back when Mount Uridon erupted to the west and great burning flows of lava covered the land and filled out the deep valleys. Stories say that there was an elven city here once, but that it is now completely submerged beneath the lava flows. Stories suggest that you can run into elven ghosts in the Tainted Lands. The name comes from the observation that nothing grows in the area anymore.

Sen’Samir

The citadel of Sen’Samir was founded long ago, and it’s architecture is clearly elven. It is one of the reasons people suggest the Tainted Lands may have once held an elven city before the lava covered it all up. The citadel is dangerously close to the twin volcanic mountains of Uridon and Seridon, named after the two Elohim brothers and warrior-templars of Akquinarios that fell to the earth during the Final War twenty six hundred years ago.

Sen’Samir was unoccupied for centuries, but about eighty years ago a tribe of Kulaidoriin ascetics and spiritualists settled in the area, gradually purging the tower of old denizens and traps and converting it to a new home for their order. Ever since the dark elves of the south have called the citadel their home, and other Kulaidoriin have since joined them, creating a rather impressive town. The waters of Lake Perast along which the citadel resides are surpisingly pure despite being nestled against the southern slopes of Mt. Seridon. The elves seem to think they are a protecting force; the mystical beliefs of the local cult are that the purity of their belief insures the volcanoes will not erupt.

The cult at Sen’Samir seems to be a form of ancentral worship on the surface, but it’s actually a bit more complex. The leader of the cult, the Kulaidor woman named Saatha Verunis, had a profound experience once when she discovered her ability to commune with the dead. She developed a fascination for ghosts and their lore, and learned that through ghosts one could learn of avenues to the afterworld that would allow guided elven spirits to at last seek true peace. The cult believes that it is doing a great service to their kind by seeking out elven spirits to aid them in finding a place of rest in the afterlife. The unnaturally regular encounters with elven ghosts in the region suggests that are at least partially on to something…

Saggaros’ Crown

The great wall known as Saggaros’s Crown is a stretch of mountains to the southwest noted for an impressive drop from their height, as the mountains look like a great tidal wave with several crown-like points jutting at the top. Scaling the great cliffs of this mountain is near impossible, but at the base of the mountain are several caves which open up into a vast series of cavern complexes.

The caverns of Saggaros’s Crown are dominated by the Orcs of Gaar, a tribe led by the warlord Magnathor and his queen Aitsu. There are two main orcish complexes/cities, one at Gozad where the warlord rules, and the other at Valdur where his main forces build relentlessly, engaging in regular raids against Kasarak tribelands and Kasdalani territory to the south.

The wall gets its name from the Demon King Saggaros, said to have been the Lord of Xylom, also the one who slew the Elohim warrior twins Uridon and Seridon. The orcs nominally pay homage to him, but what little worship they actually engage in is reserved for Shaligon.

The Secret Hut of Paask Venar

Paask Venar is a stout agent of the Durnitari gnomes of the growing Empire of Epinfael, which now encompasses territory from Balenorn, Knoviskus and Selgarde. The gnomes of Epinfael are on the move, and they are driven by the magnetic personality of their leader, the once famous swashbuckler and privateer now turned king Seramis Den’dator. Paask venar is a distant cousin of the king and part of the First Recon Advanced Corps of Engineers (FRACE) which has been methodically scouting out enemy territory and stealing valuable magic. Paask Venar stumbled across the machinations of the cult of the Night Serpent and realized that they had found a powerful artifact, the Orb of Serpent Kind, an relic of the old war. He’s recruited the trolls used as guards and seeks a way of stealing it…most recently the plan being to do so after the coronation of a new high priest, in the dawn hours when the cult is drunk and unconscious following a celebratory orgy. He’s gotten the trolls to secure the ingredients to six potions of petrification resistance (granting advantage on such saves for 24 hours). He will, if met, pass himself off as a dedicated supporter of King Dukas in Mercurious.

Despite some suspicions that the Night Serpent Cult is a product of the Kasdalani, that’s actually all the work of Paask Venar, who is diligently trying to sew the seeds of dissention among the two nations, so that if Mercurios and Kasdalan go to war, they will be sufficiently weakened that Epinfael will be able to take full advantage of both lands.

Fort Axeron

Axeron was founded a century ago as a northern outpost for the protection of caravans of Kasdalani origin, but in fact it is much more obviously a listening post for possible danger from Mercurios, and likely could serve as a staging ground for war should the two nations ever come to blows again. It is currently being run by Commander Partanos and the sorceress Sera Takhanis, both of whom have been taking a keen interest in what is going on to the north.

The soldiers of Axeron are known for their love of combat sport, and two arenas provide daily entertainment. A beastmaster named Haggaran Daile came to serve the fort a decade ago, and brought with him the skill necessary to tame manticores. He has since aided the fortress in finding the local Kasarak breed of manticores and aided in turning the beasts into useful war machines as well as arena sport.

Shae

Shae is the closest full Kasarak community in the region. Chieftain Sondor Magharas dwells here, as does his daughter Brigihita, the once great warrior who served with Mardieur Mardieux during his travels through the mountains a decade ago. Brigihita has since settled and founded a family but can still fight with the best of them, as can her husband Varagos.

The tribe considers itself responsible for what goes on in the tumultuous caldera, and as such keep a vigilant watch on Fort Axeron and Serimore. The cult has concerned them greatly, but also done nothing against the tribe, even going so far as to offer medicinal made by the pilgrims in exchange for skins and food harvested by the tribe. At one point the yuan-ti pureblood named Proxis Sarne offered to divine if any of the tribesmen were of “true bloodlines” but the chieftain put his foot down to such nonsense an drove them off.

Current Plot Notes:

Patron: Lord Athun, cousin to Seneschal Mortan, needs potions made from basilisk parts to cure his brother-in-law Antonares, who during the wedding in Niudan of Athun and his new wife Serena was turned to stone by Goz Semilta. Not known why she broke in to the wedding, or what she was after.

Goz Semilta was actually getting revenge on Antonares, because he was the one who found the secret of the ancient Mythric City in the depths of the mountain and uncovered the Orb of Serpent Kind. She knew he was going to betray her and struck before he could take his information to a greater and more lucrative source.

Players:

Goz Semilta, gorgon of the Night Serpent and dedicate to Dendar. She feels she has been ordained with the divine purpose of restoring the lost power of the Yuan-Ti, an ancient race that was a great threat in the old era of the Mythrics.

Proxis Sarne – the yuan-ti abomination which has allied himself with Semilta and seeks to restore his people. He believes that the heart of the old Yuan-Ti empire of Khos ran from the Kasaraks all the way into Nubirion, and it was destroyed three thousand years ago in a war with the Mythric Empire.

Neighboring Lands in the Pellucid Kingdoms

Neighboring Lands in the Pellucid Region:

There are several locations in or near the region of Mercurios proper that bear mentioning.

Varkal

   Located in the northern-most lands of the old Pellucid empire, this city once belonged to the ancient empire, and was even founded by its greatest ancient general, Alvenadras. It is a cross mixing of Pellucids and Nubirions.

   The current city-state is independent, and very powerful in the region, seeking tribute from many local tribes and polities. It is ruled by King Trabalas Garuh, the True born King (said to be a direct descendant of Alvenadras). His wife is the half-Varkalite Skimian Trianay, step mother to his true born daughter Cyria Nystor (a blood mage), and Prince Sabalen Shiantal-Nystor (also of the former true queen, Alia). He has a second wife, concubine Alsia Nariamal, and a third, Cyriana, a true Nubiri woman. He has 13 daughters and 11 sons to these wives and his dead wife, but none are considered true born.

   The Chancellor of the State is Kurdon Osho, a Nubiri blood mage and taciturn economist. He is very shrewd in dealing with foreign interests. The city’s master at arms is Luranges, a great warrior of true Varkal descent, dedicated to the ancient martial arts of the Nubiri. The wizened advisor to the king is Krios the Bald, a Correnstalian who has been exiled from his own realm but impressed the king in his youth with skill and tenacity.

   The General of the Armies is Pur Gan, a Nubiri of the eastern tribes who was conquered in warfare years ago by the King and swore undying fealty to him. He has fought many skirmishes to keep the peace of the Varkal lands.

A popular hangout in the city is the Wry Spriggan, owned and operated by a Varkal native named Tulboso, who caters to the wealthy foreign merchants. The spriggan is named after a specific fey creature, which Tulboso allegedly bartered with for his wealth and fame, all in exchange for his first born daughter!

The Dreamwood and the Dryssyrian Mountains

   A mystical woodland, running amidst the great mountainous ranges of the Dryssyrian Mountains, the Dreamwood and mountains contain many interesting things, including:

   The Stonebiter tribes, a loose association of ogres and ettins who are ruled by the giant lord Gagranor, father of Lady Poe’s only bastard son, Grigos, who dwells in the mountains with his father. They are sworn to allegiance with Poe.

   The elvish tribes of the Xernethian elves. Ancient elfin kin, far removed from fey lands over time and memory, they dwell as simple nomadic hunters and gatherers, but skilled with what they know. They are good at defense, and war with the Stonebiters, Kraggits, and other foes of the mountains.

   Somewhere in the woods is Castle Halyk, the cursed domain of Lord Sytos Halyk, who is lady Poe’s cursed ex-husband, trapped in undeath by her magic. He dwells forever more in shadowy limbo, and only on the nights of the new moon do he and his entourage of shadow minions arise to mock life.

Near Halyk’s castle is said to be a great lake, and along its waters the ancient elvish barrow lands. Long before the elves entered into the portal of the lake to another Fey realm, they buried their mortally killed here, in the ancient haunted barrows. The last avatar of the Aquarius stone was buried here.

Somewhere north of all that is the tomb of Iron Madragor, the first of the Iron Kings of Mercurios. It is a haunted, dangerous domain, said to be braved only by the ogres and the foolhardy.

Kraggit Orcs as Characters

   Kraggit orcs (old sp. Kraggit) are the strongest overall force in the mountain lands, but are incapable of uniting to become a force of power. The Kraggits will raid and make small wars with all neighbors, however, and so are despised and hunted in most lands. Nonetheless, many Kraggits are known to raid human lands in Mercurios and the Yellow Kingdoms, as well as Kasdalan, and half orc children in this region tend to come from the product of such deeds. Kasdalanians value half orc children; they are often brought in to the elite legions of Lady Poe's armies. In Mercurios, they are usually slain or raised in orphanages managed by the priests of Laddaskar, then forced to join the king’s armies when they come of age.

Use the template for player character orcs in the DMG for Kraggit orcs.

Brutish: Kraggit orcs and half orcs suffer serious Diplomacy and bluff penalties (disadvantage) when dealing with people in the Pellucid kingdoms and the Yellow Kingdoms (unless they are intimidating someone.)

Languages: Kraggit Orcs start with the Kraggit tongue, and may also learn one more of: Masirian, Ogreish, Tradespeak, Dragosian, Correnstallian, Goblinoid, Ogreish, or Minotaur.

Half Orcs: Rare Xernethian Half Orcs (half elf, half orc) are possible; Xernethian women who are taken by orcs will give birth and then abandon the half orc child at the doorstep of a human settlement, or accept exile from her clan and raise it herself. Such orcs may replace one orcish trait with one elvish trait.

Weak Magic: Kraggit orcs lean strongly toward the Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger or Rogue classes. Precious few Kraggits ever learn magic.

Star Wars The Force Awakens - Round Two!!!!

...yeah, we're one of THOSE families....saw a Star Wars film twice already, opening night and the following day.

Spoilers ahead. 

A second viewing helped greatly to clarify some points that were nagging at me, trying to figure them out. As for the "scope of the galaxy" issue I was contemplating previously, let's just say that I assume a super-dynamic hyperspace laser designed to pulverize an entire orbital array of planets is probably operating on some sort of level that can leave an impressive visible imprint across the galaxy. That said....the actual effect still looks to me like it was happening less than an AU away and possibly even in orbital (as in: moon's orbit) distance. But whatever. This is the series which also described parsecs as if it were a unit of time and left us with the gaping problem of figuring out how much time passed in the course of The Empire Strikes Back, so The Force Awakens' transgressions are both minor and par for the course.

Either way I came out liking it even more. At least the sequel is only two years away and we've got an entire other Star Wars film to tide us over in 2016. Wooooooo!!!!!

Instantly visible across hundreds, maybe thousands of light years?
It's okay, someone decided to include dialogue from the resistance
where a guy says, "even we don't understand how it works." Whew!!!!

Now I just need to wonder how Luke's blue lightsaber survived the fall from Cloud City. Hmmmm....

The Force Awakened: A Spoiler Free Review

...actually the only spoilers I'll discuss are the ones which were floating about online and ALL turned out to be entirely incorrect! Kudos to Abrams for managing to keep this one so tight.

Short version: amazingly interesting movie, and a great new direction for Star Wars that both resolved a fun story in one episode and left many looming cliffhangers for the next.

It's really hard to talk about this movie without spoiling it. Hmmm. J.J. Abrams didn't use as much lens flare as he normally does (good). There was still some shaky-cam action in the film, but not as bad as in some other movies he's done (so mixed). The CGI was great but the actual live FX were even better, and the movie benefited greatly from Abrams' choice to lean heavily on live props.

This may sound hard to believe but the movie had what at first blush appear to be some odd science gaffs equivalent to the Star Trek films in scope.,...as if J.J. Abrams has no sense of scale at all. But I could be wrong...I need to watch it again and read the book to see if in fact there was something I missed. Without giving anything away I'll just describe it as a series of oddities that left me wondering what the galactic scale of everything really was....this is nothing we haven't wondered about in prior Star Wars films, though, so business as usual.

Other than that.....be ready for some surprises if you can avoid spoilers! There are quite a few in this movie.

Best Part: far too many to count, and relaying any would be spoiling it. Maybe this is good enough: the film does a fantastic job of setting up our new, young heroes. Finn, Rei and BB-8 are worthy additions to the Star Wars universe. Kylo Renn is interesting and does the evil villain thing while being decidedly different....yet familiar.

Worst Part: this is a tiny sort of spoiler (very vague) so you are warned! Short version: what the heck was up with Captain Phasma?????? You'll see what I mean.

Otherwise: Big A+++ well worth seeing and a worthy Star Wars film.

Chirak: Traveling through the Pellucid Kingdoms

Traveling through the Pellucid Kingdoms

Città Eddernine

A visitor would likely begin his journey in the port city of Eddernine, ostensible modern capitol of Mercurios.  Ruled by Callosus “Iron” Dukas (ferro re Callosus Dukas), the Iron King of Mercurios, inheritor of the Pellucid lands, Eddernine has been Capitol of the realm for two and a half centuries. The Dukas family has maintained control ever since it successfully conquered the Mercurian lands and united them two hundred and fifty years ago. Iron Dukas’ father was responsible for driving out the menace of the Nithiadians in their quest to expand beyond the Tedroy province. Iron himself has managed the delicate trade alliance Mercurios now has with the Nithiadians, and continues to maintain a strong alliance with Espanea.

The Iron King of Eddernine

   The Dukas family has a secret history, which says that when the last true blood ruler of Grand Mercurios (Shyvoltz XI) fell to the blade of the first Iron Dukas, he cursed them. The curse starts with a growing madness madness, and gradually transmogrifies into a form of corrupting lycanthropy in which the man becomes dire bear. After death the Dukas descendent changes again into a horrible undead monstrosity. The first Iron Dukas, Madragor, was interred in a great Tower of Rust in the Dreamwood. After that, other children of clan Dukas were given over to a secret order when they displayed the curse. Only one son in a generation of the Dukas line will manifest the curse, and it is never known which son. To compensate, the Dukas family has always been prolific. Callosus (the fifth) currently has four sisters and five brothers, for example.

Famous Locales of Eddernine

   The Old Gray Wren is an upscale tavern near the tidal flats which caters to the foreign merchant crowd and the wealthy local businessmen and nobles. It is a two story affair with a pavilion overlooking the cliffs which jut out over the flats. Less than a quarter mile away is the docks and the shipping district.

   South of Eddernine about twelve miles is the Lighthouse Keep. Held by Count Arnos Vaskar, the old sea dog noble was once a great lord in the navy, but with age and time, he has retired to his coastal properties. The keep holds one of the many lighthouses that serve to warn incoming ships of the Pellucid Gulf against the ship-shattering cliffs. Vaskar is an honest man who hates the Nithiadians and despises the delicate peace kept with them. He lost two sons in sea skirmishes against the Nithidians. He has a daughter who pursues the military way in conflict in the Scalewood, as well.

Città Manarak

   The ruler of Manarak is Highlord Arturos Normanio. He is a friend to the Tower of Kaledon, a close ally to Iron Dukas, and a strong protector of his river lands. His wife is Lady Alithia Dukas, oldest sister to Iron Dukas. He has two sons and a daughter.

    Inside Manarak are some particular places of interest. The Fabled Tower of Kaledon draws practitioners of magic from across the world. It is the first of the great towers, and it is said it rivals the Masirian Tower in size and splendor, though its look is decidedly antique. The Lord of the Tower and current Chancellor presiding of the Order of the Tower is Darnao Karvos. Darnao is a stern and diligent man who believes in the preservation of lost magical arts and the idealism of Kaledon, the tower’s ancient founder. Said to be an ancient archmage of Mythric descent, Kaledon aspired to insure that mankind never forgot that magic was a tool to serve and teach. So it remains at the Tower.

   The Monastery of Laddaskar in Manarak is of the Order of the Frail Samaritan (Ordine de il fragile Samaratino), founded on the grave site of an ancient half-elf man named Samaritano Maritenze. Martienze devoted his life to teaching the lost children of Manarak the ways of survival, farming, and fishing. The story says that when the marauders of the south broke through the gates of the old Pellucid cities, Manarak was razed to the ground, and nothing was left to stand. All men and women were killed or taken away, but the barbarian general who did this instructed that the children and frail would remain. The mysterious Samaritan Maritenze was allowed to live, because he was considered as feeble as an infant.

   With the aid of the Samaritano, Manarak lived on in its children, and years later, when new occupiers arrived to claim the land, they were amazed to discover that the children had lived on to the recreate the city anew. When the Samaritan died, they founded the monastery in his honor.

   The monastery is kept by the high father, Padre Pyrnaen. He is a wise and dedicated monk of the order, and fulfills Laddaskar’s benevolence in all ways. The Keeper of the Peace is Vusor, a man who honors the dead and seeks to save the damned. Vusor is required to be in attendance at all high courts held in Manarak. Finally, the unusual and unique Padre Kryvysk, the exiled Hashikarystyr noble who as a young lizard-child found refuge with the monastery, can often be found here when not wandering.

   A popular riverside spot along the docks is the Riverside Tavern. Owned and operated by Gumicha, a man who once warred for Mercurios against the Dragos during the trade wars, This is the prime spot of rest and relaxation for travelers, adventurers, and river men alike.

   The northlands from Manarak are part of the North County, Kesrick County. There, Lord Aesrick Krenshaw rules obediently. He is an old questing Paladin and Kasdalani expatriate dedicated to Laddaskar, one of the rare soldiers to take up the priesthood and sword in hand to defend the innocent and protect the land for duty and deity. He has a son, Dale, who is 16 and learning affairs of state. His wife, Villaris, is the primary keeper of the household and local affairs when her husband quests. His master-at-arms is Goris, a rough soldier who is descended from southern blood. He took on a squire named Aden while serving Mardieux Mardieux, whose estate lies ten miles south of Manarak.

Grande Città de Mercurios

   The Capitol of the Old Empire, Grand Mercurios was at one time the heart of Pellucid, a bastion of great power. It never recovered from the sacking and occupation by Kasdalan, which is when the empire is generally regarded as having gone in to decline, but the old architecture remains intact, and is quite marvelous. Some believe that Lady Arvilia Poe, when she occupied the city, took a fancy to its architecture and so preserved it. She has visited the city on several occasions over the last two and a half centuries, always as a visitor. Her image rests with a dozen Pellucid emperors of old in the Grand Hall of the old palace, placed there during her occupation but kept as a reminder of what the city, and empire, survived.

   Though Grande Mercurios is regarded as a bastion of philosophical and religious thought, it is largely absent of wizards and mages, or at least the organized branches thereof. It is a little known fact that the local region contains some unique properties, which are not exactly well understood: the region is a center of low magic, where the flow of magical energy has waned long ago. One side effect of this weak flow of magic is that spells are more difficult to cast; any spell caster attempting magic in the city must make a check on his appropriate stat (Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisa) at a DC of 10+the desired spell level for the casting to even succeed. Even stranger is that no local children are born with magical talent; it seems that the skill of magic is dependent on the strength of the magical ley lines in a region, and Grande Mercurios rests in a dead zone.

   Because of this element of low magic, most who seek curatives or magical means of assistance cross il Lago de Brenner (the Lake of Brenner) to Cradle or Sorvask, where the phenomenon is nonexistent. Cradle, in turn, has become the seat of magical influence in the area as a result.

   Still, despite the weak element of magic in Grande Mercurios it has become the center of religion and philosophy, and the Temple of Knowledge (Tempio de Conoscenza), now administered by the Preservationists, resides at the heart of the city beside the famous Old Palace (Vecchio Palazzo) where Governor Artoram Ristro resides. There is a great row of temples dedicated to almost every dead god, demiurge, avatar and spirit which has been heard of in Mercurios, and the Grande Tempio de Laddaskar resides over them all at the end, a vast cathedral of impressive design, managed by the High Priest Arisinze (sommo sacerdote).

Città Culla (Cradle)

Across il Lago de Brenner lies the smaller but more deeply political and magical city of Cradle (Culla), a different sort of bastion of thought, one in which politicians and sorcerers hold sway. Cradle has a Tower of the Order of Kaledon, founded by the elder mage Prialn, whose true origins are unknown, though he is believed by some to have been born in Cradle close to a century ago. He does not look a day over fifty, and his current wife is the young Espanean contessa Emiriana.  Prialn is not the ruler of the city…..but many think of him as its most influential citizen.

The governor, Hespero Pachadore, is a large man who actively invites the politians, the “senators” of the land and the governors of the cities of Mercurios to attend regular summits in his city. Cradle has become a safe zone for many to discuss delicate political matters, and a retreat for those who wish an escape from their home city due to trouble. It has also served as a neutral meeting point on three occasions for the king himself to meet with the powers of Correnstal, Varkal and Dragos to settle on matters of peace and war.

Outside of its role as neutral center for politicians and mages, Cradle is also the principle bastion of defense against the Kraggit Orcs to the south. A standing army is maintained at Castello Bastione just south of the main city, where a permanent standing army serves as a deterrent against orcish raiders and incursions into Mercurian territory. The forces of Castello Bastione, under direction of Esercito Generale Artiom Musallio, are also privately a deterrent against the Dragosians to the east.

Chirak: Mercurios and the Pellucid Kingdoms

The Pellucid Lands of Chirak are a vast stretch of south eastern kingdoms that share a common ancestry; the ancient Pellucids, who like the Romans rose to greatness and then were decimated back to a barbaric dark age....although in Chirak this was due to the machinations of Kasdalan and Lady Poe, rather than barbarians at the gates. I've expanded quite a bit on this, so for XMas I would like to share....

Mercurios and the Pellucid Kingdoms

Young medieval steel age kingdom founded on the ruins of a fallen empire

Cultural Level: steel age

Population: approximately 3.5 million

Government: Hereditary monarchy

Rulers: King Iron Dukat

Religions: Some preservationist belief, mixed with worship of Laddaskar.

Social Titles: commoner, land owner, journeyman, merchantman, baron, count, duke, king

Coinage: copper pieces, silver pieces, gold pieces, gold crowns, platinum pieces

Allies: Mercurios has a trade agreement with Espanea, Nubiria and Legora.

Enemies: Mercurios is beset by enemies, including Correnstal, Dragos, the Kraggit orcs, Kasdalan, Hashikarystyr, and sometimes Nithiad.

   Pellucid was founded out of bloodshed and died—twice—by the sword. Roughly twelve centuries ago the earliest barbarian tribes to organize and unite in the lands that would later be called Mercurios, Hoagarit, Atrual, Nubirion, Correnstal and Dragos forged a vast array of dissident kingdoms. Each small kingdom was ruled by a resident warlord of local power, but little influence…or interest….beyond his squallid borders. The lands struggled in this manner for centuries, and when Agamar was a strong empire to the north the Pellucid barbarians of the south were a minor concern.

   Roughly ten centuries ago a disaster befell Agamar, as the Occultic people that were displaced by an unknown cataclysm in the region of Eredoth began a great migration. These tribes, known by many names, formed the people that came to occupy the lands of Xoxtocharit, Hoagarit and Nubirion. Each of these tribal groups were distinct from one another, though all shared common ancestry. The Xoxtocharit displaced the Agamar, wiping out the empire after a generation of conflict. The Kaz’Duli, Atzili, Xoxtocharit and Zapun settled in the region, assimilating the survivors of the Agamar empire that did not flee west to Old Syrgia.

   Southward the Hoagarit, a fierce tribe of horse warriors migrated, along with the Nubiri, a diaspora of lesser tribes who were outcast from the rest, unwilling to submit to the diabolical rule of the Xoxtocharit. These tribes crashed into the frontier borderlands of the old kingdoms of the Pellucid people, and it was this century of conflict that led to the loss of much territory. In the end, the people of Nubirion colonized a vast swathe of the eastern forestlands of the coast, while the Hoagarit annihilated the aggressive defending tribes of the northern plains and mountains of their territory. When all was said and done the total territory that was “Pellucid” had contracted dramatically; more than half of the old people’s lands had been lost. It was only through the efforts of a single great warrior, Eddernias, that the invasion from the north was turned away. Eddernias became the first coronated Emperor of Old Pellucid.

   The Pellucid Empire lasted seven centuries. During that time it dealt with repeated invasions from the north, reconquered much of the Nubirion region, staved off invasions of the Hashykarystir from the southwest, one grand invasion from Kasdalan to the south that effectively shattered the empire, though it did rebuild, and the final deathblow which was brought about by internal dissent. Three and a half centuries ago there arose internal strife brought about by a difference of religious views. The empire, weakened as it was and led by the last Emperor Pallitus collapsed in a short twenty year span due to religious warfare brought about by the Dragosian province where worship of the old teaching of Malib had resurfaced and been embraced by the nobility, even as the colonials in Correnstal were drawn to the heretical faith of Memnos. The cult of Laddaskar was growing at the time, replacing the old Pellucid Sun Temples to Pallath, for the priest had been all but powerless for centuries. When the empire collapsed, so too did the last established worship of the old sun god.

   In the wake of this collapse the empire split into three distinct regions that eventually became kingdoms in their own right as well as multiple northern independent city-states. The Pellucid people continued on, but no longer united as an empire. These regions included Correnstal, Dragos, Varkal, Mercurios, and some would even include Astrual and Talael to the north, though both regions experienced much change in the wake of the Occultic migration as well as having a strong mix of people descended from both Pellucid, Occultic and Agamite blood. For practical purposes, when referring the Pellucid Kingdoms any of the above entities qualify, but most people mean Mercurios, Dragos and Correnstal.

   Mercurios was forged out of a bloody religious civil war, and as a result the old temples perished as the worship of Laddaskar became ubiquitous. The territories of Correnstal and Dragos were willingly ceded, but only after nearly forty years of continuous conflict, ended only when threats from both the goblins of the Kyurtain Mountains to the north and Kraggit orcs to the south forced the human kingdoms to repurpose their focus to slaughtering monsters. Mercurios remained a largely symbolic kingdom under no single ruler, but recognizing a common unity amongst all until the reign of the Dukas clan. The first Dukas to claim the throne did so by slaying the last of the self-proclaimed old emperors, known now as Shyvoltx XI though his proper Old Pellucid title was Shylavios the Eleventh. Iron Dukas the First seized the throne with his own personal army and a horde of clan members, most from barbarian tribes to the south. He was at risk of being deposed when an invasion by the Nithiadians of the then independent polity of Tedroy. Thanks to the tactical savvy of Dukas the Nithiadians were driven from the land, and the other warlords of the fragmented kingdom rallied behind his banner. The reign of Clan Dukas has continued for two and a half centuries now.

   Similar stories played out in Dragos and Correnstal. Dragos, which had suffered greatly a century earlier during Kasdalani occupation had been changed profoundly thanks to the southern invaders, many of whom settled in the region and continued to live peacefully after the Kasdalani army fell apart. The Dragosian people were long known for magic, but it was the rise of a new generation of sorcerers with  uncanny skill in necromantic arts that led to the strange path this land took. Dragos fought fiercely for its independence, and won; the power to make one’s fallen enemies rise from where they were slain to fight for you proved to be a great boon and demoralizing to Mercurian and Correnstalian foes alike.

   Correnstal had long been a settled province and for which great conflict had transpired. They stood against the tide of goblin invaders six centuries ago, when the old elvish empire, last of its kind, fell in the northern mountains. Out of this early bond with elves and men arose a half-elven king, described as Correnstal’s “First King, Urso Vanasas” He led the first (and earliest) charge against the Goblin Kingdom of the Kyurtain Mountains, and later appealed to his father, Urso Vanel (Pellucid title Vanelias) for his kingdom’s independence as a client state of the Empire. Urso Vanel was a pureblood Pellucid, with no Kasdalani or Nubiri blood in his lineage, but he had fallen for an elvish woman and so felt a certain fondness for the region of Correnstal, so he granted the region under his son autonomy. He would later fall in battle during the rise of the religious civil war that tore apart the empire and led to the rise of the Cult of Memnos in Correnstal.

   Today, the three kingdoms exist in a constant state of warfare and strife. Not a year goes by that someone isn’t pushing borders, testing boundaries or outright invading to see what sort of reaction they can get. It has all but become a way of life. Each kingdom is also faced with considerable external threats as well, making it impossible to commit to all out war between one another when so many other enemies demand attention. Mercurios is faced with the ever present threat of war with Nithiad and Kasdalan, even as the Hashykarystir lizard men serve as a constant threat from their wild kingdom of monsters. Correnstal suffers from constant civil war and the looming goblin menace, even as eastern threats emerge from the wastelands. Dragos is both at time laboring under war and peace with the Kraggit orcs even as they wage a two front war with multiple Skeledani warlords.

   Recent political events in the region have been turbulent. Each of Mercurios’s sister kingdoms have suffered civil wars, and in Correnstal the resurrected Urso Vanasas has appeared just in time to unite the kingdom against an overwhelming threat from the east. Mercurios has seen it’s late king Garion Dukas perish in battle against the dragon Skar, who has settled in the south mountains and declared the entire range his own. His eldest son Varion Dukas has assumed the throne, and perhaps even the curse of his clan’s legacy….but more on that in a bit.

Star Wars Hype Fatigue Almost Over

...I am simultaneously delighted and relieved that Star Wars:The Force Awakens is almost here. It means that I finally get to see it (tickets for the whole family already reserved) but even better it means that the long, gruesome, never-ending hype cycle will have to move on soon. I hope. Please. PLEASE END THE HYPE CYCLE!!!!!!!

Seriously....I know Star Wars has always been a major driver for toys and collectibles, and other businesses love to integrate Star Wars into their marketing, but it really feels to me like this particular movie has been hyped far beyond reason. Never have I felt so keen to see a movie and simultaneously so put off by the excess advertising. It's...weird. Maybe I'm turning a new corner in life and can resume being interested chiefly in the obscure and esoteric again. Maybe...I can be...a hipster (possibly again! I may have been identifiable as such during my years in Seattle. Heh)

Yes....I can see it now...

"Oh, I love Fallout. No, the original Fallout, not that contemporary pablum. I have an early dev copy when it was still a GURPS-powered engine. You've probably never heard of it."

"Star Wars original, pre-Lucas castration efforts is all good and well, but if you want to talk about real science fiction then I think we need to delve deeper and look at genuine works such as A Boy and His Dog, or perhaps Logan's Run. No, not Zardoz...that's far too conventional for my tastes. Films that retain the purity of a pre-Lucas era in science fiction films. You've probably never seen any of them."

"Oh goodness no OD&D is far too modern conceptually. I only run games now from the original typewritten photocopied manuscripts that date to 1973 or earlier. To really appreciate gaming we need to delve all the way back to Wells' pure vision of the hobby and move from there. I'm sure you've probably never played these games before as they were intended."



Hmmmm....I'd save a lot of money (but then probably not as I'd have to start drinking exotic microbrews again, buying overpriced hemp products and shop once more exclusively at organic farmer's markets.)

Chirak: The 21 Levels of the Tower of Malenkin

The Tower of Malenkin: All 21 Levels

The tower contain twenty-one levels, each a single large chamber linked by stone stairs leading to the next (unless otherwise stated). Some of the levels are not actually on this plane of existence...

1. The foyer/greeting chamber – currently occupied by orcish Queen Getana and her retinue of servants and guards.
2. The second level – used primarily for storage by the orcs at this time. Contains Getana’s wardrobe, as well as orcish provisions.
3. The Chamber of the White Statue – a columned chamber filled with ghosts. A portal in the ceiling deposits valuable items periodically into the water bowl held by the twelve foot tall image of Malenkin in his living prime. The statue contains a hole from the bowl that drops coins down into a lower pit, which opens into a special “Portable Hole” that opens into a treasure chamber in the Dead City of Moil. The ghosts are harmless unless attacked.
4. The Infernal Alley Level – an alley in the backstreets of the City of Chains, with a altar that demands sacrifice. A victim on the altar will open the portal to the city. The walls show rotating images of events in the City of Chains.
5. The first library – a chamber of moldering tomes and study desks, where Malenkin’s apprentices once studied before he slew them all and reanimated them. Abaondoned save for the homunculi that infest the tower. A balcony contains a ladder that leads to the balcony on level 6. The normal stairs go right to level 7.
6. The Hidden Homunculi Chamber – a room where homunculi gather to commune with one another and feed. The chamber contains large homunculi of Amesteri and Caratea, formed after Malenkin tried to determine what happened to his imprisoned souls with a Pattern Weave spell more than a decade ago. Also contains a entrance to the elevator hub for the homunculi caretakers.
7. The Chamber of Spiders – currently occupied by one Phase Spider, contains only the stairs up, and some victims. The walls of this tower if damaged reveal that the entire level is in the Demiplane of the Spider God Arachne. The exterior of the tower “slice” in this plain holds a large spider altar which is actually a teleporter that will randomly deposit local spiders into the level to act as guardians, then teleport them out when not needed.
8. The Chamber of the Round Table – a bauble stolen from another time, with impressive suits of armor in alcoves along the wall facing each of thirteen chairs upon the floor, with the lead throne chair holding the homunculi of the Minotaur who calls himself “Naught,” for he is naught but a copy of both Minhaurous and Mardieur Mardieux, another creation of Malenkin’s pattern weave. The table itself comes from an ancient era of Chirak history when the table was forged for the Order of the Knights of Chaos, who served a lost god of old known as Sarpathagas, a predecessor to Ga’Thon nearly eleven thousand years ago.
9. The Chamber of Mind Flayer Caryatid Columns – this chamber is filled with a vile altar to the mind flayer god of knowledge, Hadastar (Maanzecorian in other languages). A sacrifice of truly impressive worth will summon the god forthright.
10. The Second Library - A chamber of what may have been the second library, largely looted of any worth. Contains mostly penny dreadful novels, and some random notes which appear to be “enemies lists” Malenkin has produced over the years.
11. The Gear Chamber – walls of gears and mechanisms on the walls, requires a special invocation or key and will turn into a gate to Mechanus.
12. The Shadow Plane Level – here the level opens up to a beautiful panaoramic view of darkness, a slice of level locked in the plane of shadow. Long platforms stretch out into the night and impressive nightgaunts land, obediently waiting to ferry guests to the city of Gloomwrought.
13. The Limbo Level I – opens up onto a tumultuous realm in Limbo that appears to be a chaotic graveyard of worlds. A ghostly presence is visible in the vats windows that open up to reveal the terror and madness of limbo. A watch station protrudes which provides a variety of viewing instruments on a large brass machine, and they are currently focused on what appears to be a vast dead form of colossal size in the distance, the dead god’s body of Minhauros. The next floor up is in this same dimension, and a master staircase can be seen stretching up along the side of the building…
14. The Limbo Level II – This second part to the limbo level includes what appear to be magical “sun plates” that are in fact a defense mechanism against the potential enemies of limbo, as well as two large iron golems that stand watch. A landing with an Astral Skiff is visible, and the elder githyanki Meridias stands watch over the level. He admits that he has been here for days, and had not been told that the lord of the tower was now gone….he received a missive but three days ago, by normal time, that he would have a pickup to take to the Damned City of Vaag in limbo, though he knows not who the passenger was to be…
15. The Third Library level – this library level is all spells, all the time. A student here realizes that all spells can be found and learned within this room, but any book that they attempt to remove is teleported back to its proper place. Any tome they attempt to copy, the copied version bursts into flames or turns to ash when they leave. Persistent efforts to do this will cause the Librarian to appear, a powerful beholder who calls himself only “The Librarian.”
16. The Observation Level – this level opens onto the valley of Malenkin’s territory and includes brass viewing scopes on mounts and large spacious open windows for viewing the area. A large center table provides a miniature map of the region, on which one can see the actual movement of all entities in a fifty mile radius around and outside the tower. The windows/viewing area is disguised from outside. Four helmed horrors stand silent watch in the center of the chamber, and will attack any who do not speak the code phrase “To Live is to Learn.” The code phrase is known by the homunculi as well as recorded in the second library level.
17. The Sky Chamber – Similar to the prior chamber, this one opens out into the blue sky. It appears to be a slice of tower situated along a floating piece of rock with a lush garden with trees to one side, and a perpetually replenishing fountain of water. Several Elohim women and lizardfolk are visible here, relaxing in the tiny paradise, but the elohi will take flight if threatened while the lizard men will charge to attack. To the tower-side is a rocky escarpment is the observation lounge, with telescopes trained across the world. A single brass telescope in this room is locked in place and appears to show a lush tropical island with a large volcano and a ruined city along its shores (Isla Esrosania). Others are trained on Capitol Barcen, one on the tower itself, a third on the mountain known as Piscrael’s Blight where it appears an army of monsters swarms south, and the final telescope is trained on the Correnstalian capitol of Dryfar. The space chamber is guarded by a manticore and two nothics, who will arrive flying on the manticore in 1D3 rounds when intruders are sensed. A DC 12 perception check will let PCs notice orcish bones in the garden area.
18. The Laboratory Level I – here’s where Malenkin did all his research. A vat for creating homunculi is here, as well as four tables on which are strapped recent experiments, four homunculi slowly changing to the forms of what appear to be each of the kings of Dragos (Forethus Dom, the Black King), Mercurios (Iron Dukat), Correnstal (Urso Vanasas) and Espanea (Marcus Darego). Each one is tethered to a crystal ball showing actions and events in the lives of each ruler. The chamber is guarded by a determined flesh golem called Drom, who will attack any who try to disturb the incubating homunculi. Balconies look out on the landscape, but two gargoyles at each balcony defend it from any who would seek to enter or leave….and they are quite shocked at any who appear.
19. The Laboratory Level II – Malenkin’s second lab level, which is nearly three stories high in its own right, contains a fabulous amount of useful and interesting arcane items, shelves of books, tables full of alchemical concoctions, and lurking near the ceiling are three spectators who will attack any that disturb the chamber. If the spectators are slain, the Librarian beholder will appear to continue the attack. Assuming they are all destroyed/removed then the chamber may be looted….but all items have a curse upon them in which they are teleported to the hole in level 3 to drop into the secret treasury of Moil.
20. The Armory – A misleading title, for the armory seems to contain only four weapons. One is a curved long scimitar (great sword), the second is a wicked looking dagger with the pommel of a jackal’s head, the third is a staff which crackles with lightning and is covered in crystal shards, and the fourth is an impressive great axe with a blood red jewel at its heart. Each is a weapon wielded by one of the gods during the Final War, collected and preserved here. To get at each one must make a Wisdom save DC 18 to overcome the compulsion to push someone who seeks to grab a weapon away from their podium. Then, grasping the weapon requires a CON save DC 18 to avoid taking 75 points of disintegration damage. Finally a STR DC 20 to lift the weapon from where it has been tethered. If all three tasks are accomplished or somehow defeated, the weapon can be wielded….each one requires attunement. Here are the details:
The Dagger of Shaligon: one of thirteen such daggers, this is a +2 dagger which on a successful his required a DC 15 CON save or the target is poisoned, taking 10 damage per round until they make three consecutive saves. Whenever a 1 is rolled in an attack the wielder is subject to a poison attack, however. As a secondary effect the bearer of the Ares stone always knows where the wielder is, and will likely want to find the dagger.
The Great Axe of Malib: This +3 axe deals necrotic damage and also saps CON, dealing a -1 to the stricken target against their CON mod. Someone slain with the axe or reduced to -5 CON immediately becomes undead: D20+hit dice of target: 1-10 a zombie, 11-14 a wight, 15-16 a specter, 17-18 a ghoul, 19-20 a ghost, 21+ a vampire. This item also has a curse: the wielder also turns into an undead if slain while wielding it
The Staff of Akquinarios: A powerful ancient wizard’s weapon, the staff is a +2 weapon which can release lightning bolt three times per day as a level 9 spell. The staff also lets the bearer utilize three special slots which can be used to cast a spell in memory of up to 9^th level. The staff also has a curse, such that whenever an adjacent ally is injured (within 30 feet) by any magic that did not also target the wielder, he must make a WIS check at DC 18 with disadvantage or he instead takes the strike for the intended target.
The Great Scimitar of Pallath: The sword of the sun god is a resplendent weapon with a  +3 legendary bonus, and can create light at will, as well as burst into flame as a free action for an extra 1D6 fire damage (or 2D6 against evil beings). Targets not immune to fire damage will also take the damage, however. The weapon has a special ability to teleport the wielder to the City of the Sun at will. The weapon has some problems, due to the fragmented nature of the Pallath Stone: those wielding it feel an overwhelming compulsion to gather the shards of the stone to heal it. In addition, if an evil being wields the scimitar then the weapon ignites in a burning blaze the second it is touched, and will deal 2D6 fire damage per round to the target.

21. The Tower Roof – the last stretch opens on a wide roof overlooking the local area. The ceiling contains a large wooden perch, which is where Malenkin’s undead dragon will land to carry him off (but it is absent). There is also an ordinary telescope and mount pointed at the valley Gate entrance. Any who make it to the top and close the hatch will find that nothing short of a dispel magic will remove the enchantment which seals it back up….on the roof, only Malenkin’s touch will open the hatch. Fortunately, the descent from above is only for a seventy foot tower, as many of the tower’s levels are nestled in other planes of existence…..

Breaking the Walls: Anyone breaking the walls of the tower or using a planar portal while inside risks revealing a random plane of existence beyond the wall; every level of the tower is coterminous in some other plane of existence. If a planar gate is created without Malenkin's secret passwords then a DC 20 check vs. Arcana must be made or the gate opens onto a random location. 

Choose or roll randomly if this happens....

D20/Result

1-Limbo

2-Shadowfell

3-Demiplane of Infinite Spiders

4-Demiplane of Vengeful Wraiths

5-A Remote Desert in the Outlands

6-Sigil's Bazaar

7-The Plane of the Black Obelisk

8-The Deep Wilds of Arborea

9-The Silver Plane of Mirrors

10-The Demiplane of Happy Gorgons

11-The Plane of Infinite Portals

12-The City of Moil

13-The Dreamlands of Ethenur

14-The City of the Sun

15-The Black Garden

16-The Prison Tower of Zvaggas

17-The Dead Sail Barge of the Githyanki Queen

18-The Rotting Body of Minhauros in Limbo

19-The City of Chains

20-The Iron Fortress on Acheron