Came across this as was searching for something else. 30 staves? Who needs 'em? Didn't think I did, but after browsing through this, I just gotta stick a couple of these in my campaign. This will definitely breathe life into an oft-overlooked item. Well-written, flavorful, and fun. Excellent! Go to Comment
I love the names, and the views of places that are glanced only in passing, like Silpag and its Onion Fields, The Ulox, and its Unbreakable Glass Church, whose cellars hold relics from antiquity, and Old Drozhenen, and its Holy Bells, palladium semantrons, and brazen gongs. I'm going to have to go look up what the heck a semantron is (sounds like some sort of laser pistol to me LoL). This is a nice chunk of land and history. Go to Comment
People say so much. Sometimes they just babble like children.
But, yeah, sometimes short is sweet. Othertimes long is divine. Long is Nesseraum. ;)
'tis nice if people actually bother to read, but if I must choose between being judged by a Mickey Mouse level reader or none at all, I'd rather walk alone. Go to Comment
mmm, yes. I think we'll always have a small group, which enjoys the occasional well-crafted saga, but attention spans have been wandering lately :) Nothing can be done about it, i thnk. Go to Comment
Though I wonder... what kind of lovers of music will turn up at this auction, or will buy the items later? Probably the dark sort, what a luck not all of the items are dark. Excellent collection. Go to Comment
Sold in one piece is a large collection of mostly common musical instruments, the master kept them in a separate room and liked to peruse them, much to the wonder of his ruthless servants. Some are damaged, very few finely decorated or of a better quality. There's violins, horns, several drums, even a harp. There are quite a few other instruments. None of them will register as magical or seem to have anything of interest for a genius composer.
It will be sold as the last item, to those who failed to win the better items.
Every single of the instruments has been used to violently murder someone, which can be found with appropriate skills and spells. Beware though, one such item is nothing unusual, but their sheer number can prove detrimental to anyone's sanity. Those able to hear their stories will probably hear all of them.
Note: some of the items have been adapted for their purpose, so they have sharp edges or hidden needles coated with old poison. Handle with care. Go to Comment
In the hands of the majority of people, the knob on the top is enchanted to project the voice like a microphone. But for someone with the bardic gifts who can make up a song of his or her own of a decent length, and sing the song to it's end without stopping, what happens in the song will come true. It was made by a mage for a bard whose island was being terroised by the feared Captain Fryer and the crew of his ship, the Edmund FitzGerald.. The bard sang a ballard about the Edmund FitzGerald sinking in a violent storm with all hands, and sure enough, as soon as the ballard was over a huge storm appeared and sank the Edmund FitzGerald with everyone on board.
As well as the song having to finish to have an effect, should the singer be cut off muid song for any reason, then it has a very negative effect on the singer. The singer might be struck almost dumb, and left only able to speak or write the words that have allready been used in the song. Or the bad thing in the song might attack the singer instead. Or if the song was meant to do something really evil, the Staff itself might suck the soul out of the singer and into itself, leaving the singer's withered dead body behind. Go to Comment
The wheel-fiddle, or Hurdy-Gurdy, is an odd enough instrument on its own, but the Von Zygilvein Apparatus is a one of a kind contraption. First constructed by the legendary composer, the apparatus was crafted of the finest woods and painted with the finest varnishes. A new instrument for the time, the apparatus captured the attention of the music-loving public, and earned its place almost instantly amidst the ball-rooms and minstrel-halls of Haracons Arch-Duchy. Wheel-Fiddles began to be crafted by artisans, and many a bard, learned the complex playing style of the instrument, involving strings, a metallic wheel, and an ivory keyboard.
What no one knows to this day is that the apparatus is possessed by a spirit of a fey, a miserable creature Von Zygilvein had captured and bound to the apparatus with magic. In essence, the composer had trapped the fey inside the physical confines of the hurdy-gurdy, and forced the fey with geas bindings, to control, play, and enhance the instrument by controlling a complicated set of knobs, buttons, and levers, all hidden inside a wooden hollow.
And so the fey did as it was bidden, and Von Zygilvein traveled the courts of dukes and kings, playing his amazing new instrument to the applause of rapt audiences.
Eventually, both the public, and Zygilvein himself tired of the hurdy-gurdy, and moved on to newer musical innovations. His apparatus was cast aside, and it was not long, before the fey inside the contraption, died from a broken, grief-stricken heart, collecting dust in one of Von Zygilveins many rooms.
The fey however would not go quietly into the night. The creature returned as a poltergeist of sorts, a spirit bound to the wheel-fiddle, and will begin to cause its particular brand of havoc as soon as some unfortunate enthusiast purchases the instrument at the auction.
The fey spirit can control the hurdy-gurdy, and cause unpleasant accidents. A string can suddenly snap for example, striking a musician in the face like a lancing scourge, or the instrument can slip from the hands, smashing ones foot.
Worst of all, the fey-spirit can cause the instruments crank to turn, thus causing the rosin-wheel to animate. Instead of playing the instruments strings, the rosin-wheel can lash out ten feet on its fine, metallic chain, and clamp around an unfortunate victims throat, strangling the poor soul, for as the crank turns, so constricts the wheel.
The murderous, bitter, and insane fey-spirit can most likely not be placated. The creature desires revenge on Von Zygilvein, and not being up to date on current events, or the events of the last century for that matter, will be incredulous if told that the Mad Composer has died. The apparatus is a gruesome instrument, with no redeeming traits, which will most likely cause bodily harm upon those owners it deems "worthy" (read: all owners). But of course, the potential buyer will not know any of this. Go to Comment
Items (Wand/Staff/ Arcane) (Magical)