The town of Lantern Valley lay safely nestled within a very deep valley at the foot of the Greyward Mountains, protected on both sides by steeply sloping cliffs. Unfortunately, the cost of this protection was the long shadows that both ridges cast upon the valley, meaning that without an artificial light source the town remained sunk in an almost constant twilight.

The solution was a simple one: Magical, glowing lamps flooded the winding streets of Lantern Valley with welcoming firelight, investing the village with a warm, friendly feeling despite the constant shadow. Rain or shine, the townsfolk felt safe and sheltered by the reassuring lanterns.

It is said that all good things must someday cease, for that is the way of the world. And indeed, the demise of Lantern Valley was sadly imminent. The beginning of the end, as it were, came with a particularly nasty rainstorm late one year. While it did nothing to dim the glow of the magical lamps, it did trigger a mudslide which cascaded over the edge of the northern cliff face, burying a section of the marketplace and - most unluckily - sweeping a stunned Ogre along in its wake.

Predictably, the Ogre took little time in coming to its senses, and proceeded to vent its surprise and anger on its surroundings, as Ogres will. Being lamentably ill-equipped to handle such a vicious beast, the townspeople took flight in terror. A small group of adventurers staying the night (hint, hint) did what they could, but not before the brute had ripped up one of the beautiful lamp-posts and proceeded to set the entire town ablaze with its new magical weapon.

The exact fate of Lantern Valley has been lost to rumour and gossip. Some say it burned to the ground with all those concerned still trapped within it, some say the heroes were able to salvage what little remained and help rebuild the crippled village. However, none question the existence of the village that spawned this tragic tale - especially since rumours have been heard of an especially merciless Ogre clan, their leader armed with a most peculiar club indeed…

Named Khub Gurmong (Ogren for “big shiny club”), the lamp-post was a very intricate piece of work in its prime. Ten feet long with a column roughly 6 inches thick, it is made of a single thin tree trunk with iron bands and a classic tapered lantern sturdily attached to the top. The trunk itself is carved with bas-reliefs of all different kinds of leaves and intertwining branches, clearly the work of a competent carpenter with a flair for nature.

Sadly, its time as an Ogre’s bashing instrument has left a heavy print: the trunk is disfigured with massive scratches and even the Ogre’s own heavy fingerprints in places, while the lantern itself is dented badly and bloodstained from blows delivered to countless unfortunate skulls.

Magical Properties:

The “Big Shiny Club” has a small but potentially deadly magical charm upon it, a remnant of its previous occupation. The local magician, in an attempt to curry favour with the Lord Mayor following a nasty transmutation incident, made himself useful by casting a spell enabling the lamp-posts to light themselves upon the setting of the sun.

Thus, the moment the sun disappears behind a solid object, a magical fire springs up from the stolen lantern, a flame which stubbornly refuses to go out, no matter the weather, until the sun appears once more. This charm includes not only the time between sunset and sunrise, but also indoors and underground. The flame can be used to set other objects (or persons) on fire - however, they will burn normally, with no magical properties.

Being a lamp-post, the “Big Shiny Club” is pretty heavy - roughly 70 pounds, making it a difficult burden to carry and wield effectively. In games, it would function better as a weapon for a monster against the PCs, be it the Ogre or another later owner.

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