“ A Deity of some sort has unleashed a plague of bookworms or something like that in the area. Almost all spellbooks are destroyed, along with bardic and historical books.”
“ A massive iron key - 2' length, 20lbs forged from the bones and horns of demon-lords. When used with a massive portal - carefully built according to documents found in powerful books of evil knowledge, it will open into the realm of demons and allow them to flood into the world. The applications of this item for villains are obvious. Mortals touching this item directly will suffer very dire consequences.”
“ What is a king to do? A prophesy indicates that a certain person is involved with the death of the king, but the prophesy was unclear as to what role - do they cause it or prevent it.”