The Waters of Seeing

Near Goldleaf is a small pond filled with beautiful fish and water a person can see to the very bottom through.  Around the pond are trees and shrubbery which are always green and full of birds who sing with every sun rise, even in the middle of the winter.  The waters are warm and snow never covers the area, even in the deepest of winter.

Rumor has that a sprite lives here and loves the glorious colors of summer and spring and thus has cast a magic upon the pond and area to keep it so lovely and warm.  Many people will leave little gifts of food or items to gain the favor of this spite, if they can.

There is a sprite, who does care for the grove, but because the pool is magical.  The pool, if the water is drunk for three days straight with no other food or drink, allows the drinker to see the future.  The clip of the future is short and may not be clear to the person seeing it, but it is usually accurate.  It can be changed by those who see it by doing something different in their path of life.  The sprite makes sure only the worthy can sit at the bank and gain the magic of the future and has been known to chase people off that he or she doesn't like.

Brenda's Baubles

Brenda's Baubles is a small store, tucked away in the corner of Goldleaf.  This one story, barely three hundred square feet building is filled with all sorts of treasure.  Brenda's Baubles holds shelves and shelves of odds and ends such as maps, mining picks, sturdy backpacks, lamps and things such as these.  Brenda's owner, Thomas Cart, buys all the random things people want to get rid of and scavenges things from wrecked ships, abandoned houses, and nearby ruins that no one will go to.  There is a 50% chance that something from the equipment list of your roleplaying system will be here, 10% chance a magic item might be hiding amongst the junk.  Thomas gives good prices for items (around cost on the list) and will look for something if a person asks for it specifically.  Sometimes people have fun just looking through all the items in Thomas' store, because you never know what you will find.

Celesta the Dragon

Celesta is a platinum dragon, one of Fire Flash and Elemental Storm's children, and she loves the snow and the north.  She also loves a good song.  Thus she became a bard, when in human form, wandering the north singing the songs she loves.  She has a small home outside of Goldleaf, which is taken care of by a family of humans who don't know for sure, but suspect they are simply taking care of the house for a dragon and not some human bard who bequeaths it her daughter, and she bequeaths it to her daughter and so on.  Celesta pays them well so they don't ask many questions, though she would tell them the truth if they asked outright.  She loves this little family who she's known for generations and would frown greatly on anything happening to them.

Celesta doesn't mingle much with her own kind, but tries to return to Varanath once a decade when she and her siblings remember the mother they have never met and check in on their father, if he comes.  She may be willing to travel with a group for a while, but she will never stay for long and would never revel who she truly is unless it her life on the line.

Deephorn Outpost

This outpost, like many other outposts, is for protecting the House from raiders as well as from other Houses.  It has a huge gate with a barracks, a cook house, a stable and small forge.  There is also a small home for Captain Thorn and one for Nyssarea the mage.  A spring is not far off, which turns into a small stream which heads south/southwest.  Those who are not on duty usually go hunting or fishing to supplement supplies sent from Weatherworn.  There are a dozen guards, Captain Thorn, Nyssarea and five support staff.  Usually the outpost leaves travelers alone, but occasionally they do spot checks on people they feel are suspect.  Captain Thorn runs a tight ship, but isn't overbearing.  His men respect him and don't mind the fact they are out in the middle of no where for long periods of time.  People can buy some supplies here, or get some repairs on tack or armor, but they are not a whole sale selling establishment.  And there is no inn, but Captain Thorn does allow travelers to camp in a nearby field for safety's sake.

Nyssarea the Mage

Stationed on the outskirts of the Weatherworn House boundaries, Nyssarea helps protect her home by doing what she does best, casting magic.  Nyssarea knows how to use a sword, can drink like a dwarf and cast powerful magic that scared even her mentors.  She stands guard with a double handful of guards and Knights on the northern border of House Weatherworn.  She is in her third decade with lovely black hair she keeps braided and a pale complexion normal for those from the southern coast.  She loves her home, protects it with a fervor and revels in finding new magic.  She specializes in lightning, but she loves to learn any kind of magic.  She loves to hear about far off places, try new wines and food and will talk shop with anyone who will sit still long enough.

Candleholders of Listening

Though this magical ability could be placed upon any item, Sierra likes them on the most unlikely of sources.  Thus she has had most of the candle sconces in hallways and rooms enchanted with this ability.  The candle holders can be "turned on" by using a magical stone that corresponds with that candle holder.  Each one has to be turned on separately, and though they can be listened to simultaneously, it is easier to only have one at a time.  Sierra uses these items to listen in on private conversations and then report her findings back to her contact in the Empire.  These are average for cost, though Sierra's were expensive since she wanted fined candle holders, but anything can be enchanted as a "listening device".

The Trampling Elephant

The Trampling Elephant is a round, three story building with a large stables behind, along with a large open area for trading wagons.  On a main road for wagon traders, the building has sweeping columns and beautiful arches, painted in a bright white to attract attention.  Murals in both tile and paint decorate the whole of the building, with brightly colored attendants at the door and working the tavern.  The first floor has a tavern with very fine food from all over the Empire and from Tridon.  There is a bath off to one side, easily accessed by the two upper floors without having to go through the tavern.  There is no place for a stage but entertainers do grace the tavern on occasion.  The upper stories have rooms big enough for three people each, with one suite on the third floor.  Each room has a hearth, though they are magically enchanted so fire is not an issue.  The rooms are dressed in bright colors and magical music to soothe you to sleep is available on request.

Sierra of the Tampling Elephant

In a small corner of Notitia is an inn where merchants go to find guards, contracts and a little relaxation.  The owner, Sierra, wants to make sure everyone has a good time and enjoys their stay. She is in her mid-thirties, with dark, curly hair to match her dark complexion.  She is short for the southern continent, only five and a half feet tall, but full of smiles.  She greets everyone to her inn personally, shows them their room and takes their orders.  She does have a wait staff, but she likes to talk to all her clients personally.  In doing so she gets a sense of what they want and then can either offer to find that something or point them in the right direction.  Her clients love her attention and always return, once they have tasted her hospitality.

In truth, Sierra is actually part of the information gathering network for the Empire.  She is actually a friendly person and loves what she does, but she finds out information for her country by talking with all the merchants who come through her doors.  She runs a good ship, making quite a bit of money, and then makes extra money, and connections, by reporting her finds.  Beware what is said in her inn for nothing is a secret here.

Fairy Jewels Part II

The abilities of a Fairy Jewel can vary greatly, depending on how powerful the person makes them or can make them.  But here are a few ideas of abilities.

1) Normally, a magical Fairy Jewel, in game terms, gives a +1 to +6 to a main stat.  Purple gems are usually Intellect, blue Constitution, green Strength, red Dexterity, yellow Wisdom, and orange Charisma. They don't have to follow this rule, but mages and priests usually try to.

2) Magical Fairy Jewels can also give bonuses to non stat items, such as skills or the ability to see a far distance, or even float in the air.  These gems are usually clear.

3) These are not cheap items, since they enhance the character, usually starting at several thousand gold and working up from there.

4) As GM you can let any sort of enhancement be placed on a Fairy Jewel, but be cautious about giving your players too much power.

Fairy Jewels

Fairy Jewels are small gems which float in the air around the person who owns them.  They were common in the early years of the Empire and Tridon as decorations for wealthy women to accent their dress or costumes.  But a wizard thought about using such things to augment his and his companions powers and came up with a useful combination of decoration and ability.  Normal fairy jewels just sparkle and float around the person, but Magical Fairy Jewels can have one of many abilities.  The size and shape do not dictate what ability they have, but they usually stick a type of gem to dictate ability.

Tomorrow, I will go over abilities.

The Village of Windsong

Windsong is small farming village near the House of Tayke.  Specializing in a food called rice, it also catches fish to sell to Tayke.  The people here are quiet, contemplative and full of advice when asked.  The houses are different then the typical house, with swooping roofs and fanciful creatures carved into even the simplest of buildings.  Some food stuffs are for sale here, and there are people who can repair some gear, but little else can be found here.  The do have a small inn, (an old house they rent out to people passing through) and meals can be purchased from neighbors.

Kevin the Ruin Master

From his plush house in Stormvale Kevin dreams of adventure.  He has maps of lost cities, towns, castles, tunnels, and just about everything.  Maps of legend, maps of false leads, maps of ancient places most scholars have not heard of.  He has maps of everything.  He makes a business of copying the maps out for people and sending them on their way to adventure.  Depending on how he is treated depends on how accurate those maps might be.  He never claims the maps are accurate, (because some of them are not) but he may change a thing or two if he feels that his customers aren't treating him kindly.  And he is a mage of some power and has magical traps and other safe guards upon his building so it is harder for adventurers to retaliate if he does them wrong.  Maps cost quite a bit, usually starting at 500 gold.  His business sign is the Ruin Master and he is near the temple of Catiana in Stormvale.

Thane's Sorrow

On Willowstand Lake, on the western edge, is a village called Thane's Sorrow.  As a trade stop and fishing village, this village is soon going to have to be called a town.  There are several inns, general stores, a blacksmith, stables, specialty stores, two trading caravan outposts and a large dock of small fishing boats.  There are some people who farm, but most of those who farm live out of town, now.  Originally, Thane's Sorrow was founded by Joseph Thane and most of his extended family.  The farming was sound, the fishing great, and there were many resources for a fine living.  But Joseph's original reason for coming to the place to be rid of his family, not have them follow.  It was an open joke, and thus Thane's Sorrow stuck.  The village soon to be city pays homage to Sunvale and was quite loyal until the time of Shaniko.  Now, as the High King's Sword comes into play, the village is more about protecting itself then getting along with the Black Wizards.  They don't outright confront them, but are willing to tweak their noses if they can get away with it.  The mayor of Thane's Sorrow is Karl Lightfoot and he tries hard to help those who are fighting against the Black Wizards.  He also is always looking for people to help out the village since they do have the occasional issue with ogres, monstrous wildlife and magic that just can't be explained.