Secret Histories
Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:25 amHi everyone,
It's been a while since I posted but I haven't given up. Work is progressing, albeit slowly. I wanted to have a few more example Secret Histories done before posting, but I think it might be better for me to get a few of them out there now for people to look at and think over. The idea is stolen from Lore Sheets in Weapons of the Gods.
The idea behind i]Secret Histories[/i] is that Players can dominate bits of knowledge that their Character knows from a (hopefully substantial) section of optional Worldbuilding material. You can play this out in one of two ways:
1/ All secret histories are true. Purchasing a secret history and/or its sub-histories imbues knowledge about it.
2/ The secret histories are not true until a Player picks one for his or her Character. As with the above option, picking a secret history also imbues knowledge about the history.
So, here's a few examples of the histories I've scribbled together so far. I'm aiming to have quite a few of these. The idea was to try and strike on some histories that had at least a vaguely Tolkienesque feel. Naturally, my impression of Tolkienesque will differ from other peoples, but do feel free to point out if you think I've gone too wildly off track.
Also, credit where due, I've pillaged some novels to start putting these ideas together, in particular Alan Garner's Weirdstone of Brisignamen. I've lifted both the Weirdstone and the Morthbrood more or less directly from him and may well steal other stuff too. Go read his work if you haven't. It's often dismissed as children's books, but it's really great stuff...
Dark Heart of the Woods (1 pt.)
In the dawn of the world, there was a Descended Power known to the Elves of Old as Silthorin the Heart of Green who walked the earth in the form of a wizard of summer and wild woods. Shadow crept into his heart in later ages and he gathered darkness about him, going deeper and deeper into the woodlands of the Thousand Forests. There he let himself fall utterly into the power of the Shadow Element and his form changed. He cast off his human shape and made himself into a hulking creature through magic, tattooed and troll-like in form. His face he changed for the skull of a primeavel deer, eyes aglow with wild light deep in the dark sockets. For a crown he made himself horns of vast size, cut with spiral runes in the black tongue of the dark ones. He is called now The Dark Heart of the Woods by men of nearby lands, and Sorak Arthestoth by the woodland elves who still hold fortresses against his domain and his creatures of war.
1 pt. The Dark Heart of the Woods has bred the blood of woodland men and goblin-creatures to make a race of forest orcs, well suited to the forested realm. These Darkwood Orcs are agile, good climbers and ready with the bow. They tattoo themselves with runes in mimicry of their lord and do not like to long travel out from the boughs of trees.
1 pt. Three woodland fortresses of the elves remain on the borders of the domain of the Dark Heart of the Woods. These fortresses have been under near-constant siege for three hundred years. Their names are Arnthor, Ragalather and Fersineth. Arnthor, the farthest and the deepest of the fortresses is close to falling.
1 pt. The Dark Heart of the Woods has a weakness that might yet be exploited to his downfall. In the dawn of the world, while still a creature of good and free will, he made a vow that he would come when called by the Elf Kingdom of Gaelenqua. The oath was bound to a horn of sea-ivory that was kept in the high tower of Gaelenqua.
1 pt. If the Horn of Silthorin is blown, the Dark Heart of the Woods must answer the call and is under oath not only to never harm the master of the horn, but also to obey commands given to him by that lord. Any who attempt to use the Dark Heart of the Woods for their own power in this way will surely fall to shadow. However, the horn could be used to make the Dark Heart of the Woods enter shackles or a prison that he could not escape
1 pt. Gaelenqua has long since fallen into ruin and is a mass of stones overgrown by weeds and tree roots, but the horn cannot be destroyed. It is believed that the Dark Heart of the Woods has taken the horn himself and keeps it guarded and secret somewhere in his realm.
The Black Reivers (1 pt.)
In elder days four lords of war were bribed and tempted into the service of the Warlock Lord of Orock Nar. The Warlock Lord worked sorcery on them so that their form was accursed and they slipped into shadow. Their will was bound to one of four swords, and these the Lord of Deepening Shadows kept in his grey fortress at Orock Nar. Whoever possesses the swords gains mastery over each of the Black Reivers, but the swords were scattered and lost in the days following the fall of Orock Nar and their whereabouts is lost too. But, this does not prevent the Black Reivers from walking the earth. They have no master now, and though they despise and hate one another, they are still bound by the will of the Warlock Lord to work in his service and one day perhaps resurrect his soul.
Their names are lost now, and the Warlock Lord was slain in battle long ago. Each of the Black Reivers has the appearance of a lord in full black regalia of war under a tattered cloak. They have no abode or lair and for the most part avoid one-another.
1 pt. One of the Black Reivers is searching not only for his own master-sword, but for all the master-swords. He has set upon a path to gain mastery over his fellow three wraiths and raise himself up as a new lord of shadows.
1 pt. The swords are enchanted and appear to be of Elven make. They are unusually cold to touch and their silver blades are ribboned with black metal. To summon and command the Black Reiver, the owner of the sword must speak the wraith's mortal name three times.
1 pt. Gain knowledge of one of the names of the Black Reivers. Their mortal names were Celas, Duhil, Elammal and Farcaramen.
1 pt. You know the location of one of the swords.
1 pt. The swords can be unmade and thereby the Black Reivers can be severed from the mortal world and destroyed. But, the swords can only be destroyed whence they were made. Each sword was crafted from dwarf silver and lightning on the peak of the Ashen Mountain. There is an anvil in the snow there, and if a sword is smashed against the anvil it will shatter, returning to dust and lightning again.
Fangorathor the Ill-Accursed (1 pt.)
In a past age there was once a beautiful and prosperous city of elves in the Mountains of Grey Shadow. The city was called Lutheris the Fair Glened The Mountain Elves were not so biased against Dwerrow as are others of their kind, and they gained much wealth through trade with the Kingdoms under the Earth. However, wealth and riches will draw greedy eyes, and in the eighth century of the city's existence a fell dragon, iron-scaled and cold of will crawled out of the north and set itself upon the city. The elves defended themselves against the worms attacks for a decade, but eventually their walls were breached and they fled.
The last king of Lutheris took his own life in the treasure chamber of his fortress and there worked a grim curse on the treasure—any unjust possessor of the treasure would be forced to covert and guard the treasure always, giving up sleep and food and rest until death comes.
1 pt. Dragons take a long time to die of hunger. The worm Fangorathor is now a skeletal ruin of his former glory, but remains alive and watchful over his hoard of gold. Fangorathor is a Cold Drake.
1 pt. Anyone that is not a descendant of the Mountain Elves of Lutheris who lays claim to the treasure will suffer the same curse.
1 pt. The curse does not have the power to hold a spirit after death. Once Fangorathor dies his ghost will fly from the mortal world.
1 pt. The Mountain Elves fled as refugees into the pine forests and gloomy dells of the lower slopes of the Mountains of Grey Shadow. Some journeyed to the lands of their cousins in the hills and woods and settled there among other elves. Some of the Mountain Elves remained in the pine forests and fell into shadow. They have become Broken Elves determined to out-wait Fangorathor and re-take the treasure once the dragon dies of hunger. They seek always to harry and waylay anyone who might try to slay Fangorathor.
1 pt. The sword Woven of Ice is supposedly among the treasures of the hoard.
The Morthbrood (1 pt.)
The Morthbrood is an order of witch-mages who work in service to the dark powers. They have the power to take the form of a raven whenever they need and work chiefly as spies.
1 pt. In raven form Morthbrood retain the strength of a man or woman, but they are as physically fragile as a raven. They can knock people over, inflict severe injury or carry heavy objects but are easily slain.
1 pt. Morthbrood live in secret among the free peoples of the world. They know one-another on sight and communicate messages and commands from their shadowy lords via loose networks.
The Pale Sword (1 pt.)
The Pale Sword was an artefact of great power crafted by the Warlock Lord of Orock Nar in his dark mansion in ages past. He was, during his reign, never without this weapon. It was lost on his death, probably carried away by an orc chieftain or some sorcerer in service to the Bleak Lord.
1 pt. The Pale sword will lethally poison anyone that it so much as scratches. Unless treated with elf-magic, a person injured by the Pale Sword loses one Toughness each day until death. On death the person raises as a tortured wight in service to whomsoever possesses the sword.
1 pt. The wielder of the sword gains a year of unnatural life every time the sword is used to kill a creature. This adds a rank of Shadow to the wielder of the sword.
1 pt. The sword can be recognized by its white metal and inlaid jewels the colour and sheen of dead eyes.
1 pt. The Warlock Lord invested great power in the Pale Sword. If it is ever destroyed all of that bound-up power will be loosed, and the Warlock Lord's shade may again be able to assume physical form.
1 pt. The Warlock Lord's shade haunts the sandy Wastes of Arathalon. He is but a voice on the wind and has no real power.
1 pt. The Warlock Lord made the sword with a will to dominate all the peoples of the earth. Anyone who possesses the sword will be afflicted with nightmares and dreams of power.
The Red Wizards of Thrae (1 pt.)
This is an order of wizards who work chiefly with spells of fire and light and have for their stronghold a tower made of jasper, smoothed and hardened by sorcery. This stronghold is the Tower Thol-Coron, situated in the Sunborn Mountains of the east.
1 pt. The wizards have worked against the Shadow Element for many centuries and will teach arts of fire and spells of flame to lore-masters and other workers of magic who prove themselves true opponents of the shadow.
1 pt. In ages past a chief wizard of the order, Vanglorum the Elder-Flame, wrought three necklets of gold and ruby and worked into these great powers over fire. The necklets were called the Mantles of Fire or sometimes the Neck-pieces of Vanglorum.
1 pt. The Mantles of Fire can be recognized by the twisted bands of rose gold and gold that are worked into them and the three bird-egg sized rubies that adorn each of them.
1 pt. Any attempt to destroy a Mantle, melt it down or prize out a ruby will provoke the necklet to defend itself with a flare and blast of fire.
1 pt. One of the three Mantles is still held by the Order of the Red Wizards of Thrae and is worn by the current leader of the order, Asfinathor the Ashen-of-Eyes. The remaining two were lost on the field of battle during the War of Unending Sorrows five-hundred years ago. They were probably stolen by orcs or other servants of the dark powers, but the current whereabouts is unknown.
The Silver Princess (1 pt.)
A long age ago, a creature that had the form of a beautiful young woman rode out of the east on a silent horse made of smoke and fire. She wore gowns and jewels all of silver, her eyes were silver too and she wielded a staff that could turn any living thing into a statue of iron.
1 pt. The Silver Princess did not attempt to establish a dominion or subjects. She delighted in destroying any who crossed her path. She rode the lands for a hundred years before she was finally undone.
1 pt. The Silver Princess was not killed, and it is through, probably cannot be slain. It is not known what manner of creature she is, though it is likely that she is an Old Power given form.
1 pt. Three brother wizards fought the silver princess and just barely laid coils and chains of magic on her. Two of the brothers were killed, and the third bore the princess away into a secret place.
1 pt. The silver princess is bound and asleep in a chamber deep under the Snowy Mountains. The wizard remains as a guardian against her release in the form of a powerful golden-hued wraith. The wizard can be dispelled from the mortal world, leaving the tomb undefended, if a person learns his name in life.
1 pt. The last of the wizard brothers threw the Princess's silver staff into a deep chasm, also under the Snowy Mountains. Thus far, it is lost in the shadowy places under the mountains. Any person who finds and wields it will gain the power to turn living flesh into iron statues. They will also, however, feel a growing compulsion to find and free the Silver Princess.
The Troll-King of Wolf-fell (1 pt.)
In ages past, in a land that is now a wilderness of hills and woods called the Wolf-fells, there was a kingdom of trolls. These trolls were of a strange and uncanny sort, they were quick of wit, midnight skinned, with red darting tongues and smouldering eyes. They built a kingdom of chambers beneath the hills of the Wolf-fells where they could hide from the sun and raised up savage battlements above the gateways. There were, in time, troubles with the clan of Dwerrow called Khalin's People, and after a war that lasted a century or more, the Dwerrow overran the Troll-King's lairs. None of the treasures that were stolen by the trolls during that long war were recovered, and the descendant's of Khalin's People do not speak of that time.
1 pt. The 'trolls' were not trolls, but Dwerger, a strain of dark creature that resemble trolls in size and to some degree in appearance. They were craftsmen and wielders of war-magic. In appearance Dwerger are darker and more hirsute than trolls, often bearded and can bear the sun, though they find it painful.
1 pt. Some Dwerger escaped the war and fled north, into the caves of the Mountains of Gloam. Their whereabouts is unknown.
1 pt. Dwerger raids on the gold and silver mines of Thrain sparked the war. There should be vast stockpiles of raw or worked precious metals in the Dwerger caverns.
1 pt. When Khalin's Dwerrow finally broke the last of the inner walls of the Dwerger stronghold, their king, Bertorog the Throlg unleashed a dark terror in the deepest pits of his realm. This terror destroyed many of the remaining Dwerger and only a handful of Dwerrow escaped.
1 pt. Tunnel worms have infested the uppermost chambers of the Dwerger kingdom. The dark terror, which is held to be a demon of an elder age, wanders the lowest chambers.
War of the Beshadowed Age (1 pt.)
There was in centuries past a dark age when the great powers of the earth were all servants of the Dark Ones. The dark lords of that time warred with one another and through warring and betrayal they were weakened. A secret and desperate alliance of the free peoples rose up against them and one-by-one the dark lords were over-thrown. The dark lords were:
1 pt. Alquanaforst: The Sorcerous Queen: a mistress of shadows, illusion, dark beauty and charms.
1 pt. Sorth: Red Lord of War: A dark lord whose armour was black with dried blood. He was a dark spirit of a Descended Power whose body had been destroyed in an earlier age. He had a force of terrible creatures that were bred from orcs and trolls, the Red Trolls.
1 pt. Caurothon: The Hell-Shadow lord--a sorcerer whose arts were those of darkness and fire. His fortress was walled with enchanted shadows and guarded by wights of fire.
1 pt. Malgorog: The lady and master of the Morthbrood, mistress of ravens and lord over dark-winged creatures of the sky ridden by dark warrioresses.
War-Drakes of Old (1 pt.)
During the War of the Shadowed Age both sides used dragons and both sides made use of magic to breed creatures that were more suited to service in the ranks of the dark armies. The great dragons of old, the fire and cold-drakes and winged dragons proved too prideful and too territorial to be useful in marching armies. War-drakes, smaller and somewhat duller of wit, were bred, first by the Lord Unceasing, then by others.
1 pt. Feral war-drakes can still be found in the Plains of Bones and Ash. They behave much like their larger kin, though tend to be less selective in their hoarding, collecting steel, silver, pewter and tin as readily as gold.
1 pt. War-Drakes can be recognised by their grey-black-green hides, sharp scales and numerous spines. They may hiss smoke from the nostrils and may spurt flames when angered but have no ability to breath fire as a weapon. They were bred from winged dragons, but the fire was largely bred out of them.
1 pt. Dragon-Lords once rode and commanded War-Drakes. These lords were men of old, given to dark sorcery and gifted with a charmed ring. The charmed rings of the Dragon-Lords are silver and inscribed with a dragon, looped around the length of the ring, tail in mouth.
1 pt. Any person who has a Shadow of at least eight and possesses the Trait Sorcery may use a Ring of Dragon-Lordship to command a War-Drake. Even if more than one ring is possessed, the magic only allows a person to hold sway over a single War-Drake at a time.
1 pt. Rings of Dragon-Lordship have no power to command fire or cold-drakes, winged dragons or other dragon-kin. However, all dragons other than War-Drakes find the immediate presence of these rings painful and will attack anyone who bears one of these devices.
The Weird-Stone of Hallows (1 pt.)
The Weird-Stone of Hallows was wrought by the Powers of Light during the first age of the world. Its purpose was to bar all egress into the mortal world against the greatest of the dark and old powers that exist in the void outside of the world.
1 pt. The Weird-Stone is a small, white and plain stone. If stared into it seems to have a living and leaping sort of flame to it deep inside. Otherwise there is nothing about the stone that seems magical or charmed.
1 pt. The Weird-Stone is protected against all charms of detection and magicial seeing. It cannot be seen using scrying, it sheds no magical aura and no dark creature will sense it or see it as anything other than a white pebble.
1 pt. If the Weird-Stone is destroyed the great powers of darkness will gain physcial access to the world.
1 pt. The Weird-Stone is fragile and could be destroyed by a heavy blow with a smithy hammer.
1 pt. The Sacral House of the Weird-Stone, where once the stone was kept and protected, has long since been raided and looted by orcs. Luckily, they did not know the nature of the magic stored there. Nonetheless, the stone was taken and presumably hoarded in some dark cave or traded as a bauble. It's location is not known.
The White-Wraiths (1 pt.)
In ages past there was an order of five lore-masters, great wizards and enchantresses each of them. They had for their stronghold the Tower Dor Luncol in the Glens of Argorath. The lore-masters were essential in the eventual victory over the last of the lords of the Beshadowed Age and the end of that dark time. However, they took among them many treasures and also prisoners and one of those prisoners proved their downfall.
1 pt. The prisoner was Scathus, a Descended Power whose sphere of interest and power was fire and light. He took human form in that time and was fair to look on and cunning of words.
1 pt. Scathus was initially powerless in the Tower of Dor Luncoth but over time he inveigled himself with the five. He was a flatterer and a trickster and he beguiled them with flattery.
1 pt. Over time Scathus turned the five against one-another. He told each of them in secret that they were the greatest of the five and deserved to rule the others. In time they began to fall victim to his flatteries. Rivalry over-spilled and two of the wizards sought to destroy one-another. The others soon fell to fighting too and a terrible and magical battle took place. One of the wizards, however, made use of a dark weapon that had been taken from a champion of the Dark Ones.
1 pt. The weapon was the sword Wraith-Tooth. Whomsoever the sword kills returns as a mist-white wraith in service to the owner of the sword. However, the lore-masters of Dor Luncol had spirits of great power so that when they were killed their wraiths were terrible things--sorcerous, charmed and deadly.
1 pt. The wizard who wielded Wraith-Tooth slew all his companions only to be betrayed by Scathus who took the sword while the wizard slept and murdered him as well. Scathus took the sword and vanished from history. He could be living in secret somewhere or he could have been killed by something worse than he. It is not known. The sorcerous white wraiths of Dor Luncoth still lair in their tower, awaiting their masters returns and trapping any who wander too close to their realm.
Woven of Ice (1 pt.)
This is the name in the Common tongue given to an enchanted blade made by Mountain Elf wrights of old. The sword was made for the bane of the demons and dragons of fire that were then in thrall to the dark powers.
1 pt. The sword is an Elder Artefact. It was made for the Elf Lord Glanogorn and was used at the Battle of Ceaseless Fires.
1 pt. The sword is in the treasure hall guarded by the Cold Drake Fangorathor the Ill-Accursed. In a last attempt to defend the mountain city a forgotten Elf Hero attacked Fangorathor and managed to bury the sword up to its hilt at the base of the dragon's neck. This did not kill Fangorathor and the sword remains so embedded to this day.
It's been a while since I posted but I haven't given up. Work is progressing, albeit slowly. I wanted to have a few more example Secret Histories done before posting, but I think it might be better for me to get a few of them out there now for people to look at and think over. The idea is stolen from Lore Sheets in Weapons of the Gods.
The idea behind i]Secret Histories[/i] is that Players can dominate bits of knowledge that their Character knows from a (hopefully substantial) section of optional Worldbuilding material. You can play this out in one of two ways:
1/ All secret histories are true. Purchasing a secret history and/or its sub-histories imbues knowledge about it.
2/ The secret histories are not true until a Player picks one for his or her Character. As with the above option, picking a secret history also imbues knowledge about the history.
So, here's a few examples of the histories I've scribbled together so far. I'm aiming to have quite a few of these. The idea was to try and strike on some histories that had at least a vaguely Tolkienesque feel. Naturally, my impression of Tolkienesque will differ from other peoples, but do feel free to point out if you think I've gone too wildly off track.
Also, credit where due, I've pillaged some novels to start putting these ideas together, in particular Alan Garner's Weirdstone of Brisignamen. I've lifted both the Weirdstone and the Morthbrood more or less directly from him and may well steal other stuff too. Go read his work if you haven't. It's often dismissed as children's books, but it's really great stuff...
Dark Heart of the Woods (1 pt.)
In the dawn of the world, there was a Descended Power known to the Elves of Old as Silthorin the Heart of Green who walked the earth in the form of a wizard of summer and wild woods. Shadow crept into his heart in later ages and he gathered darkness about him, going deeper and deeper into the woodlands of the Thousand Forests. There he let himself fall utterly into the power of the Shadow Element and his form changed. He cast off his human shape and made himself into a hulking creature through magic, tattooed and troll-like in form. His face he changed for the skull of a primeavel deer, eyes aglow with wild light deep in the dark sockets. For a crown he made himself horns of vast size, cut with spiral runes in the black tongue of the dark ones. He is called now The Dark Heart of the Woods by men of nearby lands, and Sorak Arthestoth by the woodland elves who still hold fortresses against his domain and his creatures of war.
1 pt. The Dark Heart of the Woods has bred the blood of woodland men and goblin-creatures to make a race of forest orcs, well suited to the forested realm. These Darkwood Orcs are agile, good climbers and ready with the bow. They tattoo themselves with runes in mimicry of their lord and do not like to long travel out from the boughs of trees.
1 pt. Three woodland fortresses of the elves remain on the borders of the domain of the Dark Heart of the Woods. These fortresses have been under near-constant siege for three hundred years. Their names are Arnthor, Ragalather and Fersineth. Arnthor, the farthest and the deepest of the fortresses is close to falling.
1 pt. The Dark Heart of the Woods has a weakness that might yet be exploited to his downfall. In the dawn of the world, while still a creature of good and free will, he made a vow that he would come when called by the Elf Kingdom of Gaelenqua. The oath was bound to a horn of sea-ivory that was kept in the high tower of Gaelenqua.
1 pt. If the Horn of Silthorin is blown, the Dark Heart of the Woods must answer the call and is under oath not only to never harm the master of the horn, but also to obey commands given to him by that lord. Any who attempt to use the Dark Heart of the Woods for their own power in this way will surely fall to shadow. However, the horn could be used to make the Dark Heart of the Woods enter shackles or a prison that he could not escape
1 pt. Gaelenqua has long since fallen into ruin and is a mass of stones overgrown by weeds and tree roots, but the horn cannot be destroyed. It is believed that the Dark Heart of the Woods has taken the horn himself and keeps it guarded and secret somewhere in his realm.
The Black Reivers (1 pt.)
In elder days four lords of war were bribed and tempted into the service of the Warlock Lord of Orock Nar. The Warlock Lord worked sorcery on them so that their form was accursed and they slipped into shadow. Their will was bound to one of four swords, and these the Lord of Deepening Shadows kept in his grey fortress at Orock Nar. Whoever possesses the swords gains mastery over each of the Black Reivers, but the swords were scattered and lost in the days following the fall of Orock Nar and their whereabouts is lost too. But, this does not prevent the Black Reivers from walking the earth. They have no master now, and though they despise and hate one another, they are still bound by the will of the Warlock Lord to work in his service and one day perhaps resurrect his soul.
Their names are lost now, and the Warlock Lord was slain in battle long ago. Each of the Black Reivers has the appearance of a lord in full black regalia of war under a tattered cloak. They have no abode or lair and for the most part avoid one-another.
1 pt. One of the Black Reivers is searching not only for his own master-sword, but for all the master-swords. He has set upon a path to gain mastery over his fellow three wraiths and raise himself up as a new lord of shadows.
1 pt. The swords are enchanted and appear to be of Elven make. They are unusually cold to touch and their silver blades are ribboned with black metal. To summon and command the Black Reiver, the owner of the sword must speak the wraith's mortal name three times.
1 pt. Gain knowledge of one of the names of the Black Reivers. Their mortal names were Celas, Duhil, Elammal and Farcaramen.
1 pt. You know the location of one of the swords.
1 pt. The swords can be unmade and thereby the Black Reivers can be severed from the mortal world and destroyed. But, the swords can only be destroyed whence they were made. Each sword was crafted from dwarf silver and lightning on the peak of the Ashen Mountain. There is an anvil in the snow there, and if a sword is smashed against the anvil it will shatter, returning to dust and lightning again.
Fangorathor the Ill-Accursed (1 pt.)
In a past age there was once a beautiful and prosperous city of elves in the Mountains of Grey Shadow. The city was called Lutheris the Fair Glened The Mountain Elves were not so biased against Dwerrow as are others of their kind, and they gained much wealth through trade with the Kingdoms under the Earth. However, wealth and riches will draw greedy eyes, and in the eighth century of the city's existence a fell dragon, iron-scaled and cold of will crawled out of the north and set itself upon the city. The elves defended themselves against the worms attacks for a decade, but eventually their walls were breached and they fled.
The last king of Lutheris took his own life in the treasure chamber of his fortress and there worked a grim curse on the treasure—any unjust possessor of the treasure would be forced to covert and guard the treasure always, giving up sleep and food and rest until death comes.
1 pt. Dragons take a long time to die of hunger. The worm Fangorathor is now a skeletal ruin of his former glory, but remains alive and watchful over his hoard of gold. Fangorathor is a Cold Drake.
1 pt. Anyone that is not a descendant of the Mountain Elves of Lutheris who lays claim to the treasure will suffer the same curse.
1 pt. The curse does not have the power to hold a spirit after death. Once Fangorathor dies his ghost will fly from the mortal world.
1 pt. The Mountain Elves fled as refugees into the pine forests and gloomy dells of the lower slopes of the Mountains of Grey Shadow. Some journeyed to the lands of their cousins in the hills and woods and settled there among other elves. Some of the Mountain Elves remained in the pine forests and fell into shadow. They have become Broken Elves determined to out-wait Fangorathor and re-take the treasure once the dragon dies of hunger. They seek always to harry and waylay anyone who might try to slay Fangorathor.
1 pt. The sword Woven of Ice is supposedly among the treasures of the hoard.
The Morthbrood (1 pt.)
The Morthbrood is an order of witch-mages who work in service to the dark powers. They have the power to take the form of a raven whenever they need and work chiefly as spies.
1 pt. In raven form Morthbrood retain the strength of a man or woman, but they are as physically fragile as a raven. They can knock people over, inflict severe injury or carry heavy objects but are easily slain.
1 pt. Morthbrood live in secret among the free peoples of the world. They know one-another on sight and communicate messages and commands from their shadowy lords via loose networks.
The Pale Sword (1 pt.)
The Pale Sword was an artefact of great power crafted by the Warlock Lord of Orock Nar in his dark mansion in ages past. He was, during his reign, never without this weapon. It was lost on his death, probably carried away by an orc chieftain or some sorcerer in service to the Bleak Lord.
1 pt. The Pale sword will lethally poison anyone that it so much as scratches. Unless treated with elf-magic, a person injured by the Pale Sword loses one Toughness each day until death. On death the person raises as a tortured wight in service to whomsoever possesses the sword.
1 pt. The wielder of the sword gains a year of unnatural life every time the sword is used to kill a creature. This adds a rank of Shadow to the wielder of the sword.
1 pt. The sword can be recognized by its white metal and inlaid jewels the colour and sheen of dead eyes.
1 pt. The Warlock Lord invested great power in the Pale Sword. If it is ever destroyed all of that bound-up power will be loosed, and the Warlock Lord's shade may again be able to assume physical form.
1 pt. The Warlock Lord's shade haunts the sandy Wastes of Arathalon. He is but a voice on the wind and has no real power.
1 pt. The Warlock Lord made the sword with a will to dominate all the peoples of the earth. Anyone who possesses the sword will be afflicted with nightmares and dreams of power.
The Red Wizards of Thrae (1 pt.)
This is an order of wizards who work chiefly with spells of fire and light and have for their stronghold a tower made of jasper, smoothed and hardened by sorcery. This stronghold is the Tower Thol-Coron, situated in the Sunborn Mountains of the east.
1 pt. The wizards have worked against the Shadow Element for many centuries and will teach arts of fire and spells of flame to lore-masters and other workers of magic who prove themselves true opponents of the shadow.
1 pt. In ages past a chief wizard of the order, Vanglorum the Elder-Flame, wrought three necklets of gold and ruby and worked into these great powers over fire. The necklets were called the Mantles of Fire or sometimes the Neck-pieces of Vanglorum.
1 pt. The Mantles of Fire can be recognized by the twisted bands of rose gold and gold that are worked into them and the three bird-egg sized rubies that adorn each of them.
1 pt. Any attempt to destroy a Mantle, melt it down or prize out a ruby will provoke the necklet to defend itself with a flare and blast of fire.
1 pt. One of the three Mantles is still held by the Order of the Red Wizards of Thrae and is worn by the current leader of the order, Asfinathor the Ashen-of-Eyes. The remaining two were lost on the field of battle during the War of Unending Sorrows five-hundred years ago. They were probably stolen by orcs or other servants of the dark powers, but the current whereabouts is unknown.
The Silver Princess (1 pt.)
A long age ago, a creature that had the form of a beautiful young woman rode out of the east on a silent horse made of smoke and fire. She wore gowns and jewels all of silver, her eyes were silver too and she wielded a staff that could turn any living thing into a statue of iron.
1 pt. The Silver Princess did not attempt to establish a dominion or subjects. She delighted in destroying any who crossed her path. She rode the lands for a hundred years before she was finally undone.
1 pt. The Silver Princess was not killed, and it is through, probably cannot be slain. It is not known what manner of creature she is, though it is likely that she is an Old Power given form.
1 pt. Three brother wizards fought the silver princess and just barely laid coils and chains of magic on her. Two of the brothers were killed, and the third bore the princess away into a secret place.
1 pt. The silver princess is bound and asleep in a chamber deep under the Snowy Mountains. The wizard remains as a guardian against her release in the form of a powerful golden-hued wraith. The wizard can be dispelled from the mortal world, leaving the tomb undefended, if a person learns his name in life.
1 pt. The last of the wizard brothers threw the Princess's silver staff into a deep chasm, also under the Snowy Mountains. Thus far, it is lost in the shadowy places under the mountains. Any person who finds and wields it will gain the power to turn living flesh into iron statues. They will also, however, feel a growing compulsion to find and free the Silver Princess.
The Troll-King of Wolf-fell (1 pt.)
In ages past, in a land that is now a wilderness of hills and woods called the Wolf-fells, there was a kingdom of trolls. These trolls were of a strange and uncanny sort, they were quick of wit, midnight skinned, with red darting tongues and smouldering eyes. They built a kingdom of chambers beneath the hills of the Wolf-fells where they could hide from the sun and raised up savage battlements above the gateways. There were, in time, troubles with the clan of Dwerrow called Khalin's People, and after a war that lasted a century or more, the Dwerrow overran the Troll-King's lairs. None of the treasures that were stolen by the trolls during that long war were recovered, and the descendant's of Khalin's People do not speak of that time.
1 pt. The 'trolls' were not trolls, but Dwerger, a strain of dark creature that resemble trolls in size and to some degree in appearance. They were craftsmen and wielders of war-magic. In appearance Dwerger are darker and more hirsute than trolls, often bearded and can bear the sun, though they find it painful.
1 pt. Some Dwerger escaped the war and fled north, into the caves of the Mountains of Gloam. Their whereabouts is unknown.
1 pt. Dwerger raids on the gold and silver mines of Thrain sparked the war. There should be vast stockpiles of raw or worked precious metals in the Dwerger caverns.
1 pt. When Khalin's Dwerrow finally broke the last of the inner walls of the Dwerger stronghold, their king, Bertorog the Throlg unleashed a dark terror in the deepest pits of his realm. This terror destroyed many of the remaining Dwerger and only a handful of Dwerrow escaped.
1 pt. Tunnel worms have infested the uppermost chambers of the Dwerger kingdom. The dark terror, which is held to be a demon of an elder age, wanders the lowest chambers.
War of the Beshadowed Age (1 pt.)
There was in centuries past a dark age when the great powers of the earth were all servants of the Dark Ones. The dark lords of that time warred with one another and through warring and betrayal they were weakened. A secret and desperate alliance of the free peoples rose up against them and one-by-one the dark lords were over-thrown. The dark lords were:
1 pt. Alquanaforst: The Sorcerous Queen: a mistress of shadows, illusion, dark beauty and charms.
1 pt. Sorth: Red Lord of War: A dark lord whose armour was black with dried blood. He was a dark spirit of a Descended Power whose body had been destroyed in an earlier age. He had a force of terrible creatures that were bred from orcs and trolls, the Red Trolls.
1 pt. Caurothon: The Hell-Shadow lord--a sorcerer whose arts were those of darkness and fire. His fortress was walled with enchanted shadows and guarded by wights of fire.
1 pt. Malgorog: The lady and master of the Morthbrood, mistress of ravens and lord over dark-winged creatures of the sky ridden by dark warrioresses.
War-Drakes of Old (1 pt.)
During the War of the Shadowed Age both sides used dragons and both sides made use of magic to breed creatures that were more suited to service in the ranks of the dark armies. The great dragons of old, the fire and cold-drakes and winged dragons proved too prideful and too territorial to be useful in marching armies. War-drakes, smaller and somewhat duller of wit, were bred, first by the Lord Unceasing, then by others.
1 pt. Feral war-drakes can still be found in the Plains of Bones and Ash. They behave much like their larger kin, though tend to be less selective in their hoarding, collecting steel, silver, pewter and tin as readily as gold.
1 pt. War-Drakes can be recognised by their grey-black-green hides, sharp scales and numerous spines. They may hiss smoke from the nostrils and may spurt flames when angered but have no ability to breath fire as a weapon. They were bred from winged dragons, but the fire was largely bred out of them.
1 pt. Dragon-Lords once rode and commanded War-Drakes. These lords were men of old, given to dark sorcery and gifted with a charmed ring. The charmed rings of the Dragon-Lords are silver and inscribed with a dragon, looped around the length of the ring, tail in mouth.
1 pt. Any person who has a Shadow of at least eight and possesses the Trait Sorcery may use a Ring of Dragon-Lordship to command a War-Drake. Even if more than one ring is possessed, the magic only allows a person to hold sway over a single War-Drake at a time.
1 pt. Rings of Dragon-Lordship have no power to command fire or cold-drakes, winged dragons or other dragon-kin. However, all dragons other than War-Drakes find the immediate presence of these rings painful and will attack anyone who bears one of these devices.
The Weird-Stone of Hallows (1 pt.)
The Weird-Stone of Hallows was wrought by the Powers of Light during the first age of the world. Its purpose was to bar all egress into the mortal world against the greatest of the dark and old powers that exist in the void outside of the world.
1 pt. The Weird-Stone is a small, white and plain stone. If stared into it seems to have a living and leaping sort of flame to it deep inside. Otherwise there is nothing about the stone that seems magical or charmed.
1 pt. The Weird-Stone is protected against all charms of detection and magicial seeing. It cannot be seen using scrying, it sheds no magical aura and no dark creature will sense it or see it as anything other than a white pebble.
1 pt. If the Weird-Stone is destroyed the great powers of darkness will gain physcial access to the world.
1 pt. The Weird-Stone is fragile and could be destroyed by a heavy blow with a smithy hammer.
1 pt. The Sacral House of the Weird-Stone, where once the stone was kept and protected, has long since been raided and looted by orcs. Luckily, they did not know the nature of the magic stored there. Nonetheless, the stone was taken and presumably hoarded in some dark cave or traded as a bauble. It's location is not known.
The White-Wraiths (1 pt.)
In ages past there was an order of five lore-masters, great wizards and enchantresses each of them. They had for their stronghold the Tower Dor Luncol in the Glens of Argorath. The lore-masters were essential in the eventual victory over the last of the lords of the Beshadowed Age and the end of that dark time. However, they took among them many treasures and also prisoners and one of those prisoners proved their downfall.
1 pt. The prisoner was Scathus, a Descended Power whose sphere of interest and power was fire and light. He took human form in that time and was fair to look on and cunning of words.
1 pt. Scathus was initially powerless in the Tower of Dor Luncoth but over time he inveigled himself with the five. He was a flatterer and a trickster and he beguiled them with flattery.
1 pt. Over time Scathus turned the five against one-another. He told each of them in secret that they were the greatest of the five and deserved to rule the others. In time they began to fall victim to his flatteries. Rivalry over-spilled and two of the wizards sought to destroy one-another. The others soon fell to fighting too and a terrible and magical battle took place. One of the wizards, however, made use of a dark weapon that had been taken from a champion of the Dark Ones.
1 pt. The weapon was the sword Wraith-Tooth. Whomsoever the sword kills returns as a mist-white wraith in service to the owner of the sword. However, the lore-masters of Dor Luncol had spirits of great power so that when they were killed their wraiths were terrible things--sorcerous, charmed and deadly.
1 pt. The wizard who wielded Wraith-Tooth slew all his companions only to be betrayed by Scathus who took the sword while the wizard slept and murdered him as well. Scathus took the sword and vanished from history. He could be living in secret somewhere or he could have been killed by something worse than he. It is not known. The sorcerous white wraiths of Dor Luncoth still lair in their tower, awaiting their masters returns and trapping any who wander too close to their realm.
Woven of Ice (1 pt.)
This is the name in the Common tongue given to an enchanted blade made by Mountain Elf wrights of old. The sword was made for the bane of the demons and dragons of fire that were then in thrall to the dark powers.
1 pt. The sword is an Elder Artefact. It was made for the Elf Lord Glanogorn and was used at the Battle of Ceaseless Fires.
1 pt. The sword is in the treasure hall guarded by the Cold Drake Fangorathor the Ill-Accursed. In a last attempt to defend the mountain city a forgotten Elf Hero attacked Fangorathor and managed to bury the sword up to its hilt at the base of the dragon's neck. This did not kill Fangorathor and the sword remains so embedded to this day.