 |
| by Akramness |
Deadeye:
1d6+Atk
Traxin Bonesinger was a disturbed and dangerous child. He had a love for killing, even at an early age, pulling the limbs off spiders and torturing small animals in the garden. His parents were very concerned, but were scared of what their neighbors might do, as they feared their son might be possessed. So they ordered him to never do such things. Traxin agreed, but lied, obviously. This only made him more careful to conceal his crimes.
Years later, he grew from a killer of beasts to a hunter of men, stalking the underworld, working as a silk-boy, a male prostitute. He would work for men or women, but he preferred men and used his position as a vulnerable outcast to lure in men and kill them. But during one of these attacks, he met Smiling Sam, who was not only a murderer as well, but also a trafficker in illegal goods and forbidden magic. Sam invited Traxin to work together with him and the two of them descended further into the criminal underworld, experimenting with each other and all sorts of crime. They became a duo, killing, robbing and raping.
Eventually, Traxin discovered that he had magical talent and applied himself to the study of magic. Studying in the underworld from Warlocks, he quickly found out that he had a talent for necromancy and began using raised corpses to cover up his other crimes. However, when people began to suspect that a Necromancer was working in their city, Traxin went into hiding and Sam went with him. While laying low, they concocted a wild plan to try to take over the Duchy by assassinating the Duke with an army of the dead and ruling as co-Kings.
As part of the preparations for their revolt, Traxin constructed a bow for his lover. Made from one of his rib bones, one of the most infamous Warlocks to plight the River Duchy in decades and a talented Necromancer of significant repute, along with sinew from a warrior they had lured in and murdered for the string and wood from the infamous Hangman's Grove, the bow named Deadeye was a terrible weapon that would inspire fear in anyone who was unfortunate enough to face the wielder.
Fortunately for all, this attempted rebellion never occurred. When a group of adventurers accidentally found the animated corpses that Traxin had been stock-piling in a cave near the city, they swiftly alerted the Paladins of the Church, the Brothers of Zulin, who were able to find proof that Traxin and Smiling Sam were the ones responsible for this atrocity.
As such, the pair found themselves pursued for their numerous crimes. Eventually, they were cornered at one of their hide-outs out in the hills. They had traps and knowledge of the caves, plus a small army of Undead to back them up, but the Paladins were too strong and cut through their corpse-soldiers. Traxin himself was killed in the attack, but Smiling Sam was able to escape through a hidden tunnel. He fled into the dark, plotting his revenge.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, if the user shoots a corpse with an arrow, that corpse will rise as an Undead under the user's control. The Undead will remain under the user's control for as long as he maintains possession of Deadeye. If he ever loses it, the Undead will be free to do as they wish.
- The user can control a number of Undead equal to twice his level, so a level 1 user could control 2 Undead. Any Undead raised beyond this will be Unbound and free to act as they wish.
- Undead raised through the use of this ability have 1 HD and the normal abilities of an Undead.
Deadeye was used by Traxin's lover, Smiling Sam, who escaped from the trap that led to Traxin's and his comrades' deaths. He attempted to raise another army of the Undead and successfully recruited a few dabbling necromancers and evil-doers to help him with this plan. When a disagreement broke out over who would lead, violence broke out and Sam was stabbed then drowned in a shallow stream.
The bow was lost during the scuffle. Secretly it is buried in the mud of the stream, waiting for someone with a heart as black as Traxin's to come along. When it finds such a person, it will call out to them and continue his plan of building a Kingdom of the Dead.
Featherfriend:
1d6+Atk
Aben was known as the 'good hunter' by the others in his villages, a name he accepted with pride. He was unaware of the fact that this was done in mockery, for Aben was known for both being a terrible shot and his soft-heartedness.
He was extremely picky in what kind of animals he shot at- he would not fire upon young animals, nor mothers taking care of their children. He only ever shot at old or sick animals, or those that seemed strong and proud. He reasoned that the old and sick were just being put out of their misery and the strong ones had likely already lived good lives. For this reason, he rarely caught anything and when he did, the meat was never particularly good.
So one day, when Aben was out hunting, he saw a kestrel flying overhead. He saw the bird as being strong and noble and slew it with a lucky arrow. When he watched the Kestrel fall, he saw another Kestrel come and mourn over it's loss. He realized this was the Kestrel's mate and since Kestrels only roosted together when they were raising chicks, he wept bitterly. He prayed then that someone would allow him to atone for his crime of robbing the chicks of one of their parents.
The Simurgh, Queen of Birds, heard his plea and reached out to him. She transformed him into a Kestrel and allowed him to help. Now a bird of prey himself, Aben took the female as his mate and helped her to raise her chicks to maturity. When they grew enough to leave the nest, the Simurgh offered to let him stay as a bird. She told him that the other birds would accept him, unlike the people of his village, who mocked him for what they thought was simple foolishness.
Aben refused this generous offer, stating that while he liked being a bird, he did not belong among them. He was a man and he had the responsibilities of a man- he would not abandon them for the easy life of being a bird.
So the Simurgh returned him to his original form and sent him home. Aben returned and when he did, he found that the villagers had taken over his house and looted all his possessions, assuming that he had died. When he informed them he was not dead and told them what he had been up to, they did not believe him and dismissed it as nonsense.
Aben did not attempt to persuade them otherwise and spent the rest of his life helping others in his home town, living a simple and humble life. No one noticed anything truly odd about him, except he seemed to have a unique affinity for birds. Many of the village children claimed he could talk to them, but the elders dismissed this as another story.
When Aben died, no one excepted the simple service to be attended by hundreds of people, all whom he had helped, but also by an entire Parliament of Birds, from great Eagles to humble Sparrows and everything in between. When they saw that, all but the most stalwart doubters held their tongues. Since then, his grave has become a place of pilgrimage for people who seek to commune with the Great Bird Spirits, as well as with the Simurgh.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, the user can transform an arrow into a bird. This bird is not a true bird, but a construct. It will obey all orders and feels no emotions, so it cannot be frightened or manipulated by abilities that affect the mind, such as Charm or Fear effects. This bird construct lasts for 1 hour or until destroyed. The user can also cause it transform back into an ordinary arrow. The arrow can transform into any Small bird.
- If the user has a feather from a particular type of bird, the bird construct can gain the abilities of that species of bird. For example, if they have a crow feather, the bird construct can speak, as Crows do.
- 1/Day, the user can transform an entire quiver (30 arrows or more) into a Medium or Large Bird.
- While holding this bow, the user can communicate with birds as if they spoke a language.
- If the user of this bow ever kills a bird with it without the explicit permission of a Royal Bird or the Simurgh, he will be cursed and the bow will leave him.
Aben's bow disappeared from his dwelling place upon his death. No one thought anything of it, as he hadn't used it as much more than wall decoration for years at that point. The bow was taken by an Eagle and borne to the Nest of the Simurgh, where she keeps it safe. When she sees a heroic soul in need of aid or her Kingdom needs defending against evil birds, she will dispatch her servants to take the bow to a suitable person, so that they might defend the innocent.
 |
| by a-tora |
Drakehunter/Volkslayer:
1d8+Atk
The Shai Clan were a small clan of martial artists who lived under the tyranny of a great and terrible Dragon named Volkbite, Dragon of Hymns and Screams. Volkbite oppressed them by demanding tribute in the form of human slaves and livestock that he might consume at his leisure.
When they refused or couldn't meet their quotas, he rampaged through the Clan's lands, burning and killing at will. It was during one of these wild rages that he slew the parents of a young girl named Una. Una was crushed and broken by the loss of her parents, but unlike others who merely sought to survive, she began to hate.
Una was adopted by her relatives in the Clan and continued to serve Volkbite. However, while she appeared the perfect, obedient daughter, anyone who knew her could tell how angry she was. She was driven by her anger and her rage, though she rarely acted on it. Rather she let her anger cool into a cold, malicious hatred, sculpting and forging it into a tool of vengeance.
For many, many years she plotted, entering the Dragon's service and becoming one of his most favorite huntresses. She brought him back exotic game and splendid treasures for his hoard, so that when she left for weeks or months, no one questioned her. Volkbite was surely aware of how she despised him, but a human likely does not care if the ants in his yard regard him with hatred.
So one day, when Una returned from a hunt after months away, she was quickly shown into the Dragon's bower, as she promised him a gift like he had never seen. When she entered however, Volkbite noticed how she bore no trinkets or meat, only a bow and a quiver full of arrows. When he asked her why she had brought him these, as he did not collect bows nor arrows, she told him the gift she brought him was her true feelings.
At that point, she drew and buried an arrow in his eye. Volkbite did not die then, as the stories often claim, but many hours later, in pain and agony as she riddled him with arrows, broke his wings, slit open his belly and extracted his internal organs while he still lived.
Shai Una then took total control of her Clan, killed those still loyal to Volkbite and began a career as both a conqueror and a Dragon-slayer. By the time she died in battle against Lomakazi, Dragon-King of the Southern Heavens and Unbroken Seas, she ruled over a great kingdom and had slain eleven Dragons. Her death was deeply mourned and after her bow was recovered from where it fell into the sea, it was venerated by her Clan as a sacred relic.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, when fighting a Dragon or a great Reptilian Monster, the user may cause whatever arrow he is firing to become an Arrow of Slaying directed at that creature. If that arrow strikes the creature in question, that creature must save vs death. On a successful save, the creature takes 2d6 damage instead.
- When carrying this bow, the user may sense the presence of Reptilian creatures and Dragons within 1000' of him, even if they are shape-shifted or invisible. The user can point to their general direction, but unless very close to them, the user will not be able to directly point to them.
- When in the presence of a Dragon or a Dragon-like creature, the user must save or be overcome with a visceral hatred for that creature. On a failed save, the user will become furious and will devote all of their energy to trying to kill the Dragon or Dragon-like monster.
Shai Una's bow remains in the custody of her clan, venerated in her massive tomb complex. Though the Shai Clan has declined in power and status over the decades since her death and the failure of her successors to live up to her legacy, they are not so impoverished that they must part with any of the Foundress' treasures.
Mind-Taker/Slave-King's Bow:
1d6+Atk
King Barabo Flesh-Tamer was known for his obsession with efficiency and control. He conquered his home city and set about trying to make it into the ideal society. He had many plans, from the reasonable to the entirely ludicrous. For instance, he passed laws enforcing kinder treatment of slaves- no longer was it permissible to beat slaves severely and if a master impregnated a slave, the slave would be allowed to keep their child for at least ten years (or an equivalent amount depending on species).
He also reduced the amount of labor the citizens of the city were expected to perform for the King and ensured that merchants would no longer be permitted to raise food prices during famines- any that raised them too much would be killed and their goods seized by the crown, where they would be distributed to the needy or resold for reasonable prices.
His other reforms were, less popular. His notion that money be abolished and that all commerce be conducted via barter exchange or that the city would be ruled by a class of philosopher-priests who owned no property and lived in seclusion from the corrupting influences of the world were considered silly, if not openly heretical. He would have implemented many of these policies, had not the Priests of the City's God intervened and told him that his Deity did not approve of such notions. When denied a direct approach, Barabo sought other means of implementing his laws.
This was not the only upset to Barabo's plans. He found that no matter how effective his ideas or how careful his plans, his citizens constantly found a way to screw it up. A program for distributing free bread to the poor was monopolized by families with large numbers of children, who sent each child individually, preventing those with smaller families from receiving an equal amount.
When he attempted to raise marriage rates among the poor and immigrants to his City, he decreed that all men not married or actively seeking a spouse would be forced to pay a fine. This led to a new career where women would be paid to reject men's offers of marriage. These "rejectors" soon became more popular than the prostitutes in the red lantern district, while the marriage rates refused to rise.
Barabo nearly gave into despair at that, lamenting that for all his good intentions, his citizens were incorrigible. That was when the strangers came to Court. There were three of them, identical triplets who spoke in unison and served a strange, foreign religion. They promised Barabo that they could solve his particular problem.
Though skeptical at first, he soon became an enthusiastic supporter of the triplets and they became a fixture at court. Even as other courtiers began to have doubts about these strangers, Barabo grew more attached to them. Soon he was plying them with gifts and helping them set up a compound within one of the city's most lavish mansions, seized from a rebellious merchant years ago, all in pursuit of their secret project.
While the official consensus was that the triplets were mere conmen, exploiting the King to swindle him out of gold and slaves, in truth the King's Vizier and his former close advisors feared that something much darker was occurring. Unfortunately for them, before any action could be taken, the King changed. He summoned his courtiers and announced he had solved the biggest problem afflicting the city. When asked what exactly that problem was, he produced a bow made of glistening chitin and started shooting. Anyone struck by one of his arrows fell under his control. Thus did the King solve the greatest problem afflicting his city, that of free will.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, when the user shoots a creature with an arrow, he can force that creature to save. On a successful save, that creature takes damage as normal. On a failed save, the creature falls under the control of the user. The controlled creatures will obey any orders given to them, but if ordered to take an action that violates their own moral code or is obviously dangerous, that creature gets another save to break out of the mind control. Creatures affected by this mind control will remain under the control of the user until released or the user who dominated them dies. The mind control effect can also be dispelled by a Magi who can remove the enchantment from the mind of an affected creature.
- No one else can use the ability of this bow once a creature has used it once, unless that first user willingly hands it over or dies. In either case, any creatures under mind-control are automatically released.
King Barabo became known as the Flesh-Tamer and after seizing total control of his city, he launched an unsuccessful attack against his neighbors, attempting to enslave their populations as well. Unfortunately, mind-controlled soldiers are not creative or flexible, so his armies produced little more than a vast mound of corpses. After these failed conquests, Barabo's city was besieged for four years, the city only falling after a band of assassins snuck over the wall, infiltrated his palace and killed him.
His bow was brought back along with his head, but as no one in the alliance that overthrew him could trust their rivals with the bow and it seemed impossible to destroy, the bow was sealed in a metal chest and flung into the sea. Since that day, no one has seen it since. If it did ever turn up though, there would be a massive hunt for both the bow and the poor soul who is currently holding it.
 |
| by rh og69 |
Cloudbane/Skybleeder:
1d6+Atk
The Lords of the Upper Air have waged war against the Servants of the Water Courts since the beginning of the Cloud War. This foolish pursuit has led to many attempts to create super-weapons in the hope of finally winning the war. Usually, these either produce slightly more powerful weapons that aren't really worth the effort, or powerful weapons that while very effective, aren't worth the expense needed to create them. However, the bow named Cloudbane is rare example of a success story.
Cloudbane was created through the partnership between a mortal King named Iskal and the Gas Noble Ferdinand Adamus. Iskal wanted a tool that would help bring rain to his arid nation, while Adamus wanted a tool to destroy the cloud-fortresses of the Water Elementals. They worked together and created the bow, made from the finest materials Iskal could afford and infused with the power of the air, Cloudbane was a work of genius. With it, Adamus was able to conquer and seize many cloud-fortresses, while Iskal used it to bring rain and nourish the crops of his people. This was a very equitable partnership that both greatly benefited from.
However, this success brought unwanted attention and soon other powerful Air Spirits, upon seeing the work of art that was Cloudbane, sought to seize it for themselves. Some tried to take it by force, but these attempts were routed by Adamus' servants. So they tried other methods. They went to Iskal and promised him even better weather and when he was skeptical of this, they brought rain to his lands, even in the dry season.
Soon the Noble Air Spirits were competing amongst each other, sending torrential rains, rains of fish and frogs and other weather wonders to Iskal's land. Soon this competition grew fierce and bitter, with the Wind-Lords fighting amongst each other, attempting to ruin each other's efforts with tornadoes, thunder and hailstorms. This then triggered a minor civil war among the Air Nobles, who tore apart the sky above Iskal's kingdom, shattering the delicate balance of the elements.
Soon the land was in chaos, the weather running rampant. Whole villages were obliterated by storms, while crops failed or were destroyed by freak weather events. Iskal himself was also subjected to many assassination attempts, mostly in the form of lightning strikes, massive hailstorms and several tornadoes, which destroyed much of his palace and capital city. In the end, Iskal had enough of the chaos.
He pleaded with Adamus to stop the fighting, but Gas Noble refused, as he was benefiting from all his rivals destroying themselves. So Iskal threatened to destroy the bow. Adamus told him if he did that, he would destroy the King, so Iskal stayed his hand. But when several days later a woman brought her dead son to the capital and asked him why he had been struck by lightning, Iskal's heart was moved with pity.
He concocted a plan to save his people. He summoned his Magi and told them to create a means of stopping the war in the Heavens above. The Magi consulted and schemed and eventually came up with a plan they thought might work. So Iskal journeyed to the coast and threatened to throw Cloudbane into the sea. The Air Spirits descended on him, but when they did, his Magi sprang their trap, sealing them in a vast magic circle. Iskal showed them that he did not have Cloudbane, but instead carried a replica.
He told the Spirits that if they did not swear to never interfere with the weather of his kingdom again, he would have Cloudbane sealed away where they could never find it. The Spirits agreed but when they were released, they cursed King Iskal and his line to forever suffer their wrath. King Iskal didn't care, as long as they stopped. They then departed. Years later, King Iskal died mysteriously after being struck by thirteen near-simultaneous lightning bolts on an otherwise cloudless day.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, if the user hits a creature with an arrow, the user can also cause that creature to be struck by lightning. These lightning bolts do 3d6 damage, save for half. Creatures get disadvantage on any save they make if they are wearing metal armor or carrying large amounts of metal.
- If there are clouds in the sky, the user can fire an arrow at them to pierce the cloud and cause rain in a localized area (1d4 square miles, depending on the size of the cloud).
- The user does not take fall damage, as long as he is in an area with an unrestricted airflow. For example, it would work in a field, but not in a cave deep below the earth (unless the cave was extremely big).
- The user of this bow will also be hated by Water Elementals. If he steps into any source of water (such as a river, lake, or heaven forbid the ocean) that water will do it's best to drag him down and drown him. Even rain will try to kill him, though this will mostly mean getting in his eyes and making him miserable by soaking him to the skin.
King Iskal's lineage still rules, but they have developed an aversion to being outdoors, as almost all the men of their line eventually end up being killed by lightning. The current heir is desperate to avoid this fate for himself and has promised his family's legendary bow, along with any other reward you could imagine, in exchange for a way to break the curse.
Death of Courage/Arc of Fear/Soul's End:
1d6+Atk
The Nightmare King was a terrible Demon-King who, after possessing the body of the Prince of Swords, was able to secretly subvert and then eventually take over his home city of Okar, ruling the people with an iron fist. He ruled through terror, passing harsh laws and torturing those who refused to obey him. Every night, the people would be forced to experience the memories of this torture in their dreams to forever remember why they must obey.
To perfect his mastery of fear, the Nightmare King created a weapon to spread terror more effectively, more personally. He crafted a bow of moonlight and nightmares, weaving thread of discord and failure. He lacquered it with sorrow and misery and adorned it with the soul of the body he had stolen, sealing it in a violet-black gem to savor his despair forever. He named this weapon Death of Courage, for that is what it would do.
The surrounding Kings rightly feared him and so formed an alliance to try and destroy him. Six Kings came against his city, but the Nightmare King was not worried. He stole their plans from their minds and savored their secret fears and insecurities, making them into arrowheads. When they attacked, he struck back, driving the Kings insane by afflicting them with waking nightmares. The King of Tarzil feared that his wife was being unfaithful, so when he saw a "vision" sent from his God about his Queen bedding his least-favorite courtier, he quit the field and went home, leaving his army leaderless.
The King of Golka had been concealed in a chest when he was younger to protect him from assassins but this experience had left him a crippling fear of small spaces. When struck by an arrow from the Nightmare King, the King of Golka thought he had been buried alive and was reduced to a screaming, sobbing mess.
So all the Kings failed and their great attack crumbled. That night, when they all had realized what had happened, they despaired at the thought of attacking Okar's walls again. Their men had already suffered losses and more then that, they had lost faith in their leaders. They had no idea of how to counter the Nightmare King's powers or his great weapon, and so in their shame, they sent messengers and asked for peace. The Nightmare King was happy to agree.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, if the user strikes a creature with an arrow, the user can force that creature to save. On a failed save, that creature takes no damage but is instead suffers an extremely realistic, multi-sensory illusion that forces them to experience their deepest fear. To the afflicted creature, the illusion is one hundred percent real and absolutely awful. Any creature that tries to interfere in the illusion will either be unable to be seen, or will be re-interpreted as part of the illusion. These illusions last for one hour or until dismissed by the user.
- The illusions can also be dispelled by the creature in question facing and overcoming their fear. To do this, a creature must succeed on three separate COG checks (morale checks for NPCs). The creature should roll each round. After three successes, the creature can manage to overcome their fear temporarily and push the illusion away. If the creature fails three checks before it succeeds on three however, it is locked in the illusion for the full duration.
The Nightmare King had managed to fend off the threat of the rival Kings and ruled Okar for almost a hundred years, terrorizing and bullying both his people and the surrounding lands. It was only when he launched a campaign of conquest that his rival kings sought to oppose him once more.
 |
| by |
Master of Wind/Speaker of Lies/Faithless:
1d6+Atk
When the Nightmare King attempted to conquer and dominate his neighbors, the Kings of the Cities around Okar raised their armies to defend against him, though they were filled with dread at the thought of facing that master of fear once more. So in desperation, they contacted the great warrior, Takiz, Son of No One.
Takiz had been abandoned shortly after birth and only survived thanks to the kindness of strangers. If anyone had been more unlikely to be a famous hero, it was he. Yet Takiz had risen to the challenge, becoming not only a skilled warrior, but a maker of wondrous items, a friend to the downtrodden and a mighty hero.
Unfortunately, when they found him, Takiz was very drunk, found sleeping under a plum tree. He was woken up and when informed of the situation, expressed his irritation at being asked to solve such a "simple" problem. When the servants sent to fetch him expressed disbelief at this, Takiz just shook his head and went with them.
When he was brought before the rival Kings, Takiz informed them that he would solve their problem, but only if they would provide him with whatever materials he needed, including Unicorn Hair, Griffon Claws, Honey Badger Fur, A jar of live ants, Buffalo Horn, Moose Antler and the skull of a Hippo. He also requested a bronze mirror, horn and sinew, some arrows and as much plum wine as he could drink.
After laboring for three days and nights, Takiz told them to assemble their armies and prepare for battle. Their armies gathered together and faced the Nightmare King's terror-fueled berserkers at the Battle of the Boulderfield, or as it would be remembered later, the Battle of Liar's Rock. Before battle was joined, a group of men dressed in robes came out and drew runes all over a large, flat rock in the center of the battlefield.
Then the King of Tarzil came out and stood on the rock, challenging the Nightmare King to single-combat. The Nightmare King refused and instead shot him with an arrow from Death of Courage. Yet to the Nightmare King's shock, the arrow did nothing. The King of Tarzil laughed and told them that the rock he stood on was warded against the Nightmare King's magic. The only way for him to win would be with the sword.
So the Nightmare King rode out, worried about losing the fear of his men and engaged the King of Tarzil in single combat. But as he began to fight him, he came to a shocking conclusion. This wasn't the King of Tarzil! It was an illusion. When he peeled the illusion away, he saw that sitting next to the rock was an unassuming man with a seemingly ordinary bow folded across his lap.
The man greeted the Nightmare King casually and informed him that he was about to be defeated, his foul magics undone. The Nightmare King laughed in response. Then the unassuming man told the King who he was. When the Nightmare King learned he was facing Takiz, Son of No One, for the first time, he felt genuine, unabashed fear. When he did that, his powers weakened just enough for Takiz to skewer him with an arrow.
When the arrow struck him, it disguised the Nightmare King, making him look utterly ridiculous. As the illusion tripped and stumbled away, spluttering and making a fool of itself, Takiz laughed at him. This frightened the Nightmare King, but worse, it made him angry. Fueled by rage and anger, he blindly lashed out. Takiz never liked fighting angry people, so he made it quick.
After the battle was won, the rival Kings found Takiz getting drunk in his tent. When they asked him about the Nightmare King, Takiz informed him that he was dead and that his arrow riddled-body was around here, somewhere. When the Kings prostrated themselves before the hero and asked him how they could repay him, Takiz asked for more wine.
The Kings went to comply, but when they did, they found that not only had Takiz consumed most of the plum wine they brought, he had used one barrel to preserve the body of the Nightmare King for "future experiments". As they were terrified of him even in death, the Kings burned the barrel and destroyed the former vessel of their demonic enemy. Takiz was reported to have wept at the waste of good materials.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, the user can create an illusion within 50' of himself. This illusion lasts for 10 minutes or until dispelled. The Illusion can produce visual and auditory sensory data, but does not stand up to physical scrutiny. Additionally, as a free action on his turn, the user can manipulate the illusion. For example, the user could make an illusion of a man who walks and moves realistically.
- 3/Day, the user can mark an arrow and if fired from this bow, when that arrow hits, it can create an illusion that covers a 30' diameter circle and is centered on the arrow's impact point. The user can manipulate this illusion as a free action on his turn.
After the death of the Nightmare King, Takiz entrusted both the Demon's bow, Death of Courage, and the one he had made, Master of Wind, to the rival Kings before he departed, as Takiz hated evil, but he had no patience for Kings. The rival Kings agreed to make an alliance amongst themselves, calling themselves the Six-City League.
As part of this treaty, the bow Master of Wind would remain in each City for 1 year and be transferred to a new City each year. As for Death of Courage, since the Kings still feared it, so they had it sealed in a secret vault and swore the builders to secrecy, so no one could ever find or use it again.
Door-Smith/Key of Dreams:
1d6+Atk
Caran Quickfeet was a Hoba and a thief of great renown. He stole not just for money, not just for prestige, but because he simply loved the game. He was known to leave taunting messages behind or to steal things that had no actual value, just because he could. Once he infiltrated the Yellow Emperor's palace just to steal the underwear of his favorite concubine, which he then strung up a flagpole.
He stole into the Monastery of the Blood-Seeker Monks and stole the petrified heart of their founder to demonstrate that he could. Once, when a comrade of his was captured, he disguised himself, got himself arrested, stole the keys, locked the warden in one of the empty cells, then freed every single person in the dungeon and managed to escape with his companion.
Caran terrorized many over the years, but eventually, even his legendary prowess met their match. Caran finally drew the attention of the great Seeker, Altrim Sharpeye. Altrim was an Agent of Law, committed to the forces of Order. He traveled the land, seeking sources of Chaos to snuff out and crush.
When he heard the tale of Caran, he at first dismissed it, stories of Hoba thieves not being uncommon, but eventually he became convinced that these stories were not exaggerations or a composite of multiple thieves, but one legendary criminal. Altrim sought to capture this man as an enemy of Law. As such, he came up with a scheme.
Altrim convinced a royal dynasty to hide their jewels and replace them with fakes, then had a Magus put a very sensitive, very delicate tracking spell on the fakes. Then he announced that the jewels were going to be put on display. However, to ensure that they were not able to be stolen, the King had hired him to make sure that no thief could possibly take them. Altrim was confident that this was a challenge Caran would not be able to refuse.
He was correct in this as on the first day, the Chief Clerk received a note that the jewels would be stolen. It was signed "C. Quickfoot". Altrim was confident now and made ready. Sure enough, two nights later, a gang of thieves attempted to infiltrate the hall where the jewels were being kept.
Altrim had prepared well however and they were captured. Altrim crowed in victory at outfoxing the great thief. He was greatly lauded for this. Yet the celebration was short-lived, for when the King went to "return" the royal jewels to their rightful place of honor, he found them missing, replaced by a gloating apology letter from "G. Quickfoot".
When he was interrogated that night, "Caran Quickfeet" revealed that the name 'Quickfeet' was not just because he had two fast feet, but also that there were two Quickfoots out there. That night, he disappeared from his cell and vanished into the night, never to be captured again. The only clue left behind was a broken arrowhead found stuck into a tiny gap between the doorframe and the wall.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, the user can enchant two arrows and place them where they are touching a pair of doors. When he does this, he can create a sympathetic link between the two doors. For as long as those arrows remain in contact with the two doors, the doors will act as a pair of portals, one leading to the other. If either of these arrows are removed from the door they are touching, the portals stop working.
After he passed away, Caran Quickfeet's bow was taken and placed in a secret temple to the God of Thieves. It is guarded there until a suitably bold thief earns the attention of the Lord of Thieves, who will summon them to this temple and offer them the bow, in exchange for performing a great service or a notorious heist.
 |
Voidpiercer/Daughter-Devourer/Eater of Hope:
1d6+Atk
Frowar was a cunning and ruthless politician, born the firstborn son of a Sorcerer-King. He was everything one might want in an heir, handsome, well-spoken, intelligent and ambitious. He was a leader of men, a skilled duelist and possessed both skill at military maneuvers and the subtle conflict at court. There was just one problem- he had little to no magical talent. No one could succeed the Sorcerer-King without impressive arcane power so for all his Frowar's other virtues, he was not a viable choice.
This infuriated him, for he considered himself the superior of all his brothers in all areas but in magical talent. This frustration of his only grew as his wife bore him five daughters, each one possessing excellent affinities for magic. So when his father grew ill and seemed about to pass, Frowar became desperate. He convinced himself that any of his brothers would lead the kingdom into ruin and that he must do anything to save it. So he sought methods both unusual and unethical.
Eventually, he found something he thought might work. He contacted a powerful Demon named Arkalos and asked for the ability to command magic. Arkalos told him that it was possible to gain such power, but that it would be hard to obtain and require sacrifice. Frowar agreed to do whatever the Demon asked, in exchange for the power to save his people. So the Demon told him what he must do.
Several days later, while Frowar and his family were out hunting and enjoying the spring flowers, bandits attacked! Frowar's wife and daughters were kidnapped while he was out chasing a boar with his retainers. When he returned, he was enraged and personally lead the search.
Three days later, they found the bandits, who were actually cultists! They had sacrificed Frowar's wife in a gruesome black-magic ritual. Frowar flew into a rage at the sight and killed them all. This was his deepest regret, as there was no sign of the girls. Frowar and his retainers waited to see if there would be any ransom demands, but none ever came.
Frowar shortly thereafter developed magical talents, each one more potent than the last. He even had five affinities, an almost mythic trait. He even demonstrated a talent for crafting magical items, forging a bow he named 'Remembrance', made from the wood of yew trees and the blade that slew his wife, while her hair and that of their daughters was magically woven into a nigh-unbreakable cord that formed the bowstring.
He quickly earned the praise of Court and seemed likely to reclaim his spot as heir apparent, but his rivals at court suspected something strange was happening. After all, Frowar's daughters had gone missing and he just so happened to have gained magical talent identical to their affinities?
Before any serious investigation could occur, however, the chief daughter vanished in the night without another word. Kidnapping was suspected, but there was no proof of forced entry or coercion. It was as if he vanished into thin air. After a few more courtiers disappeared, Frowar's critics took the hint and stopped critiquing the heir or spreading rumors about him.
With no more obstacles standing in his way, Frowar was poised to ascend the throne as soon as his ailing father passed. Yet the heir suddenly seemed to develop strange tendencies. He started hearing voices and having nightmares, talking to people who weren't there and begging not to see his daughters again. He argued with someone he called 'their Husband', though this other person did not seem to be real and had metal statues of his daughters built.
Day and night he would plead with them, begging them for forgiveness, telling them it was the only way. Still, he kept things together well enough and was too powerful at court for anyone to object too much- after all, a mad king is better than no king. Besides, there was no better option. After the disappearance of his greatest rivals, none of his brothers were willing to challenge him.
Abilities:
- If the user strikes a creature with an arrow, the user can force that creature to save. On a successful save, the creature takes +1d6 necrotic damage. On a failed save, the creature is banished to an icy, lightless void. This void is empty, apart from pale, white humanoids without eyes that hunt any kill any living creature and tear it to pieces, bathing in it's blood. A creature banished to this void will remain banished for 1d4 [1= 1d6 rounds; 2= 1d6 minutes; 3= 1d6 days; 4= 1d6 weeks.]
- Voidpiercer is cursed. Each time Voidpiercer's banishment ability is used, the user must save. On a failed save, 1d6-1 (explodes on a "5") of the pale humanoids appear near him. As they abhor the light of the sun, they will appear in the nearest darkness. The humanoids will be driven to stalk and kill the user, then bathe in his blood and devour his flesh. They will avoid conflict with others along the way, but will fight if a creature tries to stop them from reaching their goal. If the humanoids kill the current user, they will disappear from the world and return to their void, leaving behind only patches of cold air.
Details of the Void:
- The Void contains no food or water and is just cold enough to freeze you to death if you have no shelter. The void also has extremely limited mana-flow, so spellcasting is hard there and all spells only function at 50% power.
- The pale humanoids, known to the most esoteric and damned of scholars as the Daughters of Arkalos, number 555,555. When a creature appears in their Void, they can sense that creature's arrival. Additionally, for each hour a creature remains there, he has a 1-in-6 chance of drawing more Daughters to him. Creating light, heat or using magic will also draw them like honey draws flies.
- If a creature dies in the void, whether or starvation, dehydration, hypothermia or being devoured, their body will never return to the mortal world.
Fortunately for his father's kingdom, Frowar did not survive to his coronation. After his father died, Frowar locked himself in his room and refused to let anyone, even his guards inside. That night, the guards outside his room heard the sounds of screaming and pleas for mercy. They broke down the door, but found nothing but a torn mattress and blood-stained sheets.
The only evidence Frowar had even been here besides the messy bed was his bow resting on a chest. As no one wanted the gruesome treasure, it was sealed away in one of the family's vaults, where they did their best to forget it. The bow obliged this request by disappearing in the night. Since then it has wandered the world, looking for more souls to feed it's endless hunger.
Arc of the Rainbow:
1d6+Atk
Once there was a girl named Lazy Jen who loved nothing more than to take naps in the sun and avoid working on her family's farm. Her mother complained of this, but she was adored by her Father, who let it slide. So Jen lived many peaceful, happy years on her father's farm. Yet unknown to her, as the years passed, she grew into a true beauty. One day, when Jen went with her father to the market, as otherwise she might have to stay and help with the animals, she noticed all the men in the market stealing looks at her.
Though this distressed her at first, her mother told her that good looks were a gift, one that could fetch her a good husband. That being said, her mother warned her not to misuse them, as they could get her into trouble.
Jen promptly ignored her mother's advice and went off to flaunt her beauty. She learned to tease and flirt and soon had half a dozen men wrapped around her fingers. They showered her with gifts and flattery and treated her like she was made of gold and Jen loved every second of it. Her parents worried for her, but Jen assured them that she had everything under control.
Then one day, as she napping on the grass, the Sun noticed her on the grass. He was immediately smitten with her and took human form. When she woke, she gaped at the shining avatar before her. The Sun identified himself and told her that he wished to marry her. She was too shocked to refuse as he took her hand.
For the rest of the day, the sun showered her with impossible wonders and took her to see dazzling sights that shook her mortal mind. She was so overcome with the whole experience that she couldn't imagine saying no. So the Sun negotiated with her parents and it was agreed that the two of them be wed.
That night, however, the Moon came to her and whispered into her dreams. Jen was terrified that the Moon, as the Sun's wife, might object to their union. The Moon insisted she had no qualms, but warned her that part of the reason why she and the Sun separated was that his issue was burning hot. Only someone sufficiently strong could handle it without being consumed.
Jen was horrified at the thought and so tried to think of a way to get out of the marriage. Yet her every excuse was brushed aside or ignored. She tried many schemes, some clever and others foolhardy, but her groom-to-be plowed through, almost oblivious to her distress.
Finally, Jen decided she had enough and decided to accept her fate. Days before the wedding, she cried herself to sleep. The Goddess of Marriage heard her cries and upon seeing Jen's distress, decided to help her. She went to all of Jen's former hanger-ons and informed them of what was going to happen. They were horrified and asked how they could help. She told them what they ought to do to save Jen and in their desperation, they agreed. The next day, all of Jen's men gathered together and set to work on a crazy, audacious plan.
The day of the wedding, they confronted the Sun and told him about their concerns. The Sun told them that Jen would probably survive and even if she didn't, it's not like she would last long anyway. A few more decades and she'd be dust, just like them. So why did they care? They protested and told him they had a plan that could make everyone happy. The Sun was amused at the notion, so he agreed to allow them to try.
They set their plan into motion then, by stealing Jen's dress and giving her a new one covered in fine, clear crystal. Jen was not really thinking and assumed that it was just another present, so she put it on. Then, as the ceremony was about to begin, they told the Sun what he ought to do. He agreed to try. Then it all came down to waiting. All they could do now was pray that their plan would work.
As Jen came out, the Sun, as the plan demanded, fired a beam of his power at her. Jen cried out, but instead of annihilating her, his light hit the crystals in her dress and refracted through them. As the dress had been enchanted to copy what was done through it onto the wearer, suddenly instead of one Jen, there were seven!
As the Goddess of Marriage had told them, people were composed of seven parts- Earth, Plant, Beast, Emotion, Ego, Reason and Immortality. Thus Jen was divided into her separate components- Red Jen was of Earth and was extremely stable and known for her very dry wit. Orange Jen was of Plant and was obsessed with the pattern of the Seasons. Yellow Jen was of Beast, she never spoke, but her husband described her as being an amorous lover and rampant glutton.
Green Jen was her emotions and was known for both her incredible sensitivity and only a little self-obsession. Blue Jen was her Ego and thus, most like the old Jen. Indigo Jen was her Reason and was known to be an extremely good, if cold wife, as she politely and diligently explained her feelings at all times. Finally, Purple Jen was composed of the part of her that made her soul immortal. She was not only beautiful and ageless, but strong enough to marry the Sun without dying.
As thanks for saving them, the other colored Jens wished Purple Jen well in her marriage to then Sun, then each married one of her mortal lovers. As he was pleased at this result, the Sun took a beam of sunlight and stretched into a bow shape, then took a drop of color from each of the Jens and fashioned them into seven magical arrows to accompany it. He then gifted the bow to the men as a 'Thank you' gift, before departing with his new wife.
Abilities:
- X/Day, when the user strikes a creature with an arrow, the user can cause that arrow to explode into a blast of elemental energy that does damage of any kind that he has the Color Arrow for. For example, if the user possesses the Red Color Arrow, he can make his regular arrows explode into a blast of fire. This fire blast can cover a space of up to X*10' diameter wide, where X is the number of Color Arrows he possesses. This blast does 2d6 damage, save for half.
- X/Day, the user can make himself immune to elemental damage of a type equal to the type of one of the Color Arrows produces for 1 minute. He can repeatedly make himself immune to one type of elemental damage, he does not have to switch to being immune to other elements if he does not wish to.
- As long as the user is touching the bow or one of the Color Arrows, he can sense the location of the other arrows vaguely. For example, if he was 1000 leagues north of the arrow, he would know it was "South of him".
- There are 7 Color Arrows, each doing a different type of elemental damage and offering protection from the same. These colors and Elements are: Red - Fire; Orange - Acid; Yellow - Radiant; Green - Poison; Blue - Cold; Indigo - Psychic; Purple - Lightning.
After the Sun gifted them such a valiant weapon, the six men swore to protect it and use it only for Goodness. As the bow was passed down from generation to generation, this oath became less important and the six families began to covet the bow. Then one night, it vanished. All the families blamed the other, but since no one would confess, each of them took one of the Color Arrows, for without them, the bow was much less powerful, needing all seven to reach it's full potential.
 |
Clearbone/Word-Burner/Tongue-Slice:
1d8+Atk
During the Strixan Civil War, also known as the War of the Mage-Houses, many terrible weapons were unleashed upon both Magus and commoner alike. The Key to the Final Door was a famous necromancy spell that could devour the souls of an entire cohort and raise the soldiers as Undead puppets of the sorcerer, while the Rod of Five Seasons caused droughts and storms, leading to an out-of-control magical effect that permanently altered the weather for the Southern Provinces, even to this day.
In order to bring them to heel, the Imperial Throne created a secret corps of assassins known as the Glass-Knives, commoners trained and equipped to hide themselves from Magi an assassinate them. They were extremely successful, wiping out several Houses and crippling others. They might have gone and won the war the Emperor had they not been discovered and the Mage-Houses taken counter-measures against them.
Still, the damage was done and the rebels were left divided and scattered between the radical House Eshorn, which wanted to overthrow the Emperor, and the more conservative House Javo, which wanted to reform the Imperial bureaucracy, which they saw as the source of the dispute between them. This division was not as advantageous as one might think, for while the Emperor did not want to lose his throne, he definitely did not want to shrink the Imperial bureaucracy.
The former would be easier to fight, but Javo's offer was both reasonable and attractive. Many Houses had not sworn for either side or had sworn in a non-committal fashion, their true aim to side with the winner. The Emperor knew that unless he could win a quick victory, Javo might accumulate more support.
So he had his war-mages create a new weapon for his Glass-Knives. It fit the pattern of their previous weapons, crystal and clear, but this one was laden with potent runes that enabled it to slice through the strongest arcane defenses like it was soft butter. He then armed his assassins and sent them to cripple House Javo.
His weapon proved very successfully, with the Glass-Knives able to assassinate both the patriarch of the House, along with his two sons. House Javo was significantly weakened and fell into infighting, no longer capable of defending against Imperial pressure or leading a rebellion against the Emperor.
Abilities:
- 3/Day, the user can imbue an arrow with anti-magical properties. The arrow has a 50% of penetrating magical defenses as if they weren't there. This applies to any shield, ward or other defense composed of or held together via magic.
- 3/Day, the user can cloak himself in power, giving himself 50% Magic Resistance. If the user is targeted with a magical effect, roll 1d10. If the user rolls equal to or under the number of his Resistance (50%), the magical effect passes over him without harming him and instead effects the nearest available target.
Sadly, the Emperor was a victim of his own success. While attacking House Javo might have prevented them from forming another front against him, his ruthless behavior merely emboldened his enemies and provided plentiful ammunition for them. The Emperor's supporters deserted him one by one until he was finally besieged in his capital by a coalition of the Mage-Houses.
In the grand tradition of Strixan Emperors, he killed himself and used the last of his life force to curse his enemies, rather than be taken alive. When the victors were permitted to enter the City, they found the Glass-Knives waiting next to the corpse of their Emperor, holding the weapon which had wounded House Javo. However, rather than destroy them, the Patriarch of Eshorn took them into his house-hold and declared himself the new Emperor.
After he was assassinated years later, though not by the Glass-Knives, but by his own son, the bow that had laid low first House Javo then many others disappeared during the coup and has not been seen since. Secretly, it was stolen by a cook's boy, who promptly sold it to a merchant who didn't know any better what it was for a pouch of silver that he squandered on drink and women. It is currently stuffed into a traveling merchant's cart, hidden under some blankets as he looks for the right buyer.
No comments:
Post a Comment