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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] The Valley of Crystal in the Present Day This dry vale brims with a bewildering array of stones. They line the cliff sides and cover the valley floor; heroes who enter it must wear hard-soled boots, as the jagged crystalline protrusions quickly slash soft-soled footwear to ribbons. Even characters in hard boots must be careful, as someone who trips and falls may, at best, gain terrible scars, and at worst, suffer fatal wounds. The Valley of Crystal lies within the territory claimed by the ogre nation of Blode. Within recent years, the ogres started collecting the crystals here, and that harvest is gradually becoming a fixture of the nation's economy. The ogres trade most of the crystals to Blode's Dark Knight neighbors in exchange for weapons and armor. Moreover, several units of Dark Knights garrison in southern Blode, where they keep a watch over the domain of Sable the Black. Unlike many other dragon overlords, Sable has no interest in forming alliances with the Dark Knights. Her curious interest in magical experiments and the creation of new and bizarre life forms concerns the Dark Knight leadership; they feel it beneficial for all involved parties to accept payment from Chieftain Donnag, the current warlord of the tribes of Blode, in order to strengthen their southern borders. The ogres have not established any permanent camps near the valley water is too scarce in the region for that. Furthermore, the dwarves of Thoradin, whose kingdom borders on the Valley of Crystal, have access to an exit that leads from their hidden underground realm into the valley. Dwarven war bands typically swarm and kill any ambitious ogres arrogant enough to try establishing a permanent outpost. The dazzling reflections of sunlight off the thousands of crystals make it so impossible to see that it is difficult to enter the valley during the day. Humans, ogres, and other beings who don't have sensitive vision can move carefully through the valley, so long as they make an effort to shield their eyes with veils; even then, they must squint against the painful brightness. Elves, goblins, dwarves, and others whose eyes are highly sensitive to light risk permanent blindness should they enter the valley during the day; the glare is so sharp and their eyes so sensitive that it may even burn through closed eyelids. Heroes who come to the valley can collect 1 to 100 crystals for each hour each individual spends searching. The leaders of Neraka and Sanction are collecting the crystals and will pay 100 to 1,000 steel Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html pieces per crystal. In both cases, however, they pay such high prices only if the heroes assure them the crystals were not touched by living, bare hands during collection otherwise, they only pay ten to one hundred steel per crystal. Neither the Dark Knights nor the agents of Hogan Bight, the lord of Sanction, will explain why they want to know if the crystals have been touched. However, they will use magic to verify the truthfulness of the heroes regarding the crystals for sale. Secrets of the Valley of Crystal Although the ogres of Blode have yet to discover the true importance of the crystals found in the Valley of Crystal, the Dark Knights and agents of the mysterious lord of Sanction, Hogan Bight, have come to realize that some of them are a type of magical battery. When carried by a person with the ability to use mystic magic, certain crystals can boost his or her spellcasting ability by a significant margin. Roughly one in one hundred crystals has this ability. (The Narrator should draw from the Fate Deck or roll 1d10 to determine if a crystal harvested by a hero is thus enchanted. If the result of 1 comes up twice in a row, the crystal is magically charged.) It is impossible to tell a magically charged crystal from the others until the hero actually uses it and it can be used only if a character is carrying it and attempts to cast a spell after he or she feels completely drained of magical abilities. sagarules:The charged crystals of the valley each provide from 10 to 100 additional spell points. Once a charged crystal touches the bare skin of a hero or character, it automatically attunes to him or her; no other person can ever gain the benefit of the spell points stored within them. (Even if a being has no capacity for using mysticism, the crystal still attunes to him or her no one else will ever gain the benefit after it touches living skin.) A person with mystical abilities who carries a charged crystal can draw upon the extra spell points once the reservoir of magical energies within him or her as been expended. The crystal must be touching bare skin in order to be effective. The spell points are expended as per normal rules, but they never recharge. If the hero keeps drawing spell points from the crystal, it eventually becomes nonmagical. (The Narrator should secretly keep track of how many spell points are in a crystal.) AD&D rules:The charged crystals hold 1d10+5 spell levels each, only usable for the casting of priest spells. Once a charged crystal touches the bare skin of a hero or character, it automatically attunes to him or her; no other person can ever gain the benefit of the spell levels stored within it. (Even if a being has no capacity for using priestly magic, the crystal still attunes to him or her as described above.) If a being with the ability to use priestly magic carries a charged crystal, he or she can recast spells of his or her choice, using the crystal to do so. The crystal must be touching bare skin in order to be effective. If the bearer of the crystal tries to cast a spell even after he or she has expended all spells prayed for that day, the spell is drawn from the crystal. When stored spell levels are expended, they do not regenerate. If the hero keeps drawing spells from the crystal, it eventually becomes nonmagical. (The Dungeon Master should secretly keep track of how many spell levels a crystal contains.) Adventure Seed Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html A Daewar dwarf from the Kingdom of Thorbardin approaches a group of heroes. The dwarf's name is Rohar Hammerflint, and he introduces himself a follower of Severus Stonehand, Prophet of Reorx. If given the opportunity, the dwarf explains that Severus and his followers believe Reorx is testing the faith [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |