Discordant Chimes of Nin | Grimsbay | Cloudberries | Sakari Asikka | Six Gravestone Inscriptions
Discordant Chimes of Nin
Magic Item
Discordant chimes were born of necessity and desperation. In olden times, harpies infested a small island chain lying across several trade routes. The harpies often harried ships that strayed too close to the islands, with predictably disastrous consequences for the unfortunate mariners.
Nin was a middlingly-powerful wizard and failed bard who poured his limited (and terribly flawed) musical knowledge into his most famous creation. These small chimes hang from a silver bracelet, and when the wearer moves, they create a harsh, discordant chiming sound that counteracts a harpy’s song (and certain other sonic, audible effects). This sound is incredibly jarring and off-putting—some who have heard it describe it as a musical flaying of the soul—and so these are not items to be worn constantly. Rather, they are donned out of necessity and only for short periods of time.
Nin made at least a score of his discordant chimes, and they have been scattered throughout the world in the centuries following his death. Some say that the sounds they produce have grown even worse with age.
Grimsbay
Coastal | Village
The small bay of Grimsbay pierces a swath of barren, wind-buffeted coast mostly inhabited by seabirds and seals.
Grim was a roving raider and want-to-be-warlord; he saw this sheltered bay as the nucleus of his own nascent kingdom. Naming the place Grim’s Bay, he literally put his name on the map. Unfortunately for Grim, he made many enemies. One such enemy hunted Grim down, burnt his ship, sacked his home and slew his warriors. Captured, Grim endured a terrible, drawn-out death—or so the legends of his rise and fall tell.
Thus, the bay’s name has two meanings. It both names the village’s founder and the supposed nature of his death—either at the claws of a swarm of man-eating crabs or the attentions of the implacable and uncaring incoming tide.
Even now, the village of Grimsbay is not a nice place to live. The weather is harsh, and the soil is thin. Its folk make their lives fishing. However, a perceptive visitor may wonder at the profusion of weapons borne by the villagers and of the presence of two sleek warships bobbing in the bay. A small, stout castle overlooks the isolated village, which boasts few amenities for visitors. Few people willingly visit Grimsbay more than once.
Cloudberries
Druids | Hills | Plant
Growing on the south-facing flanks of a range of wild, mist-drenched hills, cloudberries are famed for their medicinal properties. Tended and guarded by the druids who dwell amid the hills’ rugged, untouched beauty, cloudberries are large, grey and succulent. The druids have learnt how to imbue the berries with various healing, preservative and protective magics in the same way as priests brew healing potions.
Cloudberries are a rare resource for the druids, and they look very unfavourably on interlopers stealing them.
Sakari Asikka
NPC
Ever in danger of penury and destitution, Sakari loves to gamble. He knows that soon, his luck will turn; he needs only one big win, and he will be set for life. Sakari hails from a wealthy family, but gambling has almost ruined him. He is well-spoken and educated—these are the last vestiges of his family’s wealth—but he owns few nice things now. His small home is curiously empty; he has sold off much to cover his debts, and soon the last of his heirlooms will be gone.
Sakari is perpetually dishevelled and seems to always be recovering from a hard, late night. He is a careless man and rarely pays attention to detail. He is always out for himself. He believes that, given that no one is looking out for him, he shouldn’t bother looking out for anyone else. To him, other people are mere tools.
Now his fortune dwindles to a dangerous ebb, Sakari is a miser and a skinflint. He does, however, own one thing of value: an old map showing the locations of his wealthy ancestors’ final resting places. Many of his forbears were buried with their personal jewellery and other accoutrements. What Sakari needs is a small group of people willing to dig them up for him…
Six Gravestone Inscriptions
Six Things | Urban
Pertti Urho: He Dabbled in Things He Did Not Understand.
Pirkko Hopea: Her Last Great Adventure has Begun.
Soini Toiva: Father of Nine. Lord of None.
Brusi Kari: Our Torment is Over.
Heikki Vartia: With Him Died the Music of Love.
Ilta Rautia: Here Lies My Love. Disturb Her Not.
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