The Starblade | Splitstone | Broken River | Rieti Ilma | Six Slum Taverns
The Starblade
Magic Item
This heavy but perfectly balanced jet-black short sword is famed for its ability to cut through nearly anything. Forged from rare, supremely strong adamantine, the blade’s unique appearance is due to the crushed black and clear diamonds mixed with the molten adamantine as it was forged—the flecks of colourless diamonds sparkle in the light like stars in a cloudless night sky.
Starblade has been wielded by many heroes, and a few villains, since it was forged by the master dwarven weaponsmith Arathen Duristen centuries ago. Its wielders have slain devils, demons, dragons and countless other lesser beings. Some believe that the Starblade has achieved a measure of sentience over the centuries and that it now ever seeks its next victim.
Splitstone
Coastal | Dungeon
This vertiginous shard of V-shaped stone—split by a thunderbolt hurled, it is said, by an angry god—rises from the ocean’s restless waters about a half-mile from shore. About 200 feet high, Splitstone is a perilous climb; many folk have fallen from Splitstone while trying to gain its zenith as the stack’s flanks spread outward the higher one climbs.
Normally, there would be no need to climb Splitstone, but the thunderbolt that sundered the spire revealed a small dungeon complex—now split in twain—cut into the rock near the stack’s zenith. At dusk, as the sun sinks in the west, its rays caress Splitstone and its buried dungeon. Sometimes, if the sun is bright enough and no clouds mar the horizon, these last rays create an intriguing glimmering from some unknown part of the exposed dungeon. Local rumourmongers whisper that a great store of precious treasure—piles of lustrous coins and suits of enchanted armour—lie unclaimed in the dungeon’s exposed reaches.
Such rumours draw a steady trickle of adventurers to Splitstone’s environs. The physical challenges of reaching the dungeon and its treasure—the distance from shore and the complexity of the climb have thus far stymied all attempts at recovering Splitstone’s treasures.
Sometimes, odd mist clouds of unsettling hue cluster thickly about Splitstone’s zenith, hiding the place from view. Some of the nearby town’s older folk remember the storm that birthed the fateful thunderbolt and whisper that the clouds always appear on the storm’s anniversary.
Broken River
Subterranean | Caves & Caverns
A tributary of the immense Starless River, this much smaller river is no less dangerous. Running over a near-continuous series of cascades and rapids, its white, roaring waters are lethal to the unprepared or the unlucky.
The river’s roar is audible for over a mile throughout the surrounding caves and caverns. Few creatures dwell for long in the river’s immediate vicinity, but its course—boulder-strewn and slick with spray—is not without points of interest. The intriguing, legend-hemmed Nowhere Bridge rises from its turbulent waters and a cluster of ruins at the river’s terminus—an unknowable deep chute that leads to some unknown place—all point to a lost elder civilisation’s presence in the vicinity. Some speculate that a cabal of long-dead wizards or artificers sought to harness the river’s vast energies for some, no doubt terrible, purpose, while other sagacious folk point to the Nowhere Bridge and the river’s strange harmonics as an attempt at a planar bridge or gate. Whatever the truth of the matter, these stone relics endure the river’s depredations with surprising resilience.
See Also: Nowhere Bridge, the; Starless River, the;
Rieti Ilma
NPC | Murderer
Rieti Ilma has been well off his entire life. His father wisely invested in a gold mine decades ago, and his descendants live off the proceeds still. That’s handy for Rieti as it gives him time to indulge in his life’s passion: murder. For five decades, this (now old) man has preyed on the city’s vulnerable and the lonely.
Outwardly, he is a kindly older gentleman known for his charitable work and for hosting intimate dinners for the city’s movers and shakers. Sometimes, though, a guest arrives to find that they are the only guest—a victim of sudden cancellations—and Rieti’s trap is sprung. Rieti also uses his reputation as a do-gooder to lure down-and-outs to his home for a meal and a good night’s sleep. Few such folk leave his special guest room.
For an old man, Rieti is in excellent physical condition. He trains, almost religiously, so he is ready for “troublesome guests”. Rieti is not a deranged cultist of some dark god. He is not an assassin for hire. He simply likes killing—and he is very, very good at it.
Six Slum Taverns
Six Things | Urban
The Crossways: This tavern stands on a corner. The taproom has two doors—something the regulars appreciate when fleeing the watch or an angry partner. Ilja Arpia (male human) is an understanding chap.
The Rusty Nail: A long, tapered iron spike hangs from a chain over the tavern’s entrance. The spike has been stolen repeatedly, and the morose landlord, Ari Keiho (male human), doggedly replaces it every time.
The Goblin’s Head: Run by the ex-adventurer Maria Tammi (female human), this tavern’s taproom is a shrine to her adventures; all manner of memorabilia hang from the walls. She enjoys sharing stories with other adventurers, and such folk receive a warm welcome here.
The Artful Dodger: This thieves’ den is known locally as a den of iniquity. Honest folk—or folk with valuables—do not drink here. Antero Toiva (Cmale human) runs the Artful Dodger. He is a skilled liar and conman well-versed in fleecing gullible customers. His regulars love to watch him work.
The Angry Badger: Beloved by its regulars, this tavern brews its own ale in its extensive cellars. The landlord, Eetu Vaania (male half-elf), is intensely private and never speaks of his past.
Coins & Cards: This gambling den is often the scene of brawls and the occasional “accidental death”. Eerikka Unto (male human) pays the watch to stay away.
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