Staff of the Explorer

In our session last night, the party found a magical staff which they Identified to be a Staff of the Explorer.

The Staff can hold ten charges, and will regain 1d6+2 charges per day at dawn. The user will not necessarily know how many charges the staff currently contains. If drained to zero charges, there is a 1 in 20 chance that the staff will explode, doing 6d6 force damage to anyone within a 30 foot radius at the time of the explosion.

The staff is an item of conjuration magic, and has the following powers:

• point to a compass direction [1 charge, instantaneous]
• conjure 50 feet of rope [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
• conjure a grappling hook [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
• conjure a 10 foot pole [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
• conjure 2d6 metal spikes [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
• point to a known location that the wielder has been to before [2 charges, instantaneous]
• conjure a magical campfire which will not be extinguished by rain or other environmental factors, and lasts from the casting until the following dawn, or until dismissed [2 charges]
• conjure 1 day's rations for 1 person [2 charges]
• conjure up to 1 gallon of fresh water into a single container on hand (less water if a smaller container) [2 charges]
• obliterate any trace of a campsite, including scent [2 charges]
• obscure a campsite for one night (duration until the following dawn), such that campfire or similar light is shielded, noise is muffled, and direct view of the location is blurred (but not totally hidden). [3 charges]
• conjure a 20 foot radius zone of moderate temperature, lasting 8 hours or until dismissed. The zone is based on a fixed point determined at the casting, and does not move. If the staff leaves the zone, the zone ends immediately. Temperatures less than 50 degrees will be increased to 50 degrees, and temperatures greater than 80 degrees will be reduced to 80 degrees. [5 charges]

Maybe we will tweak this a bit, but this is what I have in mind as of now...

The Scarlet Brotherhood

The Scarlet Brotherhood is a fringe group of fanatics dedicated to the eradication of magic from the world. It was originally formed in the last years of the Elder Wars as a reaction to the destructive and uncontrolled use of magic that marked that conflict. The roots of the group were in the Kingdom of Burgaresh but over the years agents of the neighboring Mage-Realm of Larenthy have mostly driven the group out of Burgaresh and the other Inland Sea lands. The Brotherhood is now believed to be based in the Kalembar Federation.

The Brotherhood is thought to be a relatively small group, with agents scattered in towns and cities throughout the Tempest Coast lands. Members are typically assassins, rogues and warriors, although there are said to be a number of divine spell casters among their ranks, and perhaps even a few arcane spell casters who have sworn to betray their brethren.

The sworn goal of the Brotherhood is to slay all arcane spell casters in the hopes of curtailing the knowledge and use of such magic. The members believe that arcane magic use is a pathway to evil, and must be done away with. Assassination and murder are the typical means by which they hope to achieve their goals. Victims of the Brotherhood typically have their bodies splashed with red paint, dye or animal blood.

Attacks in recent years have been fairly rare, and have generally targeted lower level spell casters, but every now and then a mage of significant ability has turned up dead, with the Brotherhood claiming responsibility.

The symbol most often used by the Brotherhood is a skull pierced by a lightning bolt. Because of their clandestine mission, the Brotherhood has no recognizable public dress, although they wear scarlet robes with light green trim in their private ceremonies.

Tychon's Tower

Located on a craggy hill at the north end of the Trollclaws, just a few miles south of the Road, is the multi-spired tower of the archmage Tychon. Tychon is a venerable half-elven evocation wizard who is rarely seen in public these days, although his retainers frequently visit nearby Nandra to buy food and other supplies.

Tychon's Tower (in Hexographer)

Tychon routinely accepted students (for a high price) in days gone by, but is less likely to welcome intrusions on his semi-retirement in recent years; many would-be students have been turned away.

It is said that his tower is protected by a Sanctuary Mageward (the most powerful kind of mageward in existence following the Weave-Rending). There are also a trio of metal statues flanking the entrance to his tower that are believed to be iron golems.

Dwarven Rune Magic

The sages, when speaking longingly of days gone past and the lost lore of the Elder days, sometimes speak of legendary dwarven Rune Magic. Dwarves themselves will for the most part deny knowledge of any such thing, but there are others that claim that this kind of powerful magic exists (or at least existed at one time).

According to the tales, certain dwarven spellcasters were able to tap into a very complicated and obscure part of the magical weave in order to aid them in some of their favored pursuits: stone crafting, smithing and gem work. There are supposedly three different classes of rune magic; one for each of these specialties.

Quoted from the heretical text of the dwarven master smith Kaarak the RuneHammer (c. NR 550):

In the olden days, there were three distinct kinds of rune magic - stonecraft rune magic, gemcraft rune magic, and forgecraft rune magic. Stonecraft rune magic aided our stone masons in the creation of the most amazing stonework the world has ever seen. Gemcraft rune magic aided our jewelers and gem cutters in making items rivaled only by the most skilled of the elves. Forgecraft rune magic allowed our smiths to craft magical weapons and armor of the highest quality, as well as magical artifacts the likes of which have not been seen in the world since.

The very idea of dwarven rune magic is a closely guarded secret among the dwarves, but the existence of such magic is a generally accepted truth among spellcasters, even if little or no proof of it exists. Many dwarven adventurers have ventured into the Elder lands over the years in search of fallen dwarf holds that might contain these secrets. None are known to have succeeded in finding anything.

If this rune magic exists in the world today, it would be hidden deep within the few remaining great dwarf holds, a closely guarded secret amongst the eldest of the dwarf lords.