The Flayed King

I recently completed my 20th micro-adventure for my Patreaon page, The Flayed King.  It went through several adjustments as I wrote it and rewrote it.  Originally it was called Tullius Well.  A well constructed by the Northmen for religious ceremonies.  Originally, it was going to be a simple crypt.  A few interesting cultural tidbits to add some flavor to the undead....hmm flavor to the undead, maybe not.

But as I wrote and tinkered, rewrote and thought about it again, it was becoming a place of note.  Something or someone significant was going to be here.  I still had no clue.  That is until the last room.  I was writing in the bookstore cafe when the idea for the flayed king set upon me.  My caramel, caramel coffee drink gets those synapses revved up. 

Also included in the adventure is a cultural item that rifts off the putting coins on the eyes of the dead.  These items are more of interest to me that magical items in general.  I like the cultural connection and what it signifies to others.

Necklace of the Dead (new item) 
A Necklace of the Dead is given to a man of worth who has died.  Typically it is made of coins.  Minted on the coins are things the man enjoyed in life; weapons, ships and ale are the most common.  A necklace provides a man income to continue his adventure in his next life.

 But what would an adventure be without a little something, something.  I created an intelligent, minor artifact.  This one is not going to argue with you or compel you to do something.  The Ring of Raraek's purpose is to aid you.  To figure out what you do best and make you better.

Ring of Raraek (new minor artifact) 
Ring of Raraek is sentient, but not aligned.  It adapts to the wearer, providing two unique powers to the wearer.  Should the wearer have magical abilities, the ring may increase the potency of a spell.  For a warrior, such as Goreth, it enhances his melee prowess.  For example is has a draining burst to attackers and creates a magical two-handed sword (without the plus increase to damage or to hit).  The ring needs to be worn constantly for one month so it can decide what powers would be most beneficial.  If the ring is removed, even for a moment, the ring requires a month to reestablish its assessment.  The ring notices changes and adapts, so the abilities it provides can change over time.

I want to thank all my patrons.  While I would be doing this whether Patreon existed or not, it sure makes it exciting for me and affords a extra gaming book or art that I wouldn't have been able to have otherwise.  

You can download The Flayed King on my Patreon page.  It is free for anyone who wants a copy.  I've stylized it using sepia.  But if that's not to your liking I also have a b&w version.  In addition there is a separate GM map and a players map in case you use it on-line.   

My big goof in this adventure is the concealed door in room 5 that leads to the Flayed King's room.  It's not noted on the map as a concealed door, just a normal door.  While overall not a huge deal in the scheme of the adventure, but who wouldn't want to push the six-titted boar god to gain entry?  An opportunity not to be missed.

Orc Artifact : Crul-Crak, the Sword of Fangs

This bastard sword was forged by orcs and enhanced by the fangs of the Crul-Crak, the serpent of a thousand fangs.  It took nearly a year for the orcs to finish the sword, the orc warlord, Tarnghest, had little patience for the time it took to enchant the sword.  He killed a handful of shamans within that year before it was finally finished.  And even then rumors say the sword was still not complete. 

The Sword of Fangs is embedded with hundreds of the small fangs from the Crul-Crak.  They retain their poisonous effect of paralyzing their victim.  And causes wounds to bleed profusely.   The grip is wrapped with the skin of the Crul-Crak.  It is always cold to the touch.  

The Sword of Fangs became the symbol of strength the orcs rallied around.  Targhest used it on those who challenged him and his most hated enemies, the dwarves.  Battles were waged constantly against the dwarves.  Not much ground was gained by either until the Battle of the Garish Banner.  Targhest battled the dwavern king, Oswald the Hammerlord.  Oswald wielded Stahlgard, a dwarven artifact passed from king to king.  The brilliant amber hued stone hammer crashed against Crul-Crak.  The two fought such a fierce battle that the both armies watched.  

Scholars mention the battle lasted five days.  Neither willing to give ground and there was never a thought of surrender.  On the fifth day Tarnghest grazed Oswald's arm, a wound barely noticeable, but enough for the Crul-Crak's poison to paralyze the dwarven king.  The dwarven army stood quiet as the orc army roared for blood.  Targhest split Oswald's skull.  A massacre followed.  With the dwarves demoralized, the orcs slaughtered thousands of them.  

What should have been the height of his victory, Tarnghest hefted Stahlgard, but what he did not know was Crul-Crakwas a jealous thing.  It released one of its fangs and it fell upon the warlord's wrist.  One of the captains saw his chance and ran Tarnghest through.  The others saw it happen and soon orcs were fighting orcs.  All wanted to possess Crul-Crak.  It was lost after the battle.

It emerged a few years ago in the hands of a bandit known as Margesh Blackblood.  This simple bandit ruled a small army with the powerful sword in his hands.  He put villages and towns to the sword and hung the corpses on the walls to warn others that he ruled, not the pretentious idiot on the throne.  The king put a large bounty on Margesh Blackblood's head, but no one collected it and no one has heard of him it several years.  

Crul-Crak is a +3 bastard sword.  The fangs secrete a poison that paralyzes its target on a successful hit (save vs. poison negates).  The only way to help the victim is to cure poison.  There is rumor that the skin wrapped around the handle if prepared correctly will neutralize the poison.  It can also grant the wielder strength 1d6 for one battle/day.  The sword is intelligent, but does not make itself known until the user decides he wants to use another weapon.  Cralcrak is a jealous sword and will paralyze the wielder as it did Targesh.  Or instead of granting the wielder strength it will weaken him for the same duration.

Randomly Generated Blog Topic

So I've been embracing the random table more lately. I've never used them much before, but with all the talking and producing of tables I thought I would make a binder of helpful tables. Then I run across Rusty Battle Axe's, Another Random Blog Post Generator. I had nothing to blog about today so I rolled a topic to blog about. The result was One Rich Item.

The Column of Conquest
This 10' tall 4'x4' hexagonal column is made from Abrium, or hard gold. This gold has the look of gold, but the strength of iron. Only the most ancient dwarves know its secret and location. There are manuscripts that hint at Abrium's source being the heart of a mountain. That to extract too much at one time and the mountain would die, that only those dwarves with the greatest skill are able to extract the Abrium without harm. Other tomes mention Abrium was given to the dwarves by their god to battle the Chaos. A finite amount divided amongst the greatest dwarven warriors. And some crafting guilds believe it's only a matter of finding the right recipe. Despite all the conjecture and guessing very few have ever seen Abrium to know if it is a real or just a story.

The elegantly crude depictions of battle that cover the entire column show the dwarves battling horrific creatures, some beyond description. There are six battles being described, one for each side of the column. The story starts at the bottom and ends at the top. The dwarves know this to be the Column of Conquest. It tells the story of how the dwarves defeated the Chaos. It is the most coveted artifact of the dwarven race.

Its price cannot be measured by coin or by land. It is a piece of primal history.

Thanks Ken for the random table. I might be using it a lot when I get jammed up.