Citizens of Ashbourne, Part 4

9. Empty

This structure is currently empty.  The previous tenants did not pay their taxes and were no longer productive in the mine so Maximus evicted them from Ashbourne.  Before they left, the wife (none in the village will say who lived here because they believe speaking their name will curse them) made a sacrifice within the building, that if anyone else try to live in this home they will be forever cursed.  The villagers believe in the curse because she was of Thilol ancestry.  People known for their primitive and powerful magic.  The building is in disrepair.  The doors and windows are boarded up.  Should someone take a look inside they will see the magic circle still on the floor with a goat rotting in the center.  Maximus has forbid anyone to enter, those that do will be fined or put into the stockade.

Valuables: Nothing of value is in the home.  Only a few burn candles and a decaying carcass of a goat.

Plot Hooks:  The locals claim to have heard noises from the house at night, but the boards are still intact.  Maximus took off a few boards to look inside and found no evidence of anyone staying there.  On the third night a horrible scream awakens everyone.  It came from the empty house.  They pried open the board from one of the windows.  Laying outside the circle of candle is a charred corpse.  No one is sure who he is or why he or she was there.  The corpse is Alexander, a mage from the House of the Strange Majestic.  He was investigating the magic behind a Thilol curse.  No one will enter the house.  Within a day or two other members of the house will arrive and demand the retrieval of their brother.  Maximus will not open the house because he is afraid of the curse.  The villagers are at a standoff.  The house mages are not patient and will use their powers to tear apart Ashbourne if they need to get Alexander.

 10. Exxok (miner)

Exxok is a small man, but very strong.  He lives here with his mother, Lorinia.  He doesn't speak much, but doesn't shy away from gatherings. Exxok loves to mine.  Loves to discover new things.  To him the earth is a mystery with an endless supplies of treasures waiting to be found.  Exxok could easily pick up and go if their was excitement to be found in the ground elsewhere.  Lorinia his mother is kind and enjoys company.  Should any females be in the party she attempts to arrange a meeting with her son.

Valuables:  The home is nice and comfortable.  He has nothing of value other than a silver snuff box (10sp) that he carries in his pocket.  It's usually empty unless he finds something interesting.  It's often a curious rock he'll store inside.  Lorinia has a small hand mirror with a handle carved from aged wood.  It is decorated with etchings of sleeping animals.  The materials the mirror is made of is not worth anything, but it possess a trace of magical power.  It needs to be infused with more magic for its true properties to be revealed.  It is a Mirror of Ellic (see New Magic Item). 

Plot Hooks: Exxok went into the forest the evening before, but hasn't returned.  There is evidence in the nearby trees of a struggle.  And the fact that he left behind his pick and shovel is not a good sign.  Exxok was caught and taken back to a broken tower to be pressed into Margesh Blackblood's crew.  If the players can get to him within a week he won't be 'one of them'.  After one week he will have been indoctrinated into their crew and fight anyone who would take him away.

While on one of Exxok's forest digging excursions he finds a large chain link.  In the following couple of days he finds the large chain.  He tells the others and he gets a few of them to help.  Exxok get obsessed with finding out what it is and stops going to the mine to work.  Before Maximus wrings his neck he sees Exxok has dug up a 30' square area.  The chain is connected to the center. 

11. Rud (miner)

Rud is the former torchbearer of Maximus.  He is well liked in Ashbourne.  He works in the mine and drinks a lot afterwards.  He's a happy drunk who jokes around.  Even though he drinks, he never misses work.  His motto is, "if I work I can play".  He is good at carpentry work and helps out others if repairs are needed.  Once he's drunk, he's likely to pee on anything.  He has the habit of urinating on the houses of others.  Peed on one of Warren's (1.) horses and now they are enemies because of the incident.  (inspired by Luvien, a Rob Conley character obsessed with pissing on the entire world)

Valuables: Rud's place is a mess.  It smells bad and has stuff everywhere.  Within the mess there are three toolboxes.  One of the toolboxes contains ten rubies (100sp each).  It was a gift given to him by Maximus.  He could sell the rubies and improve his living situation, but the rubies have more sentimental value to him.  

Plot Hooks:  There is a man in the stockades.  He will not divulge who he is or where he came from.  Rud claims he saw the man trying to break into the storage (4.).  The man laughs when he is threatened with legal action.  The man is Worton, a low level thug who is a member of the Silent Knives thieves guild.  He and three of his friends thought it would be an easy score to grab the cuprite.  His friends will attempt to break Worton out of the stockades that night.

Variation of the above plot hook.  Rud sees a man breaking into the storage.  He goes over to investigate, a scuffle ensues, Rud kills the man (Worton) with a dagger strike to the heart.  Worton's friends plan to get revenge that night.

New Magic Item

Mirror of Ellic

This item once belonged to the sorceress queen, Ellic.  She was known for her ruthless tactics and her blood magic.  The mirror was given to her by one of her advisers whose name has long been lost.  Looking into the mirror subdues the savage, softens a hate filled heart and calms the enraged.  The adviser wanted her to be a good queen.  He was impaled on the stake for his efforts.  Ellic gave it to one of her dress maidens and since has been handed down through the years.  The mirror only has a trace of the magic it once had.  If imbued with magic, such as viz its powers will return.  It takes a full round of looking directly into the mirror for it to have a calming affect.