Joesky Tax: The Hands of Trax and their many, many Thieves

I hate the Disk Horse. Its pissing me off. Here's my taxes, Disk Horse! Do not darken my threshold again!

The Hand of Trax is a bronze replica of the hand of a thief, severed at the wrist, bone and muscle modeled in metal. Curses are written into the 'skin' of the hand, warming the metal with the slight magical resonance it creates.

This picture is from the BBC or something (and was probably actually a healing votive, but that's a topic for another time)

Some scholars speculate that Trax was an ancient god of justice, with many swords of different sizes, each bearing the crime it punishes written on its blade. Others suggest Trax was a god of Criminals, his many swords keys that can cleave open any defence.

Either way, when a hand of Trax is created, it is modeled after an executed thief to punish them even in death with eternally burning hands, that they will never forget their crime.

Thieves will then steal the Hand to gain the powers of the Thief that came before them.

There are many ways to benefit from having a Hand of Trax; you might drown it in water, to soothe the pain of the criminal's spirit and thus gain their blessing. You could wet it with your own blood and so steal the memories of the thief's muscles, your hands dancing to the unconscious tunes of master criminals.

Either way, the best way to benefit from a hand is to have it be stolen from you, which superstition decrees to be good luck in all thiefly matters. Thieves are very superstitious.

The most famous Hand of Trax was modeled after a particularly infamous master-thief, and when it was inevitably stolen its new owner cut off their own hand, and used their ill-gotten-gains as a prosthetic. With this they performed many miraculous feats, until the hand was torn from their arm in a back-alley duel. Sometimes, the Hands become more famous than the people who benefit from them.

The Alchemist's Manor

The Alchemist Arnault Roftengirt passed away peacefully in his sleep. His house however, has passed into chaos and horror.

Adventure Overview

As far as is known, Arnault was something of a recluse anyway, and was never really seen around town, only his manservant, Jeeves. Recently thought, many of his house-servants have left his service, saying that he has gone slightly mad in his old age.

In truth, his obsession with Alchemy drove them away, and he came this close to achieving his Magnum Opus before old age claimed him. 

Since then, all the various bottled terrors and demons of science have broken free from their restraints, and the house is now a veritable death-trap.

Though a deathtrap that also happens to be full of the riches of a retired noble and accomplished alchemist...

Terrors of the Manor

1 - The Quicksilver Serpent
A great roiling serpent of purest mercury, it surges throughout the house when roused, engulfing and crushing with its flowing poison-flesh.
For the most part it is happy to remain in its vat, but vibrations bother it, and the greater the vibration, the greater the Serpent's anger. The source of its life is a chunk of alchemically treated stone, carved with runes, and infused with strange aethers. It cannot be subdued unless the stone is removed from its head.

2 - The Formless One
It tries its best to look human. Perhaps it was once, but not any more.
The unfortunate result of alchemical run-offs and by-products carelessly disposed of. Its flesh warps and flows, and can with only a few minutes observation, perfectly (for the most part) mimic another humanoid creature. It only lasts a few minutes, but until it breaks down, most would not be able to tell the creature apart from the original; except for one major difference. The Formless One stinks to high heaven of ammonia. It is well aware of this fact, and tries to hide this from potential prey by remaining in areas that already reek of alchemical compounds.

3 - Poor Old Jeeves
The much used and abused butler of the household in his time has had to clean up alchemical accidents, nurse the old alchemist back to health after said accidents, and quietly 'dispose' of numerous failed experiments. These days, he finds his own health in a state of some flux, though he still dutifully conducts his tasks throughout and around the chaos of the grounds.
His skin is black and brown and bubbling, more oil and grease than meat. His eyes have gone too, replaced with ever weeping pools of sickly yellow gel. He can't tell that you're a person, he just sees you as another mess to clear up, and he's awfully good at clearing away messes with his terrible, inhuman strength.
Luckily for you, he won't kill you. Unluckily for you, he'll probably dump you in with the Menagerie...

4 - The Aqua Regiad (The Acid Nymph)
She luxuriates in her steaming chamber, constrained by glass to contain the worst of the vapours she sloughs off.
An elemental spirit of some maddeningly specific facet of nature, summoned by Arnault, and contained for future conversation and general chit-chat, being one of the few people Arnault ever saw whom he wasn't paying to be there. Even now, her inhuman nature is content with the quiet, though she would certainly appreciate some actually coherent company. Even better if she could ever find a way out of her containment...

5 - The Menagerie
They are twisted and pathetic. Their skin bubbles and wriggles against their crooked bones, and their hair seems to float across their bodies. The results of Arnault's final experiments in his infirmity, they are utterly wretched, and Jeeves the Butler couldn't quite bring himself to burn them alive after blade and poison didn't kill them. Now they languish in the cellars in cages too small for them and with all possible food gone. Some have resorted to auto-cannibalism in their desperation.

These shall be the Table for generating them:
Locomotion
1 - Only ragged arms
2 - Many faceted legs
3 - Long, thin hooks of nail
4 - Oozing and heaving
5 - Legs like peoples', almost
6 - On all fours, animal like
Method of Attack
1 - Retractable Teeth-Spears
2 - Claws and Teeth
3 - Caustic Bile
4 - Jutting rib-cage maws
5 - Formless flesh-gloop
6 - Constriction with boneless arms
Patheticism
1 - Huge, weeping, and misshapen eyes
2 - Its flesh is all but gone from where its mouth can reach
3 - Bones protrude from flesh
4 - Boils and blisters cover it
5 - It spouts many useless, vestigle limbs
6 - Its flesh has all but abandoned it
Useful Mutation
1 - Gribbly insect wings
2 - Sensitive detecto-whiskers
3 - Constantly spills slippery oil
4 - Contortionist rubber-bones
5 - Poisoned gas-bladders
6 - Extra, actually useful limbs

6 - The Corruption
Like tiny feather-shreds of black glass, it creeps and grows like mold throughout a section of the Manor, contained for now by the last few efforts Arnault made before he succumbed to age. It is a result of his effort in achieving his ultimate goals [see the Magnum Opus], which he of course, never fully realised. Exposure to the Corruption is not immediately fatal luckily, but it is slow, insidious, and secretive. The explosive finale where the black flakes and spines erupt from your skin and take you over entirely will not occur until you least expect it. Its almost as if the Corruption plots against you to find the opportune moment to strike. Almost.

Hazards of the Manor

1 - Crystal-Grass
Crystals are odd things, and during his initial experiments with them, Arnault created this strange, self-replicating formation. It grows only slowly, but over the years it has infested a goodly portion of the house. It is far sharper than it looks (and it looks terribly sharp), though a good strong brush will clear it out, even if it means the destruction of the brush...

2 - Melt-Haze Mold
A spongy kind of mold that bloats itself on specially prepared surfaces, that ran rampant when Arnault, in his infirmity, spilt the mixture that would allow its spread. The air around it shimmers and shines subtely, and is dreadfully corrosive to organic matter. Luckily, all that is needed to undo this dreadful hazard, is a stiff breeze. Blowing away the vapours allows safe passsage for 10 minutes, while the Mold replenishes the dissolving mists. Alternatively, a thin film of any inorganic matter will also protect you from the mists, and applying this cover to the mold will kill it in only a few minutes, though it must be nearly airtight at least.

3 - The Tree of Life
At first, you would be forgiven for assuming that it was a tree, but the fruit it produces are too soft and meaty to be real fruit. Within each fruit-sac a fetus-thing slowly grows and develops. No-one yet can tell what they will become, but surely it can't be anything good. Damaging the sacs with an edged or piercing tool or weapon bursts it prematurely, releasing a smattering of soft flesh and acidic fluids. Other weapons deal insignificant damage to the squidgy sacs.
What lies within?
1 - Tiny people, with strong and strange telekentic powers, and a deep set hatred of humanity.
2 - Wolf-like things with tentacle mouths, they will steal babies to hatch eggs in.
3 - A thin serpent of green and pallid flesh. It can burrow into flesh to wrap around the spinal chord, and pilot the helpless person like a meat puppet.
4 - Uncountable spiders with a single hive mind, their task is to retrieve prey to feed the tree.
5 - Clones of Arnault, with dark and twisted ambitions and minds, and all his vast knowledge.
6 - Seeds of the Corruption.

4 - The Old Lab
Beakers, vials, metal boxes, glass tubes in all shapes and configurations, tomes, grimoires, incunabula; Arnault spared no expense in stocking his laboratory. Unfortunately, in his old age he left much of it in long-term experiments that he swiftly forgot about and neglected. The descent of his lab has only accelerated since his death. Even the smallest touch could have drastic effects.

5 - Vitae Storms
Clouds of ever-billowing purple-tinted smoke, shaped like people. Small arcs of lightning crackle and snap within. They don't move, unless you touch them, then they mirror you. Only strong winds can disperse them away from you once you touch them. Don't go inside them, or you'll crackle up into burnt meat.

6 - Bubbling Doom
Spilt vats of glinting powder, harmless, unless inhaled. Its effects won't manifest straight away, but in the weeks to come, you will hack up lumps of your lungs, slowly giving in to asthma, and eventually suffocation on your own liquefying lungs. There are masks which allow safe handling of the stuff in the Old Lab, and of course, its perfectly safe to handle as long as you don't breathe...

Treasures of the Manor

1 - Fool's Gold
It looks almost, but not quite like it. It would take an expert to be able to distinguish it though.
1 ounce of Fool's Gold is as valuable as an ounce of Gold, to those who can't tell the difference.

2 - Vials of Alchemical Products
Mysterious vials of equally mysterious liquids? Probably quite valuable.
What does this vial do?
1 - Heady fumes; enough to get you high for a good hour.
2 - A viscous, and terribly staining, ink.
3 - A minor explosive, enough to knock someone down.
4 - Apparently nothing... roll twice more if mixed with another vial.
5 - Bottled blood.
6 - Glows when shaken. Burns on contact with air.
7 - A powerful (if gritty) antiseptic.
8 - Steams a huge amount when mixed with water.
9 - Fizzes and sparks when exposed to air.
10 - Just water. Colourful water.
11 - Horrifyingly potent acid.
12 - Mutagenic, make a constitution save. On a fail, gain a menagerie patheticism. On a success, gain a menagerie useful mutation.

3 - Roftengirt Heirlooms
Potentially there are other branches of Arnault's family who might pay for these. At the very least, there must be collectors who would cough up for them.
Each heirloom is either a trinket, or a trophy. Trinkets take up no inventory space, each trophy takes up 1 inventory slot.
Trinkets are worth d6-1 gp each.
Trophies are worth 2d6 x 10 gp each.

4 - Arnault's Alchemical Notes
His works were extensive before his untimely demise. There must certainly be dozens of stable recipes scattered around the house, and many more pages of unfinished projects beside that still fit for fiddling with.
By using Arnault's notes, you can speed up one of your alchemy projects. The notes begin with a rating of 6. Each time you wish to use the notes, roll a d6. If the result is equal to or less than the Note's rating, you cut the time and costs required for the project by half, as Arnault has already performed much of the work for you. Then, decrease the Note's rating by 1 if it was successful.
The Note's effect can be used whenever you perform that project as well, but on subsequent attempts, it only halves the time cost of a project.

5 - The Distillation Knife
This is a rather rare and exceptionally well-made tool of alchemy. Its specific purpose is to, rather than cut things into pieces, to separate them on a chemical level into their component parts. Slicing a loaf of bread would not result in slices of bread, but piles of flour, maybe a bit of sugar, some yeast, a puddle, etc. Nothing is beyond the capabilities of the knife, though more complex materials take more time to separate. Harming a living being with one would take minutes of plunging the knife into them, slowly bubbling them away; hardly worth the effort.

6 - The Formalline Lense
The other half of a Distillation Knife, and apparently unique in all the world, Arnault's true masterpiece and legacy. It allows you to see things as their constituent alchemical parts, ripe to be separated with the Knife.

Alchemical Products

1 - Alkahest
The universal solvent, it requires a talented alchemist to construct a container that you can remove the glue from. Once applied, it indelibly binds two surfaces together. Onyl Sovereign Glue can separate them after that.

2 - Sovereign Glue
The exact opposite of Alkahest. Also requires a skilled alchemist to create a container that won't fall apart while containing it. Reverses all reactions, separates all binds, key component of Distillation Knives.

3 - Gilting Oil
When applied, leaves a material stained a slick brown. When dried, it appears to all eyes to be gold. Even to experts. It wears off after about a year, or after exposure to alcohol.

4 - Liquid Crystal-Grass
Takes a minute to set, by once poured, will harden into a slightly cloudy crystal that is just as hard as glass, but also half as brittle. Viscous enough to pour into rough 3D shapes too, but very rough shapes. Runny enough to spoil most details without great skill and/or constant tooling.

5 - Rejuvenation Salts
When dissolved in water, one dose of Rejuvenation Salts creates a tonic which has the same effects as a potion of healing. Desperately hard to create, a key ingredient is serpent scales.

6 - Withering Stone
The opposite of Rejuvenation Salts. Even mere physical contact withers and desiccates living tissues. Swallowing one would be terribly painful, and almost certainly lethal. Similarly tricky to create as rejuvenation salts, a key ingredient is ferret bone.

Alchemical Equipment

Every machine described here is present in the Manor somewhere, but only one has Arnault's masterpiece in or near it, according to his specialism.

1 - The Psuedo-Resonator
Part observatory, part crystal sphere, part dream-occulum; no-one is quite sure what it really does, or how it does it, but its uses are documented, and the instructions are followed, and the results occur, and everyone is mostly happy about it. Putting your head into it is like the most incredible high, hallucinations, strange sensations, sudden revelations, the whole bit. It also requires a saving throw or reorder your mental statistics due to mind-scrambling.
If Arnault had an Abstract specialisation, the shard of the Philosopher's Stone is within the Psuedo-Resonator.

2 - Ioniser/Deioniser
A bizarre labyrinth of crackling coils and sparking resistors, standing between the coils while they are activated (which is done by dipping the control rods in the battery-bath) requires you to make a saving throw of some sort or get blasted with lightning. Wearing metallic armour means that you take the saving throw at disadvantage.
If Arnault had an Energetic specialisation, then additionally, the False-Arnault is here.

3 - Distillation Chamber
A great vat with tubes, valves, and small localised furnaces dotted higgledy piggledy over it. Within, things are broken down, reconstituted, or refined. Getting inside would be something of a chore, but if you did, you would have to make a total of 3 saving throws. For each you fail, you lose a third of your hit points. If you succeed on all three, you actually gain a new hit die, and gain 1 point of AC as your flesh crystalises.
If Arnault had a Basic specialisation, then within the Distillation Chamber floats the Psuedo-Panacea, which will require a saving throw against the Chamber's effects to retrieve.

4 - Condensing Chamber [Aetheric - Breath of Life]
A great tank with a rib-cage of looping coils that runs underneath the vat into a freezing bath of mysteriously cold liquid. Anything dunked into the coolant the pipes loop through instantly freezes and in all probability, snaps off immediately. This is doubly certain for organic matter, and limbs in particular.
If Arnault had an Aetheric specialisation, then sat among a huge number of nearly, but not quite, identical glass beakers, is a stoppered bottle holding the Breath of Life. It is the only bottle that holds a gas, all the others have dusts and liquids and oozes and such, but you wouldn't spot it from a cursory glance.
Arnault's Breath of Life is not perfected of course, and rather than a permanent effect, it has 6 doses which provide its effect for 1 hour.

5 - Deep-Freeze Storage [Biological - False Homunculus]
A chamber, reinforced walls and stranged frosted pipes. The noise it creates is incredible, and it can be heard clearly in any room it borders, and faintly in rooms bordering those. Staying in the chamber is dangerous, and causes damage for each round beyond the first you stay within, such is the rampant cold. First, it deals d4 damage, the d6, then d8, scaling up a dice size each turn up to d20 every turn.
If Arnault has a Biological Specialisation, then the False Homunculus sits, floating in a iron chamber filled with preservatives and sedatives.

6 - The Smelter Vats [Impirical - Fool's Gold]
Basically a huge, huge furnace, with great vials of glowing liquids resting atop it, bubbling gently. A small door hinges open to reveal a deeply soot-black chamber that reeks of gas.
If the Vats are activated, almost anything placed in there will be almost immediately obliterated. If its organic and alive, it takes 10d10 fire damage each round. Most anything else will be ruined after a round, and obliterated d6 rounds after that. Its somewhat hard to get anything in there though, the aperture is only a little larger than a shovel's blade. Metal will melt in a round as well, regardless of how much is placed inside.
If Arnault had the Impirical Specialisation, then on one of the desks near the Vats is an instruction pamphlet (scribbled and rough) and a few goodly sized nuggets of Fool's gold (appearing to be worth about 100sp). From the instructions, given 10 sp of input materials, 2d10 x 10sp of Fool's Gold can be produced. It has no real value of course, it is only worth that much money to those who can't tell you aren't offering the real deal.

Arnault's Magnum Opus

Depends entirely on the specialism that Arnault held in life. Roll to determine the specialism and thus the Magnum Opus.

1 - Biological

The Pursuit of Bodily Perfection, the skill of distilling humours, and molding flesh into new modes and shapes.
The Magnum Opus of the Biological Alchemist is the creation of a perfect Homunculus, a created man. Arnault was close, but his creation was flawed, and the mind of his creation fractured at birth. It currently sleeps in an amniotic tank, but it is vastly aware of the House, its psychic powers latent, but unconsciously potent.
- Additional Terror: The Imperfect Homunculus - It is a horrible thing, diseased and corrupted, afflicted with every single result on all the menageries' tables. Somehow it is still nimble, fast, and strong...
- The Maker's Mark: The forms of the Terrors (except the Quick-Silver Serpent and The Aqua Regiad) look distrubingly close to human, but not quite close enough.
- Additional Treasure: The Nomad's Rose - A single flower, deep crimson, so deep as to almost be black. Smell its scent, and be transported briefly to a comprehension beyond comprehension. Eat it, and gain a revelation. It is also a token for a journey to the far shores of death and a safe return, for yourself at least.
- Signature Machine: The Deep-Freeze

2 - Impirical

The Pursuit of Material Perfection, the skill of refining metals and crystals, of ascending base materials to transcendent metals like Gold.
The Magnum Opus of the Impirical Alchemist is the perfection of Transformation of Base Materials, particularly into Gold. Many methods of creating materials that look very much like gold have been devised, and Arnault's is likewise flawed. It is however, new, and as such it will fool most for a while at least. Possession of it will attract attention however, both from those who wish to posses that knowledge and those that seek to destroy it. 

- Additional Terror: None - the true test is fending off rival Alchemists and Witch-Finders who want what they think you know.
- The Maker's Mark: The forms of the Terrors are somewhat metallic in patches and growths.
- Additional Treasure: A nearly endless supply of Fool's gold; almost the same thing, only detectable by a knowledgeable few
- Signature Machine: The Smelter Vats

3 - Aetheric

The Pursuit of Environmental Perfection, the skill of inducing vapours, and dictating their properties and uses.
The Magnum Opus of the Aetheric Alchemist is the Breath of Life, which would allow Man to survive most any condition, to free him of such needs as comfort, and oxygen. One of the rarest branches of Alchemy, in this result, Arnault is one of the few to dedicate himself to it, but his work was dreadfully flawed, and instead of creating a Breath of Life, he accidentally opened a gateway to the outer reaches of that Distant Night, and a Monstrous Wind came into our world. It twists and warps, much like Arnault's experiments do, and it was such that attracted it to the gateway, but for now at least it is sealed; Arnault had the foresight for that much at least.

- Additional Terror: The Monstrous Wind - Slightly yellow tinged air, it ages and deteriorates far too rapidly to be safe at all. For the most part it is quite placid, though sound disturbs it, the louder the sound, the greater its desire to hunt you down and weather you down to nothing...
- The Maker's Mark: The Terrors (except the Quick-Silver Serpent and The Aqua Regiad) have mechanical breathing apparatus incorporated into their bodies.
- Additional Treasure: 2d4 vials of Void-Vapours - A vial of void vapour does wonders for the human brain, you gain insight into the wisdom of the starry heavens for a moment, enough to ask a question, and receive a truthful, if brief and overly-literal answer.
- Signature Machine: The Condenser

4 - Base

The Pursuit of Unseen Perfection, the skill of removing flaws, of making what already is as good as it can possibly be.
The Magnum Opus of the Base Alchemist is the Panacea, the universal remedy. It is said that a few examples of it already exist in the world, and as skilled an Alchemist as Arnault was, his was not quite as perfect as those must be. His version is very close to it, once ingested, all ailments are cured and forced from the body, resulting in perfect health. There is a catch however. The removed impurities and imperfections are literally removed from the body, and will form a new instance of the Corruption whenever the Psuedo-Panacea is used. 

- Additional Terror: None - though use of the Psuedo-Panacea will recreate the Corruption
- The Maker's Mark: The terrors (except the Quick-Silver Serpent and The Aqua Regiad) bear Corruption like marks on their flesh.
- Additional Treasure: The Psuedo-Panacea - Will heal any diseases and ailments that trouble you, and even give a go of curing those of magical providence. However, the following day you will vomit up a harmless black pellet, which will sprout into an infestation of the Corruption the next day...
- Signature Machine: The Distillery

5 - Energetic

The Pursuit of Power and Potential, the skill of inducing and discharging, of making machines and controlling the obscure energies that control them.
The Magnum Opus of the Energetic Alchemist is the Machine-Mind, the Deus Ex Machina. Arnault's experimentations created many things in the world that could be mistaken for thoughts, but none were truly original. None arose from nothing, they were only ever reflections of himself. One of these reflections he sculpted in his own image, an idol of narcissism, who even now pretends control of the house and the roiling chaos within.  

- Additional Terror: The False-Arnault - Just like he used to be in his prime, only his intentions are dark, and the corruption bears no risks to him. He sees it more as... a tool to get what he wants. And his hungers range so deep...
- The Maker's Mark: Sparking rods and cables adorn the Terrors and/or their prisons
- Additional Treasure: The Charging Rod - All lightning is attracted to the rod, and stored endlessly within. Where does the lightning go? Who can say, it just does.
- Signature Machine: The Ioniser/Deioniser

6 - Abstract

The Pursuit of Splendid Existance, Eternal and Untouchable, the skill of uttermost refinement and perfection, even unto levels the human mind cannot conceive.
The Magnum Opus of the Abstract Alchemist is theorised and conjectured to be possible, but none have ever managed to produce a Philosopher's Stone of their own. Arnault had decades of his own research and the research of dozens that came before him, and the stone eluded him too. Through great personal expense, he managed to procure for himself a spent shard of a stone for his own tests, though he never quite managed to replicate it.

- Additional Terror: The Kaleido-Meister - A terrifying, long being of strange and abstract realms, he might boil you away into butterflies, or flense you with merely a touch. It is somewhat confused about being in this... simplistic world, but its confusion is deadly to us.
- The Maker's Mark: The Eyes of the Terrors are Starry Voids
- Additional Treasure: Shard of the Philosopher's Stone - can transform one object into solid gold, ever. Don't touch the ground, only a small patch would transform. Be very literal with the definition of "one object".
- Signature Machine: The Psuedo-Resonator

Brygge: Town of The Serpent Baron

I warn you in advance, this thing knows no bounds in terms of disorganisation...
A town, ruled by a Tyrant, with an invisible serpent around his neck that whispers magic in his ears. If he can just crush the Resistance, and erase the last traces of subversion, he could become a god...

Terrors

1 - The Serpent Baron, Nathair Illiad - The cruel and imposing ruler of the town, blessed by a powerful serpent spirit who has developed a symbiotic dependency to the Baron. Dreams of ascension to Anti-Sainthood, though he doesn't see it that way, and of usurping the Duchy from Don Hatori.
2 - The Slithering Priest, Donovon Lascal - Has three acolytes, and they pretend to be adherents of a Saint of Guile and Wit. They are merely sycophants of the Baron and his Parasite-Spirit, and have been granted powers by the spirit.
3 - The Three Lieutenants - Granted minor powers by the Baron, they are his right hand, and main agents in the town.
4 - The Baron's Fangs - Assassins of the highest calibre, most of the town aren't even aware they exist.
5 - The Basilisk - Dwelling beneath the castle, most of the town believe it to merely be a legend.
6 - The Whispering Deceiver - The Serpent Spirit who has attached itself to the Baron. Incredibly selfish, self-serving, and sycophantic. Final goal is to become strong enough to challenge Yig for patronage of the Serpent-men, though for now, the Baron has shackled its will to his.

Features

1 - The Baron's Castle - Has traits like the Corrupt Lord's. Serpent themeing is kept pretty subtle for the most part. Has entrances to the True Temple, and a tunnel to the Secret Dungeons underneath Wooden Street.
2 - The Temple of the Scaled Saint - A front for worship of the Deceiver, where the Slithering Priest dwells and spreads the whispers of the Serpent.
3 - The Secret Dungeons - Where the political prisoners of the town are thrown. 2 in particular are kept in padded cells, and are pumped full of all manners of poisons, and enchanted so that they will not die from the corruption coursing through them. Every so often, the Baron sends loyal cultists to extract some of the poison running through their veins...
4 - The Seven Stars Tavern - A hub of dissenters against the Baron's rule, the Resistance. Secret as of yet. Connections to a secret underground hideout beneath the Shrine of Saint Thomas.
5 - The Drowning Posts - Where executions take place, people are tied to posts and left to sink down into muck and suffocate. Officially only used for murder, arson, and treason. Many political prisoners end up here unannounced.
6 - The True Temple - Down beneath the town, where worship of the Serpent and the Baron is conducted openly and nakedly.

Treasures

1 - The Baron's Spear - Master-work spear, the blade appears to erupt from the gaping mouth of a serpent; enchanted to transform into a serpent when the fangs of the serpent head taste blood.
2 - The Minx's Eyes - Twin gemstones named for a Minx-shaped spirit who gifted them to humanity as a ward against poisons.
3 - Many Potent Poisons - He breeds them within a pair of desperately wretched prisoners in the secret dungeons.
4 - Rod of Fangs - Wielded by the Serpent Priest, partially transforms into a serpent, and is a catalyst for spells.
5 - The Baron's Treasury - Full to bursting with years and years of harsh taxes and fines.
6 - The Snake-Skin Bracers - Allow you to see through your sense of smell, even if otherwise blinded.

The Serpent Baron

He found the Whispering Deceiver out in the forest one day, wrapped around the neck of a beautiful woman, compelling her to catch and swallow mice whole for it. He took both for his own, and broke their spirits, they now both serve him.
He will break the whole world, if he can.
He is normally quite charming, and a dab-handed liar. You'd never suspect he leads an insidious cabal.
Knows three spells; Hypnotic Gaze, Snake Swarm, and Scale Skin.
Aside from his spear, he wields a great Butcher's Blade, which can be wielded one handed only if you have 15 or higher strength. It has a series of groves which allow it to hold twice as much liquid as a normal sword might be able to (poison in every case for the Baron).
Once per day, he can exude a poison breath, which deals 1 damage for each point which the victim's saving throw fails by. If the save result is a 1, they are instantly on 1 hit point if they wouldn't be lower.
Every other round, can replace one of his normal attacks with a special grapple, which if successful, can then consume another attack, to throw the grappled creature as a ranged weapon dealing bludgeoning weapon as a javelin, and knocking both targets prone on a hit.
If he is ever reduced to 0 hit points and not killed outright, he will consume the Deceiver's spirit, and become a Serpent Demon as a last ditch effort to survive.

The Serpent Baron's Appearance

1 - Green Slitted Eyes
2 - Huge Frame - At least a head taller than the tallest party member (usually at least)
3 - Slightly too large Incisors
4 - Ermine Cape - He really freaking hates ferrets and such animals
5 - Serpent Theme - Seems merely fuedal at first...
6 - Surprisingly thin Cheeks

The Serpent Baron's Equipment

1 - The Serpent Headed Spear - When it deals maximum damage on an attack, it transforms into a 3HD serpent to fight for the Baron. If killed, the serpent reverts back to spear form; the haft will be broken, but it is the spear-blade and its setting that are actually magical.
2 - Butcher's Blade - Detailed above.
3 - Serpent Scale Armour - AC as Half-Plate, with no other penalties.
4 - Twin Fang Ring - Can hold enough venom for one dose, which can be delivered almost undetectably with a touch by two, needle sharp fangs.
5 - Blessings of the Serpent - The Spells and Poison Breath detailed above.
6 - A Small Pouch of Poison Vials - Mostly hidden by his clothes and cloak, it contains holders for three vials of particularly virulent poisons, though these must be administered as usual.

The Baron's Ascension

Should the Baron's plans advance far enough, or he is driven to out of desperation, the Baron can begin his ascension on the Night of the Full Moon. At the end of a lengthy ritual, which takes the whole day beforehand, and is very vulnerable to interruption, and culminates at the stroke of Sun-Down, the Baron will then be suddenly encased within a great egg. During this time, he must be bathed in the light of the full-moon as much as possible. Cloud is not enough to disrupt it, unless it is supernaturally thick, but if he is out of the light for a full 10 minutes, the ritual fails, and he will hatch still human. The egg is otherwise invincible, except to high-level magic, for the duration of the Night.  During this time, if the Resistance is still active and knows of the Ritual, they will attempt to interrupt it and will be successful on a 4 in 6 chance. If the ritual succeeds however, he emerges a great, Serpent-Man hybrid with the strength of a god, or close to one. If it fails, he is human, and human forever. Therefore, he will only voluntarily undergo the ritual if he is certain he is entirely safe, since it is so delicate, and there is little margin for error.

Notable NPCs in the Town

1 - Mazdan Hobburn, the Master Blacksmith - one of the most skilled smiths this side of the capital, he forged the Baron's weapons and armour. Has no stake in the politics of the town, but obeys the call of money faithfully and discretely, if offered enough. His premises are in the Town Square.
2 - Urguyle the Wise - A wizard of some small power, he lives on Beech Street, between two empty lots, as the houses that used to stand there burnt down mysteriously. Not powerful enough to resist the Baron alone, and as of yet has incurred no bad blood between them. This cannot last forever. Has a decent magical library.
3 - Barkeeper Yuvio - A key member of the Resistance, and Proprietor of the Seven Stars Tavern, the cellars of which are used to co-ordinate the Resistance's efforts. Brave and steadfast, will cover the other Resistance members' escape to the Shrine of Saint Thomas through the secret cellar tunnels, a ploy which has so far seen them elude suspicion.
4 - Father Remmel - Head priest of the Shrine of Saint Thomas. Has an assistant, Harren, but they are desperately underfunded due to the taxes of the Baron. Sympathetic to the Resistance, but as of now, they are unwilling to commit to openly opposing the Baron.
5 - Notary - Celebrity - Scion of an Old Bloodline: Lord Elias Sturngart - Distantly related to the old ruling family of the county. They haven't ruled in decades, and he is disinterested in the responsibility, but he has the strongest claim to the title after the Serpent Baron. Lives in the Sturngart Manor on Rose Alley.
6 - Dweller - Shaman - Purge the Guilty: Ruffick (Words-in-Stones) - Seeks to destroy those who have debased their souls (The Baron and the Priests) and the Spirit who has lead them astray. As of yet does not know who it is the town, does not yet suspect the Baron. Lives in the woods just outside the city.
7 - Agent - Secret Police - Break the Local Faith: Office Nathan Shultz - An Agent of the Corrupt Lord, and a member of the Foundation. While the CL is not yet aware of the Baron's disloyalty, Nathan is on a mission to break the faith of the locals, as part of the CL's wider initiative, and will soon come across evidence of the liberties the Baron has been taking. Staying at the Haberdashers on Ash Street.
8 - Foreigner - Brass Bastard - Take Revenge on Someone: Silas Am'Thrick - Seeks revenge on the Slithering Priest, they have bad blood between them. Silas sought his metal as part of an old downward spiral because of what the Priest did to him. Hiding in the Town Sewers, plotting.
9 - Dweller - War Veteran - The Siege of Ulm: Ered Thuringen - A veteran of the coup that crowned the Corrupt Lord, he is a stalwart support of the CL, and won't stand to see him so openly disregarded by the Serpent Baron. Living on Oak Street.
10 - Foreigner - Angel - Bury the Dead: Raphael - Seeks to release the souls of those executed at the Drowning Posts, their preserved organs won't release them. Will help only so long as their task is done. Once its finished, they are gone.
11 - Undesirable - Changling - Secure a Life of Luxury: Scrilk - Did not wish to be what it is, but it won't let that stop it from using its gifts to take what it wants. Hasn't considered replacing the Baron, thinks its too risky to do alone, currently has its sights set on Lord Sturngart, thinking that he is rich, but out of the way. Currently has replaced on the Sturngart's servants.
12 - Agent - Bounty Hunter - Inflitrate the Circle of Meira the Heretic: Hogen Grent - Meira is one of the Slithering Priest's acolytes, and leads a sub-cult in her own time. The Serpent Baron set the Bounty Hunter on them without knowing that they are one and the same, wanting all worship within his own cult. Staying at the Severn Stars Tavern.

The Town Watch

All three Officers have the following gifts of the Serpent: Darkvision (based on scent), slitted eyes, forked tongues, and subtle scales on their chests (minimum AC is 2 more than normal), as well as those in their description.
1 - Captain Drummond - Leads the larger unit of footmen, and overall commander of the town watch. Cruel in a cold, detached sort of way. Unshakable. Keeps his left arm tucked inside his cloak at all times, since it is infact a serpent attached to his shoulder. Wields a duelist's rapier.
Has quarters on Oak Street.
2 - Captain Caid - Leader of the "Green Rain" archer unit. Disinterested in the whole cult deal, very much interested in the power it brings, so is willing to play along. Can spit caustic venom up to 20 feet.
Has quarters on Ash Street, which he shares with a girlfriend, who is in hiding from her vengeful husband.
3 - Lieutenant Farron - Leads the smaller unit of footmen, zealous and righteous. Wields a two-handed battle axe. Can hypnotise with his gaze over a minute at any time, or with a glance once per day.
Has quarters on Cedar street.
4 - The Footmen - Consisting of 2 Units, 1 of 15 men lead by the Captain Drummond, one of 9 lead by the lieutenant. All mere spearmen with swords too, almost all (80%) inductees of the Serpent Cult.
5 - The Green Rain - A unit of 12 archers lead by Captain Caid, who use poisoned arrows.
6 - Yara, the Honest Watchmen - One of the most stalwartly anti-cult members of the watch. Pretends to be merely indifferent to avoid suspicion and probable execution. Diligently gathers information about the cult, hoping to bring it down from the edges.

The Twin Fangs

Taken from the streets, extensive brainwashing has rendered them incapable of doing anything except what the Serpent Baron orders. They are his secret assassins, not even the Slithering Priest knows about them. They are brutally efficient, and have a perfect record (so far). They have extensive training and equipment, including snake-sticks, a smoke grenade, a flash grenade, paralysing poison which they apply to their weapons, and caltrops coated with a numbing chemical.
When they are not "on duty", they live in spartan quarters in the Secret Dungeons.

The Slithering Priests

Sycophants of the Baron deluded enough to worship him and his loathsome spirit. Donovon pretends allegience to a Saint by the name of Darian, though there is no such saint, and he instead venerates the Deceiver. Wields the Rod of Fangs, and knows four spells: Scaleskin, Fog Cloud, Snake Swarm, Paralysis. He can ritually sacrifice one of his acolytes to regain a spent spell, which triggers a morale check from the other two.
The three Acolytes are Meira, Jaimie, and Peiter, and they each know one of Donovon's spells, in the order given above. Meira has taken matters into her own hands in regards to furthering their faith, and has started a sub-cult of her own in secret. If it grows enough, she might be a force to be reckoned with.
The Acolytes live in quarters in the False-Shrine of Darian, in the Town Square, but Donovon has private quarters in the Baron's Castle.

Other Locations of the Town

1 - The Watch Barracks - Set near the eastern gate, on Oak Street, which leads back towards civilisation. One of the officers of the watch is always on duty here. Another is on patrol, and the third is off-duty, or attending court with the Baron.
2 - The Town Square - Set before the castle, the Serpent Baron adjudicates court cases in front of the people here, and makes announcements every so often. Well patrolled by the watch.
3 - Rattle Street Market - Though there are some stalls that are open all week, on the first two days of the week, the nearby farms will bring out whatever produce they do have. On those days, the streets nearby are congested beyond belief. The town watch doesn't go there on those days.
4 - The Cellars on Wooden Street - Owned almost completely by the Baron and rented to poor serfs who can't afford the rent and are thus utterly trapped. The cellars themselves are used to store all kinds of slightly illegal material. The serfs can't complain. The ones that try, disappear. Most Cult activity takes place here, and it contains an entrance to the True Temple, and is the main entrance to the Secret Dungeons.
5 - Rodrigo's Haberdashery - A front for the Secret Police in Brygge, the Serpent Baron does not suspect, but if he did, it would not take long for him to discover the deception. On Ash Street.
6 - The Town Sewers - Not particularly extensive, but a culvert on the western walls does run through both the Sturngart estate, and the western-most watch tower of the Baron's castle.
7 - Dice House: The Smiling Siren - The premier arena of luck outside Regensburg as the owner would say, the Smiling Siren has attracted a rather large clientel of both those who hold the Baron's favour, and those who have earned his ire and have large 'debts to the state' to pay off. Run by a weaselly fellow by the name of Hacken, he isn't particularly threatening, but his three thugs are. Lieutenant Farron has a bit of a habit here, and has racked up a bit of a debt, which the house has as of yet been understandably unwilling to attempt to collect. Hogen the Bounty Hunter has been frequenting this place too, asking around subtlety for information on his mark. On Cedar Street.
8 - Brothel: Madame Salaciea's - Not quite so seedy as others, but not great. The main selling point is the great discretion the Madame offers for guests of... unsavory appetites. Captain Caid frequents the place. Elias Sturngart makes the occasional incognito visit here. On Rattle Street.
9 - Fair: Saint Thomas' Feast - A week-long feast that began just yesterday in fact, a long table is laid for a meal in front of Saint Thomas' Shrine, and food is brought out for any and all to enjoy just before sun-down. So far this act of good will has gone unopposed. The Resistance, among others, will use it as a meeting point, and the Baron will grow suspicious of it.
10 - A Beautiful Shrine: Shrine of Saint Thomas - One of the last remaining establishments not touched by the Baron's Cult, will offer sanctuary and aid to any and all that need it, especially those not well-liked by the Baron. On Willow Street.
11 - A Statue of an Old Hero: Statue of Lucian the Dragon-Crusher - The founder of the town who supposedly wrestled control of the area from a fearsome dragon. In the Town Square.
12 - A Beautiful Garden: The Snowdrop's Waltz - A Spiral path through many pale flowers. A private meeting point for the Resistance. Just off the Town Square.

Miera the Heretic

She is still loyal to the Serpent Baron, she just has... divergent thoughts about this whole serpent thing. She still offers praise and worship to the Whispering Deceiver, as is right and proper, but she offers veneration to the other Reptile Spirits of the world, secretly, and with a few other followers she has gathered in secret all by herself. She follows the commands of the Baron and the Slithering Priest, but she would be deeply disturbed to know that the Baron has unknowingly set a bounty hunter on her.
Her cult currently has 3d4 members.

Table of Town Events

Roll once per week, or after the PCs are the cause (whether its public knowledge or not) of some disturbance in town.

1 - The Resistance is Revealed - The first time this is rolled, the Baron discovers that there is a Resistance movement at all, and posters for information about them will be posted. This won't result in anything by itself, but it will mean the PCs cannot approach the Resistance anymore, though the Resistance can and will still approach them. The second time it is rolled, the Resistance is discovered, and all members will be taken straight to the Secret Dungeons, except Yuvio, who goes straight to the Drowning Posts. The Resistance is done. Subsequent rolls are treated as "An NPC disappears".

2 - The Resistance is Revealed - As Above.

3 - An NPC Disappears - So Below.

4 - Meira's Cult Advances - The Sub-Cult doubles in size. If the Sub-Cult reaches a size of 30 or more, she attempts to seize control of the Cult from Donovon. She will succeed. The Serpent Baron will be amused by her usurpation with a 4 in 6 chance.

Little would change if Meira does usurp Donovon, she would assume his stats, and begin serving the Serpent Baron herself. If this is rolled again after she has usurped Donovon, the Baron discovers her heresy, and destroys her.
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.

5 - Yara's Plans Advance - The first time this result is rolled, Yara gains sufficient information to be useful to the PCs. On the second roll, she will approach the PCs about a plan she has thought up. With each subsequent roll, she uncovers something further that makes the plan more likely to succeed.

6 - The Changling's Course Advances - The first time this is rolled, the Changeling replaces a Butler in the Sturngart household. The second time this is rolled, they replace Elias' personal butler. The third time, they replace Elias themselves. Each time they advance, it becomes harder to convince them of any path other than replacing Elias.

Once the Changeling has either replaced Elias, or has reached some other resolution, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.

7 - An Auspicious Omen - The Statue of Lucian undergoes a small, but notable transformation. The Dragon is replaced with a Serpent. The statue will be removed for "renovation" within a day, but word will get around. The next "The Resistance is Revealed" result is treated as a "The Resistance's Aims Advance on a 3 in 6 chance, or is instead ignored.

Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.

8 - An NPC disappears - Roll on the Disloyal PC table (see below). That NPC has run afoul of the Baron, and has gone. 1 in 6 chance of going straight to the Drowning Posts. Otherwise, they end up in the Secret Dungeons.

9 - Someone is left out to Die on the Drowning Posts - Randomly choose someone locked up in the Secret Dungeons, they are left out overnight to die on the Drowning Posts. At this point, the Baron knows everything they knew, and they are worth nothing more to him. If no-one is in the Secret Dungeons, treat this as a "An NPC disappears" result. 

10 - The Secret Police Uncover the Truth - The first time this is rolled, the Secret Police discover all they need to order the Baron's murder, and they begin plotting. The second time this is rolled, there is a 1 in 6 chance the attempt succeeds, a 3 in 6 chance it merely fails, and the final 2 in 6 chance that the Baron discovers the attempts, and is forced to declare war on Don Hatori, expelling or killing the Secret Police in Brygge in the process.

Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.

11 - The Serpent Baron Uncovers the Secret Police - The first time this is rolled, the Baron discovers that the Corrupt Lord's Secret Police are investigating him. The second time this is rolled, the Baron completely destroys the Secret Police's efforts in Brygge, killing all of them except Officer Nathan, who is imprisoned in the Secret Dungeons.

Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.

12 - Hacken tries to collect - He has finally tired of Farron's habits of not paying up, and he has sent his goons after him. There is a 2 in 6 chance that the attempt is successful, and Farron dies in the ensuing struggle, no blame can be traced back to Hacken. Otherwise, Farron kills his assailants, and the Smiling Siren burns to the ground the following night, Hacken disappearing down into the Secret Dungeons.

Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.

13 - Urguyle and the Baron have a Spat - The first time this is rolled, bad blood begins to foster between Urguyle and the Baron, and Urguyle is suddenly a lot more sympathetic to the rebellious elements of the town. The second time this is rolled, Urguyle and the Baron have a confrontation, and Urguyle always loses. There is a 3 in 6 chance he dies in the fight, which will level much of Beech Street, otherwise, he is sent to the Secret Dungeons.
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.
14 - Ered Thuringen Surges Forth! - When this result is rolled, Ered joins forces with a party aligned against the Baron (randomly chosen from; The Resistance, The Secret Police, and Ruffick the Shaman). If this result is rolled again while he is free, they make an attempt on the Baron's life. They always fail, and Ered (along with other named characters) is thrown into the Secret Dungeon. If this result is rolled while Ered is in a Watch Cell (see below) he daringly escapes!
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.
15 - Ered Thuringen is Arrested - His speaking out against the Baron can be ignored no longer, and he is thrown into a cell in the Watch Barracks. If this result is rolled again while Ered is in the Cell, he is then sent to the Secret Dungeons.
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.
16 - Silas Am'Thrick confronts Donovon - In the Town Square, there is a rather explosive confrontation between Donovon and Silas. There is a 3 in 6 chance that Silas kills Donovon, who is succeeded by Meira as if she had usurped him. There is only a 1 in 6 chance that Donovon kills Silas. If Silas wins, or just isn't killed, he has to then roll a dice below what he previously scored to escape. Otherwise the town watch catch him, and he is thrown into the Secret Dungeon for the Baron's curiousity, he has never seen a Brass Bastard before...
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.
17 - Caid and Elias cross paths - When this is rolled, Caid discovers Elias' more... improper tastes in women, and blackmails him for money. The second time this is rolled, it happens again, and Caid and his mistress have enough wealth to skip town, never to be seen again.
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.
18 - The Bounty Hunter tracks down Meira - Meira's treachery and heresy is discovered by the Bounty Hunter. There is a 5 in 6 chance that Meira can bribe Hogen to be quiet. Each time afterwards, Hogen wants more money for his silence, and the roll must be made again, with a cumulative -2 modifier. When the roll is finally failed, Meira is sent to the Drowning Posts, and Hogen leaves town with a rather fat purse.
Once the whole business is resolved one way or the other, treat this as an "An NPC disappears" instead.
19 - The Resistance's Aims Advance - So Below.
20 - The Resistance's Aims Advance - The first time this is rolled, the Resistance covers one of their Requirements (see later). Each subsequent roll, there is a 2 in 6 chance that the Resistance makes their move. If they do, roll a d10. If they roll under the number of needs they have covered, they overthrow the Serpent Baron, and free Brygge from the Serpent Cult. If they fail, they will all be thrown into the Secret Dungeons. If they don't make their move, they cover a new need instead.

Disloyal NPCs

If you roll a NPC who has already been taken, use the next result down. If all NPCs down are taken, go upwards instead.

If all Disloyal NPCs "disappear", then there will be no-one left to stop the Baron, who will Apotheosise into a Mighty Serpent-Demon on the next New Moon (see the Baron's entry above).

1 - Barkeeper Yuvio
2 - Father Remmel
3 - Harren, Remmel's Aprentic
4 - Elias Sturngart
5 - Ruffick
6 - Silas Am'Thrick
7 - Ered Thuringen
8 - Raphael
9 - Yara, the Honest Watchman
10 - Officer Nathan Shultz
11 - Hacken
12 - Meira the Heretic

Disloyal NPCs can be rescued from the Secret Dungeons, though after the first time someone/a group escapes, security increases so much that it is almost impossible to break out anyone else without defeating the Baron in full.

The Resistance

They are a few desperate people who can see that the tyranny of the Serpent Baron will end nowhere well, and they plan and plot and hope, so that one day they might live free of his scaled clutches, or else die trying to snap off the fingers that strangle them.

The Resistance has 10 basic needs to overcome the Baron:

Needs:

1 - Weapons

2 - The Castle's Plans

3 - Information on the Baron

4 - Spiritual Aid

5 - Magic

6 - Armour

7 - Money

8 - Knowledge about the Serpent Cult

9 - Martial Training

10 - Luck (this can never actually be attained, outside of some stroke of myth)

They can cover these needs through the Event table, or through the actions of the PCs. For many of these needs, the party will probably need the assistance of another NPC, though they can supply some by their own expertise, or by the DM's discretion.

For the long-term prosperity of the town, the Resistance will also need a plan to replace the Serpent Baron, or things will get out of hand very quickly. They will neglect this for too long without help.

The Serpent Cult

The band of foolish sycophants and deluded worshippers makes up fully half the town in some capacity, though only a small percentage of that actively participates in cult activities. For the most part they are quite secretive, but a few flap their gums under certain pressures:
Pressures to spill the beans:
1 - Booze
2 - Some other drug
3 - Gold
4 - Love
5 - Violence
6 - Promises of Power
If you try to bully the wrong person, you might end up on the wrong end of the Town Watch. More than a few businesses have been torn out by the Watch because of jealous cultist competitors.
They meet sometimes in the Cellars underneath Wooden Street, and perform strange, undulating rituals. For the most part its quite harmless stuff, but with each ritual performed, the Baron's power grows.

Rumours

When gathering rumours, there is a 2 in 6 chance that you'll just get useless nonsense. Other wise, you get a roll on the following chance, with a 1 in 6 chance (on the same roll) of getting either a double roll, or some elaboration. If the same result is rolled again, further elaboration is given.

1 - People keep gathering at Rodrigo's for some reason.

2 - People keep gathering at the Snowdrops' Waltz Garden for some reason.

3 - I swear, someone was killed at the Drowning Posts last night.

4 - There's an underground movement against the Baron somewhere in town.

5 - People keep gathering at the Seven Stars tavern for some reason, they don't come out though.

6 - People keep leaving Saint Thomas' Shrine, they don't go in though.

7 - Something is up with Father Remmel, I tell ya.

8 - Something is up with Yuvio, the barman at the Seven Stars, I tell ya.

9 - I've heard that Elias Sturngart's family used to rule the city.

10 - I've heard that the whole damn Town Watch are in some sort of Cabal or something.

11 - There's a strange old man hiding out in the woods, he's hiding something I'm sure.

12 - People enter some of the houses on Wooden Street late at night, sometimes less come out.

13 - You go to the Rattle Street market on a farm day, you won't see a watchman for a mile.

14 - Heard there was some guy going around telling people he's an angel or some such.

15 - Thought I saw some guy in weird armour running around the sewer system once.

16 - I think that guy living in Lonely House on Beech street might be a wizard you know!

17 - The same people keep taking the same seats at Saint Thomas' feast. Its weird. 

18 - Some war vet keeps yapping on about how evil the Baron is. Come on, right?

19 - Captain Drummond has a gammy arm, childhood illness I heard.

20 - Buddy o' mine works for Lord Sturngart, they're acting all weird all of a sudden. 

21 - Lieutenant Farron's eyes aren't right, let me tell you.

22 - I've heard weird noises coming from under the Baron's castle, let me tell you.

23 - Mazdan's the best damn blacksmith you'll ever meet!

24 - The Corrupt Lord has sent his Secret Police here for some reason.

25 - The Baron has hired a bounty hunter for some reason, you see him at the dice house.

26 - Meira is running some sort of secret society.

27 - Lieutenant Farron has a mistress with a rather violent husband.

28 - Lieutenant Farron has a bit of a gambling problem.

29 - Captain Caid sometimes goes to Madame Salaceia's brothel.

30 - Elias Sturngart sometimes goes to Madame Salaceia's brothel.

Grave-City of the King-Priest

Choose wisely.

Somewhere out on the frontiers, in another age, in another time there was a desert, ruled by kings who were gods. The tombs they built to preserve their earthly souls after death survived the world they knew, and now this one stands still, just. A few individuals and defences still hang on too, destroying those who would defile the holy corpse of the King-Priest.

Terrors:

1 - Sand-Sealed Soldiers: Trapped in sealed chambers, stood in their ranks, the sand poured in an eternal vigil. Opening certain doors will release them.
2 - The Scorpion Sisters: Spirits of the desert bound to the tombs by an ill-considered deal. Like a centaur only the horse parts are giant scorpions. Guard the Promenade of Heroes.
3 - Desert Hunger Spirits: They remain clinging to the edge of the tomb-complex, held at bay by the sun disk. Their prey end up husks, withered and dry.
4 - Curse-Seals: Hold fast the great stone doors of the tombs. If broken by intruders, they release the curses that are stored inside.
5 - Guardians of the Royal Souls: Canopic-Statue-Guardians, holding the sacred organs within their chests. Imbued with divine purpose.
6 - The Many-Lords of Rot: A rival power to the King-Priest, a hive mind of worms, locusts, beetles. They would feast on the royal souls.

Treasures:

1 - The King's Riches: Much gold, animated servile statuary, gems, jewels, scepters, oh my!
2 - The Sun Disk: Blazes with golden light, the power of the sun. Blasts of incandescent flame blast and repel spirits and the inhuman, at least those without the seal of the King.
3 - The Moon Blade: Blazes with a cold blue flame, the power of the moon. Harms and subdues ghosts and other such otherwise immune undead.
4 - Preserved Remains: Alchemically potent through the weight of passing centuries, academic types would pay through the nose for them.
5 - Historical Information: Requires some serious translation work, but the context it would provide historians is invaluable.
6 - Salt: Just like loads of salt. Loads of it. It was valuable back then! Still worth something now.

Features:

1 - Defeated Defilers: Blackened and twisted and contorted, held in place forever. The ghosts of some rage nearby. Some still clutch treasure in dried and oily hands.
2 - Small Shrines: Here there are ancient and crooked priests who can cleanse you of your sins, if you bring a proper offering.
3 - The Promenade of Heroes: Many columns depicting and retelling the tales and legends of ancient adventurers and heroes. Offer clues about the contents of minor tombs and the grand pyramid.
4 - Scarab-People Scavengers: They too seek the treasures and wonders of the city, travellers from the roving tent-city of their people. They have trinkets for sale, and would perhaps buy ones you find.
5 - Houses of the Dead: Here the corpses of the worthy underwent their journey to eternity. Now they are cold and empty of all but the many jars and urns of salt.
6 - Titan of the King's Judgement: The Doom of Sinners, but blind to the unblemished. The weak point is at the base of the skull; it is unguarded, but hard to access.

Ancilliary Tables

The Holy Souls of the King-Priest
First is the Soul, then the organ that it inhabited, then the head of the Guardian, and finally the power of the Guardian.
1 - The Name - The Teeth and Tongue - Jackal - Taunting and disorienting cackles and whispers.
2 - The Shadow - The Liver - Crow - A paralysing shadow, which animates and grapples you.
3 - The Soul - The Stomach - Hippo - A bite attack which grapples on a hit.
4 - The Mind - The Eyes - Ibis - Fights with a bow which fires feather arrows.
5 - The Breath - The Lungs - Hawk - Flight on great skeletal wings.
6 - The Body - The Spine - Crocodile - Armour, which it can partially shed to regenerate.
7 - The Blood - The Heath - Bull - Flaming Aspect, which intensifies as it bleeds.

Curse-Seal Effects
1 - Swarms of Locusts pour forth from the shattered seal.
2 - The one that broke the seal magically ages a year each day.
3 - Each week, one of the family of the one who broke the seal is compelled to commit suicide.
4 - Creeping Petrifciation spreads from the limbs that broke the seal.
5 - Water turns into Sand in the mouth of the one that broke the seal.
6 - The one that broke the seal is always on the verge of heat-stroke, even in the snow.
7 - The eyes of the one that broke the seal turn to scarabs which will live in the sockets.
8 - The Black Jackal of Doom follows the one who broke the seal, it hounds them.
9 - A Creeping Flame sets in the air, spilling like mist from the broken seal.
10 - Water won't stop pouring from the broken seal.
11 - The Guardians of the Royal Souls always score critical hits on the one who broke the seal.
12 - The one who broke the seal becomes deathly vulnerable to sunlight.

Sin and the Titan
The titan is a vengeful guardian of the Great Pyramid. Its empty eyes see only the sins of trespassers, and the blameless are invisible to it. Every other round it makes an attack against a sinner, determined randomly, though it has double chances to target the most sinful individual it can see and reach. It rolls to hit with only a d20, modified by the amount of sin the target has accumulated.
Each sin is counted up individually, and each sin must be atoned for individually. For each category that you have 3 or more sins of, the titan gains +1 on to hit rolls against you. If you have 10+ sins in total, the Titan hits you automatically.
Sins:
1 - Breaking a Curse-Seal
2 - Destroying one of the Guardians of the Royal Souls
3 - Stealing Funerary Gifts
4 - Trespassing in Sacred Spaces (i.e. the burial/treasure chambers of minor tombs, and any chamber on the third and fourth levels of the Great Pyramid)

Minor Shrines
First is the name of the Shrine, then the price that must be paid for atonement, finally the benefit it provides.
Each shrine only occurs once in the Tomb-City, further rolls of previously discovered shrines indicate another entrance to it.
1 - House of Names: A Tooth - Atones for all sins gained from destroying guardians of the royal souls.
2 - Pit of Unburdening: Only the pain of being thrown into the Pit (20 feet deep), and remaining there for 1 hour - Atones for all of one random type of sin.
3 - Table of the Feast: Salt for further meat, at least a pound - Merely a safe haven, laden with food.
4 - Shrine of Red Release: 1 constitution point's worth of Blood - Atones for all sins gained from breaking Curse-Seals
5 - Cells of Contemplation: A Day's worth of fasting and meditating - Reduces each count of each sin you have down to 2.
6 - Pools of Cleansing: A deep and jagged cut, dealing 1 point of damage for each hit die you have - Breaks a curse that affects your character.
7 - Temple of Judgement: 10% of all gold carried on your person - Atones for all sins gained from stealing Funerary Gifts.
8 - House of Confession: A penalty of 1 to all d20 rolls you make for the rest of the day - Atones for all sins gained from Trespassing in Sacred Spaces.

Defeated and Cursed Defilers
They are all black and shrivelled by age, their skin slightly sticky and greasy, and they are frozen in their current poses. Trying to rearrange any part of them will snap off the part in question.
Each has a 3 in 6 chance of manifesting its ghost, and a further 3 in 6 chance to have its treasure somewhere on its person. Ghosts can't stray out of sight of their body. If a defiler has both a treasure and a ghost, the treasure is almost certainly the cause of their suffering.
Each Defiler can be encountered multiple times, until it is encountered with either its ghost or treasure. It cannot be encountered again after that.
1 - Frozen in a convulsion of pain - ghost only wishes for mercy - treasure is a ruby carved like a fire
2 - Pinned to a wall - ghost fights to the bitter, bitter end - treasure is a masterwork spear-head, needs re-hafting.
3 - Face-down in the sand - ghost is a cruel thief - treasure is a pouch full of old gold coins.
4 - Curled up, feotal, wracked with fear - ghost cowers in the corner and waves a knife desperately at any who draw near - treasure is a golden ring, set with a tiny rat skull.
5 - Decapitated and dropped - ghost is headless, and swings a blade around wildly - treasure is a canopic jar with a preserved organ inside (roll on the Holy Remains to see which organ it is, though it is never the kings actual organs of course).
6 - Torn in half and discarded - ghost desperately tries to scoop its organs back inside its ruined form - treasure is a golden plate bearing mystical rites for burials.
7 - Bloated and disfigured by a scorpion sting - ghost spews poison and miasmas, it can't help itself - treasure is a cursed, lapis lazuli scorpion.
8 - Aged to a thin and broken nothing - ghost is an ancient old man, wracked with age-pains - treasure is a map of the (supposed) afterlife.
9 - Shrivelled and curled by the sun - ghost desperately seeks water - treasure is a beautifully adorned urn full of salt
10 - Nibbled and Chewed by Locusts - ghost is merely a mad swarm of ethereal insects - treasure is a scepter with the end carved in the likeness of a flying insect
11 - On hands and knees, as if desperately crawling away - ghost crawls, throwing up clouds of sand, fights more like a wolf than a man - treasure is an amulet depicting a prowling jackal.
12 - Knelt, sobbing, forever - ghost merely weeps - never any treasure.

Minor Tombs

Each tomb has a 1 in 6 chance of already having been looted floor to ceiling by Scarab People. They will be selling any of the treasure that would have been inside on a small mat just outside the entrance of the tomb.

Name of the Hero buried there
Each of these tombs can only be encountered once, further rolls of previously discovered tombs indicate another entrance to it.
1 - Ash-Kin-Pal: Master of the Armoury
2 - Sen-Wos-Ret: Conqueror of the Mishaninites
3 - Ren-Qo-Tet: Chosen of the Sun
4 - Fos-Mah-Ning: Breaker of Men
5 - Sir'ik-Toh-Pah: Beloved of Gods
6 - Xer-Man-Yung: Tamer of Crocodiles
7 - Sehk-Met-Hol: 100 Man Slayer
8 - Bah-Sing-Kir: Master of the Walls
9 - Far'aq-Mal-Dur: He who crossed the Desert and Returned
10 - Ihm-Ho-Tesh: Chief Priest of the Little Temples
11 - Seer-Et-Josh: Who died too Young.
12 - Anu-Bish-Shal: Keeper of the Moon-Blade (His Tomb also has the Moon-Blade as its treasure)

The Tomb's Defences
Each tomb will have d4+1 defences.
1 - Hidden Pits with spiked bottoms.
2 - A Curse-Sealed Door.
3 - A Maddening Labyrinth.
4 - An Animated Guardian Statue, each has a measure of power over either Fire, Sand, or Light. 
5 - Sand-Preserved Soldiers, each turn an exploding d4, with a +1 modifier for each turn the chamber has been open, number of soldiers crawl forth from the sand before rising to attack. More emerge each turn until all 40 have been slain.
6 - A Great Mummified Beast, thrice the size of a Man, and has either immense strength, paralysing venom, or a hypnotic gaze.
7 - Acidic Mists in precariously Balanced Jars.
8 - Spring loaded blades and Spears hidden in the walls.
9 - Trapped Monsters, kept alive by ancient magics, use your favourite random monster table, or one of flaming desert wolves, fog-breathing vultures, or a crocodile-dragon
10 - A Door locked by a Perplexing Riddle.
11 - A Huge Serpent whose scales are miniature sarcophagi for mummified snakes. d4 are released and animate each time the Serpent is hit by an attack.
12 - A Spirit of the Sands, takes the shape of a desert jackal. Contact with it withers you for 1 hit point per level/hit die you have. Is willing to talk, will permit the pious to pass, if they can prove it.

Treasures of the Tombs
(Besides your usual compliment of gold and art objects)
These are the special contents of the final chamber, alongside the sarcophagus and remains of the tomb's owner.
Roll only a d6 to begin with, but cross out each treasure you roll except 'Much More Gold', effectively pushing each lower result one number higher. If you roll higher than you have results for, use the highest available.
1 - Much more Gold
2 - A Magical Blade, it can harm spirits and glows in their presence.
3 - A Sacred Spear, once per day it can be called upon to release light like the sun.
4 - A Statue of a Horse, it obeys the one who wears its amulet, and is in all regards, a stone, tireless, perfectly obedient horse.
5 - An Amulet of a Scarab, it is a brilliant blue. The next time the wearer is targeted by a curse, the amulet takes it on instead, and becomes a dull black, and the curse is nullified. Useless once this happens.
6 - A Pouch of Sand, when a handful is thrown, it creates a great gust of hot, dry wind. Enough for 2d4 such handfuls.
7 - A strangely curved Knife, it can cut apart water like clay; where the knife has sliced, the water cannot fly back, unless encouraged by a hand like reconnecting dough.
8 - A Mummified Crocodile, if ground up and snorted, you experience unsettling visions of the crocodile stalking and eventually killing helpless prey,
9 - A Scroll depicting many old and lost Gods. Worth much to the discerning collector.
10 - Scraps of ancient wisdom on the Arts of Alchemy.
11 - A Golden Crown, those who see you in it are filled with a minor admiration, until you perform an act that would go against their faint respect for you.
12 - A Jar of Ointment. Wounds washed in it will never go septic and heal in the hour. Corpses covered in it will never rot. Enough ointment for 100 wounds, or 10 corpses.

Rooms and Guardians of the Grand Pyramid

The Courtyard of the Titan is the outer entrance of the Pyramid. Rooms 2 - 5 are on the first level of the Pyramid. Rooms 6 - 8 are on level 2, rooms 9 - 11 are on level 3, and room 12 is on level 4. Each level is Curse-Sealed, and has a number of Defences (from the minor tombs) equal its level in the corridors connecting each room.
The Sun Disk crests the very peak of the Pyramid.
First, the name of the Room, then a description, finally, any noteworthy contents.
1 - The Courtyard of the Titan: Wide and open, surrounded by pillars - The Titan of the King's Judgement keeps a careful watch for sinners.
2 - Hall of History: A long hall, many murals and depictions of the King-Priest's glorious deeds - a withered old priest who will explain it all to you, at great length.
3 - The Champion's Chamber: A circular chamber, ringed with chest-high braziers, still burning, the floor is covered in sand - The King-Priest's Champion, a master swords man whose blade commands the sands.
4 - The False-Door: A great door-way, only it is no door at all, and is merely solid rock - the False Door is flanked by Animated Guardian Statues.
5 - The Corrupted Chamber: Walls are covered in rot and putrefaction, leaking from a cage in the centre of the room - in the cage is a Many-Lord of Rot, bound in place with mystic sigils.
6 - Shrine of Contemplation: A small altar, bearing a replica of the Sun-Disk, and ringed with incense burners, still full - no other contents, it is a sin to trespass in this sacred space without leaving an offering, or if you make any sound beyond your footsteps.
7 - The Pristine Pools: 5 pools, one inside a ring of the other four, cleanses curses from those who bathe in them - a white-scaled Water Spirit in the shape of a serpent desires fine music and proper respect to allow entry to the pools.
8 - The Cult Chamber: At the centre of the room is a huge statue of the King-Priest, a place to worship his departed divinity - an Invisible Sand Spirit attacks those who do not show proper respect to the shrine and leave suitable offerings.
9 - The Model Chamber: A grand table sits at the centre of the room - on the table rests a miniature model of the city, any change made to the model is physically reflected in the real city over the next hour, as if an army of invisible servants carve it away or build it up (which is in fact, exactly what is happening).
10 - The Treasure Chamber: Vast piles of wealth, stacked as high as a man - as soon as even one coin is removed from its pile, 3 Sand-Sealed Soldier chambers open.
11 - The Queen's Tomb: Plainer than you might expect, a reasonably sized sarcophagus lies in the centre of the room - the Ghost of the Old Queen dwells in this chamber, she is quite friendly, and is not angered by tomb-robbing, just very, very disapproving of it. She knows all about the Grave-City, as she helped design it. Can (and indeed, is eager to) tell you any secret about it if you stay on her good side. A bot touchy about being dead.
12 - The Burial Chamber of the King-Priest: Huge, and high roofed, many opulent murals - the King-Priest's Sarcophagus, and the 7 Guardians of the Royal Souls. Should all the Guardians be destroyed, and the King's Corpse revealed, there will be One More Complication. 
The King's Corpse bears: a Royal Scepter, 6 Holy Rings, A Might Amulet, and its left hand is clad in gold and heals at a touch of the fore-finger.

One More Complication
1 - A Many Lord of Rot emerges from the shadows. It has followed you for some time now, and it demands the holy organs and flesh of the King-Priest, as revenge for an ancient wrong.
2 - The Tomb has started to collapse! There's only time to grab one thing each if you don't wish to risk death.
3 - The Corpse of the King rises, ready to interact with the party.
4 - Each individual member of the party is inflicted with a Curse as if they had broken a Curse-Seal. Curses that would pour out of a broken Curse-Seal, instead tear holes in the palms of the PC's hands, and pour forth from that with a great deal of pain.
5 -  The Desert Shadows, an order of Mystic-Knights devoted to the old line of King-Priests will not rest until the Party have atoned for their trespasses and returned any the stolen Royal Souls, or been butchered to a man.
6 - A section of each of the four walls drops away, revealing a chamber each of Sand-Preserved Soldiers. They will fight until totally destroyed.

Random Encounters in the Tomb-City (2d6)

Roll every 10 minutes of searching. Do not roll at any other time, even night. The city is utterly dead.
2 - Scarab-People Scavengers (roll reaction with advantage), they seek to plunder one of the minor tombs
3 - A Friendly(ish) band of high-born "Archaeologists", hopelessly inexperienced and under-equipped. They will probably die if they remain without help.
4 - A Wandering Ghost, of either an old priest, a tired soldier, or a murderous defiler.
5 - A Minor Shrine (there are up to 8 of these, rolling a duplicate shrine indicates you have stubbled across another entrance)
6 - 3d4 Bone-thin Wolves (1d4 less each time it is encountered, when no d4 are left, it is only a single, dead wolf)
7 - A Defiler
8 - An Animated Guardian Statue, each has a measure of power over either Fire, Sand, or Light. There are 12 wandering the Tomb-City, further rolls indicate only a pile of rubble.
9 - A Minor Tomb (there are up to 12 of these, rolling a duplicate tomb indicates you have stubbled across another entrance)
10 - A Rival Band of Adventurers, experienced, equipped well, and armed to the teeth. There are as many as 2 in the Tomb-City at any one time. They can change over time.
11 - A Spirit of the Sands, taking either the shape of a Sphinx, A Great Serpent, or a Giant Skeleton.
12 - A Many-Lord of Rot (roll reaction with disadvantage)

Magic Swords

Magic Swords are not forged by wizards, or built by sword-smiths, they are made slowly, over many battles, each deed accomplished with it sewn into its history, each foe slain with it forging an indelible bond with its wielder.

It is these bonds forged with its wielders that create the magic that live within the blade. Eventually, they build up so strong that they manifest strange and wondrous powers. Many are the tales told of magical blades, that could throw lighting, pass through armour like morning mist, or heal the dead with the blood it has drunk.

The more personalised the blade, the quicker these bonds emerge. It is the bond between blade and bearer that creates magic, it is best of all then, that the bearer makes the blade himself.

For these purposes, there are four components of a sword; the Pommel, the Hilt, the Hand-Guard, and the Blade itself.

Special materials fashioned into components at the wielders request bear the greatest potency, even more so if the bearer crafts them themselves. 

For example;

The Pommel could be made of:

- A great jewel

- The Reliquary of a Saint's (usually finger)bone 

- A Cameo of someone held dear

- A setting for a tiny piece of Art

- A written Dedication

- A Sculpture or Symbol

The Hilt could be:

- Wrapped in Parchment, bearing Scripture

- Leather from a beast slain personally

- Spell-scrolls (if you are particularly brave or desperate)

- Monster Bone

- Wood from your home

- Human skin (for the particularly depraved) 

The Hand Guard could be:

- A depiction of a scene of Legend

- Fashioned into a Rune of Protection

- A Sculpture of an Animal Guardian

- Inscribed with prayers

- Bearing many Jewels

- Carved and Filigreed Monster Bone

The Blade might be:

- Inscribed with Runes or a Name

- Quenched is special liquids (particularly blood)

- Depicting a great beast or scene of legend

- Scarred by a similarly legendary weapon

- Forged of an Unearthly Weapon

- Fashioned to create a strange sound when swung

In the end, it must be the wielder's choice, and it will only make the process quicker. Eventually, any weapon could be made legendary over centuries of slaughter. It makes no difference if the weapon eventually is made up of none of its original components. The spirit of the blade remains, as long as it is not forgotten. (Side Note: The spirit of magical blades take longer to fade away than those of still-mundane blades, even when forgotten) 

To begin with, keep track of the number of critical hits made with the weapon. When a particularly note-worthy foe is slain, or wound is dealt, or other deed is achieved using the weapon, roll a d20. If the result is less than or equal to the number of critical hits dealt by it, adding the number of customised components to the total, then the blade awakens, and its magic begins to bloom. The first effect to manifest is always a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, with additional effects manifesting as further such great deeds are accomplished with the weapon. Each effect will mirror in some way, the deed achieved with it.

In the case of using a magical weapon wielded by another (such as when a character is gifted their father's sword, perhaps) then before any magic can be built up within it, the character must first build a bond with the blade equal to or greater than the bond it had with its previous wielder. Until that point, only a fraction of the blade's power can be used. Mechanically, the weapon will have a +1 bonus for to hit and damage rolls as normal, and up to one powers can be accessed automatically. To release the remaining powers, an awakening roll (as described above) must be made for each remaining power. 

Example Power List:

1 - A further +2 bonus against specific foes (i.e. giants, dragons, humans, etc.)

2 - Wreathing the blade in spectral flame.

3 - The ability to hurl a lighting bolt from the blade once per day.

4 - The ability to fly back to its owners hand on command.

5 - It glows in the presence of enemies.

6 - Its bearer takes no damage from cutting edges (but not from the force of the blow as well)

7 - The bearer has rough tremor senses while wielding the blade.

8 - The blade can move somewhat by itself to deflect ranged attacks.

9 - The blade can shatter almost any solid material if the point is touched against it for enough time.

10 - Water can be directed with the tip of the blade, even into the air.

11 - The tip of the blade can unlock mundane locks.

12 - The wielder of the blade is seen as trustworthy and inspirational when holding the blade aloft.

13 - The blade is supernaturally good at tripping up and disarming foes.

14 - Shields don't seem to offer all that much defence against it.

15 - The blade can heal one wound (read; a single instance of damage) with a touch, once per day.

16 - The blade creates a deep sense of dread in those it is pointed at.

17 - The blade howls like a pack of wolves when swung, quite unnerving.

18 - Plant growth is dramatically accelerated around it when plunged into the ground.

19 - The blade spews forth mist as it is swung, which is wielder alone can see through clearly.

20 - Wounds caused by the blade will only heal if the wielder allows them to.

21 - The blade glows brightly at will, and as bright as sunlight once per day.

22 - The wielder of the blade will never lose their footing whilst wielding the sword.

23 - The wielder has an intuitive danger sense for physical harm.

24 - The wind can be directed by the movements of this sword.

25 - With a solid swing, even stone can be cut by this blade.

26 - Blood spilled by this blade flows up its length to heal its wielder.

27 - Those struck by the blade cannot cast magic while it remains unsheathed.

28 - The blade can freeze water with a touch.

29 - Once planted in the earth, no force can move it save its wielder's hand.

30 - When thrown, the weapon transforms into an animal loyal to its wielder, until the wielder takes it in their hands again.

Sometimes, weapons become cursed by wicked deeds or foul magics. These curses take incredible efforts to cleanse from blades, if it can ever be accomplished at all.

Example Curse List:

1 - Once drawn, the blade must take a life before it can be put down or sheathed.

2 - When drawn, the blade grows hotter and hotter until the wielder can bear it no longer.

3 - Those slain by the sword, are cursed to follow its wielder as mindless undead.

4 - The wielders wounds will not stop bleeding until an equal amount of blood is spilt in return.

5 - Small living things (such as grass and rats) die while the blade is unsheathed nearby.

6 - Wounds dealt by the blade are never fatal, they merely fester and rot forever.

7 - The wielder enters a berserker fury when drawing the blade, and can't tell friend from foe.

8 - Whilst wielding the blade, it saps its wielder's life force to power its magic.

9 - When wielding the blade, even the simplest wound can turn mortal.

10 -  Poor weather perpetually follows the wielder of the blade.

11 - Animals of all kinds despise the wielder of the blade.

12 - A demon dwells within the blade, slowly corrupting the wielder.

The Curio Seller

They come and they go, at night, at dawn, settling down the great lizard just outside of town and pulling up the flesh-curtains to reveal the wares secreted within [Only some of the wares were secreted by the lizard through its esoteric glands, the others were just hidden normally]. They (mostly people say say) wear a thick, oily leather coat, strapped together, and huge boots and gloves, misshapen and probably not filled out within. Their face, is wooden, as is the rest of their head. A wooden mask of a smiling she-devil, strapped roughly to a wooden head. It sounded hollow when people threw stones at them at least.
They don't let this get them down. They merely travel from place to place, selling and trading for the misused and misbegotten detritus of history to people nearly as strange as they are.

The Curio Seller usually has 6 'slots' worth of wares for sale, and d4+1 curios.
3 of these slots are for 2d4-1 objects of slightly uncommon origin.
2 of these slots are for d4 objects of curious origin.
And 1 slot is open for a single object of truly special aspect.
You may also spend half an hour searching through the back rooms of the Curio Shop to try and find additional curios to purchase, finding d3-1 for each half hour spent searching.

The Curio Seller has 12 different wares it can sell:
1 - A scrap/fragment/whole spell.
2 - A pamphlet/notebook/codex written on Alchemy.
3 - A tome of uncommon/old/esoteric lore.
4 - A minor/major/extraordinary Work of Art.
5 - Phials of tincture/potions/elixirs
6 - A single crystal/gems/jewels of various colours.
7 - A map of the area/realm/land.
8 - A small/big/huge mirror.
9 - An initiate/journeyman/expert weapon.
10 - A piece of initiate/journeyman/expert scrimshaw.
11 - A small/medium/long totem charm.
12 - A bundle of uncommon/rare/vanishing herbs.

Where the wares have three words separated by slashes, the first word refers to uncommon objects, the second for curious objects, and third for special objects.

The Curio List
1 - A glass key of curious aspect, labelled "4" in an ancient tongue.
2 - The northern half of a star map showing strange stars.
3 - A vial of "Medusa Anti-Venom," stoppered with charred leather.
4 - A ring bearing ruby, within dances a tiny flame.
5 - A bundle of 5 golden feathers, purportedly the Thunderbird's.
6 - The supposed shin-bone of a Land-Whale, or perhaps a Land-Shark.
7 - A jar of liquid with 3 floating, jellied eyes. They follow you.
8 - A pouch of dust from the floor of the Cathedral of the Baptist.
9 - The deed to a castle you've never heard of, or can find on any map.
10 - The broken handle of a sword. Clutch it in sleep, and you dream of the blade.
11 - A pinch or two of ground unicorn horn in a silken bag.
12 - An arrow supposedly fired by the Master of the Wild Hunt. Still poisonous.
13 - The family tree of the 'Von Arngaults' emblazoned on a shield.
14 - A bottle of water blessed by the Gracious Saint Crane.
15 - A book with a pressed, scarlet flower, and a beautiful inscription (in Fae).
16 - A delicate mechanical butterfly, its wings inlaid with unmelting ice.
17 - Three exquisite silver stakes, wrapped in splendid cloth.
18 - A monocle with a cloudy jade lense, runes ring the bronze setting.
19 - A jar full of brittle, carved jet snakes, labelled; 'Burn'.
20 - A pot of particularly pungent ooze, labelled; 'Troll Musk.' Vile.
21 - A dusty bottle of... wine? Labelled; 'For the Banded Prince.'
22 - An ugly stone idol, it squats, leering, and it reeks of meat.
23 - A shred of mirror, though it reflects a strange library interior.
24 - A brass plate etched with burning, hateful symbols; a demon's name.
25 - A piece of bone, blackened and burned, inlaid with gold.
26 - A glass jar, sealed and full of golden liquid preserving a hand.
27 - A vial of blood, dressed in glittering runes and dried herbs.
28 - A shred of a white tree, it smells like tar or pitch.
29 - A locked, sandalwood box, it thumps rhythmically from within.
30 - A cameo depicting a noble-woman, inscribed in burning Infernal.
31 - A plain ebony ring, inscribed; 'This too, shall pass.'
32 - A dried and preserved heart, impaled cross-wise with two wooden nails.
33 - A golden ingot, wrapped in parchment, closed with a wax seal.
34 - A dry and dusty worm in a beautifully embroidered pocket.
35 - A tiny statuette of a praying saint, apparently life-sized.
36 - A scrap of cloth, embroidered; 'Drink of me, that I may drink of thee.'
37 - A shaman's staff, adorned with much bone, tied up with rough twine.
38 - A time-piece with many, many hands of inscrutable purpose.
39 - An urn depicting the 4 Divine Beasts of Daizuku.
40 - A map depicting a series of curious... canals? (Ley Lines)
41 - Half a book depicting many strange and wonderous works, incomplete.
42 - A sealed envelope, bearing the mark of an unknown house.
43 - An opal-adorned snuff box, hiding a key under a false bottom.
44 - A dried and leathery, imp-like corpse of a homunculus.
45 - A poultice of peculiarly pungent herbs, defies identification.
46 - A chain of alternating brass and silver links, ending with leering faces.
47 - A box of salt, engraved; 'For the last sins of Ninevah.'
48 - A shrunken, pickled head, eyes sewed shut, mouth nailed closed.
49 - A roughly humanoid statuette, wrapped in chains, engraved with curses.
50 - A golden apple, engraved; 'For the Fairest of All.'
51 - Lightning struck metal, unrecognisable, warped and twisted.
52 - Dark, dark glass, cloudy like smoke, coiling within, surprisingly cold.
53 - A series of rugged, black stone blocks, bearing runes, not quite dice.
54 - Half a brass pendent, engraved; '-urying a great fortune at the hi-'.
55 - An apparently marble, suspiciously warm, perfectly smooth egg.
56 - A wooden idol of twin, entwined snakes, wickedly sharp teeth.
57 - A halo of iridescent... glass? Crystal? Angelic, in theory.
58 - A key with human teeth, and a metal heart, which beats, improbably.
59 - A bag of thick, slightly yellow teeth, labelled; 'Do not Sow.'
60 - A glass jar, wax-sealed shut, full of roe-like ooze capsules.
61 - A set of 5 lapis lazuli and gold animal brooches, supposedly lucky.
62 - A small bottle of potent, sweet spirit. When over-imbibed, it induces long comas.
63 - A capsule of inordinately rotten... something. Not particularly sturdy.
64 - A pair of old, old hair pins, tarnished, glowing.
65 - An ancient... chart? Map? Only one or two familiar features.
66 - A set of gemstone needles in rainbow colours, and golden thread.
67 - A beautiful flower, carved from bone, clutching a ruby deep within.
68 - A code cipher, rings set in rings, and a strange central sigil.
69 - A withered and dried ring and little finger, glass nails, metal bones.
70 - A clay and silver ying-yang, bearing a solomonic symbol.
71 - A phial of saint's ashes, a particularly potent lucky charm.
72 - A finely wrought compass with a beautiful brass setting.
73 - 7 charcoal-like sticks that produce a heady smoke when broken.
74 - A charm made of the hair of priests, a defence against demons.
75 - A candle of mysterious origins, its smoke induces powerful dreams.
76 - A crude obsidian knight, with colourful feathers bound to it.
77 - A tiny, still articulated wolf-skeleton, the size of a large rat.
78 - A book of prayers, a couple of spells scribbled in the margins.
79 - A beautiful bottle of rust-red wine, apparently a Djinn vintage.
80 - A mask of pale wood with stone teeth and glass eyes.
81 - A pair of old, dull Obols like stormy skies. Offerings for the dead.
82 - A glass animal filled with a thick red syrup, and no apparent opening.
83 - A lump of carved coal, set in an ornate chain. Improbably cold.
84 - A butterfly brooch, though only one of its four settings is filled.
85 - A pendent of an eye, sometimes it blinks, sometimes it weeps.
86 - A book of wilfully blank pages, a gnashing maw on the cover.
87 - A claw hammer, carved entirely of odd blue crystal. Strangely sticky.
88 - An old, old wooden box, roughly carved, holding only dirt.
89 - A scrap of tapestry, depicting a man, a richly ringed hand held aloft.
90 - A small cat statuette, one eye closed, glass claws and teeth.
91 - An exquisite ivory drinking horn, meandered by arcane runes.
92 - An ocarina, apparently sewn together from various leathers.
93 - A somewhat abstract stone bird, talons clenching... something.
94 - A once shattered jade tea-cup, cracks filled in with gold.
95 - A curse-tablet of baked clay, and space for a name.
96 - A penance stone, unnamed, unworn, unbloodied, still potent
97 - A scarf depicting a mountain topped with a great, smoking mirror.
98 - An incense burner shaped like a wolf swallowing a bird.
99 - A blocky, abstract bronze mask of a horned demon, tongue lolling crazily.
100 - A golden disk, ringed with bone and wood, depicting a bleeding sun.