Tervine's Travels

Tervine's Travels, continued

Spells

Low Profile

Level: 1

Range: 0' (caster only)

Duration: 1d10 + 10 rounds

Effect: Renders recipient unnoticeable

This low-level, variant Invisibility spell causes the caster to radiate an aura of disinterest; intelligent creatures around him will simply not notice his presence, unless he calls attention to himself. While enspelled, the caster may move at normal walking pace, and even talk quietly to himself, without breaking the spell; running, shouting , spellcasting, or attacking will break the enchantment immediately. Those attacked are surprised only if the caster attacks from behind; otherwise, the spell's breaking occurs well in time for the target to defend himself.

The spell has no effect on mindless (low-level Undead, Constructs) or animal-intelligence creatures; similarly, creatures with superhuman intelligence (above 18) can easily perceive the caster. Since Low Profile affects the mind directly, special visual abilities such as Infravision do not enable the viewer to bypass the spell's effects, although Detect Invisible and Truesight work normally. Low Profile's limited duration makes it most useful either to escape danger or to slip unnoticed past unfriendly forces.

Weather Eye

Level: 3

Range: see below

Duration: 1 Turn

Effect: Predicts weather patterns

This spell, a staple of the Minrothad Merchant-Princes, allows a seafarer to predict weather-patterns up to 12 hours ahead with reasonable accuracy.

The spell requires a ground lens, such as a monocle, as a focus. The caster holds the lens up to her eye and looks through it, simultaneously willing it to show her what the weather in that direction will look like at some future time - anything upto 12 hours from the time of casting may be seen, although an inexperienced caster will be unlikely to understand what she sees well enough to do anything about it. The caster may view the weather in "real-time", or command the lens to provide a speeded-up synopsis of the developing weather-patterns. The lens may be used as often as desired until the duration expires, and may be re-used as a focus each time the spell is cast.

Note: This spell is easily invalidated by use of such spells as Control Weather, since the spell cannot take such effects into account; however, the Weather Eye's caster can perceive the distortions in weather-patterns which indicate magical tampering is in progress, and (if experienced enough) can take the necessary precautions to minimise deleterious effects.

Tervine's Circle of Camouflage

Level: 4

Range: 10' diameter circle

Duration: 12 hours

Effect: Conceals contents of encircled area

This spell, devised by the itinerant Archmage Tervine Culver, was designed to disguise and conceal a small campsite from prying eyes.

To cast the spell, the mage must mark out the circular area to be enclosed by the spell; this may be done by drawing in chalk, sprinkling a circle of salt, or even scuffing one's foot in the dirt - whatever is most suitable for the type of soil or rock the circle will be cast upon. Once complete, the caster gathers everyone and everything to be protected within the circle, and casts the spell - this causes a columnar illusion to form about the circle, making the interior appear as if there were no signs of habitation.

The spell mutes all but the loudest sounds coming from within; in addition, it acts as a Protection from Evil effect against natural creatures of animal intelligence or less - more intelligent creatures will feel the repulsive effect, but may break through it at will, ending the spell. Those within can see, hear and pass through the spell effect without difficulty. However, if anyone from within the Circle of Camouflage steps outside, he will immediately become visible; the spell will be broken should he try to step back into the Circle. This spell is most useful when camping in hostile territory, although it can be easily adapted for ambushing or spying functions.

Magical Items

Tervine's Storebottle

This resembles a large earthenware jug, made of reddish clay, of the type used to hold wine or other beverages. It detects as magical, but is unremarkable to look at, otherwise.

The Storebottle can hold about four pints of liquid within its normal dimensions; however, when a particular rhythm is tapped on the side by the user, the bottle's aperture creates an opening to one of several small, extradimensional spaces. These are each large enough to hold a maximum of three doses of any potion, poison, or other magical (or mundane) fluid. The Storebottle has six of these "secret compartments", each one accessed by its own tapping sequence, which may be switched between at will. Repeating the sequence of the active space will deactivate it, returning the bottle to normal.

The major advantage of this item is that the potions are stored extradimensionally, protecting them from corruption (from a Druj's aura, for instance) or disenchantment (the Storebottle is deactivated on the Day of Dread, but recovers its powers on the day after). An unscrupulous owner of a Storebottle might use it to trick another person into drinking a potion (or poison) by swigging from it, tapping an access code, then passing it to the victim to drink.

Tervine created this item to allow him to carry multiple potions both safely and secretly; the Storebottle saves vs. damage as ceramic +2. Tervine habitually carries Potions of Diminution, Gaseous Form, and Healing, Ointment of Arachne, and Santhamus' Philtre (see below) in his personal Storebottle.

Tervine's Handkerchief of Travel

This item appears to be a simple silk handkerchief, white with large red spots all over it. It measures roughly 1' x 1' in size. The Handkerchief radiates magic strongly if subjected to a Detect Magic spell.

When held up to the light of the Sun, two command words may be seen within the weave of the Handkerchief. When the first of these ("Enaviled") is spoken, the Handkerchief expands to become a 6' x 8' Flying Carpet, bearing the same spotted pattern, which hovers 2' from the ground. This Carpet has all the standard powers, as listed in the Rules Cyclopedia; the second command word ("Enivret") causes the Flying Carpet to obey the (common tongue) instructions of the one who first speaks it.

The Handkerchief can retain Carpet-form for up to four hours at a time, before reverting to Handkerchief-form; repeating the first command word will change it back prematurely. The Handkerchief can assume Flying Carpet-form once per day.

Tervine's Reprographic Lens

This is a thin, delicate-seeming plate of amber-coloured glass, 6" square, held in a square frame of polished ivory. The frame is decorated with Thothian hieroglyphs inlaid with platinum; the effect is remarkably pleasing to the eye. These hieroglyphs are the means by which the Lens' functions are activated; the commands are "copy", "store", "erase", "scroll forward," and "scroll backward."

When the Lens is placed over a page of writing, a printed page, or even etched stonework (not to mention paintings, tapestries, and the like) and the "copy" hieroglyph is pressed, the Lens reproduces an illusory copy of the document within the glass plate. The image is amber-tinted, of course, but is otherwise identical to the original. Pressing "store" places the page into the Lens' magical "memory"; if this is not done, the image vanishes when the Lens next copies a page. The Lens can store up to 500 screenfuls of information before its capacity is exhausted; "erase" can clear unwanted information from the Lens' memory. The "scroll" glyphs allow the user to quickly through the Lens' stock of images.

Although the Lens can store magical writings - a page from a spellbook, for example - the copy has no magical power; the user must rewrite the spell, using traditional materials, to be able to use it.

Tervine created this item to help him sort and collate his work-notes and the copious amounts of ancient lore he gathered, negating the need to carry mounds of paper. The Lens has proved popular with others, too - there are many copies of the item in existence.

Tervine's Disks of Recovery

These are thin, 1" wide disks of electrum, with decorative runes around the edge of one side, a single word on the other, and a small hole in the centre, which allows them to be worn on a cord or chain. Each Disk detects as magical.

The Disks are linked to an Amulet of Recovery, which is worn about the neck; this Amulet is actually a locket, which opens to reveal a hollow area in which the Disks are stored. Each Disk has a separate code-word, written in Common on the back of the Disk; if the one wearing the Amulet touches it and speaks the code-word for a particular Disk, that Disk - and the person carrying or wearing it, plus any non-living items carried about their person - will be teleported to the Amulet-wearer's presence. The Disk must be within 1 mile of the Amulet, or the summons will not work.

Once a Disk has been used once, it loses its magic forever; however, additional Disks (which cost 500 gp each to make and enchant) may be added to an Amulet's stock by being placed within the hollow section and left there, undisturbed, for 10 days. An Amulet may be linked to upto 30 such Disks at any time. Note: Any Disks which remain outside the Amulet for more than 30 days become permanently non-magical, whether used or not.

Should an Amulet of Recovery be found as treasure, it will contain 2d10 charged Disks.

Ointment of Arachne

This is a thick, cream-coloured fluid, perpetually cold to the touch; when smeared on bare flesh, it causes the skin to darken to a dull grey pallor. Any skin so treated will stick fast if placed against wood or stone, until the person so stuck wills himself to come free; the psychoactive Ointment responds to mental commands from the user, releasing the stuck skin with a quiet sucking noise. Touching another surface, however, will cause the treated area to stick fast again. If the user coats his hands and feet with the Ointment, he may cling to walls and ceilings with ease, and move slowly (30' per Turn) up and across them. The Ointment's effects last for 6 Turns.

This Ointment is expensive to manufacture, as its major ingredient is fresh webbing produced by Giant Black Widow spiders. One batch of Ointment makes 1d8 doses (each dose is enough to coat both hands and feet). When not in use, the Ointment of Arachne must be kept in an airtight container, otherwise it becomes useless within 1d4 hours.

Santhamus' Philtre

Created by the Thyatian Alchemist Gavan Santhamus, this is a sweet golden liquid, similar to mead (an alcoholic beverage made with honey) in colour and taste. When drunk, the imbiber must make a Saving Throw vs. Spells or be affected by a minor Charm effect; he will freely answer almost any questions, and reveal intimate secrets, to anyone who asks him. While in this state, the drinker will not initiate combat - he considers everyone to be his friend - but if attacked, the effect is broken immediately.

The effects of the Philtre last for upto 3 turns; if the Charm is not broken prematurely, the imbiber will find his memory of the last half-hour to be slightly fogged. He will remember little of the conversation, and is easily convinced by any plausible explanation of this state (overindulgence in strong liquor, usually).

One dose of the Philtre may be mixed with a pint of ale or mead, if desired, without losing its efficacy; the resulting mix will be fractionally sweeter than normal, but otherwise the Philtre is undetectable.

The Leviathan's Crystal Eye

This is a sphere of green-tinted glass measuring nearly two feet across. It is surprisingly light for its size. When held at a certain angle, the ghostly image of a human iris and pupil may be seen; if gazed at long enough, the viewer will see the pupil slowly change size.

According to legend, the Relic was once the left eye of the Spuming Nooga, a whale of immense proportions worshipped in Vestland as an Immortal (supposedly an identity/aspect/Avatar of Protius), which carried the Ambarssen Clan, its most ardent worshippers, away from Vestland in 245 AC when they were about to be destroyed as heretics, depositing them on a remote island in the Thanegioth Archipelago which they named Neogana. The saga of their journey within the great whale is among the greatest and most revered of their holy writings, and is sung on the Spuming Nooga's High Holy Days. The Nooga gave up his eye to protect the nascent colony.

The Eye has several powers. It constantly radiates a Protection from Evil effect which encompasses a circle of 500' diameter; moreover, both the Eye, and anyone within range of this effect, are rendered immune to magical scrying (via Crystal Balls, Clairvoyance or ESP spells, or other magics) - any such attempt perceives the landscape, but not man-made objects or intelligent beings. Clerical followers of the Spuming Nooga (of at least 5th level) may use the Eye itself as a Crystal Ball with either Clairaudience or ESP (user's choice); this may be attempted once per week. The High Priest (who must be 9th level or higher) may use the Eye to cast Lore once per month, or to Commune with the Spuming Nooga (no chance for insanity, answers always truthful) once per year, on the Holy Day of Landfall (13th Kaldmont).