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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Wonder Worker Wednesday 07-09-2014

Rider with Elven Moonstone Stars
by Me (Ed Kann).
Music for DM Writing: Buffalo Springfield - Retrospective
Candle Color: Blue

Half way through the work week!  Woot Woot!  Welcome back for another post in Dungeon Mastering by Candlelight.  Why not hit the "follow" button while you are here?  It costs you nothing but the click.

Today is another wonder worker Wednesday, the day where we look at clerics, magic-users, spells, magic items and all things related.

In this post I will share one class of magic item from my home campaign and the background on an arcane caster faction.

Elven Coins

The elves stopped fashioning coins of their own more than five hundred years ago.  Few are alive today with any personal memory of that age and so elven coins are considered an ancient treasure even among their own kind.  Today elves conduct limited trade with the human kingdoms surrounding the Sea of Harlots and in the North but they use the same Talons, Markers and other coins minted by the kingdoms of men rather than their own coins.

Elven coins can still be found here and there either in old burial places or in the ruins of once proud elven strongholds.  The coins have a slightly magical nature.  They appear as pearls but each with its own color and glow depending on the rarity and denomination.  These stones will float in the air if they are tossed upwards with a gentle flick of the hand and they will follow the person who tossed them in a sort of glowing halo.  The effect is quite beautiful, like the gathering of tiny stars and provides sufficient light depending on the number of the coins equal to candle or even torchlight.

As a rule of thumb ten coins provide a glow equal to the light provided by a struck match.  Twenty provide light equal to a candle.  One hundred coins provide the illumination of a torch.  In olden times elves would use their coins both as currency and as adornment.  Ten coins provides sufficient light to allow the low light vision of an elf to function quite effectively.

While floating the coins have no weight.  Gathered into a hand and placed into the confines of a normal pouch the coins cease to float and become inert.  While in a pouch each elven coin has a weight equal to one half of a gold piece.

The four most common varieties are the Moonstone Star, the Sapphire Star, the Diamond Star and the Ruby Star.  Humans with no first hand knowledge of these coins may consider them magical light sources as the elves once left them floating here and there in alcoves to serve as lamps.

The Azure Order

The Azure Order is one of the five powerful orders of sorcery which make up the Pentagarchy.  The Pentagarchy is a power grabbing organization of loosely united arcane spell casters who see to establish a complete monopoly over all arcane knowledge within the civilized kingdoms.

The Azure Order's colors are blue, white and silver.  Apprentices enter the service of a sponsor or master wearing blue robes and eventually graduate to blue and silver garb.  Masters within the Azure Order wear white robes lined with blue and trimmed with silver.  A magic-user may earn their blue and silver robes at level five.  A magic-user may quest to join the ranks of the Order's masters at starting at level eight but no earlier.  The device of the Azure Order is seven white stars on a field of blue.

The Azure Order is a no nonsense magical order dedicated to strengthening its knowledge, power and political influence throughout the human kingdoms.  Above all other concerns they seek out posts as the advisers to the wealthy and noble.  The Azure Order's motto is "nobility and magic one".  The Azure Order is a traditionalist sect that staunchly supports the right to rule through birth and the noble bloodline of the "Hundred Lords of Man".  Out of the five orders of sorcery within the Pentagarchy they are the most strongly opposed to the rising influence of the steam barons and the secretive technocratic guild associated with them.

The Azure Order is more concerned with its own strength and position over whether or not the Pentagarchy as a whole survives into the next century.  They operate most closely with the Crimson Order and most often find themselves working against the machinations of the Order of Sable.

Well there you have it.  Another blog post come and gone.  Here is hoping you found this little bit of lore fun and a resource for your own campaign!  Remember to click "follow" before you leave.  See you next time and happy gaming!

-Ed




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