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    Magic Items of Ull: Part 1
    Posted on Tue, July 05, 2005 by Dongul
    mortellan writes "Magic items have spread prodigiously throughout the Flanaess since the Migrations to the point where every culture and region has dozens of unique creations attributed to their name. The craft of magical items, once the province of Power Mages and High Priests, is now practiced in every major city and town by all levels from Archmagi to simple hedge wizards. No less abundant are the wondrous items coming out of the Baklunish West, including Ull a remote region not famed at all for arcane or divine creations. It is this misconception that has kept many of Ull’s exotic treasures long hid from adventuring eyes until now.

    Magic Items of Ull: Part 1
    By: mortellan
    Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

    Author’s note
    Due to the unreliable information given by Uli ‘experts’ to certain members of the Moquollad Consortium and the Seekers, the following survey can only provide rough histories of the magic items and vague descriptions of their rumored powers. Those wishing to use these items for their own campaign will find they may be more or less powerful than hinted at, the benefit of which is you can customize them as you need for your own style of play. Furthermore, no information has been obtained on the means for their creation or a fair market value since the locals seem to eschew the Moquollad’s standards. Blame it on Ull.

    Rod of Dhawar
    This rod is said to have belonged to the self-styled prophet Dhawar, for use in his demon worshipping cult during pre-devastation times. It became lost during the initial throes of the Invoked Devastation and likely lies buried among the Ulsprue Mountains today, occasionally finding its way into the hands of some ogre shaman or explorer, but always somehow returning to the craggy heights where Dhawar once presided over his Altar. The Rod of Dhawar is an unremarkable blackened metal bar that is tapered in the fashion of a human leg bone. It bears no markings save numerous nicks from attempts to break its adamantite like hardness. When first held, the rod is said to make the owner more self assured and improve his presence to others as a Rod of Splendor might. In the right hands, however, the rod’s true power can be fully exercised. Many superstitious ogres and other aspiring cult leaders whisper the rod excels at summoning demons that are otherwise beyond the ability of the possessor to call upon. Few realize unfortunately that the rod does not exactly give the same amount of control over what is summoned, resulting in some messy rituals. What lore masters also cannot figure out is why all those who have had the rod feel compelled to come back to the Ulsprues. Speculation is that it is tied to the Altar of Dhawar at some spiritual level and must eventually go back there to recharge.

    Jug of Geshtai
    This two-handled weathered clay jug is tall as a gnome and to the untrained eye is indistinguishable from the thousands like it around Ull and the Dry Steppes. Closer appraisal reveals a difference in decoration however. The Jug is painted with scenes of waterfalls, streams and wells with common women filling vessels from them. These scenes are deplorably faded and flaking from age and the elements. Clerics of Geshtai claim the vaunted jug was created and consecrated in the Dry Steppe town of Kanak with the aid of the Shah of the Waters no less, but others say it dates back to the time before the fall of the Baklunish Empire even though the chances of something that frail enduring is doubtful. Despite this, the jug in more recent lore has been attributed to the caravan town of Kester where it has last been seen by several witnesses whom have all asserted newfound piety for Geshtai after having used the Jug. The Jug of Geshtai is generally agreed to be a larger variation of the well known Decanter of Endless Water, operating in most respects like its smaller cousin, with the difference of its water being both purified and holy. Most reports say that the magically created water loses its holy blessing shortly after it is poured forth, but still retains its crystal clear appearance long after it is redistributed. The jug has no stopper of its own and when deactivated appears completely empty, further masking it among other earthenware water vessels.

    Robe of Incabulous
    This vile robe was created by an evil devotee of the Dark Rider. While he is said to have perished decades ago, the robe still remains somewhere in the vicinity of Ull. It has been blamed for the deaths of many hapless souls and is even listed by Alhamazad of the Circle of Eight as a profane item that should be destroyed on sight. The Robe of Incabulous nonetheless has changed hands many times and has proved worth the risk to possess. Writings relate that it is a typical hooded robe, charcoal grey in color with frayed edges. It is in every respect a Robe of Eyes when identified, but its latent powers cannot be unlocked until it is worn for the first and possibly last time. After donning the robe the wearer is afflicted with a fast acting magical disease which so far nobody has been able to cure by any means short of a wish spell. Furthermore, the robe cannot possibly be removed during the initial stages of the disease which onlookers have described as a disturbing nightmarish sleep-state where the wearer screams, thrashes and manifests bodily sores. If the wearer manages to live through the trials of the robe, he awakens fully healthy save some sanity and is thereafter free to remove and put the robe back on. In addition to the comparable powers of a Robe of Eyes it is said the successful wearer of the Robe of Incabulous is also immune to all disease and poison, a property that many in Ull or beyond would and have killed for.

    "
     
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    Re: Magic Items of Ull: Part 1 (Score: 1)
    by Crag on Wed, July 06, 2005
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Nice mort, Love the background. instead of stats.

    Wondering why many items (items in general) tend to mimic the standby or are powerful shrouded in mystery.

    How about doing an article on the "small simple items" not eveything has to be dreaded or from the distant past.

    Perhaps I am just tried of the distant past uber-evil creation set up.



    Re: Magic Items of Ull: Part 1 (Score: 1)
    by mortellan on Wed, July 06, 2005
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Well I'm afraid Ull as it stands today is not a mecca for magic use, and even then most items are for evil design which is why I threw in the Jug as an exception. I'll keep the small item idea in mind! Anyhoo, alot of the items I'm covering in this and part two are to help add to Ull's stratified history. All magic items especially those of the distant past are indeed literal artifacts in an archaeological sense because they reveal the age, style and events of the region for which they were made.


    ]


    Re: Magic Items of Ull: Part 1 (Score: 1)
    by Crag on Wed, July 06, 2005
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    Not a complaint mort.

    Just wondering why, it seems to be so dark and mysterious, their must be a mage, priest or theif guild out there who simply commisioned an item that made their profession or lives easier and achieved renown without going back through the mists of time.

    Ull seems full of ambitious groups and people who wouldn't mind a magical edge without an involved creation plot.

    Just saying, not every item needs an elaborate backstory to be of interest, a contemporary creation can be interesting too.


    ]


    Re: Magic Items of Ull: Part 1 (Score: 1)
    by mortellan on Fri, July 08, 2005
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    Good comments Crag, I'll work with that. Thanks!


    ]


    Re: Magic Items of Ull: Part 1 (Score: 1)
    by cwslyclgh on Fri, July 15, 2005
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    nice article Morte, I like the items, and the background is great!



    Re: Magic Items of Ull: Part 1 (Score: 1)
    by mortellan on Mon, July 18, 2005
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    Thanks wes! There is more to come ;)


    ]



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