The Loremaster's Guide to the Realms Volume I: Villains

[Matt James]

The Loremaster's Guide to the Realms Volume I: Villains
Digital-Product Only

Scope: The Loremaster's Guide to the Realms Volume I: Villains will be a 32 page treatment that supports the Realms through it's diverse and well-informed fan-base. Book I will focus on Villains. Please see below for recommendations on areas that may be covered. Keep in mind that we are augmenting existing Realmslore and that we are here to promote the Realms in a meaningful way.

• Villainous Profiles
• Villainous Locations
• Villainous Items (artifacts, weapons, armor, books, etc...)
• Villainous Organizations

If you have ideas and wish to participate, please reply here with what you have in mind. This thread will serve as a living document, so check back often for updates as people start to stake out their ground. Several of us will be working to keep the project's scope on track and ensuring that this turns into a quality piece for Realms fans to enjoy for years to come.

Note on Era: You are free to write in any era you wish, we only ask that you have the appropriate references to existing lore and that you not intentionally invalidate Realmslore that exists in the future of your piece.

BIG DISCLAIMER: This project should never invalidate the sanctity of the Realms. We are here to add, not detract. Your work must be such that it can easily be used in another setting, if not the Realms. This is more than an issue of copyright, and speaks to the respect the writers, authors, and game designers should have for working on the world and characters we love.

Send all submissions to matt.james(at)loremaster(dawt)org (remove the anti-spam measures).

DEADLINE: December 31, 2012.

[Matt James]

Future pieces will have a variety of different subjects. As we want to focus more on creating Realmslore, we'll be taking a more proactive role in guiding the project. We're starting out with Villains and will move on to other topics based on what the community wants to do.

[Sanishiver]

Villains...hrm, I don't usually write villains.

All the more reason to jump in head first!

So, I found some notes drawn from a book I discovered in a library. The book was called "Journeymen in Murder: The Assassin in English Renaissance Drama" by Martin Wiggins and, after looking through my notes, I've decided that I'd like to write a villainous profile or two.

Specifically, about unconventional assassins who kill for their own ends; they don't do knifings or stranglings, but rather poison through food or arrange for the most unlikely of accidents. For example a butler or majordomo who kills members of the house where he serves out of loyalty gone overboard in order to keep his master's house free of disease, taint and weakness, but is also a fierce killer of rivals to the noble because the servant sees nobody else but himself as qualified to decide who lives and who dies.

Or an assassin who only takes payment in barter.

Maybe an assassin from Sembia who only accepts payment in the form of deeds of ownership to property.

Or maybe an assassin who isn't. Perhaps a servant who's done murder on command of his or her noble lord, but refuses an order to slay one or more upstart children of that noble and kidnaps the child instead...perhaps after slaying her master?

That's a start.

[Lord Snowblood]

The Sabre of Araushnee

An ornately carved hilt of obsidian, sheathed in shark skin with a slender, curved, leaf blade covered in densely woven elven script. The pommel set with a single fist sized blood red diamond, this sword was a gift fashioned by Corellon as a gift for his lover. When the goddess was cast out the sword mysteriously vanished and later turned up in the hands of Lord Ka’narlist when he became Lolths consort.

The sword itself is a +5 vorpal sabre that does an extra 2d8 cold damage to those with elvish blood. The sword is powerful enough to damage even a god’s immortal form. Against upper planar beings, particularly servants of the Seldarine the sword does triple damage and wounds from this sword continue to bleed for 1d10 rounds doing 2d4+5 hp damage unless healed by divine intervention. The sword wielder is immune to all spells cast by eladrin & fey creatures except for high magic and those cast by priests of Corellon.

[Lord Snowblood]

The Sheath of Araushnee’s Damnation

A padded sheath, made from finest silk and worked with brilliantly colored threads. Upon it is an intricate tapestry that depicts the gods at play in their elven forest. A matchless example of the weaver's art, the scene is boardered about with runes of warding and protection such as only an elven goddess might fashion. The sheath steals the enchantments of whatever sword or other appropriate weapon is placed within it. The item gets no saving throw and an identical version of the item appears at Araushnee’s feet. The wearer of the sheath does not know of the curse until they draw the weapon in combat, upon which time they discover that the sword (etc) is a dull and dweomerless object little better than a long butter knife. The wearer cannot rid themselves of the sheath unless they knowingly gift it to another. Otherwise it keeps appearing on their sword belt. Araushnee at all times knows’ the whereabouts of the sheath and often uses it to scry upon her cursed enemies.

[Lord Snowblood]

Dark Flyers – Winged Demonic Dark Elves
Frequency: Very Rare
Climate/Terrain: Any Dark Elf Community with life shapers
HD: 2-9
No. Appearing:1d4/2d20
Intelligence: 13-20
Mv: 18/Fly 24
Treasure: personal
AC: 8/depends upon skin type & armour worn
Size: 5’-7’
No of Attacks: varies according to class/level/weapons
Damage per attack: see above
Weapons & Armor: all magical
Magic Resistance: minimum 50% + 2 per hit dice
Special Powers: see below
Special defences: standard demonic & elven immunities
Created eons before the Fey’ri by Lord Ka’narlist and the Lunar Eclipse Life Shapers Circle, the Dark Flyers were the result of generations of cross breeding captured Avariel, volunteer dark elves and winged demons. After centuries of frustration and failures the Life Shapers managed to perfect crossing succubi with Avariel/Dark Elf half breeds to come up with the perfect Dark Flyer that eventually proved to be self fertile and sustainable in their populations. The only drawback was at least 30% off all Dark Flyers were born altruistic and self sacrificing in their outlook, a trait inherited from their Avariel ancestors.
Born with standard elven abilities and demonic immunities, each dark flyer also inherited 1d4+1 powers they could each use 1-3 times a day.
1. darkness
2. wall of fire
3. charm person
4. fire charm
5. scales (AC3)
6. infravison 240’
7. dimension door
8. detect magic
9. know alignment
10. invisibility
11. read languages
12. telepathy
13. ESP
14. detect invisibility
15. Prt/Good
16. burning hands
17. stinking cloud
18. hold monster
19. fire ball
20. haste
The Dark Flyers were used extensively in the second crown war against Aryvandaaran Dragon Riders and against Orishaar and the Three leaf Realms spreading fires. But as the wars progressed their numbers could not be replaced quickly enough and soon the more altruistic Dark Flyers who had up to this time kept their natures hidden emerged as a political force and grew sick of being exploited, no longer believing the lies of the charismatic leader Lord Ka’narlist. In the end hundreds of the Dark Flyers rebelled against their creators commands and he was forced to use high magic to destroy most of them. The few dozen survivors took to the wing and fled south across the ocean to the darkest Jungles of Chult where they hid for a few centuries before setting sail south to parts unknown never to be heard from again in recorded realms history.

[Lord Snowblood]

The Emerald Serpent of Asbaron

This diamond and emerald encrusted golden ring is the master controller ring that the Lich Asbaron of Anauria uses to control all of his servants both living and dead. It acts as a rod of rulership as well as providing continuous mental control over every being implanted with one of Asbaron’s control emeralds. The ring also acts as an emergency phylactery if all others have been destroyed. Anyone else attempting to don the ring automatically comes under the lichs’ full control

[Lord Snowblood]

Lore Guards

Used by Artificers as bodyguards and assassins Lore Guards are spirits of higher “undead” demonic wraiths who inhabit complex humanoid mechanical constructs. Highly psionic, each linked to the other through a collective mental nexus that allows each to know the thoughts, intentions and actions of the other. This allows for one LG to keep the other members of its ‘hive’ informed and allows the high master to direct and to an extent ‘control’ the actions of each group member. This translates in battle terms as a +1 to AC and to hit bonus per member of the hive working together, to a maximum of +5. They are known to deflect/parry/defend for each other, and are quite capable of attacking a single target en masse before moving onto the next one. Another feature is their willingness to sacrifice one or more of their number to achieve a greater goal. This is because, even with the destruction of their physical bodies, the spirits are free to return to the abyss or to a previously prepared ‘phylactery’ that stores them until a new mechanical body is readied for habitation.

Most Lore Guards use heavy weapons such as axes and great swords along with heavy spears and polearms. They excel in armed and unarmed combat, usually specializing in particular weapons and martial combat styles. They are totally fearless, incorruptible and loyal. They will follow orders intelligently and will not sacrifice themselves needlessly to satisfy the whims of an ineffective master; but for a proven purveyor of evil and dilettante of the dark arts, there is no more loyal a bodyguard/assassin. They have all of the standard undead and tannaric immunities, as well as being immune to spells of less than 5th level. The removal of limbs and the head will disable a Lore Guard but not stop it. In addition to being nearly indestructible, they have a collection of useful powers (these are just a typical selection and can be sunstituted). True sight & detect lie (always active), fear 15’ radius (at will), mass hold monster & power word kill (1/day each), dimension door/spider climb/magic missile/wraith form 3/day each, caster level 18. Besides this Lore Guards are telepathic with psychokinetic and telepathic powers that vary from guard to guard.

[Lord Snowblood]

Arrows of Lingering Death

+1 to +5 arrow heads on black shafts with blood red fetching. Each arrow when it hits loses its head which continues to wound a creature until the arrowhead is removed; so usually one arrow is enough to bring down even the largest creature. The arrow head works its way to the vital organs causing 1 -5 +1d4 hp damage per hour extra until the creature expires. Living beings dying in this manner are forever dead with only a wish or miracle (or epic resurrection) being able to bring them back. These arrows are usually manufactured in batches of 10 at great cost (2000gp for each arrow), and are found in specially prepared sheafs of ornately worked, black leather, bound in shadesteel bands.

[Matt James]

Snowblood is on a roll! I'll start a new area for this kind of stuff. Hold on to your submissions for now.