The Scrying Eye

The party begins hearing rumors and tales of a strange winged person who fell from the sky. The woman has no memory of where she came from or who she is. But those who have met her claim she is an angel. People who spend time in her presence find themselves the target of a miracle.

Should the party choose to investigate the woman isn’t hard to find. At first glance, she would appear to be any other human if not for the large glowing wings adorning her back. She is soft spoken and longs to have the secrets of her past come to light. A large group of people has come to call her their leader and believe she will be their beacon in the dark.

However, some wish to steal away the angel and keep her for themselves. A powerful bandit lord has caught wind of the woman and has partnered with a dark cult to steal her away. A cult that seems to know more about the woman than they let on.

Who is the woman? Where did she come from? Why is the cult seemingly after her?

Dragon Whistles Wondrous item, common

These metal whistles hold a simple spell. Each whistle has its own pitch that only a dragon sharing the same color scales as the whistle can hear.

Compelling Call: When a dragon hears the whistle, they must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be compelled to move toward the origin of the sound. A creature under the effects of the whistle will not move through obviously dangerous terrains such as off a cliff or through lava.

They can repeat this save at the end of each of their turns. Once a creature successfully saves, they are immune to the effects of the whistle, however they are still able to hear it.

Sylmar and Elaros grew up together and have known each other their whole lives. They grew up in a large wood elf community and even though their interests were in different directions, they always found common ground between them. When their village was attacked by a raiding party, they came together to drive them out. That day was the start of a highly successful adventure.

They traveled the world helping people in need. Others came and went, but Sylmar and Elaros stayed through it all. Even in their darkest hour, they were together. They faced off against a powerful dragon who had found a way to overcome death. They defeated the dragon but in the end, Sylmar was killed and a horrible curse was placed on his body.

However, Elaros wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his best friend. Using his druidic power he was able to bring Sylmar back, but the curse caused it to go horribly wrong. Sylmar came back as a barn owl and no amount of magic has been able to turn him back. Now they are hunting for a way to break the curse and restore Slymar to his true body.

Sylmar was once an elven wizard. He focused on evocation magic and was deadly in battle. His power made him a bit haughty but his friend was always there to stop his ego from growing too big. Now that he is trapped as an owl, he is sullen and prone to flying away, returning a few hours later when he is hungry. Hunting, a skill he hasn’t mastered.

Elaros is an elven druid. He is calm and down to earth, the perfect balance to Sylmar. He is desperate in his search to remove the curse afflicting his friend. A large part of him feels responsible for what happened.

Where might the party run into this strange duo? How might they be able to help them? How might the curse be lifted?

Agile Greatsword Weapon (greatsword), very rare (requires attunement)

This unique greatsword was created by a master smith. They were able to perfectly blend the light versatility of a longsword and the brute strength of a greatsword. In the hands of one strong enough to wield properly, this weapon is deadly.

Blended Harmony: The Agile Greatsword can only be wielded by a creature that has a Strength score over 20. A creature with a lower score will not be able to lift the blade. Due to its strange makeup, the sword can be wielded in one hand, but still retains the properties two handed and heavy for purposes of gaining abilities, such as great weapon fighting. The greatsword also has the versatile property, allowing you to wield it with two hands. When you do so, the weapon deals 2d10 instead of 2d6.

Guided Strike: The sword grants you a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. The Agile Greatsword also has 4 charges. You can use your bonus action to speak the sword’s command word, when you do so the blade begins to glow. Your next attack is made with advantage and if it is successful you deal an additional 4d6 radiant damage.

The Agile Greatsword regains 1d4 charges at dawn. If you expend all 4 charges roll a d20. On a 1, the sword becomes nonmagical and your strength score drops to 10. Your strength can only be returned with greater restoration or wish.

Violence once roamed the countryside slaughtering any who got in his way. He wandered aimlessly without purpose until one day a paladin fell to his blade. The man carried with him a strange golden ring that seemed to call out to the bright red tiefling. When Violence put the ring on his finger, his mind was filled with the whispers of a paladin long dead.

The voice urged the tiefling to adopt the persona of a paladin and help those in need. But things never seem to go his way. Either people turn him away claiming to not need his aid or those he saves don’t show him the appreciation and respect he deserves. When this happens, the spirit housed in the rings calls for their disrespect to be punished, causing Violence to fly into a murderous rage.

When his rage induced frenzy ends, he cleans himself off and moves on to the next town. The voice of the paladin soothing all his fears and stealing away the memories of death and destruction. Violence believes he is a good and honest man, any who claim otherwise soon meet a swift and violent end.

How many people have fallen to Violence’s rage? Who could the voice in the ring belong to? Just who was this paladin?

Potion of Exuberance Potion, rare

These potions are coveted by those who wish to push the body to the absolute limit. Drinking one of these potions will reduce your exhaustion level by 1. The power inside the potion is dangerous and drinking more than 1 within 24 hours might cause your heart to explode.

Dangerous Drink: Each potion you drink after the first has a cumulative 20% chance of killing you outright. However, if you are brave enough to take the risk, drinking more than one can give you some incredible powers:

2 potions: your speed increases by 30ft and you gain a flying speed of 60ft for the next 24 hours

3 potions: your body begins to blur and all attacks made against you have disadvantage for the next 24 hours

4 potions: you gain the effects of the haste spell for the next 24 hours

5 potions: death

The potion fizzes slightly when the top is removed. The bright red liquid inside tastes overwhelmingly sweet and leaves a bitter after taste in your mouth.

The party stumbles across a small mining town that appears to be mostly deserted. The few people that remain are gaunt and carry an air of desperation around them. They don’t have much kindness for strangers, watching the party with clear mistrust.

The leader of the small town is a gruff half orc, she warns the party of the danger lurking around town. Strange whispers that come in the night to lure the weak to their death. She tells them if they value their lives, they’ll leave before the sun sets.

However, before the party can leave they are approached by a young boy. He begs the party for help saving his father, who disappeared the night before. His father claimed he heard his wife calling for him, but the boy’s mother has been dead for years. He tried to stop him, but his father was too strong and ran off into the night.

The boy gave chase and knows where his father went, but no one in the village is willing to help. The boy’s father, like the others who have gone missing in the mining town, followed the whispers to a mine shaft the villagers swear is cursed. They have taken to calling it the Depths of Madness.

What could be drawing people into the mine? What might be happening to those trapped inside? Is it already too late?

Studded Belt Wondrous item, uncommon

This simple leather belt holds no magic of its own, its power comes from the eight glowing red hot studs evenly spaced around it. You can pull a stud off using an action, once you do so, you must throw it, you can only pull off one stud at a time. If you are still holding a stud at the end of your turn, it will explode in your hand, making you the target. When found the Studded Belt will have 1d8 studs.

Explosive Impact: The studs have a range of 15/30. You can use either your strength or dexterity when determining your attack bonus. On a successful hit, the target takes 1d10 fire damage. You can also choose to throw the entire belt. The Studded Belt will deal 1d10 times the number of studs on the belt when it was thrown.

If you choose to throw the entire belt there is a high chance the belt will be destroyed. If you throw the belt, roll a d20. On a 20, the belt is able to survive the explosion. On any other number the belt is destroyed and can only be recovered with wish.

The Studded Belt will regrow 1 stud each day.

This trap is different from most other traps. Instead of repelling invaders or outright killing those who find themselves in places they shouldn’t be, this trap is built to draw intruders inside.

This trap is normally centered around a specialized and highly deadly toxin. When this trap is triggered, darts tipped with the poison spring from the wall. Everyone in the room must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature is hit by a dart and infected with a deadly disease known as Boiling Blood.

A creature infected with Boiling Blood has disadvantage on all ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls. If a creature doesn’t receive the cure within an hour of being infected, their blood will turn to fire and reduce them to ash. Attempting to cure the infected with magic, causes the infected creature to take 1d10 fire damage.

The only cure for Boiling Blood is extremely rare and hard to produce. Those that employ one of these traps, will often dangle the cure in front of the intruders. Luring them in deeper and deeper.

The trap can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Perception check and can be disarmed with a successful DC 18 Thieves’ Tool Check. If the disarm check fails by 5 or more, the trap is triggered and whoever was attempting to disarm the trap has disadvantage on their save.

Who might use a trap like this? Where might the party be able to buy this poison? Who created it?

Earworm Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a bard) 

This powerful instrument once belonged to a legendary bard. They were single handedly responsible for saving the world from the forces of darkness. However, at the climax of the final battle, the bard’s body was consumed in a magical explosion that scattered the darkness. The only thing left behind was his beautifully carved rebec.

While you are attuned to Earworm, you gain a +3 bonus to your spell attack and spell save DC. In addition, if you miss with a spell that requires an attack roll, roll a d100. On a 91 or higher, you immediately regain the spell slot.

Earworm: The rebec also has a unique feature, when it is used against a creature that is concentrating on a spell. When the creature is successfully hit with a spell attack, their mind fills with the most annoying song. The creature must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or fall prey to the earworm. On a failure, the creature has disadvantage on all concentration checks for the next minute.

Bards lovable rascals who are just as likely to save the world as they are to wind up thrown out of a tavern. Able to tame magic itself with just the power of their voice. Versatile and flexible, no matter the situation you find yourself in, you’ll want a bard by your side.

Glass Javelin Weapon (javelin), common

These special javelins are carved from enchanted glass. The glass is empowered by dangerous and deadly evocation magic. The enchantment from the glass passes into the weapons carved from it.

Shattered: Glass Javelins can be thrown twice as far as normal javelins, giving them a range of 60/240. In addition, when a Glass Javelin hits a target it deals maximum damage, for the magic to properly activate the javelin must be thrown. However, after impact, either on the target or the ground the javelin shatters.

These tiny little spirits are the bane of travelers who find themselves wandering the wilderness. The spirits were drawn from the distant planes by the presence of treasure and call of gold. Almost impossible to spot, these spirits spend their time stealing gold and treasure from unsuspecting victims.

Travelers have taken to calling the spirits, Golden Thieves, after their love for stealing into campsites and making off with as much as they can carry. The spirits are not inherently evil and will often flee if they are spotted. In fact, recently rumors have started spreading that if someone were able to catch the wily spirits, the spirits will turn to solid gold.

Because of the increase in the hunting of these creatures, they have become extremely reclusive and rare. Choosing to make their home in the lairs of powerful creatures who have hoards of their own. Though the greed that drives them is a pull they can’t resist for long.

What might the party do if they hear the rumors? What would they do if a Golden Thief stole from them? Is there more to these creatures than first meet the eyes?

Ring of the Rager Ring, uncommon (requires attunement)

Ring of the Rager has 3 charges. You can use your bonus action to expend a charge and enter into a rage filled state. While in this state, all your melee attacks deal an additional +2 damage and you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. This state will last for 1 minute and will end immediately if you don’t successfully hit a creature or receive damage before the start of your next turn.

Pulled Muscle: When your rage ends you must immediately make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, you suffer no ill effects. On a failure, all your muscles seize up and you are paralyzed for 1 minute. If you fail the save by 5 or more, you are knocked unconscious for 1 hour.

The Ring of the Rager regains 1d4-1 (min of 1) charges at dawn. If you expend all 3 charges roll a d20. On a 1, the ring becomes nonmagical and your Strength score drops by 1. This can be undone with remove curse or greater restoration.

Level: 2nd level, conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (rune carved ulna)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Available To: Wizard

You touch a willing creature and cause two ethereal arms to sprout from their body. When you summon these arms, you determine what they are holding. You have three options:

Greatsword: Allows the one affected by this spell to make an additional attack with the ethereal greatsword. Use their strength and proficiency bonus to determine attack bonus. On a successful hit, the target takes 2d6 + Str mod psychic damage.

Longbow: Allows the one affected by this spell to make an additional attack with the ethereal longbow. Use their dexterity and proficiency bonus to determine attack bonus. On a successful hit, the target takes 2d6 + Dex mod psychic damage.

Shield: The one affected by this spell receives all the benefits of a shield.

Breastplate of the Hellknight Armor (breastplate), rare (requires attunement by an evil aligned character)

There will always be an endless battle between good and evil. Neither side willing to surrender or give up. But the soldiers who fight against the endless wave of evil, carry a heavy burden, and sometimes that toll can cause them to fall. Some find themselves giving in to the siren call of the darkness, finding themselves changed forever.

The Breastplate of the Hellknight grants you a +1 bonus to AC while you are wearing it. In addition, you can use your action to speak the armor’s command word. When you do so, three creatures you can see within 30ft of you must make a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or fall under the effects of the bane spell. This requires no concentration, and the affected creatures can repeat the save at the end of each turn. This power can only be used once per day.

Demonic Flight: The armor has 3 charges. Using your bonus action you can cause leathery demonic wings to sprout from the back of the armor. These wings give you a flying speed of 60ft and will disappear after 1 minute.

The Breastplate of the Hellknight regains 1d4-1 (minimum of 1) charges at midnight. If you expend all 3 charges, roll a d20. On a 1, the breastplate becomes nonmagical. However, the power of the armor can be recovered by engulfing the armor in flames for 1 hour on desecrated ground.

This married pair of rock gnomes once belonged to a famed adventuring party. When their adventure came to an end, they decided to retire and open a children’s toy store. But the life of an adventurer is hard to leave behind.

Those that know the secret code “Friends of Gal”, know there is much more to the store than first meets the eye. Down in the basement of the building, through a portal to a pocket dimension, is the true business. Rows and rows or potions, racks of magical weapons and armor line the walls, and a library full of spell scrolls. The two rock gnomes won’t give their things away for free, but they always have quests for up and coming adventurers.

Lilan grew up in a sheltered home as the daughter of a powerful king. But Lilan longed for a life of freedom, but her inability to speak caused others to view her as broken and weak. After years of dealing with the coddling of her father’s court, Lilan ran away and never looked back. Eventually finding a new family.

Vorlin traveled the world as a loveable bard. However, like most bards, his personality often gets him in trouble. In fact, his over the top nature got him thrown out of the first adventuring group he joined and he lost everything. Lilan eventually found him sleeping in the sewer and convinced her team to let the bard join and as all the good stories go, the rest is history.

What quests might the rock gnomes have for the party? Where might Lilan and Vorlin set up shop? What adventures have they been on?