THE HIDDEN SWORD

ENCOUNTERS

NA

FEATURES

The Hidden Sword is a weapon of forgotten infamy used by an old Keltic warlord whose campaigns took him all over the very small known world of his age. And he took that world with his blue blade by his side and in his hand... The Axe of Agrandas was a mighty weapon. So mighty, in fact, many wondered whether that was the secret of the man's success. The world suffered under that ruthless axe. It flamed with crimson when it sung through the air, and flashed with ire when it bit into flesh. No armour could stop it... And finally, in the end, High King Agrandas was defeated by his closest ally, his augur and childhood friend, the blind magician, Alemu the Wise. Alemu realised Agrandas wasn't stopping. The sword was fuelled by the warlord's will and inner fire. The wizard trapped Alemu in his own blade, and put it in a magically-warded 'tomb' where none could easily get at it, even if they found it... He didn't bother hiding the weapon, too much... He didn't need to. The magical prison, out of the way, in the wilderness, a nondescript cave, and magic spells to ward against notice. He thought the sword, which he could not destroy, would remain undiscovered. Alemu spent the remainder of his days seeking out and destroying any extant literary sources about Agrandas and his life. If there are any copies or records left, they aren't many...

• Feature - See below

KEY

1. Landing - The landing where the nondescript magical boat is moored to an ash post is a stony, sandy patch of ground with little grass and a few low shrubs before a yawning crack in the stone cliffs along a river. Further exploration shows that, just inside, there is a rough-hewn stair winding upward into the rock face. The landing looks nondescript. Any viewing it have a 10% (plus any bonus for sensory stats of high enough value) chance of noticing anything. The boat's presence is magically hidden. Not until a check is passed does anyone actually see anything. The boat suddenly becomes apparent, the rent in the rocks suddenly made visible... 'Oh... Well, I could have sworn that wasn't there, before... Strange...' There is an urge to use the boat, once landed on the patch of ground. Every 10 minutes, the desire to use the boat is felt, and requires a check to resist its pull. The boat will take anyone inside of it immediately to the opposite bank, where another check, once out of the boat, is required not to forget the whole experience. As soon as the boat is left, it speeds back to its mooring post where the rope reties itself.

2. Magic Stair - Using the stair is a difficult task. Anyone walking up it must make a check against magic, illusion, every 20 feet. The problem with this stair is that it plays with the mind of those climbing it. The success or failure is unknown to the character, until they find themselves either right back where they started, or at the shrine. Down seems up, if rolls are failed. The path seems certain, until an exit is found.

• Descending the Stair - In an attempt to trap anyone who might have acquired the sword, descending the stair has the same effect as ascending it. Only, this time, the effect is reversed, and the shrine makes the person affected flee, into the swamp.

3. Cursed Shrine - The indicator one has reached this area is the heavily-stylised, bright, polished bronze statue of The Lady of Light... She holds her sword in front of her with her right hand, a shield in her left. A stoic expression upon her face, she greets anyone with the same impassivity. Here, once within a 10' radius of the shrine statue of The Lady of Light, characters of anything other than lawful temperament will be beset by a spell of authenticity, in which they must make a check against their spirit, morale, wisdom, or something similar, to see if they can withstand the power of truth emanating from it. If not, they flee back the way they came. There are also two posts near the water's edge. They are made of ash like the mooring post seen at the landing. Only these two are carved into the stylised likenesses of coiling, knotted serpents.

4. Marsh - The marsh is a morass of reeds, rushes, and muddy water 3' deep dotted with hummocks of soft earth dressed with low shrubs and mossy outcroppings of sandstone and grit. An entirely sandstone, peaked structure sits in the middle of this space, on a large hummock of solid(ish) earth. The blocks comprising it are large and rectangular cut stones. Carvings on their surface can barely be made out from a distance of 20', but, the rich colours are evident. The entire marsh sits in a bowl of near-vertical stone open to the sky. The cliffs soar overhead, dwarfing everything in their shadow, unless the sun is directly overhead. As soon as anyone sets foot in the water, two giant green serpents with poison fangs and constricting bodies, each 20' long, attack from the water. They are magical, and will regenerate at midnight and attack anyone still in the area with surprise strikes from the water, until a successful paralysing bite is made. They will bite then constrict.

5. Prison - Agrandas's sword lies within this strange sandstone prison. Two steps surround the tomb and lead up into its simple entry portal. The lintel is large, triangular, and carved with the eagle-headed dragon of Agrandas, wings outstretched, bird front legs and lizard hind show extended, attacking claws. The posts are wide and simple, rectangular, carved in the likenesses of the same naturalistic, but, simple, eagle-headed dragon perched on its hind lags, regal, front claws resting on helmeted human skulls, a pile of bones their throne. A frieze wraps around the whole thing, showing the life and brutality of Agrandas and his sword... The prison's plain construction and blocky carvings are painted bright colours (especially the rich blood on the talons and blue sword blade), standing out in stark contrast with the plain, yellow-gold-streaked sandstone. Inside is a peaked, small, square room with a 20' high ceiling. No adornments mark the flat surfaces within. Smooth and polished surfaces (unlike the rough-hewn exterior) greet any comers. No dust or filth or weed or crack is anywhere to be seen. Finely cut, narrow stairs flank the entry. They lead up to a landing 10' high. A black marble plinth with royal blue veins through it features two cut sandstone steps leading up to it. Two identical, regal-looking eagle-dragons carved with a surprising level of detail, seemingly painted to match, sit upright on lizard haunches, front legs hanging loose before them, at attention, gazes fixed ahead, flank the plinth. Upon the plinth is the fabled sword, the Axe of Agrandas, laying naked and bare, its bronze and bejewelled scabbard lying behind it. Once characters set foot on the trapped portion of the floor, which is a large rectangular stone (that can be avoided as long as no one steps on it), the eagle-dragons, each 7' tall, capable of flight with leathery wings, attack. They are real, flesh-and-blood creations of Alemu.

• The Axe of Agrandas - If, after all these trials, the characters manage to secure the sword, it will immediately bond to the wielder, and remain so until the curse is broken. Agrandas is clever and wild. His sword is of an old Keltic style none have seen in ages, made of blue steel of gnomish make, singular to one smith. He betrayed the sword's creator to get it. His will was so great, he could make the sword flame as it was swung through the air, and when it struck, do extra damage from the sheer magnitude of Agrandas's violent anger. Anyone wielding the sword will need to make checks to resist the old warlord's violent temper and pride, when taunted or put in situations where their mettle might be tested, and before any combat. He is not stupid, but, political and aggrandising, and will seek to gain advantages in scenarios he sees there might be an opportunity for power. These require checks, as well. After 20 failed checks, the sword's prisoner will take over the will of the wielder and usurp them, trading places. The old character will now be trapped in the blade. A special quest must be performed to remove the curse. Only a mountain gnome may remove it. They will recognise the craftsmanship, and the steel. Finding that smith, if he still lives, will increase chances of success. Any failures of will result in the sword's prisoner taking control for 1-4 hours. The sword's magic only functions if Agrandas is in charge. Otherwise, it is a lighter-than normal sword (half normal weight) that does the same damage as a weapon of its type.

* SPECIAL NOTE: Scale combat so it's not impossible, just real difficult. It's not supposed to be impossible. Don't pull punches, just make it difficult. If characters die, they die, but, the combined effect of the traps should prove fatal enough, but, clever players, and a not-too-adversarial GM 🙄, can make it work.