Forgegrinder Omnibus
This heavy tome is bound in a sturdy – albeit dull – metal binding, the secrets within protected from prying eyes by solid metal clasps held closed with an intricate locking mechanism. The cover is adorned with a gear, on which is depicted a rune-inscribed anvil and hammer. A thin chain trails from the lower spine, ensuring that the book never more than a arm’s length away from its owner.
When King Raithan founded what would eventually become the Sons of the Forge, their first order of business was to collect and organize any and all plans, schematics and notes Rendersson Forgegrinder left behind. Despite missing crucial details and passages concerning the rune-driven sentinels he was working on when he disappeared, the Warsmith’s abandoned works still provided plenty of information regarding the construction of a potent arsenal as well as illustrating a number of inventive ways to overcoming a variety of obstacles.
Each member of the Sons of the Forge is given their own copy of this book upon obtaining the rank of either a master blacksmith or master arcanist, which they guard with their lives. The book is studied daily and the instructions and component lists memorized so that while out on a mission, the four-man teams (one master arcanist and one master blacksmith, each with an apprentice) will have the knowledge and means to construct any weapons or equipment needed to achieve their goals. Should any Son of the Forge be mortally wounded or faced with capture, they are instructed to destroy the book by fire or destroy the key, ensuring the tome stays locked away from the prying eyes of outsiders.
As an additional measure of security, the pages of the Omnibus were interwoven with a subtle magic that ensures that anything viewed or read in the book by outsiders is unable to form a lasting impression. Only the master craftsmen of the Sons of the Forge are allowed to view the original notes and commit them to memory.
Gameplay
Characters of average or higher intelligence who possess a Forgegrinder Omnibus and who spend an extended rest studying it will gain a bonus to all skills and abilities related to engineering, construction, metal fabrication, and alchemy. By following the instructions and notes in the Omnibus, characters gain the ability to operate, disable or repair any constructs comprised of stone, metal, and/or wood they encounter, though such knowledge will not prevent a construct from attacking them.
Should a character loose possession of an Omnibus, the knowledge learned will dissipate during the next extended rest taken by the character.
Raithan’s Diary
A small, well-worn leather journal bearing the royal seal of a deposed tyrant.
Raithan’s Diary is rumored to hold the last location of the search party he sent out to retrieve the deserter Rendersson Forgegrinder, as well as some missing pieces to the plans the Warsmith was working on concerning the unstoppable army Raithan had ordered his Warsmith to create. The king, paranoid and suspicious, often kept his subordinates in the dark as to what plans he had set in motion and was loathe to share his secrets.
After his death at the hands of an unknown assassin, the whereabouts of this particular diary were lost. Some, who know and whisper of such matters, speculate that the journal was secretly interred with the king’s body. Others believe that the Sons of the Forge may have obtained – or possibly even stolen – it, while others believe it was the journal that led to the king’s death in the first place, and that it was taken by the killer.
Runestone
A translucent polyhedron with an arcane symbol etched on one of its faces hangs suspended from a thin chain. Its wearer moves about the crime scene, glancing down at it from time to time. Suddenly, it begins to glow faintly. The investigator takes the stone from around his neck and holds it forth, watching it intently.
After continually coming up short in his dogged pursuit of the mysterious Curse Killer of the Pentopolis, the pragmatic Inspector Harridan decided to turn to alternative means of investigation and tracking. Working with some mystics in the area, he was eventually able to determine that some form of rune-based magic was being employed at each of the crime scenes. Using this information, Harridan located an authority on runes at one of the local universities and commissioned the him to devise a means of detecting and locating the source of rune-based magical activity. The runestones are the result of the old wizard’s efforts.
A runestone begins to glow when rune-based magic is detected in an area. The stone also bears a rune of finding on one of its faces. When the stone begins to glow, the wearer holds the stone out and watches as the rune turns towards the strongest concentration of residue in the immediate vicinity.
Unfortunately, the first generation of runestones Harridan had produced for his Irregulars could not discriminate between different types of rune-based magic, which often led to confusion when they were first distributed. Undaunted, the Inspector is currently searching for a way to create runestones that can be attuned to a certain magical wavelength based after an initial exposure to it.
Automated Antagonist Artifacts by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.
