Legendary Treasures of the Flaem
The Seven Legendary Brooches of the Flaem
Description: Each Brooch of the Flaem is a thumbnail-sized golden flame of the finest craftsmanship. Upon careful examination, red hues which can be seen at certain angles or under direct sunlight. This effect is due to the material used in his creation: a mixture of ruby powder and gold. At the back of each brooch is the coat of arms of the Flaemish ducal family to which it was destined.
General History: In the late 600s, in the Highlands that became the present-day Glantri, the Flaemish Archduke Anton van Drees had Seven Brooches of the Flaem crafted by a master jeweler in Kopstar, and he had every Brooch enchanted with different powers. Unknown to everyone but the Archduke, the Brooches are bound to a powerful crystal ball, called The Crystal Flame, which Archduke van Drees had previously crafted and enchanted himself.
Archduke van Drees presented one Brooch to each of the seven Flaemish ducal families: to the Pieinants family, the Brooch of the Impervious Iron Will; to the Postbrads family, the Brooch of Steadfast Life Guarding; to the Rjevens family, the Brooch of Unwavering Protection; to the Van Agts, the Brooch of Fiery Travels; to the Vlaardoens, the Brooch of Fortified Defenses; to the Van Dijkes, the Brooch of Mind Keeping; and to the Maarstens, the Brooch of Impenetrable Thoughts.
The Flaemish people believe that The Seven Brooches of the Flaem are just legendary symbols of loyalty to Flaemish ideals and traditions. Only the Followers of the Fire know that they actually exist. Under the guidance of Lady Wilhelmine Vlaardoen, they are trying to retrieve them all. They still know nothing about The Crystal Flame.
The Brooch of the Impervious Iron Will
History: The Brooch of the Impervious Iron Will was presented to Duke Jorg Pieinants. Duke Pieinants was a very suspicious person, always fearful of theft. He habitually made replicas of his most prized items, including the Brooch, and generally wore the duplicates. Thus, when his descendant, Archduke Edelmiro Pieinants of Westheath, died in AC 967, Signor Vittorio Fulvina, the principal of his death, seized the fake Brooch that Archduke Edelmiro was wearing.
The Archduke's family belongings, along with the real Brooch, was split between his daughter, Lady Magda Pieinants and the Prince of Bergdhoven (and incidentally Magda's husband), Prince Wilfrid Vlaardoen. Upon Lady Magda's death, her share of the inheritance, which included the Brooch, went to the younger son, Anton Vlaardoen. In AC 972, when Prince Vanserie Vlaardoen became Prince of Bergdhoven and inherited Prince Wilfrid's share of the Pieinants treasure, his wife, Lady Wilhelmine realized the Brooch was missing. Anton denied that he had the item (and pointed Wilhelmine to the Fulvinas.). He had begun investigating the Brooch and the lore behind the Seven Brooches of the Flaem, and had discovered something mysterious about them.
Meanwhile, Signor Vittorio Fulvina, Visconte di Verazzano, believing his fake Brooch to be imbued with powerful Flaemish magic, kept the item well protected in Verazzano. It has been passed down to Vittorio's son, Griseo, who secretly guards him and hopes to use it someday to influence House Linden.
Before Anton learned more about the Brooches, he was slain by the dragon Raknaar. The Brooch remains in a secret room in Anton's residence. Even Raknaar, who now impersonates Anton, has not discovered it yet.
Powers: The Brooch of Impervious Iron Will gives its wearer a protection against mind-affecting spells, giving a +4 bonus to saving throws, or granting a saving throw if none is allowed. The wearer also gains the Iron Will proficiency, or a +4 bonus if he already has this skill.
The Brooch of Steadfast Life Guarding
History: The Brooch of Steadfast Life Guarding was presented by Duke Frans Postbrads to his wife, Alessa, on their marriage, and since then it had been a Postbrads family tradition for the groom to present the Brooch to his bride on the day of their marriage.
Unfortunately, it was forgotten in Hightower when last Postbrads died. The new occupants of Hightower, the Von Taafnens, did not find it. But it the first ruler of High Tower after the Von Taafnens, Doña Constanza de Blanca did. The elven Duquesa knew its Flaemish origin but could not understand its powers. Fearing its magic, she presented it to Princesa Carnelia de Belcadiz. Princesa Carnelia learned its powers, and would have gladly used it, but did not wish to attract Flaemish attentions. She was content to keep it away from Flaemish hands. Unfortunately, Lady Wilhelmine has already traced the Brooch to Belcadiz.
Powers: The Brooch of Steadfast Life Guarding was designed to protect the wearer against the life-draining effects of the undead. Every time the wearer is targeted by a level-drain, she is granted a saving throw vs. death magic. If successful, she avoids the drain. However, if the wearer misses the roll by 4 points of more, or makes a roll of a natural 1, she suffers a double drain!
The Brooch of Unwavering Protection
History: The Brooch of Unwavering Protection has always belonged to Rjevens family and had been proudly worn by the highest ranking female of the family. Obviously, its current owner is Lady Wilhelmine Vlaardoen.
Powers: The Brooch of Unwavering Protection gives its wearer a +3 bonus on her Armor Class and all saving throws.
History: The Brooch of Fiery Travels was an appropriate gift to Duke Ernst van Agt, who was a frequent traveler to the Elemental Plane of Fire. When Duke van Agt disappeared after the Forty Years War, many of his treasures, including the Brooch, remained in a secret cache located in the Plane of Fire. The Brooch, along with the rest of van Agt treasures, has been retrieved by Prince Vanserie Vlaardoen and Lord Haak Krollnar during one of their mission to the Plane of Fire. Prince Vanserie, not realizing its significance at the time, let Haak keep the Brooch for himself. Lord Haak died in AC 990 without telling anyone about the Brooch. It is sometimes worn by his daughter, Rowena Krollnar, Viscountess of Bergen, who does not know its true importance.
Powers: The Brooch of Fiery Travels protects his wearer against some of the ill-effects of the Elemental Plane of Fire. The wearer can breathe and see as if he were on the Prime. The Brooch however does not grant the wearer nor his equipment any resistance to fire.
The Brooch of Fortified Defenses
History: The Brooch of Fortified Defenses was first worn by Duke Petrus Vlaardoen, and has since been worn by all the Princes of Bergdhoven. Its current owner is Prince Vanserie Vlaardoen XI.
Powers: The Brooch of Fortified Defenses gives its wearer a natural Armor Class of 0.
The Brooch of Mind Keeping and The Brooch of Impenetrable Thoughts
History: These two Brooches were lost when the Van Dijkes family line and the Maarsten family line died out during the Forty Years War. They were recovered by peasants, and were sold out of Glantri, changing owners several times. They eventually made their way to Darokin, where a collector of jewelry reunited them, and displayed them in his showroom as "The Twin Flame Brooches."
A traveling Glantrian mage bought them both and was convinced he would profit greatly by selling them to a Flaemish noble. Thus, the two Brooches returned to Glantri to be sold during the Arcanium. They were bought (at a handsome price!) by none other than Lady Wilhelmine Vlaardoen, wife of Prince Vanserie of Bergdhoven.
Lady Wilhelmine conferred the two Brooches to their loyal Flaemish allies, Lady Sinaria Verlien, Countess of High Sonden, and Lord Pieter Vandehaar, Baron of Oxhill, on the one condition that it should never leave the possession of the Flaemish noble families.
Powers: The Brooch of Mind Keeping is worn by Countess Sinaria of High Sonden, who is partially resistant to mind-affecting spells, such and feeblemind, as well as natural and magically-induced madness. She gains a bonus of +4 against such spells, and is allowed a saving throw when none it not usually allowed.
The Brooch of Impenetrable Thoughts is worn by Baron Pieter of Oxhill, who is conferred immunity against ESP, crystal balls, and related detection spell effect.
The Crystal Flame
Description: The Crystal Flame is a single spherical crystal about 20 inches in diameter, carved in the shape of a ball of fire. The top of the sphere is shaped like a 4-inch tongue of flame, and at the sides of the sphere are seven other tongues, each 3 inches high. The sphere radiates a strong magical aura. Any form of detection magic cast on the sphere will reveal it surrounded by a blue light, and on each tongue will appear a silvery coat of arms. The Van Drees coat of arms appears in the central flame-tongue, and the coat of arms of the seven ducal families of the Flaem on the seven smaller tongues. The coat of arms can be properly identified by characters who have studied heraldry or Flaemish history. Researchers must be careful, as the different coats of arms have changed through the years, while the symbol on the Crystal Flame retain the original archaic emblems.
Powers: The Crystal Flame is first and foremost a receptacle for the Radiance, and thus can only be used by a wizard. Archduke Anton van Drees however has added a few more powers to the sphere, which are all powered by the Radiance. Because it drains the Radiance and because its original user is long dead, the Brotherhood of Radiance will detect if the Crystal Flame is used and will seek out its location.
The Crystal Flame is linked to the Seven Legendary Brooches of the Flaem, with one flame tongue attuned to its corresponding Brooch, as traditionally given by Archduke van Drees to each Flaemish ducal family. If no one is currently wearing one of the Brooches, the use of the Crystal Flame cannot use any of its powers on the Brooch. The user of the Crystal Flame can tell if someone is wearing a Brooch, as the top of its corresponding flame tongue glows reddish-orange, and the center of the sphere burns with a silent blue flame.
The additional powers of the Crystal Flame are as follows:
ESP. By simply touching one of the minor flame tongues, the wizard can hear the thoughts of the person wearing the matching Brooch.
Clairvoyance. By touching one of the minor flame tongues and the central one, the wizard can see through the eyes of the wearer of the corresponding Brooch.
Geas. By touching the central flame tongue, the wizard Flame can cast a geas on every current wearer of the Seven Brooches. The wizard has to be of sufficient level to cast it, but need not study or memorize the spell. Only one geas can be cast every year. Should someone try to cast another geas, there is a 1% cumulative chance that the Crystal Sphere will explode, causing 20d6 points of damage, with no saving throw. When the geas forces a subject to go against his nature, the Brooch changes color into a blue-violet hue. This geas can only be removed permanently by a successful dispel magic spell cast on the Crystal Flame. Any form of dispelling cast on the target will only temporarily remove the geas for one turn.
History: The exact history of the Crystal Flame is unclear. Its existence is unknown to everyone but the Archduke Anton van Drees. The Archduke used it to monitor and assure loyalty of the ducal families of the Flaems. He often used the geas to ensure that those who wear the Seven Brooches of the Flaem will never openly betray Flaemish ideals and tradition.
There are however a few clues of its existence.
In the Vandehaar art collection, presently in the possession of Baron Pieter Vandehaar of Oxhill, there is a portrait of Archduke Anton van Drees with the Crystal Flame in his hand. The portrait, entitled "A Beloved Ancestor", was painted by Jan deMeers, a contemporary Bergdhovese painter. DeMeers learned of the object from an ancient booklet About Flaems that can be found in the Great Library in Glantri City. The booklet only states that Archduke van Drees had such an object, giving a detailed physical description of it, but nothing else.
Anton Vlaardoen, brother of Prince Vanserie Vlaardoen, inherited one of the Seven Brooches of the Flaem and conducted some historical investigation to its origins. He found some evidence of the existence of the Crystal Flame: first, from the charred remains of a book by Archduke van Drees, detailing his formula of creating the Crystal Flame; second from a message written by an Alphatian spy that hints the Archduke van Drees was spying on a couple of Flaemish dukes using a the Brooches and another unknown magical object. Following these leads, Anton researched extensively on Archduke van Drees from the Kopstar Library. Unfortunately, Anton did not finish his research as he was slain by the dragon Raknaar. Van Drees' book, the Alphatian messages, and historical notes on Archduke van Drees can be found in a secret room in Anton's residence, together with the Brooch of the Impervious Iron Will.
The current whereabouts of the Crystal Flame are unknown.
Description: The Chariot of Horst Krollnar is an open-top chariot, made of a hard fire-resistant alloy. Its inside is lined with a smooth red leather, believed to be the skin of a ruby dragon. Its outside shell is inlaid with gold that shines with fiery-red highlights. Coupled with the intricate Flaemish designs of flames and tongues, the Chariot seems to be ablaze.
A command word can transform the Chariot into a great ruby to fit in a human palm. Upon careful observation, a tiny flame can be seen burning inside the ruby. The gem radiates neither heat nor magic. When another command word is uttered and the gem is thrown in front of the mage, the ruby reverts into the golden chariot.
History: This powerful item was created by the Flaemish explorer extraordinaire, Horst Krollnar, with the aim of traveling into and within the Inner Plane of Fire. Its creation took 20 years and the whole life of Horst was subsequently devoted to its improvement. The Chariot had been Horst's loyal companion during every mission to the Plane of Fire, which is said to be no less than 50 times. Its existence was known only to his brother Jan Krollnar and to Prince Willem Vlaardoen.
In 953, AC Horst was in the middle of exploring one of the borders of the Plane of Fire and the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Ash, when he reached a large, looming structure. The strange building was the Fortress Dastard, ruled by a powerful demon named Hzuk'ndyaaeth. The fiend's minions tried to capture the Flaemish trespasser, but Horst escaped on his Chariot—only to be confronted by Hzuk'ndyaaeth himself! After a dramatic fight, wherein Horst's used many of the Chariot's magic against the fiend, Horst slew Hzuk'ndyaaeth—or so he thought.
Before Hzuk'ndyaaeth's apparent death and vanquishing, the demon cursed Horst and his Chariot, such that if he were to use its powers, the Chariot would turn against him in the most baneful and harmful way. Such was the corrupting influence of Hzuk'ndyaaeth's magic that not only Horst, but all his descendants who share his blood, will be subject to the fiendish curse. Indeed, as soon as Horst fled on his Chariot onto the Elemental Plane's hostile landscape, the Chariot's magic failed him, letting Horst suffer a horrible fiery death! Hzuk'ndyaaeth's minions later retrieved the Chariot, and the demon kept it in his fortress as a trophy of his victory, and its existence on the Prime Plane was relegated to legends.
It was in AC 988, when Prince Wilhelmine Vlaardoen of Bergdhoven located the Chariot within the Fortress Dastard in the Plane of Fire. The next two years were spent in preparation for the enterprise to retrieve it. In AC 990, Prince Vanserie Vlaardoen, the new Prince of Bergdhoven, and his trusted friend, Lord Haak Krollnar, Baron of Adlerturm and the Jan Krollnar's grandson, departed into the Plane of Fire.
The mission proved to be most dramatic. The two powerful mages confronted Hzuk'ndyaaeth once again, as Horst did decades before. Despite their powerful spells, they could only keep the demon at bay long enough for them to retrieve the Chariot. As the two mages made good their escape, Hzuk'ndyaaeth did not pursue them. Just as Vanserie and Haak were about to exit the Elemental Plane of Fire, the Chariot turned against Horst Krollnar's descendant. Haak was thrown out of the Chariot and exposed to the searing temperatures of the fiery Plane without any protection. Vanserie returned alone to the Prime, in shock and confused at what had just happened.
Once back to Bergdhoven, Prince Vanserie announced the death of his friend. He offered Haak's daughter, Rowena, the Barony of her father as well as the Chariot. Rowena Krollnar accepted the title of Baroness, but angrily refused the Chariot, and left it to the Prince of Bergdhoven.
For years, Prince Vanserie and his expert wizards examined the Chariot and its powers, but they could not find the magical command to make it travel into the Plane of Fire. In the end, they returned the Chariot to its rightful owner, who accepted it this time.
Rowena Krollnar was a scholar of planar magic and eventually discovered the missing magical command. Unfortunately, when Rowena tried to enter the Plane of Fire, Hzuk'ndyaaeth was waiting. He was already attuned to the Chariot and its entrance into the Inner Plane, and anticipated the return of Horst Krollnar's progeny. Rowena and the demon battled fiercely but she managed to banish Hzuk'ndyaaeth. Her encounter with the fiend left her face scarred but with the newfound knowledge of the curse and what actually killed her father.
Rowena decided to bide her time until she was powerful enough to confront the demon again. She also decided to restore relations with Prince Vanserie, by presenting the Chariot to the Prince's wife, Lady Wilhelmine Vlaardoen, as a gift—with the explicit instruction not to use its powers to travel to the Plane of Fire. For the next ten or so years, the ornate Chariot was only used by the Princess of the Flaems to parade around Bergdhoven.
Upon the death of Prince Vanserie and Lady Wilhelmine in AC 1009, Princess Juliana Vlaardoen offered to return the Chariot to Rowena Krollnar. In AC 1012, alongside her lover Maximilian Hiltier, a powerful mage, and her ally Bernardus Sager from Flaemish Shepherd clan of lupins in Bergen, Rowena faced Hzuk'ndyaaeth again. Rowena used the Chariot's powers to open a gate into the Plane of Fire. She confronted Hzuk'ndyaaeth and slew the demon, but at the cost of her own life.
The Chariot can actually be found in the Viscounty of Bergen, in the Museum of Planar Lore and Flaemish History. Nobody has dared touch it since Rowena's death.
Armor Characteristics: The Chariot has 20 hp + 3 hp per level of the mage that uses it. It has the same Armor Class as its rider, but is immune to non-magical weapons.
Powers: The Chariot has the following powers:
Regeneration. The Chariot regenerates 3 hp per round. Alternatively, it can regenerate its rider's hit points instead.
Sphere of Fiery Protection. The Chariot grants the rider immunity from normal and magical fire, the ability to breathe and move at full rate within the element of fire, and protection from the hostile environments of the Plane of Fire, as long as the rider remains within 10' of the Chariot.
Heat Aura. The Chariot normally emanates extreme heat within 5' of the Chariot, causing 1d8 points of damage per round of exposure. The heat does not affect the rider of the Chariot.
Summon Fiery Steeds. Upon a command word, two fiery horses appear to pull the Chariot. These steeds can only maneuver the Chariot and cannot attack in anyway. On the Prime Plane, the Chariot's movement rate is 12. On the Plane of Fire, its movement rate is doubled to 24, and it can fly with Maneuverability Class A. The steeds are completely obedient to the rider and she need not concentrate to control them.
Fiery Gate. On the Prime Plane, a command word opens a gate into the Elemental Plane of Fire. On the Plane of Fire, the gate opens into the Prime.
Fiery Affinity. Creatures from the Plane of Fire generally respect the rider of the Chariot, reacting one category friendlier, and cannot attack unless attacked first. Furthermore, lesser creatures (of 4 HD or less) cannot move within 10' of the Chariot without the rider's permission and cannot attack the rider unless attacked first.
Penalties: Until recently, the Chariot was cursed by the demon Hzuk'ndyaaeth such that when a blood relation of Horst Krollnar uses its powers, the Chariot will turn the power against him or fail. It is not confirmed if the death of Hzuk'ndyaaeth meant the end of the curse.
Handicap: The Chariot and its rider suffer double damage from air-based attacks.
Author: Giovanni Porpora