The Legendary Treasures of the Fen
Sir Jeremy Moorkroft was the legendary crusader and champion of the Fen Witches who slew the power-mad Brannart McGregor, the first leader of the Kaelics in Mystara. It is said the Sword of Jeremy Moorkroft—already stained with the blood of many Kaelic necromancers and their undead minions—was imbued with powerful enchantments when he slew the lich Brannart "the Red."
The Sword of Jeremy Moorkroft is a cold hard steel long sword +1, +2 vs. undead, +4 vs. liches. Legend has it, if it is wielded by one of the Moorkroft line, the Sword grants other exceptional abilities, such as undead detection up to 60 feet away, cloak of bravery once per day, healing (2 points per level of the wielder, as a paladin's laying of hands), and an aura of protection with a 10-foot radius (as the paladin's ability).
The Sword was believed lost when Jeremy Moorkroft was lost to legend, but it was restored to Jeremy's grandnephew, the Fenswick hero Edward Moorkroft, who wielded the Sword in the Forty Years War, until it was lost again with him in the magical wildstorm over Fenswick in AC 913. The last Moorkroft to wield the Sword was Robert Moorkroft, who slew used it in AC 949 against another Kaelic Necromancer, Duke Lothar McDonald of Fenswick. The Sword is said to have been buried with the villain in the vaults beneath Fenswick Keep—until some adventurers from Klantyre recently stole into the catacombs and looted his tomb.
The Velvet Cloak of Morgan Fairley
Morgan Fairley was the leader of the Fen Witches who migrated from Laterre to Mystara. Lady Morgan was said to wield strange and powerful sorcery, particularly to protect the Fen settlers from the dark necromancy of their Kaelic rivals. One such product of her magic was her Velvet Cloak.
The Velvet Cloak of Morgan Fairley was said to have been made of rich black velvet. On one side, the Cloak's surface sparkled with tiny silver pinpricks of light. On the other, it was dark as midnight that no light could even reflect on it. The Cloak grants its wearer an Armor Class of 5 and a +3 bonus to saves vs. necromancy spells and attacks by undead. It can also project a magical aura of protection from undead, like the scroll, but with a 10-foot radius. The Cloak is said to have many more powers against undead, if Fen tales are to be believed.
When the Kaelic leader, Brannart the Red, demanded the Fens to surrender to him, Lady Morgan Fairley instead sent her champion, Sir Jeremy Moorkroft, protected by her Velvet Cloak. Sir Jeremy survived the deadly confrontation with the lich necromancer, but it is not known if the Cloak did. Some Fenswick historians believe the Velvet Cloak was torn into three pieces, each becoming a magical relic in its own right: The Sable Kerchief of the Moorkrofts, The Malevolent Sash of Lichblood, and The Black Veil of Alhambra.
The Sable Kerchief of the Moorkrofts
When Sir Jeremy Moorkroft defeated the lich Brannart the Red, the magical Velvet Cloak of Morgan Fairley that he was wearing was ripped asunder by the Kaelic lord's attack. Of the tatters of the Cloak that Jeremy returned with, only a square piece about a foot across retained any protective magic. It was believed that this piece was sewn into a kerchief that Jeremy Moorkroft kept and passed on to his descendants. This became known as The Sable Kerchief of the Moorkrofts.
The Sable Kerchief is made of a delicate fabric, smooth as velvet but much thinner. It is midnight black in color but it glitters with silver sparks of light. The edges are embroidered with silver thread and the Moorkroft family crest is portrayed in one corner of the design. The owner of this magical kerchief is granted invisibility to undead and hold undead three times per day. The owner also gains a +1 bonus to saves vs. attacks by undead creatures.
The Sable Kerchief of the Moorkrofts was last owned by Lady Anne Beaumarys-Moorkroft, the Fenswick socialite and mother of Lord John Beaumarys-Moorkroft, Archduke of Westheath. Lady Anne lost the Kerchief in AC 983, the year she met Prince Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany—and became a vampire. The present location of the Sable Kerchief is unknown.
The Malevolent Sash of Lichblood
The Malevolent Sash of Lichblood is believed to be a fragment of the Velvet Cloak of Morgan Fairley, slashed off during Sir Jeremy Moorkroft's encounter with the Kaelic leader Brannart the Red, and stained by the unholy ichor that filled the lich's veins.
Because of its origins, the Sash has been imbued with potent powers against a lich. The owner of the Sash gains a +2 bonus to saves against a lich's aura of fear and paralyzing touch (although he still receives full 1d10 damage from the coldness of the touch). Furthermore, the owner has a +2 bonus to saves vs. the spells cast by a lich, or is granted a saving throw if the spell does not normally grant one. Perhaps most important of all its powers, the Sash can seek the phylactery of a lich, drawing its owner to the location of the phylactery and identifying it with a blood-red glow visible only to the owner of the Sash.
Possession of the Sash does have its grave consequences however. The Sash attracts all forms of lesser undead (11 HD or less) within a 120-foot radius, which will be immediately hostile. The owner of the Sash also suffers a –1 penalty to saves vs. necromancy spells, except those cast by a lich.
The Malevolent Sash of Lichblood is roughly 4 feet long and 6 inches wide. It is made of what seems like heavy black velvet soaked in a thick, sticky fluid that reeks of blood. The Sash constantly feels wet, but the liquid itself never seeps out of the Sash. Some even say the fluid flows within the Sash with an unholy life of its own. By all seeming, this ichor is blood—except that it is deathly cold.
Rumor has it that Sir Angus McGregor of Klantyre has been seeking out the Sash.
El Velo Negro del Alhambra (The Black Veil of Alhambra)
The Belcadizan relic known as The Black Veil of Alhambra is believed to be the third and largest remaining portion of the Velvet Cloak of the Fen Witch, Morgan Fairley. Legends hint that Lady Morgan gave the Veil to the Belcadizan elves in exchange for their secrets of witchcraft and sorcery.
The Black Veil of Alhambra is hidden away in a convent in Belcadiz under the watchful eye of Doña Leontina de Belcadiz, mother of Princess Carnelia. It is magical sealed in an ornate silver reliquary and has never been unfolded in public, but the few who have ever seen it claim it is roughly rectangular in shape, about 2 feet in width and 3 feet in length. The only side of the Veil that is ever displayed has been described as "a clear winter night's sky with a thousand twinkling stars." The edges of the Veil are also lined with the finest Belcadizan lace in silver.
Many miraculous powers have been attributed to the Velo Negro del Alhambra. It is said that it glows brightly with a pure silver light in the presence of undead creatures, much like a cleric's holy symbol. Using the Veil, a person can turn undead as a 9th-level cleric. Most miraculous of all, it is said anyone who has suffered from any draining effects from necromantic magic or undead attacks may benefit from a regeneration spell by merely touching the Veil.
The exact nature and origins of The Black Veil of Alhambra is unclear, and it is unlikely that the Belcadizan elves would be likely to share these secrets any time soon.
Author: Kit Navarro