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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="xenoflare" data-source="post: 1597889" data-attributes="member: 12431">Happier timesThe Prefecture of Nan Yuan, the Empire of Shou Long**The children continued to run, to play, to laugh, and to joke, but even the nigh-inexhaustible energy of the young has to end sometime. The kids stopped, all of them panting like puppies in summer, some clutching their sides in rueful agony as they remembered, too late, the stern admonishments their elders to not strain themselves so soon after mealtime, others flopping down in huge sprawling masses of little toddlers at the river’s edge, washing their sweat-grimed faces and thirst-parched throats eagerly with the emerald water. One of the more precocious children asked, after rapidly drinking her fill,“ Big Brother, Big Brother, will you be giving us a ride home later? We’re far too tired to walk home now… and it’s getting late!”At first glance, it was hard to recognize towards whom this question was directed, for while the crowd of children were composed of boys and girls of varying age, there seemed to be no obvious leader who could claim any form of physical or social seniority, and there was also no steed or carriage to speak of, that could be used to ferry these children home.A young lad lying on his back, seemingly engrossed in looking at the constellations of stars faintly tracing themselves out in the gossamer pale moonlight of the evening sky, got up and spoke in a vaguely amused, mock-irritable manner. “What? Not again? You children are very lazy, you know… always full of energy to run away from your study of the classics or your chores, but when it comes to going home for your supper, you start getting all soft-limbed and wanting free rides home.”“Please, Big Brother! Pleaseeeeeee!!! We promise that we’ll go home to do our chores and read our books if you give us a ride back!”The plaintive squeal of the young girl had been joined by the insistent pleas of the entire crowd of kids.The boy looked on at his peers, and smiled indulgently… then went back to his prone position, and looked up again at the stars.“No. Big Brother’s busy, you know… He's got to run back to do his own errands at the Monastery.”The children looked disappointed for a while, and devilish glee crossed their faces as they thought of new mischief.“Ok, Big Brother, if you won’t give us a ride back…”The mass of small bodies suddenly inched closer towards the boy.“… We’ll tickle you until you do!”The press gang of kids suddenly pounced upon the solitary stargazer, and they tickled and pinched in the relentless way that only school children can be capable of. Underneath the torrential tide of tickles, muffled gasps of surprise soon gave way to helpless guffaws of laughter. An old black crow pecked at the ground, 30 paces away, searching for a choice morsel or three, and stopped to gaze impassively at the spectacle. Its avian eyes seemed to betray just a hint of amusement, as if it was somehow aware of the human emotions permeating the situation.“ Hahahahhaha… You kids… haha… you little fiends… hahahahah! Ok… if I give you an inch…. hahahhaha… you’ll take a yard…”The children did not deign to stop to consider the accusations of the oppressed. Perhaps they had learnt too well from the harsh martial laws of the Empire in our dark history of war. The ruthlessly bullied boy thought to himself ruefully. Oh well. Let’s just indulge them. It’s a good thing the Master isn’t here to see this right now…With a surge of air and sudden flood of crimson light, the boy -changed-. Where a lad of 7 summers once was, a full-grown stalwart of 24 summers stood. Lian Wuhai somersaulted through the crowd of children with some difficulty, taking care not to step on any of them, and landed a little clumsily thirty paces away from the crowd, not noticing and nearly stumbling over the indignantly squawking crow.It’s definitely a good thing that the Master isn’t here to see this right now.“Ok, you young bandits, what do you want? A ride? Let’s get going, ok? What do you want to travel by this time?”The children laughed and applauded, their youthful whims having being satisfied.“We want to fly, Big Brother! We want you to become the Firebird, so we can rush through the air!”“Hmmmm….”The monk scratched his chin, pretended to deliberate on the issue for a while in order to tease the kids, but it is useless to pit the deceit of even a trained telepath against the insight of children who know that they’ve backed a grown-up into a corner.“… oh, all right. Give me a while…”With another surge of light and flame, the man concentrated, and –changed- again, transforming into a massive scarlet bird with a pheasant-like head, roc’s wings, and peacock’s tails. The kids laughed in excited delight and clambered onto the titanic beast.Get on, and hold on tight. Here we go! The Phoenix’s voice passed wordlessly into the thoughts of the children, as it spread its resplendent wings and launched powerfully, gracefully into the sky, with the laughter of the children dancing on the winds in its wake.The old crow pecked again at the ground, and gave up its search for food, and squawked as it saw the gargantuan bird glide through the air. Spreading its own night-black wings, it seemed to shake its head in faint disapproval, hopped over to a nearby log, and took off as well, blending into the evening sky.**</blockquote>

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