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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="James McMurray" data-source="post: 1380405" data-attributes="member: 743">Erebus, having found what he came for, strides purposefully into the Pool. As its waters rise over his head, anger fills his heart, and thoughts of all who have wronged him begin to flash through his mind, until they settle upon the face of the leader of the wizard conclave that ransacked his boyhood home, killing his family and becoming the driving force behind his life as an occult slayer. As the anger mounts, the picture of the man is replaced by an older but still fully recognizable man in a summoning circle chanting in Abyssal. The waters around Erebus disappear, leaving him in the middle of the circle, his Scythe having leapt into his hands of its own accord. It is apparent from the shock on the wizard’s face and the faces of his co-summoners that he had not intended to have a righteously angry half-dragon appearing fully armed in the circle.--Back in the temple, the always power-hungry Bumtin Von Deren steps into the pool moments behind Erebus. The waters come over his short head even faster, and the anger rises rapidly. Few faces run through his head, and of those all are long dead, having lived before the current cycle of the gods. But then a scene unfolds. A massive tree stands beside a silent golden Pool as a perfect sun shines down. This ancient treant and his treewife have guarded the Pool of Love for centuries, and they rebuffed the lustful gnome when last he visited. As he thinks of the magical power their demands for purity and “worthiness” cost him, the words of destructive magic well up in his heart. When he finds his feet in the cool grass beside the pool, he knows what he will do.The dryad steps out of her husband-home and speaks. “Welcome back my friend, have you looked inside and fond yourself worthy?” Bumtin’s answer is a cry of rage and a swarm of small glowing fiery beads.--Toshiro too chooses to step into the Pool, and immediately the voice and eyes of Tsura, his ancestor-servant leap into his mind. He has yet to overcome his anger at her refusal to bathe in the Pool of Pain and her subsequent denial of his right as her sovereign to require her to return to life and continue service to her lord. As he appears in her tiny hut, he looks out the window to see a pearly white shore lapping at the sand under a golden sky. In the center of the room is Shinechi Tsura, ancestor and underling. She kneels upon a plain gray mat and meditates. The sound of Toshiro’s katana leaving its sheathe of its own accord and placing itself into his hands pulls her from her contemplation, and she looks up. “My lord, what brings you to my home?” she asks calmly and serenely.--Both Farlight and Ru Ton Pe wait outside the Pool wondering what will become of their friends. Farlight’s concern is for his own safety, and he waits to see what effects the waters have on his companions’ lives. Ru Ton Pe is more concerned with the nature of the Pool itself. Before even knowing the results of his newfound friends’ Baths the exalted emissary of the gods decides that he will not risk his immortal soul in anything so steeped in a base emotion such as vengeance.--Meanwhile, Erebus is making short work of his long-hated enemy. His scythe lashes out and severs the wizard’s leg muscles, and terrified frenzy fills the vile arcanist’s heart. Lashing out with a ray of negative energy, his fear makes him miss. The underlings follow suit, but only one hits, barely affecting the enraged warrior, who rapidly strikes his foe down. Seeing their master destroyed, the two sorcerers disappear into the air, and Erebus finds himself walking out of the waters. His clothes drip black water, and his aura has gained a new, darker flicker.--Bumtin’s time stopped assault sees him firing out 6 beads for delayed blast fireballs. They surround the massive tree, and Bumtin moves a bit away. He does not move far enough though, and the giant treeherder reaches out and grabs him. Knowing that he will not be able to escape the fiery blast that is about to come, he holds the gnome tight to his chest. His earthbride also knows they are about to die, and uses her magics to disjoin the gnome’s protections, hoping to ensure that they take him with them. The fires engulf, and three voices cry out in fiery death songs.The Pool expels the corpse of Bumtin, dripping wet and flickering from within with a dull black  Farlight walks over to examine hi, and pronounces him dead. Moments later the gnome chokes out the black water in his lungs and pulls himself to his feet.--Toshiro responds to Tsura’s question in his usual gruff manner. “Tsura! You have brought shame upon the family and upon yourself by refusing the orders of your lord. Why have you done this?”Tsura’s ancient eyes focus on Toshiro’s as she replies, “I was not a servant. I was an honored ancestor.  It is you who brought about your shame when you threw me into pain and death.”Unable or unwilling to comprehend her, Toshiro continues. As he does so, he sets his katana aside and draws his wakizashi, the blade he carries so that he my strike himself down if he ever loses to his most hated enemy: dishonor. He holds out the blade for her, “This will clear the shame from between us.”Tsura chuckles amiably. “That is truly an honorable act my lord. May I clean your blade for you?”Enraged that she would suggest that he commit seppuku instead of her, Toshiro shouts “I will clean my blade in your blood!” as he grabs up his katana and slices her across the chest. As her body falls to the floor, he cleans off his blade and strides back out of the pool.--Farlight sees his friends survive the Pool, and steps in himself. Having asked about their experiences, he expects what occurs. As he steps in, the visage of the foe that took his belongings from him rises into his mind. The mate of the Great Wyrm Red lies atop a pile of treasure, and lavishes in the lap of luxury, much of which was taken from Farlight.When he appears on the heap of coins and jewelry, Farlight glances around feverishly looking for his boots so that he can gab them and flee. He knows he cannot defeat the wyrm all alone and unprepared, especially after having used so many resources just to find the pool. He fails to find them at first, and the she-drake warns him away. When he does not immediately leave, she encases herself in an alien life shield and creates several shadow duplicates in preparation for crushing this tiny flea of an elf.He dispels her images and again looks around the lair. His eyes light up as he sees the boots, but when he runs to grab the giant dragon snatches him up in her mouth. He frees himself from her grasp and again goes for the boots. Again she grabs him up. This continues, with him escaping, and the dragon moving slowly closer to the boots until finally she is sitting on top of them, laughing. When her defenses are dispelled again, she casts Farlight into a Maze of force and prepares for his return.Inside the vast maze, Farlight does not even attempt to escape. He uses this opportunity to buff himself, and then creates a gate back to where he was. When he sees the dragon sitting directly in front of the gate, his heart drops, knowing he will never be able to shove her out of the way. He also spies his treasure boots sitting far from where they were, in a corner on a quickly erected stand of treasures, a shrine to the dragon’s pleasure at his pain.Farlight lashes out with a Destruction, but it rebounds at him. Then the dragon assault begins and it is mere moments before Farlight’s friends see his body hurtled out of the Pool, completely dry. The lack of a shadowy glimmer in his aura is a telltale sign that he has failed the Pool’s test.</blockquote>

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