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Labyrinth of the Mad Wizard Handannahaf
lambardier
Member Posts: 3 Arc User
((This shall be my contribution to the lore of the Forgotten Realms, and also a bit of an offering to handwave the tell/group/guild/channel aspects of the game. This is also my very first contribution to the Foundry, found with the following code: NW-DJFVZAZLX . Furthermore! There is also an in-character channel devoted to helping adventurers organize and communicate with each other remotely, moderated by Handannahaf and those few in his inner circle. It's accessed via "/channel_join Handannahaf"))
Rumors circulate amongst adventurers and tavernfolk of a mad wizard who maintains a small tower in the Mere of Dead Men. Those that make the trek there are often rewarded with some trinket - perhaps a ring of light, perhaps a flaming longsword, perhaps a girdle of gender changing, perhaps even an ordinary wooden spoon. Aside from his seemingly generous demeanor, he is also known to maintain a maze of sorts, filled with various sorts of deadly traps and wild magics.
To every adventurer, he extends a challenge: Enter his labyrinth and survive to find the exit, and they will be allowed to keep whatever they find. Die, and later adventurers shall find the challenge that much harder to complete. However, he is not a heartless man, and wishes to press upon the importance of communication. To this end, he issues every adventurer that accepts his challenge a special trinket: a necklace or earring that allows the wearer to communicate with others in possession of a similar trinket, no matter the distance, or even the language used. Those that wish to communicate with those that have previously completed the maze are allowed, and even encouraged to do so.
Of course, it is known that there are those that would simply take the treasures of an old man by force. Those that attempt to do so will find that they have no option to decline his challenge, and will instantly be whisked away to a much harder version of the maze populated by various constructs out for their blood, rather than the usual shambling corpses of failed adventuring parties. If they survive, and wish to try for retribution upon reaching the surface, they will be sent right back to the entrance, dealing with those very same constructs. Handannahaf takes his security very seriously, and has numerous uses of the Maze spell prepared.
The magical item in question: The Whisperstone Earring/Amulet - A perfectly ordinary iron earring or pendant at first glance, with a smooth quartz bead set into it and a faint trace of Illusion magic to it. When worn, one is assaulted with a cacophany of whispers that are impossible to understand - imposing a permanent Confusion effect until removed. However, a simple Identify spell or being instructed in how to control this item negates the confusion effect and allows one to vocally communicate with other bearers of a similar item, up to a distance of two hundred miles and regardless of language - the stone always whispers in the wearer's native tongue, using literal translations if slang is used. Its effects are temporarily negated for the duration if the bearer is rendered mute or deaf, as it requires a physical ability to speak and hear as the spell essentially works as a modified, at-will Clairaudience. Those who make a nuisance of themselves will find their access to Handannahaf's network disrupted for a time, and those who continue to be disruptive will find their Whisperstone turned to dust, and others refusing to function for them.
Rumors circulate amongst adventurers and tavernfolk of a mad wizard who maintains a small tower in the Mere of Dead Men. Those that make the trek there are often rewarded with some trinket - perhaps a ring of light, perhaps a flaming longsword, perhaps a girdle of gender changing, perhaps even an ordinary wooden spoon. Aside from his seemingly generous demeanor, he is also known to maintain a maze of sorts, filled with various sorts of deadly traps and wild magics.
To every adventurer, he extends a challenge: Enter his labyrinth and survive to find the exit, and they will be allowed to keep whatever they find. Die, and later adventurers shall find the challenge that much harder to complete. However, he is not a heartless man, and wishes to press upon the importance of communication. To this end, he issues every adventurer that accepts his challenge a special trinket: a necklace or earring that allows the wearer to communicate with others in possession of a similar trinket, no matter the distance, or even the language used. Those that wish to communicate with those that have previously completed the maze are allowed, and even encouraged to do so.
Of course, it is known that there are those that would simply take the treasures of an old man by force. Those that attempt to do so will find that they have no option to decline his challenge, and will instantly be whisked away to a much harder version of the maze populated by various constructs out for their blood, rather than the usual shambling corpses of failed adventuring parties. If they survive, and wish to try for retribution upon reaching the surface, they will be sent right back to the entrance, dealing with those very same constructs. Handannahaf takes his security very seriously, and has numerous uses of the Maze spell prepared.
The magical item in question: The Whisperstone Earring/Amulet - A perfectly ordinary iron earring or pendant at first glance, with a smooth quartz bead set into it and a faint trace of Illusion magic to it. When worn, one is assaulted with a cacophany of whispers that are impossible to understand - imposing a permanent Confusion effect until removed. However, a simple Identify spell or being instructed in how to control this item negates the confusion effect and allows one to vocally communicate with other bearers of a similar item, up to a distance of two hundred miles and regardless of language - the stone always whispers in the wearer's native tongue, using literal translations if slang is used. Its effects are temporarily negated for the duration if the bearer is rendered mute or deaf, as it requires a physical ability to speak and hear as the spell essentially works as a modified, at-will Clairaudience. Those who make a nuisance of themselves will find their access to Handannahaf's network disrupted for a time, and those who continue to be disruptive will find their Whisperstone turned to dust, and others refusing to function for them.
Post edited by lambardier on
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I devliver this crafted letter to you to respond to your post on the towns Notice Board(I.E. Forums) to tell you that, I accept your challange Mad Wizard Handannahaf. And Wether my new apprentisses venture be success or fail, a tale shall be written of the trials that I await. And if I do succede, I pray that your great magical prowess will make many more, so that I may inturn test my skills and write of my woes and success.
The Spellsinger of Semarkan~The Minstrel of Mayhem~Grimmgnaw The Spellsinger Apprentice.
I love Bards. Wisconsin, birthplace of DnD.
"Dearest Drowling: As you are aware, I have been working on a private project in order to enhance the oratory abilities of the average adventurer; a sort of simple scuffle through dark dungeons and winding walkways. If you are able, I would adore your assistance in testing the traps and terrors of the Mad Mage's Maze. - BM"
It took some time for Vandayinu to make the trek out into the Mere of Dead Men, slogging through mud and marsh for nearly a tenday. When she finally arrived, Handannahaf greeted her with a hot meal and a comfortable bedroom to recover in before she attempted the maze.
"Thank you for your hospitality, old friend. So what can I expect to find in this dungeon of yours?" Vandayinu asked while standing at the entrance of the wizard's tower. She knew that Handannahaf had a vast knowledge of the magical arts and didn't want to be caught off-guard.
"Ah, simply the typical assortment of traps and pratfalls that most would encounter within a wizard's domain. Now, before you go in, I have but one gift for you." With that, Handannahaf produced a golden earring set with a round quartz bead and handed it to the Drow. "It is silent for now, since the channel is empty, but in time it will grow. If you wish to speak to me from anywhere, simply focus on me and imagine your words, and I shall hear them. It is possible to reach any other in this manner, though they require a Whisperstone as well. I have scattered some things throughout the maze. You are free to keep whatever you find. And if you make it out, I will give you a number more Whisperstones to do with as you will. Now! Off you go."
As Handannahaf shooed her towards the entrance to the maze, Vandayinu felt a weird sense of etherealness and her surroundings suddenly changed. She was standing in an empty room carved from marble, with but one exit to her front, and no possible entrance. Stepping towards the obvious path forward, Vandayinu struck an invisible barrier, a taste of what might be expected further in.
Wasting no time in searching for a way around, she found a pressure plate with a bull's-eye engraved on it. Pulling her trusty ten-foot pole from her bag, she pressed the pressure plate from a distance and soon felt a faint whoosh of air as the barrier fell with a patronizing scattering of brightly-colored confetti. Vandayinu couldn't help but giggle over the whimsical display.
She continued on through what seemed like an endless hallway scattered with an assortment of debris and trinkets ranging from forks and knives to silver coins, a smattering of rusty weapons - nothing of interest at all. At the end of the hall she found a branch, one hallway was splattered with ruddy brown paint that gave the impression of dried blood, while the other way was lined with numerous flowerpots and shrubbery. Curiosity compelled Vandayinu to continue down the painted hall. It continued for several dozen yards before ending in a large, cavernous room filled with an assortment of skeletons and corpses in various states of decay. She learned long ago not to question where Handannahaf's resources came from. At the far end of this cavern was an enticing amulet wreathed in blue flame. Had Vandayinu not heard tales of such items, she would have ignored it as an illusion.
Braving the possibility of being swarmed with the scores of corpses in that room, Vandayinu slowly and quietly crept forth, keeping well clear of anything that might get back up. She was ready to let her guard down once she got to the amulet, but tensed up immediately upon seeing something roaming in the shadows near the room's entrance. She snatched the amulet and ran back the way she came as fast as she could manage, not even looking over her shoulder until she was in what she dubbed the Garden Hall.
And so she continued onward, past the various potted plants and into a sort of hedge maze composed of high stone walls covered in ivy. She could hear rustling leaves from somewhere in the maze, despite the stagnant air. She decided to do her best to avoid that rustling as she went through, marking her path with a piece of charcoal. She never did find the source of that noise, but found a handful of gold coins leading into a dead end with a pressure plate. She wisely decided to leave it alone. Upon reaching the exit of the hedge maze, she was greeted with a series of doors in six sets of three. She went through the middle each time, noting that the entire setup seemed entirely pointless.
Past the pointless doors, Vandayinu found a massive pile of treasure in an even more massive cave, with a quite large hole in the ceiling. She crept closer to the treasure pile and noticed that some of the coins had been flattened or pierced as though something large and clawed rested on them. She also noticed a number of damaged crimson scales laying amongst the charred remains of some sort of humanoid near what looked like an exit.
The lust for coin overcame her, and she began to fill her bag of holding with whatever she could get her hands on, keeping a close eye on that hole in the ceiling. She thought she saw a flash of something metallic up there, or an odd shadow cross the opening, and so she cut her looting short, hurrying onward toward the exit on the far end before tripping and falling into a large patch of muddy ground that she failed to notice. She thought she heard a woman chuckling from somewhere behind her, though the voice could also have belonged to a male judging by the qualities of it.
Vandayinu looked in the direction of the voice, but saw nothing. "Show yourself," she demanded "And tell me what amuses you so." Her response came in a sudden burst of movement. Within a second, a large dragon was standing before her, seeming to grin as it regarded the drow with slit-pupiled turquoise eyes. Light streaming in from its apparent entrance shone brilliantly on its metallic copper scales, glinting off of a number of coins embedded in its hide. Despite the creature's beauty, Vandayinu felt her heart leap into her throat, her every instinct telling her to flee.
"Such a bold creature you are, that you have so callously pillaged my lair. And in passing, no less! Why, if I were prouder, I might even find myself insulted! Tell me, Drowling, and I might spare your life. What business have you in this place?" As the dragon spoke, it reached out to pluck the bag from Vandayinu's hands, upending it and dumping its contents onto the ground in front of itself. Vandayinu was too paralyzed by the creature's fearful presence to put up any resistance. Without consideration, she spoke. "I was sent by the wizard Handannahaf. He has designed a maze that happens to pass by your lair."
"So you are the Wild Mage's lab rat, are you? Very well. Regather your belongings and return to the path you took to arrive here. You have made a wrong turn in the hedgemaze." The dragon's grin seemed to widen as it watched Vandayinu refill her bag, ensuring that she took only from the pile in front of her. It seemed particularly amused by one of the drow's gowns; a pale green, sheer silk affair with emeralds woven into the hem and a low, plunging neckline. Vandayinu noticed its interest and set it aside.
Once she finished refilling her bag of holding, Vandayinu picked the gown up and laid it on a pile of gold for the dragon. "Please take this as a token of apology for my intrusion, though I know it is a meager addition to your collection of treasures." The dragon watched her return to the hedgemaze, and walked along the walls, guiding Vandayinu as she navigated it. It returned to its lair after seeing the Drow to the exit, which was a simple marble-tiled room much like the original entrance. The instant Vandayinu stepped into the chamber, she felt that familiar sense of etherealness and once more stood at the entrance to Handannahaf's tower.
The wizard was nowhere to be found, and set on a pedestal to Vandayinu's right was an assortment of iron jewelry, each set with a plain, round quartz bead. The instant she put the last trinket in her bag, she found herself standing in front of the Moonstone mask, clad in her shrouding black cloak over top of the leather armor she wore throughout her adventure. She went inside and bought the finest wine the establishment had, relating her tale to the barwench and anyone who would listen, passing a Whisperstone to those who asked for proof to demonstrate its utility.
Over the next few years, rumors of the Mad Wizard and his maze spread throughout the taverns of Neverwinter and the surrounding area, with the occasional adventurer relating tales of a fierce battle with an old Copper Dragon, or a riddle contest with a woman in a jade gown within the depths of a hedgemaze.