Ripplepedes

These quasi-elemental creatures inhabit the still, dark waters of stagnant lakes and swamps, their nearly invisible centipede-like forms creating scarcely a ripple on the calm surface of the waters they inhabit. Each three-foot long Ripplepede has a slender body lined with thousands of feathery legs. At the head end a cluster of rigid, hooked spines line a circular mouth opening, while the tail ends in a three-pronged, flexible tail. Their transparent, nearly liquid forms skitter and crawl across the surface as they search for the rare metals they consume for sustenance. Ripplepedes are most comfortable in contact with water, but can travel on land for an hour or more with no ill effects. They travel in groups of five to ten individuals, roaming the waterways and shorelines of their habitat in search of food.

Ripplepedes have no interest in living creatures, but are drawn to any source of metal they detect. They can sense any sizable aggregation of metal within 300 feet. Their hooked jaw spines exude a potent solvent that dissolves away metal on contact, leaving a gelatinous goo the creatures suck up with their tube-like mouth. A single Ripplepede can dissolve and consume a pound of metal each round if left undisturbed.

Ripplepedes have the following characteristics:

• Fair toughness - Their quasi-elemental nature makes these creatures somewhat resilient. They gain a one rank bonus to defense versus mundane weapons, but magical weapons quickly disrupt their rather delicate bodies.
• Ripplepedes swim at Superb speed, but on land they crawl along at Poor speed.
• Ripplepedes are almost transparent, giving them Superb stealth in water, Great stealth on land.
• If disrupted in contact with a sizable body of water, Ripplepedes regenerate to full health within one day.
• Ripplepedes consume metal by touch, dissolving and consuming about one pound of any metal, iron, gold, silver, etc. each round. Treat this attack as Great strength acid for purposes of determining resistance, though it does not affect any other substances.
• Ripplepedes have little in the way of combat capabilities. They can strike at foes with their three-pronged tails with Fair accuracy inflicting Average damage, but they prefer to avoid combat. If discovered on land they will flee toward the nearest body of water and use their superior swimming ability to evade any pursuit.

Flockhand

This artifact is a left-handed glove made from the finest maroon silk sewn with hundreds of feathers from various species of birds and trimmed with rows of tiny seed pearls. The glove is sized for a fairly small human hand, and extends well past the wearer's wrist over the forearm when donned. If examined for magical properties, it radiates Great nature and enchantment magic. A Great test of divination will reveal the item's powers.

When worn Flockhand allows its owner to command any sort of avian creatures with a simple command word. When activated any bird within a 100 yard radius immediately comes to the wearer and begins circling as part of a great flock overhead. This flock can be directed by pointing or gesturing with Flockhand. The birds will move as desired as swiftly as possible. Flockhand's owner can command the creatures to attack if desired but the default behavior is to swarm and swirl around any creature they encounter, obscuring vision, panicking beasts and confusing intelligent foes. Flockhand's power can be invoked at will, and lasts so long as concentration is maintained. Birds fall to the ground after 10 minutes of continuous control, exhausted.

If Flockhand is used to incite birds to violence, they attack with beak and claws as natural creatures. The GM will have to make a determination as to the effectiveness of the assault based on the types of birds in the flock.

The Staff of Limbs

This rather plain staff appears to be nothing more than a convenient piece of wood cut as a temporary staff by some traveler in need. Each end of its bark-covered length has been carefully trimmed and is slightly rounded by wear. The item's only decorative element is a strip of sweat-stained leather wrapped around the shaft, forming a convenient grip. Despite its plain appearance the Staff radiates Superb alteration and nature magic, and a Great test of divination magic will reveal its enchantment.

The Staff of Limbs can be used as a weapon in combat, serving as a quarterstaff and providing a one rank bonus to both accuracy and defense as it naturally flexes and twists in the bearer's hands to block and strike. The Staff's enchantment gives it Superb toughness, making it very difficult to damage or break.

Six times per day the Staff's wielder can call forth a fence of dead, twisted branches which surround a single target, trapping it within their grasp. This wall has Superb strength and is a permanent creation. The wall is susceptible to both fire and force. If set alight it burns with fierce heat for three rounds, causing Good fire damage each round. It requires three Superb tests of strength to batter an opening through the wall.

Twice per day the Staff's owner can speak a command word and plant it in the ground, immediately causing the staff to sprout into a mighty oak, 60 feet tall and 40 feet in diameter. A series of natural hand and footholds lead up into the tree's branches, where a natural platform large enough to hold six people comfortably sprouts hangs in the greenery. This tree remains in place until the Staff's owner speaks a second command word, instantly reverting the item to its normal form.

The Dead Mothers

These undead apparitions appear when a woman dies in childbirth, but her infant survives. They are shadowy female forms with long dark hair, usually dressed in fine robes or gowns of brocaded silk or wool. They only appear during the nighttime hours, moving gracefully from shadow to shadow. They could almost pass for human except for their faces, which are no more than blank white ovoids, pierced only by shadowed black pits where their eyes would be. Each Dead Mother carries a short wand or rod woven from reeds and twigs.

Dead Mothers are driven by one purpose, to find a child to accompany them into the afterlife. They prowl the edges of civilization, peering through windows and creeping into unguarded halls and rooms, looking for a newborn child to steal. Should they find such a child, they begin to stroke it with their reed wand, pulling the infant into their own shadowy realm. The Dead Mother must carry out this minor ritual on three successive nights to successfully claim the child as their own.

Dead Mothers are immune to all physical attack. They can be driven away for one night by exorcism magic or ritual (requiring a Great test of such magic to succeed). Anyone seeing a Dead Mother must make a Great test of will or be fascinated by the creature's graceful, almost dance-like, movements. Males suffer a one rank penalty to this test. When in the presence of a vulnerable infant, any female blood-ancestor of the child is immune to this fascination effect and can drive off the Dead Mother for the night simply by gazing upon their blank, white face.

Infants that are exposed to the midnight light of a full moon become immune to the appetites of Dead Mothers, and for this reason children born before midnight on such a night are considered blessed. Parents often invite a newborn's grandmothers to stay with them until the child can be properly protected to assist with guarding the infant from the depredations of these sorrowful undead.

The Planter of Endless Growth

This rather plain planter is made from terracotta clay. It is approximately two feet in diameter and a foot and a half in height. A relief pattern of leaves, branches and vines, highlighted with various earth-tone glazes, covers the entire exterior. The Planter's rim and base are further adorned with a coiled rim covered in gold leaf. If examined for magical properties the Planter radiates Superb alteration magic. A Great test of divination will reveal the item's sole enchantment.

To activate the Planter's power, it must be filled with fresh soil, which has been drenched with a pint of freshly drawn blood (the equivalent of an Average wound). A single mundane seed of any type is then placed within the planter and a command word spoken. When this process is complete the seed instantly sprouts and begins growing at a fantastic rate. A typical annual plant (flowers, vegetables, etc.) grow to full maturity in a few rounds, a tree or shrub takes six or seven. Once matured, the plant blossoms and produces fruit in a single round. The plant remains in this state for one hour, after which it shrivels and turns to gray dust, consuming the soil used to activate the Planter as well.

Any produce harvested from the resulting plant is wholesome and nutritious, providing the equivalent of a full meal. Once harvested the produce is subject to the normal effects of time. Delicate fruits or vegetables last a few days, more robust items lasting a few weeks.