The following are the contest winners by category:
Mundane
Wind Chimes
Oroborous
Description: Lightly fluted chimes made from the branches of a golden yew and delicately hammered golden filligree. These chimes are used in 'elven symphonies'. Carefully tended tree orchestras, they take centuries for elven bards to shape and coax a tree into just the right position so that on singular rare days when the wind is right; it passes through the branches causing dozens to hundreds of these chimes to produce a powerfully and emotionally appealing music. Considered by elves to be the greatest and rarest form of musical composition, the lilting productions of tree orchestras are rarely heard by outsiders, if only because few other races have the patience to wait four centuries for the wind and branches to be perfect, for the silk ribbons that normally tie the chimes together to be released, and to finally after years of painstaking nurturing--to hear the production which often lasts only a few fleeting moments.
After such a performance, the chimes are granted to the bard's children and close friends to be cherished as near priceless works of art; although the children often like to listen to the delicate music the chimes still produce or are lulled to sleep with lullabies sung by parents and accompanied by these chimes which are thought to remain blessed.
Magical
Compendium of the Sage
Red Skull Cultist 389
Description: This is a thick, tightly-bound tome, that still appears to be in good shape despite its obvious time in the Underdark. Background: This text is a relatively old elven tome, bound securely with an aged clasp, and inscribed upon the surface with the holy symbol of Labelas Enoreth. Four odd Espruar runes adorn the edges of the cover-one the Espruar rune for "A," another the Espruar run for "Z," the third the Espruar rune for "1," and the final the Espruar rune for "12." Pressing one of these runes will cause the rune to vanish, but the user will temporarily become imbued with a vast degree of knowledge.
This tome is a scholar's text from the Fortress Home of Evereska, crafted for a young mage to carry a brief overview of elven lore with him when he departed on a journey through Faerun due to Wanderlust. Given as a gift to Casarar Solatari when he embarked on a voyage of learning and discovery throughout Faerun, the book was kept secure in his pack.
Unfortunately, when Casarar found himself at odds with an Illithid merchant in Skullport, the book and the mage parted ways. Casarar offered the knowledge it contained as a tribute to the Illithid, and the mindflayer, pleased by the exchange of knowledge, agreed to allow the young mage to live.
Casarar neglected to inform the mindflayer that the tome was enchanted to prevent opening by non-elves, however, and as such, he found himself fleeing Waterdeep and returning to the Fortress Home of Evereska. The disgusted mindflayer sold the book off, and it eventually made its way into the Underdark, passing hands as a new buyer took interest in the odd text.
Divine
Dark Heart of the Wood
Meltdown
Unidentified Description:
This finely made longbow of an unknown black wood appears to have a number of glyphs engraved on the bone reinforcements. The bowstring is white in color and appears to be woven from many thinner strands. Identified Description:
Nearly six thousand years ago, an army of duergar and drow poured forth from the Underdark and slaughtered most of the attendees of a meeting between the surface elves and dwarves intended to renew their alliance.
The bow shaft of this weapon was carved from the heart of one of the trees that surrounded the glade in which the slaughter occurred. Laurathela, a priestess and archer of Shevarash, fashioned the bow, and it was through her efforts that it came into it's enchantments as well. Unbeknownst to her, the weapon she designed to aid her in her lifelong crusade against the drow, would be the cause of her death.
Several decades after the bow was created, Laurathela, now a prominent member of the church of Shevarash, lead her patrol of hunters to a recently discovered cavern in which the drow were staging raids on nearby elven villages. In her blind fervor, augmented by the bow's own desires for the eradication of drow, she pressed deep within the caverns, finding herself and her patrol deep below the forests of Cormanthor.
Having exhausted the protections the bow affords in skirmishes in which the drow constantly withdrew, she pressed further, always on the heels of the retreating drow. Pushing her patrol to exhaustive limits, they were ambushed in a cavern by an awaiting drow priestess and an overwhelming force. Laurathela's blind rage being the foremost emotion in her mind, she failed to protect her patrol with invaluable prayers that may have allowed some to escape.
The bow was lost to drow deep within the caverns that day; however it has likely found its way to other hands as the ghostly visage of the Black Archer that protects the wielder when called upon has no doubt unnerved even the most stalwart of drow wielders.
Congratulations to each winner!
Each of these items will be used in game and may find their way into a character’s hands. Furthermore, you each will have a small DM quest run for one of your characters. This will be a chance to put the creativity you have shown in this contest to further use, as you will be responsible for laying the framework for your adventure. Please check your inbox, during the upcoming week, for further details.
Again, I would like to thank everyone that participated in this contest.