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Hi guys, I'm throwing out a line and fishing for some ideas for an adventure that I'm putting together after a lengthy hiatus from TOR(and gaming in general).

I need some Elvish heirlooms which are to be retrieved from a long abandoned watchtower in Mirkwood.

Now, these need to be not so powerful or precious that Thranduil would spend Elf lives in gaining their return, but enough that the Captain of said watchtower brought shame upon and lessened the influence of his family when the heirlooms were left behind.

They also need to be powerful or precious enough that a Chieftain of Men might consider sundering an alliance with the Elf King in order to retain possession of them.

Any thoughts? All offers considered and greatly appreciated.

So you want something more impressive than rope than unties itself, but not so great as the White Gems of Lasgalen or a Great Ring.
- Maybe one item could be a sword or dagger from Gondolin that glows when Orkish enemies are near, but that isn't very original.
- Perhaps a Ring (or Staff) of Homecoming with a minor blessing of Travel that helps to prevent one from becoming lost.
- A wand with a blessing of Search that helps one to locate medicinal herbs.
- A musical instrument (a lyre or small harp?) with a blessing of Inspire.
- A pair of shoes, boots or sandals with a blessing of Athletics that allows the wearer to leap for twice his/her normal distance.
- A canteen or skin that purifies and keeps fresh any drinkable liquid placed in it (greater blessing of Healing?).
- A pouch containing a small number of mithril arrowheads, each with a blessing of Hunting upon them. They reduce the TN to bring down game by 2.

Most of these ideas might be more low-key than you are looking for.

Probably the trick is not in the object itself, but in its the background story.

Whatever object you choose, it might not be a powerful artifact per se. But it can be a gift given by Thingol himself to an ancestor of the family, when Doriath was still a powerful realm.

For example, some Green-elves helped Beren ambush the dwarves that attacked Doriath. Maybe the heirloom was a payment for such help, and the ancestor of the family was a captain among the Green-elves then.

"When news of the attack on Doriath by the Dwarves of Nogrod reached Beren in Tol Galen, he, along with his son, Dior, and the Green-elves of Ossiriand, waylaid the Dwarves near Sarn Athrad."

Or it was a present of friendship given by Thingol Greycloack himself when he established a relationship with the Gree-elves of Ossiriand.

"In the early First Age before the rise of the Moon, a part of the Telerin Elven people called Nandor entered Ossiriand under their leader Denethor, and were given permission by Thingol to settle the lands. These Nandor became known as the Green-elves. "

Losing a gift from Thingol might be a very bad thing for a Mirkwood elf family.

Hair comb - minor blessing on inspire or Awe.
A pack - reduces the load of the character by 1d - rolled at start of journey.
A birdbone nose flute - minor blessing on Hunting.
Cleated clogs - minor blessing to travel.
Wound Clips - look like hair-clips, but with shorter teeth. Minor blessing to Healing.
Mask or torc - minor blessing to Orate, song or riddle (pick one.)
A cookpot - +1 Tolerance if one can cook using it.

Getting a little more severe
A fine map - that only can be read by moonlight. Minor blessing to Travel only for leading.
A map on silk that always shows where you are and the surrounding 30 miles... (major blessing to travel)
A ring of light - when the command word is spoken for the first time since sundown, provides 1 candela of light for one hour. Cannot be turned off early...
Briar of the Storyteller - minor blessing to all of Courtesy, Riddle, Inspire, or Awe if one is skilled with Smoking and has pipeweed, as the smoke illustrates one's tale...

Are you assuming they are going to be magical items with usable properties? Or are they just McGuffins for the adventure?

You could make up a story about a heartbroken Elven maiden who remained in her tower for millennia, repeatedly growing out her hair then cutting and off and weaving it into a magical cloak. The cloak is long gone, but the loom she used is still there.

Halbarad wrote:
They also need to be powerful or precious enough that a Chieftain of Men might consider sundering an alliance with the Elf King in order to retain possession of them.

The heirlooms really depend on the personality of said Chief of Men - if I was this said Chief I would only consider sundering an alliance with the Elven King because I believed I didn't need his help - so something like a large supply of Elven Longbows or other items that gave military value would be what is in the tower - perhaps the tower was once an Elven Armory??

Robin S.

Hi Halbarad,

I like some of the ideas above. If I was doing this task I'd look to our own history for ideas. What heirlooms or religious artefacts were used by the Mycenaeans, Romans, Byzantines, Britons or Norsemen?

I like the idea of simple things that bind two elements. An example would be a simple icon in the likeness of a religious figure that is said to have sway over the weather, perhaps prayed to after planting seeds. This ties religion (spiritual well-being) to the survival and prosperity of the family (physical well-being). Another example would be an item used in a great battle which ties the historic achievement of an ancestor (an individual) to a transformative moment for his/her people (the community). Perhaps a historical item that associates two themes which would not normally be associated together (vengeance and forgiveness, pride and humility).

A magnificent and beautiful weapon of silver and gold that was once used to slay an innocent. Anyone picking up the wondrous weapon is filled with a sense of remorse and loss, it cannot be used to slay another living creature. It now serves as an heirloom, an artefact and reminder of the past.

Cheers,
Kurt

Lots of great ideas here. I especially like Otaku-sempai's "canteen or skin that purifies and keeps fresh any drinkable liquid placed in it", and aramis' "map on silk that always shows where you are and the surrounding 30 miles", even if neither gives any blessings or actual mechanical benefits.

Majestic wrote:Lots of great ideas here. I especially like Otaku-sempai's "canteen or skin that purifies and keeps fresh any drinkable liquid placed in it", and aramis' "map on silk that always shows where you are and the surrounding 30 miles", even if neither gives any blessings or actual mechanical benefits.

My idea for the container is that the blessings were on the object itself and were what gave it its properties. I'm glad you liked it. I was going for the type of day-to-day, practical magic represented by the gift of Sam's rope.

Yeah, I think objects like that can be a lot of fun for players and GM alike, even if they don't come up that often (as TOR doesn't often get into the nitty-gritty of the small details done around the campfire while travelling).