Crane Hill: Resources: Things to find

Book of inductions

This is a record of the sacrifices. It does not specifically say sacrifice, but it is an obvious subtext. There are notes about entire families of captives. If their being missed would be noticed, captives were killed elsewhere to look like an accident or goblin attack.

The dates of record include their first son, who Laura’s diary records as stillborn; it also includes Parnassa Grace Delarosa in 868 and Ruby Delarosa in 877. It ends with Steffan Delarosa in 911. These years match the dates on the tombstones.

There are 67 people in the induction list, of which three sets of twenty were murdered on the same day twenty two years apart in 853, 875, and 897, to create a bloodbath for a place of power.

On lamina 1+, the character names will be listed, with no date.

Bowler hat of the peacemaker

Only warriors may use this magical bowler hat. It confers the ability to speak with any intelligent creature or read any work regardless of language. It contains the spell learn language at the sixth level of effect. It is permanent but may be used on only one work or creature at a time. It has indestructible object at the sixth level of effect, for +12 against destruction.

It also allows the wearer to see into other planes, and grants them a +1 to hit and the ability to attack creatures that require +1 or greater to hit.

Carving knife of last sight

This carving knife with an alabaster (white marblish stone) handle contains the spell last sight at the fourth level of effect. On carving into meat, it shows what the creature saw in the last four seconds before death. It may be used once per day and once per night. It also acts as a +1 magical knife. It has indestructible object at the fourth level of effect, for +8 against destruction.

Coffer of dirt and bones

This small tarnished silver coffer, about three by two inches, contains dirt and bones from the Delarosa cemetery. It confers the ability to see into other planes, and into other lamina of this plane. The bearer must dig their fingers into the dirt. While observing the extra-planar dimensions, anyone in that dimension can also see the bearer. This is a psychic item, and easily destroyed. It is marked with the Greek Psi Delta. ΨΔ

The diary of Laurel Mountjoy Delarosa

The diary of Laurel Mountjoy begins in 854, on Laurel’s 19th Christmas. It covers the trials of a well-born woman on Fawn River. At age 21, Steffan Delarosa begins courting her; she is unsure at first—he’s so old, he’s nearly forty! But he convinces her and her family.

It covers the trip to East Highland and Delarosa Manor, in which she is captured by goblins and rescued by Steffan’s majordomo, Louis Merrikitt. Her mother and servants died; her dog, Violet, did not.

It covers her marriage, and Steffan becoming more and more distant; the people of the town, which is not much of a town, becoming more antagonistic to the manor.

The mosquitos when she goes for a walk.

Her son, stillborn while she was unconscious; she did not awaken for several days. She would have named him Daniel, after her father. Sometimes he talks to her. From the walls.

Her daughter, Ruby, and then her daughter Mary.

An affair with Louis.

Secrets are also in this diary, if read carefully. The existence of a magical mirror in Louis’s room, for example. She doesn’t know what it does, but he has mentioned its existence.

Flywheel ring

This brass ring has two parts; the outer part is covered in two rows of intricately-carved flies. When the outer part is set to spinning, it will spin for d6 rounds; when it comes to a stop, the wearer is subject to a random magic transport at the eighth level of effect: the wearer is transported d8 times ten yards in a random but safe direction, rolled on d8. If the destination is within a building, also roll randomly for which available floor the wearer is transported to.

The ring may be used once per day. The effect can be canceled by stopping the outer wheel from spinning; this still uses up the day’s charge, however.

It has indestructible object at the eighth level of effect, for +16 against destruction.

Golden skeleton key

This golden key opens any door in the house. If the character using the key is in the normal house, using the key opens a door into the woke room.

The key also allows the bearer to impersonate any moral code. For targeting effects, the bearer is not the moral code required for targeting. For getting into places, the bearer is the moral code required for entrance.

This is a divine item.

Hetae’s leg

This giant cockroach leg is a divine artifact of Hetae, Queen of Insects. Rubbing hetae’s leg calls forth a swarm of 2d6 giant cockroaches, about three feet long each. They will hover around whoever called them; and attack whoever or whatever that person points at. Cockroaches cause d2 damage, have ½ survival, and +3 defense. A swarm may be called once per day. The leg is eighteen inches long.

Hetae’s ritual of waking

1. Red bricks of blood.

2. Wooden planks that have never known the sun.

3. A murder victim’s corpse under the hearth.

4. A first-born, forever in darkness, never knowing breath nor blessing.

5. A virgin, by her father’s hand, unbruised.

6. The lawful wife, by the seducer.

7. The mother, by the son.

8. The Demon Wakes.

9. Prepare the sign of the insect queen.

10. The lawful husband by his own hand.

11. Thirteen victims one by one.

The wooden planks are from underground wood.

There have been seven murders so far, and several more to create the “red bricks of blood” that create the place of power. Six more complete the ritual. Upon completion of the ritual, the house is permanently woke; Steffan can take his living form again, though with the power of the house behind him. As the house gains power, he will be able to venture further and further from the house, first the swamp, then the nearby villages, and so on.

Steffan’s copy includes a note about how the first-born “must not be named”.

Holy symbol of Hetae

This hybrid ant/cockroach creature of tarnished silver confers the ability to speak with insects at any time; a +1 to agility and charisma; and the ability to sprout wings and hover up or down at movement 14 and move horizontally at movement 8 for up to twelve minutes once per day.

This is a divine artifact, and will corrupt the user over time.

Ivory sex figurine

Made from some unknown underwater animal, such as a narwhal, this four-inch figurine depicts a man and a woman having sex. It causes strange dreams which will give clues to the house. Dreams may include:

1. The building and consecration of the house.

2. The killing of Laurel Delarosa’s unborn son Daniel.

3. The killing of each PC.

Memento mori necklace

This divine necklace, with a bronze and spider-silk chain and ivory pendant, provides a +4 bonus to death rolls (both against unconsciousness and against death) as well as a bonus of twelve survival that refreshes every day at midnight.

The ivory pendant is a head, about an inch and a half high, with two faces; one face is of a child, and the other of a skull. It is yellow with age.

This is a divine item.

Soup-spoon of health

This brass spoon’s handle is a cherub’s face and body. When warm liquid or soup is eaten with the spoon, the eater heals d4+4 injuries or survival. The spoon may heal up to three times a day.

This is a divine item.

Tuning fork of normality

This tuning fork is not magical. It emits a solid tone that matches the tone for lamina 0. This means it matches the left-most bell in room 36 when on lamina 1 and is one tone higher than the single bell when on lamina 0. It also matches the tone from the smallest tuning fork of lamination.

Tuning forks of lamination

A leather pouch with seven tuning forks of various sizes, all slightly off real notes in a very disconcerting way. The smallest (highest-pitched) tuning fork corresponds to lamina 0; the next lower pitch to lamina 1, and so on.

Each tuning fork, when sounded on an immediately adjacent lamina, switches all who hear it one lamina higher or lower.

The tuning fork cannot increase the lamina level of the house’s lamination, although it can increase the lamina of a room up to the level of the house’s lamination.

The chosen fork must match the closest lamination, up or down; this will mean it must match one of the bells in room 36. A lower tone brings them further from lamina 0, and a higher tone brings them closer to lamina 0.

A character can attempt to use a non-adjacent fork to jump multiple lamina; this requires a charisma roll, which can be aided by a laminations skill in Performance Art, in Dimensional Science, or in Spiritual Art.

If more than one fork is used at once, this will set up dangerous harmonics. Everyone who hears the multiple notes must make a Willpower roll, at a penalty equal to the number of extra forks used, or go into an insane coma for d6 minutes for every extra fork used. This insane coma will resemble a high lamination, but the characters’ real resources are unaffected by their use within this coma; a character who dies in this coma will awaken immediately.

Ghosts can interact with affected characters, and are likely to give them clues.

This is a psychic item, not magical, and may be easily destroyed.