Mediators Purse

Description

The most common Mediator's Purse is a jerkin made of thin leather or robes of thick heavy cloth, sometimes lined with felt or wool for extra protection from attacks and from the harsh Wintermark weather. The most valuable versions are decorated with depictions of animals, but some Suaq runesmiths also make the Purse using a single hide taken from a wolf or bear. The one animal they never use for this purpose is a boar - the pertinacious creatures are legendary for their stubborn temperament - the last thing a mediator needs.

Although the Purse provides valuable protection in battle, what makes it unique is the way it helps the wearer avoid becoming angry or confused. It is much prized prized by mediators for obvious reasons, but as robes they were once in great demand from Highguard and Urizen, a fashion that began during the reign of Emperor Barabbas. Those artisans who make them to sell to the magicians of the mountains usually create a thick cloth robe with stars embroidered onto it in the shape of The Great Wyrm.

It is said that the first Purse was a powerful artefact created from the hide of a majestic white stag that roamed the forests of Southridge and Valasmark in Hahnmark. The majestic creature stood half again as tall as a full grown man and sported silver antlers that split into a thousand points. It was said to be impossible to catch, for it ran so fast it could outrun an arrow in flight, allowing it to race across open waters without sinking. According to legend It was finally caught by the notorious Suaq hunter, Happa the Black Hound, who shot it with an arrow gifted to him by the Wyrm-King. The Eater of Secrets has always stubbornly refused to say what became of the White Stag's Purse ever since, saying only that "the Black Hound took it with him when he walked".

Rules

• Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour. You must be wearing this armour to use its magical properties.
• Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.
• Effect: You gain one additional rank of endurance. The armour counts as a source of spiritual strength for overcoming roleplaying effects that would cause you to become angry or confused.
• Materials: Crafting a Mediator's Purse requires four measures of ambergelt, three measures of Dragonbone, and four ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Runesmith's Law

This magic item is part of Runesmith's Law rather than Imperial Lore. Any Wintermark character with the artisan skill can learn to make this item. Before they are able to do so they must swear a powerful geas, and if they later leave the nation they lose the ability to make this item.

Olya stared at the black-hearted creature, disgust rising in his stomach, as he watched it coil itself around the body of the dead shepherd. The young lad had barely been fifteen years of age when he wandered away from the village, seeking one of his father's sheep that had escaped the field. He didn't deserve this fate, no matter how foolish he'd been.

The creature's head swayed towards the Volhov, its long reptilian tongue darting back and forth in the air. "What do you want?" it hissed eyeing him with eyes filled with hate.

"I want the boy's body, his parents want to bury him." He strained to keep his voice calm and pleasant, determined to keep a check on his feelings. There was a powerful hearth magic at work in the deep cave where this creature laired. As long as he kept calm and civil, as long as he didn't panic, the creature would be forced to be calm in return. But if he lost his temper, he was done for.

"Z'you can't have it. Itsss mine." the thing spat. "What do I care for thisss boy's parentsss?"

The creature was deliberately trying to provoke him, he realised. He knew its weakness, but it knew that he knew. It was looking for a chink in his armour, a way to make his temper snap, It was working too, he could feel bile rising in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at this monster with his staff, no matter how fatal that would prove.

Thank goodness he had his armour. He put his hands on his ribs and slid them down the length of his robes. It was working - he could feel the magic pushing his anger away. "Worth every ring I paid for it" he thought to himself, as he looked up calmly, smiling at the wolf.