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The Razor-Wand of Nazdulan the Unfair
Crafted aeons ago by the tyrant-mage whose name it bears, the Razor-Wand is a tool of destruction. Able to shoot devastating bolts of lightning from its tip, the wand has been put to such uses as the eradication of the Tower of the Grey Bard and the slaughter of the gigantic reptile-beasts of the Miasmic Swamp. The wand will unleash its destructive energies when taken into hand and its wielder speaks the word "suran".
All this is common knowledge. As is the carved amber and bronze appearance of the device, with its arcane glyphs and sinister aura.
Less than common knowledge is the peril any wielder of the wand opens themselves to, for Nazdulan was not called the Unfair due to his outward semblance... Using the wand causes magically formed razor sharp blades to spurt from the wand, slicing into the wielder's hand (causing damage as if struck by a dagger and a 25% chance of dropping the wand, the damage may be avoided by the wearing of a sturdy gauntlet, but this will cause the chance of dropping to increase to 100% since the blades will force open the wielder's hand, rather than slice through it).
The rarest knowledge of the wand, including its history and various wielders, was kept in a now abandoned monastery dedicated to Saint Gaxyg the Gray. Amongst this information is said to be the second command word for the wand.
The Funerary Urn of Gazdulak the Godsforsaken
To casual observation, this item is merely a large, marble urn, carved with the figures of mourners and symbols of astrological and thaumaturgical significance. If magic is detected for, however, the urn's aura will reveal a powerful dweomer of faintly necromantic nature.
If the lid is removed (a task that requires the efforts of two normal men, or one of exceptional strength, i.e.: 15 or greater), the contents are revealed. These being a fine and faintly luminous ash - the final remains of the arch-sorcerer and blasphemer, Gazdulak the Godsforsaken.
Crafted in a semi-successful attempt to cheat death, the urn and ashes hold the spirit of the ancient wizard and allow it to interact with the mortal world under certain conditions. The first being that any speak with dead spell cast within a 15' radius of the urn will be redirected to Gazdulak's spirit, rather than the intended target (the amount of time dead is ignored by virtue of the urn's magic, but the other restrictions of the spell remain in place). As the spirit is a despiser of the gods, he will lie to and deceive, to the best of his ability, any cleric he should contact (others, perhaps those using a magical device to cast the spell, will be communicated with more honestly). Nevertheless, his intention with all such communication is to fulfill the second, more macabre, condition that will allow him to interact with the world. This second condition is met if a humanoid corpse is placed within the urn. If that occurs, the spirit of the arch-sorcerer will posses and reanimate the carcass, restoring it to a semblance of life for seven days. Once revived, a reaction roll should be made towards the one who placed the body in the urn (unless said worthy is a cleric, in which case the reaction is always negative).
On a positive reaction, Gazdulak will be kindly disposed towards his benefactor and offer his services for seven days. These services are quite considerable, given that he was once an 18th level magic-user, but not overwhelming, due to his lack of grimoires, hesitancy to engage in combat, and desire to avoid the attention of the gods - who would surely notice any spells he might cast. However, he can aid magic-users in the creation of magical devices of all sorts, tutor and train, and depart much secret lore. He will, of course, attempt to maximise his usefulness so that his new friend will place another corpse in the urn once seven days have passed.
If a neutral reaction is indicated, he will assist his benefactor(s) for seven days and then collapse, his spirit returning to the urn to await a more appealing benefactor.
Should the roll indicate antipathy, or should the benefactor be a cleric, the wizard-corpse will feign a positive reaction, acting as above, but will secretly sabotage, delay, or corrupt any projects or teachings he assists with or provides. This will have the effect of tripling the cost of any such research or creation he "aids" and potentially more grievous effects for those he "teaches"... Gazdulak will also encourage his dupe to add a fresh corpse to the urn every seven days in order to continue plaguing the poor fool (or, as the spirit words it, "continue in our beneficial relationship").
