(( in our realm this map is 10 ft per square. You have found and opened the doors in the temple on the north side of the entryway and inner temple chamber. You know of the other doors in the inner temple chamber. They are still sealed. You also know of the column with a sliding compartment. You haven't opened. ))
The tunnel is long and dark, dust heavy and undisturbed save a small exchange of air when the door was first open. The air is dry and stale. Twenty feet in the hall bends southeast for thirty feet then turns directly south. Thirty feet down the south facing corridor is a cluster of bodies. They are four remains still garbled in studded leather armor and robes. Their bodies dedicated and dehydrated beyond all life. Twenty feet beyond them the tunnel is again cut off by rubble.
Robwin casts detect magic immediately, using a spell slot, and approaches to within 30ft of the bodies etc (but not within melee range), just to get a feel if there is anything magical there…
With your magical hand you pull aside the remains of the robes revealing the source of the Necrotic magical resonance. It is a dagger sheathed and strapped on the outside of course's thigh facing up.
Robwin uses his mage hand to un-strap the magical dagger from the corpse and hover the strap, and sheath, and dagger over towards him.
He then uses a charge of his moon egg to prepare the identify spell and immediately cast it to identify the item while it’s being held aloft by his mage hand.
((edit: since identify is a touch spell, he casts it through Lia and gets her to touch it for him rather than touch a necrotic dagger himself before finding out what it is!))
This is a Rakdos Riteknife. The leather thigh belt is very old and built for a small person. It can easily be separated from the sheath. The sheath is of silver, steal and ebony design with various runes set into it. The dagger itself has a long cruelly serrated blade. The dagger's hilt resembles a head reminiscent of the nothic, manticore or some other demonic stylized entity and wings like the manticore or dragon.
This dagger requires attunement.
Whenever a creature is slain with an attack using the dagger, the creature’s soul is imprisoned inside the dagger. That creature can be restored to life only by a wish spell. The dagger can hold a maximum of five souls.
For each soul imprisoned in the dagger, an attack with it deals an extra 1d4 necrotic damage on a hit.
While attuned, if the dagger is within 5 feet of its owner, their dreams are haunted by whispers from the trapped souls.
The dagger has the following additional properties.
Siphon Vitality. As a bonus action, the attuned can release any number of stored souls from the dagger to regain 1d10 hit points per soul released.
Annihilation. If the dagger holds five souls, the attuned can use this property: As a reaction immediately after hitting a creature with the dagger and dealing damage to that target, the attuned can release all five souls. If the target now has fewer than 75 hit points, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or die. If the target dies, the attuned cannot use this property again until they finish a long rest.
Proficiency with a dagger allows the attuned to add their proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack they make with it.
Robwin considers the dagger carefully. It seeeems safe enough, to his arcane gaze…
He calls to Rinn, “Check this out!… Is this more your style?…”. He hovers the dagger over to Rinn using mage hand without ever touching it. He also explains in great detail exactly what he found out and how it works, especially about the whispers.
If Rinn is keen to have it, he happily hands it over without giving it a second thought.
”It seems like it could be a very powerful artefact indeed!… I found it in that pile of corpses there. I haven’t looked through the rest of the pile, but that’s the only magical item in there”.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
((Since the item is ‘legendary’, would Robwin have heard of that specific blade, or blades like it? Or know any more of its history? He quickly wracks his brains (to be on the safe side) before finally handing it over…))
With Robwin's education and recalling TT's words from your first venture into this temple, "The dwarves that lived here sacrificed to a god that liked to turn them into those things.", you do recall ...
this would be a "Rakdos Riteknife". These daggers were said to be ancient "gifts" crafted in the abyss. The last notes you recall on them are from over 150 years ago.
Robwin tells everyone all about what he can recall about the knife. He is very neutral on the whole thing. And still offers it to Rinn for his thoughts and to do with it as he sees fit…
After hearing Robwin explain the properties of the dagger Wolfsong will look at the blade in disgust, "That dagger should be left in a pit somewhere and forgotten. To take a trophy from a body to show your path is one thing, but to keep a soul from joining the Wilds to keep it from roaming free, I will not stand for it."
"I agree with Wolfsong, not allowing a soul to continue onto the City of the Dead is a profanity of the natural order. That thing should be destroyed" TT says echoing Wolfsong's disgust.
Rinn smiles and goes to take the dagger gladly, but when Wolfsong and TT voice their concern, he pauses a moment. He picks up the dagger and looks at it carefully, considering the options. "I guess," he says eventually and turns to face down the hallway before slyly switching the dagger with one of his own, throwing the mundane dagger down the hall to the corpses and tucking the magic dagger away in the quick-access hiding spot amongst his things with the other daggers (Sleight of Hand if you want it: 25).
Robwin nods sagely at everyone’s comments, and at Rinn’s eventual decision to absolutely completely leave the dagger.
Lia fluffs her feathers out and blinks widely a couple of times, looking at Robwin, then at Rinn, then over to TT and Wolfsong and back at Rinn, from Robwin’s shoulder.
Rinn taking the lead enters the newly opened passageway. (Roll Investigation with advantage)
(( in our realm this map is 10 ft per square. You have found and opened the doors in the temple on the north side of the entryway and inner temple chamber. You know of the other doors in the inner temple chamber. They are still sealed. You also know of the column with a sliding compartment. You haven't opened. ))
https://media-waterdeep.cursecdn.com/attachments/5/758/map-de-pc.jpg
Rinn's Investigation: 10
The tunnel is long and dark, dust heavy and undisturbed save a small exchange of air when the door was first open. The air is dry and stale. Twenty feet in the hall bends southeast for thirty feet then turns directly south. Thirty feet down the south facing corridor is a cluster of bodies. They are four remains still garbled in studded leather armor and robes. Their bodies dedicated and dehydrated beyond all life. Twenty feet beyond them the tunnel is again cut off by rubble.
Robwin casts detect magic immediately, using a spell slot, and approaches to within 30ft of the bodies etc (but not within melee range), just to get a feel if there is anything magical there…
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
One of the bodies, it's head under rock, has a magical glow about his waist.
Robwin sends his mage hand over to try and retrieve the magical item…
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
With your magical hand you pull aside the remains of the robes revealing the source of the Necrotic magical resonance. It is a dagger sheathed and strapped on the outside of course's thigh facing up.
Robwin uses his mage hand to un-strap the magical dagger from the corpse and hover the strap, and sheath, and dagger over towards him.
He then uses a charge of his moon egg to prepare the identify spell and immediately cast it to identify the item while it’s being held aloft by his mage hand.
((edit: since identify is a touch spell, he casts it through Lia and gets her to touch it for him rather than touch a necrotic dagger himself before finding out what it is!))
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
(( Smart! ))
What Robwin learns...
This is a Rakdos Riteknife. The leather thigh belt is very old and built for a small person. It can easily be separated from the sheath. The sheath is of silver, steal and ebony design with various runes set into it. The dagger itself has a long cruelly serrated blade. The dagger's hilt resembles a head reminiscent of the nothic, manticore or some other demonic stylized entity and wings like the manticore or dragon.
This dagger requires attunement.
Whenever a creature is slain with an attack using the dagger, the creature’s soul is imprisoned inside the dagger. That creature can be restored to life only by a wish spell. The dagger can hold a maximum of five souls.
For each soul imprisoned in the dagger, an attack with it deals an extra 1d4 necrotic damage on a hit.
While attuned, if the dagger is within 5 feet of its owner, their dreams are haunted by whispers from the trapped souls.
The dagger has the following additional properties.
Siphon Vitality. As a bonus action, the attuned can release any number of stored souls from the dagger to regain 1d10 hit points per soul released.
Annihilation. If the dagger holds five souls, the attuned can use this property: As a reaction immediately after hitting a creature with the dagger and dealing damage to that target, the attuned can release all five souls. If the target now has fewer than 75 hit points, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or die. If the target dies, the attuned cannot use this property again until they finish a long rest.
Proficiency with a dagger allows the attuned to add their proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack they make with it.
Robwin considers the dagger carefully. It seeeems safe enough, to his arcane gaze…
He calls to Rinn, “Check this out!… Is this more your style?…”. He hovers the dagger over to Rinn using mage hand without ever touching it. He also explains in great detail exactly what he found out and how it works, especially about the whispers.
If Rinn is keen to have it, he happily hands it over without giving it a second thought.
”It seems like it could be a very powerful artefact indeed!… I found it in that pile of corpses there. I haven’t looked through the rest of the pile, but that’s the only magical item in there”.
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
((Since the item is ‘legendary’, would Robwin have heard of that specific blade, or blades like it? Or know any more of its history? He quickly wracks his brains (to be on the safe side) before finally handing it over…))
History / arcana check (both +6): 10
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
With Robwin's education and recalling TT's words from your first venture into this temple, "The dwarves that lived here sacrificed to a god that liked to turn them into those things.", you do recall ...
this would be a "Rakdos Riteknife". These daggers were said to be ancient "gifts" crafted in the abyss. The last notes you recall on them are from over 150 years ago.
Robwin tells everyone all about what he can recall about the knife. He is very neutral on the whole thing. And still offers it to Rinn for his thoughts and to do with it as he sees fit…
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
After hearing Robwin explain the properties of the dagger Wolfsong will look at the blade in disgust, "That dagger should be left in a pit somewhere and forgotten. To take a trophy from a body to show your path is one thing, but to keep a soul from joining the Wilds to keep it from roaming free, I will not stand for it."
"I agree with Wolfsong, not allowing a soul to continue onto the City of the Dead is a profanity of the natural order. That thing should be destroyed" TT says echoing Wolfsong's disgust.
Rinn smiles and goes to take the dagger gladly, but when Wolfsong and TT voice their concern, he pauses a moment. He picks up the dagger and looks at it carefully, considering the options. "I guess," he says eventually and turns to face down the hallway before slyly switching the dagger with one of his own, throwing the mundane dagger down the hall to the corpses and tucking the magic dagger away in the quick-access hiding spot amongst his things with the other daggers (Sleight of Hand if you want it: 25).
(( of course, you all saw Rinn's actions in TT's light. As his iron dagger clambers on the dead. ))
From behind Wolfsong and TT, Eline cracks up, "pfft, ha, heh, Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Eline turns and rejoins the others in the main temple chamber.
"Shall we go catch some manticore?", she asks as she walks away.
Robwin nods sagely at everyone’s comments, and at Rinn’s eventual decision to absolutely completely leave the dagger.
Lia fluffs her feathers out and blinks widely a couple of times, looking at Robwin, then at Rinn, then over to TT and Wolfsong and back at Rinn, from Robwin’s shoulder.
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss