Bryan's Dungeons & Dragons Site

Tag: sage

  • Writings of the Archmage Kold-Robi

    Author’s Note: This pastiche was written regarding Gilmedya, one of the most powerful nycadaemons alive. I later restyled her as a shaxadaemon, as I replaced the daemons that Wizards of the Coast excluded from the Open Gaming License. While I publish under Fair Use, not the OGL, it seemed like a good idea and I produced what is, in my opinion, a better fleshed out monster.

    The major daemons have a “use name” which is often the first syllable of their full name, which is well guarded. By this convention, Gill is Gilmedya’s use name.

    The Lord Archmage Kold-Robi is most noted for possessing the Star & Sword that still bear his name. Although he did not create that matched set of artifacts, he retrieved them from the vaults of the Demon Prince Jxtl, and later lost his life defending his people from a force of undead.

    Kold-Robi was born approximately 2,700 years after the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms. He rose to power as a soldier and wizard and led a successful incursion into the domain of Jxtl, severely weakening the demon who had supplanted Jxtl when his material form was destroyed by the Archmage Ignatz. Jxtl later destroyed his weakened rival, but in typical demon fashion felt outrage that a mortal invaded his domain. It appears that Jxtl supported the undead incursion in which Kold-Robi cost his life.

    Diary of Kold-Robi, regarding Gill

    There she stood, Gill, a nycadaemon, arguing with an ultrodaemon that my life be spared. Her stock with the other daemons was such that soon others backed him, and me.

    The ultrodaemon at last lost his patience. He ordered Gill away. The nycadaemon grudgingly turned and left. When she was forty feet away the ultrodaemon attacked she who would dispute so vigorously his rulings!

    The ultrodaemon discovered to his dismay that for the last twenty minutes he had argued with an illusion, an image. Gill struck back the way she had been attacked: from behind!

    So as not to give the Supreme a chance to further use his spell abilities, Gill struck with her great sword. The ultrodaemon was not the warrior that any nycadaemon is and quickly went down.

    This short battle spawned a riot, as Gill’s supporters quickly attacked those who had supported the ultrodaemon!

    Gill grabbed me, all trussed up, threw me over her shoulder with the bag containing my Sword, Star, and armor, and fled. She outran the outraged mob and when she had sufficient distance, shifted us to Gehenna.

    She knew of a Gate that would lead to Trivana, and while she could not use it I could. Once there I used the last of my spells to bring her to me and we traveled to my home …

  • Writings of the Archmage Ignatz

    Author’s Note: I wrote this during a fit of creativity, planning to use the Demonomicon as the focus for several adventures. I didn’t go through with that plan, although I don’t remember why not.

    The Archmage Ignatz is mostly remembered for being a fool who thought he got the better of a demon prince. To his chagrin, which was short lived, he did not succeed. Ignatz is also remembered for his writings about the use of flowers in making potions.

    Ignatz was born over 2,000 years after the Sack of the Northern Kingdoms, and was believed to be nearly 150 when Jxtl killed him. The destruction of his material body cost Jxtl his position in the Abyss, which took him nearly 800 years to recover. He has been quoted as saying that Ignatz got off FAR too easily!

    Final Diary of the Archmage Ignatz

    And so the demon, Jxtl, left himself vulnerable to my spell. He was encapsulated in the urn and I simply transported him back to my home.

    Once there I picked his brain for magically related information. I little comprehended the import of what he told me, leading to my downfall. Having intelligence near to that of a god, far greater than my own, he quickly understood the exacts of the spell I used to trap him, and set about devising a way to trick me into freeing him.

    Over a period of nearly 50 years he fed me information related to that which might release him, and my own foolish experimentation with that I did not fully understand released the bonds I had so carefully woven.

    He attacked me from surprise, I not realizing I had revoked my own magic. My servitors strove to aid me but he quickly destroyed even the most potent of them. But they did buy me enough time to kills his material body, forcing him to flee. But I overextended myself and will soon perish.

    He will suffer in torment in the Abyss for centuries to come, but will eventually regain his power. In the end he has won, for I will be dust.

    My beloved also suffers a horrid fate, but at least she will survive the centuries. I have prepared, with my last strength, a place for her to rest where she will be safe and may in turn guard my treasures though the centuries to come. Most importantly, I leave a copy of my Demonomicon for her to guard, the other five copies destroyed so they might not fall into evil hands.

    Should any find her resting place I pity them. I have also left terrible guards to end the lives of interlopers.