We’ve got less than a week left in the Iopos: Lair of Deceit Kickstarter. We haven’t done a lot of previews for this book, but we’re going to drop one for you this week.
Among other things, Uhl’s authority over the city of Iopos derives from the Malachite Seat. It first appeared in Iopos shortly before the Scourge, soon after the Palace of the First Minister was completed. A competition was held to provide a seat for the First Minister, and six entries were submitted by artisans from the clans.
When the Ministers arrived to judge the entries, a mysterious seventh entry was waiting in the chamber. The seat was brazenly placed upon the dais meant to hold the competition’s winner. All the sculptures were revealed, but the mysterious seventh entry was clearly superior to the others. There were no sculptor’s marks, only a plaque that read “The Malachite Seat” in old Dyamyr.
Crafted from malachite fused by some magic into a single piece, the sides of the Malachite Seat cover the dais and down to the floor. The back of the Seat towers over the room and when sunlight from the windows spills over it, green light plays across the flawlessly polished surface revealing the lustrous banding formed over untold millennia. Even in shadows, the seat possesses an unnerving chatoyance. The seat is awe-inspiring regardless of the personal feelings the beholder may have regarding the personage and family who lays claim to it.
Of course, there is more to the Malachite Seat than its mere appearance and mysterious provenance. It is also a powerful artifact, crafted by dragon magic to grant its owner significant power and influence. Along with the Oath of Affirmation, it further enhances Uhl’s already prodigious power.
- Maximum Threads: 10
- Mystic Defense: 16
- Tier: Warden
The Malachite Seat was created by the Outcast as part of his long-term plans for Iopos and his family, the Denairastas. It is the seat of Uhl’s power in many ways and he has each member of his personal guards, the Malachite Branch, weave a thread to the seat as part of their initiation. Not only does this allow distant and secret communication, but affords Uhl an added degree of security.
Note: This item was created through dragon magic and the powers presented are more powerful than can be generated through enchanting. Be careful if using it as an example for enchanting.
Thread Rank One
- Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the seat.
- Effect: The owner can communicate telepathically with any other owner within their thread rank in miles. This means one owner could talk to another who cannot reply. The effects of the seat can be used as long as the owner is within their thread rank in miles from the seat.
Thread Rank Two
- Effect: The room the seat is installed in is considered a lair for the owner. The owner gains +1 to Lair Sense (Gamemaster’s Guide, p. 427).
Thread Rank Three
- Deed: The owner must stand before the Outcast and present him with a worthy gift.
- Effect: The seat holds a Standard Matrix of rank equal to the owner’s thread rank.
Thread Rank Four
- Effect: The owner gains +1 rank to Dragonspeech (Gamemaster’s Guide, p. 426).
Thread Rank Five
- Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the dragon whose likeness is carved into each arm.
- Effect: The owner gains +1 rank to Regeneration (Gamemaster’s Guide, p. 427).
Thread Rank Six
- Effect: The owner gains +1 rank to Fear (Gamemaster’s Guide, p. 426).
Thread Rank Seven
- Key Knowledge: The owner must learn from which of the Outcast’s lairs the malachite for the throne was mined.
- Effect: The seat now holds an Enhanced Spell Matrix.
Thread Rank Eight
- Effect: The owner gains the Seat of Power ability: the owner gains their thread rank as a bonus to any tests to influence, deceive, sense motives, emotions, lies, etc., against an owner with a lower thread rank. Owners with a lower thread rank have all Difficulty Numbers to deceive or act against the owner with Seat of Power increased by that owner’s thread rank.
Want to learn more secrets of the Denairastas clan? Back the Kickstarter and when the campaign ends you’ll get access to the full preview PDF.