Lore24 Mar 1: Bilgam's Bracers

According to legend, Bilgam was the first ever Sorcerer-King, ruling over the First City. The orcs, the bronze elves and the reptilians all claim that Bilgam was of their people. Supposedly he was taller than any man, and at least twice as strong, with being the son of Atar-Numash, and the demigoddess Uta. These bracers are said to have been his.

The bracers themselves are curious indeed. They are made from a leather not found on this world anymore. Many suspect it to be demonhide, while the more grounded explanation, is that it is from some elder beast that thankfully became extinct since. The bracers also feature gold and silver decorations, consisting of a simple geometric design.

At first glance the bracers don’t seem to have any obvious magical effect, but after saying a quick prayer to Hath-Ur, they awaken. In that state, they help holding the arms steady, making hitting targets with a bow easier. They also seem to just absorb any blows that come into contact with them, making them very handy for blocking attacks, or protecting the wearer’s wrist from very high-poundage bows. In fact, it is said, that only wearing these can one fire Bilgam’s magical bow, which was strung with a steel wire instead of a string, without the loss of a hand.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lore24 May 9: The White Gates of Enki

Image
Legends tell of an old city, long claimed by the deserts . In ages long past, this city was the crown jewel of the world, its walls tall, and its sorcerers mighty. According to these legends, when the favorite wife of its Sorcerer-King, Enki, died in childbirth, he became obsessed with getting her back. Now, for the meager men of today, such a feat is impossible, but people have grown feeble since the times of their ancestors, and indeed, Enki’s magic was so powerful, that he reclaimed his wife from the Underworld . The gods, however were not happy with this violation of the order they set up at the dawn of time. They sent ferocious beasts, one after the other, up from the depths of the Underworld to reclaim their prize, and to drag Enki down as well. But the city held. Monster after monster fell before they could breach the walls, killed by the magic of Enki. Enki, on the other hand was worried. He knew he couldn’t hold out forever, so he made a daring plan. He traveled to the mout...
Read more

Lore24 Jan 26: Peoples pt. 1: Orcs

Image
There are a multitude of different peoples in the known world. Most are quite similar, sharing a basic bodyplan of one head, two arms and two legs, but some can be quite different. In the age of great empires one could travel and trade all over the world, so it’s no wonder that all kinds of people exist basically everywhere. It is true, however that certain peoples are more numerous in certain parts of the world. Of course people aren’t a monolith, and even among, say the orcs, there are multiple ethnic groups, different languages, and multiple kingdoms, each with their own history, friends, foes and agendas. And of course an orc living in Nashat-Ippur will have more in common with their bronze elf neighbors than with their kin living on the western islands. The following are just some of the various peoples one can meet. Orcs are thought to be masters of combat, on account of having four arms and fearsome tusks. This allows them to fire two bows, if rather inaccurately, to wield a ...
Read more

Lore24 Jan 21: Hath-Ur the Brilliant Sun

Image
Depending on the myth, rite, or prayer Hath-Ur can be either male or female. This does not mean that Hath-Ur is of indeterminate gender, or that Hath-Ur is genderfluid, for the Brilliant Sun is above such mortal concerns. It also doesn’t mean that Hath-Ur has a male and a female aspect either. Hath-Ur expects mortals to know the lore of Hath-Ur, and to know in which contexts is Hatth-Ur male and in which others is Hath-Ur female. For this reason when people speak of Hath-Ur not in the specific contexts of Hath-Ur’s deeds or Hath-Ur’s rites, they do not use pronouns to refer to Hath-Ur. While this is a bit troublesome, it is preferable to the alternative, as misgendering a deity carries grave punishments indeed. Hath-Ur, as mentioned, is the Brilliant Sun whose rays give life just as readily as they take it away. People revere and fear Hath-Ur in equal measure, and this is reflected in the way Hath-Ur’s worship is carried out. The priests pray for her life-giving gift in the spring, a...
Read more