A Treat is a piece of fiction for Ironfire: The City of Steel one of the supplements for Cities of Sundara, which is available in versions for 5th Edition and Pathfinder.

“If you’re not careful, you’ll wear it out with your eyes.”

The comment drew Kalem’s attention away from the blade he was admiring. He looked over at the weaponsmith in the shop in the Stone Pole district of Ironfire.

“Just kidding,” said the heavily-tattooed Takitori dwarf proprietor of the shop. “Dragon steel doesn’t wear out that easily, of course. But you’ve been fixated on that sword for a good chunk of time.”

“It’s a beautiful weapon,” Kalem said.

“Of course it is!” was the dwarf’s response. “I made it!” Though the dwarf still had a broad smile on his face, it was clear he did have pride in his craftsmanship. Justifiable pride, Kalem thought, looking around the, to him, uncomfortably warm, shop. The Takitori’s love of fire went well with the vulcanism of the Ironfire region, and the dwarf had the place at a temperature he probably considered ‘comfortable’ and most other beings ‘sweltering’ bordering on ‘cooked.’ The dwarf wasn’t the only one enjoying the heat; a cinderscale lizardfolk was also busily hammering away next to the forge. Far closer than Kalem could have stood without going up in flames.

“Are you interested in buying?” asked the dwarf.

Kalem nodded his assent and replied “I’ve just finished a very good job and I’ve always wanted a dragon steel sword. I’m going to treat myself.”

“Pick it up then and let’s see how it goes.”

Kalem did as told, performing several moves with the blade. “Hmm,” said the dwarf, peering at the grip. “That’s just a standard demonstration handle fitted to the blade. If you buy, we’ll add one that’s designed for you. A good sword needs a good handle. And this is a good sword. If I do say so myself. Don’t worry; it’s included in the price.” He mentioned a number.

Kalem gulped a bit, but they’d gone in knowing what the sword would cost. And the dwarf was right. It was a very good sword. And it had been a very good contract, so he could buy it.

Calculate Twice, Experiment Once is a piece of fiction for Silkgift: The City of Sails one of the supplements for Cities of Sundara, which is available in versions for 5th Edition and Pathfinder.

“Careful now,” said Verin to Challis as the latter started gradually adding droplets of the solution to the bubbling beaker in their workshop in the Ingeneurium. “Are you sure you got the calculations right this time?”

“Of course I did!” responded Challis with what Verin considered an unwarranted degree of certitude, given that every previous experiment was a failure. “You worry too much!”

“Well, one of us have to and you don’t worry enough,” Verin mumbled under his breath. Louder, he reminded Challis “These are potentially volatile, so it’s important to be careful, take our time and make sure everything is correct. This time.”

“Don’t be a silly! We’re taking every precaution and it’s not like anything really bad has happened so far!”

“And I’d like it to still not happen, if it’s all the same with you,” retorted Verin. “Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t happen. You know that.”

“The risk is worth the reward! Just think what we’ll be able to do if this works!”

“It’s the not working bit that concerns me,” stated Verin. “I’m all for experimenting, or I wouldn’t be here, but I do prefer to make sure the odds are in our favour.”

Verin stood next to Challis as she carefully added the last droplet of the solution into the beaker and turned up the heat slightly. The liquid started to bubble more fiercely.

The next thing Verin knew, they were both lying on the floor and his ears were ringing. Slowly, he picked himself up and held out a hand to Challis so that she could get up off the floor as well.

“Drat,” said Challis.

Looking at the smoking remains of their workshop, the fires slowly guttering out on the bench and the damage to the ceiling, and glancing down at what used to be the clothes he was wearing, Vern felt this was a significant underreaction.

“You may be a touch over socialised,” he commented.

The Ingeneurium was not going to be pleased.

Brains not Brawn is a piece of fiction for Ironfire: The City of Steel, one of the supplements for Cities of Sundara, which is available in versions for 5th Edition and Pathfinder.

Callen and Drexla made their way through Ironfire towards the centre of the city, stopping as they arrived at Stone Pole, both to take a look around, as this was the heart of mercenary activity in the city, and to grab a drink at the Ashes.

“Look!” said Callen, nudging Drexla, as they stood watching a duel on the square around the district’s titular Stone Pole. “Isn’t that one of the Crimson Sergeants watching?”

Drexla glanced over at the figure in red and gold and affirmed that indeed it was.

“I want to get into the Crimson Company,” proclaimed Callen. “Maybe if I challenge someone to a duel and fight it whilst the sergeant is watching, that will improve my chances.”

The rather more experienced Drexla looked at her younger friend, remembering some of her own youthful exuberance, and the mistakes it sometimes led to. She wondered what would be the best way of putting things, then decided that the truth was better than honey coating everything. Callen was a competent fighter, but needed to learn more.

“Look, lad,” she stated. “The Crimson Company gets a lot of applicants, as you well know, as we’ve seen the crowds outside the Scarlet Chevron. They, and any other mercenary company worth its iron, for that matter, are not just looking for people who can fight, and certainly not those who can just fight a duel. And that’s even assuming you’d win. Who would you challenge and why? Remember, you need a reason for a duel, and I’ve seen more than one fool pick a fight with what they think is an easy target only to find out they were sadly mistaken.

“Good mercenary commanders want, and need, more. They don’t want someone who will pick a fight just to show off. Because mark me, picking a fight in front of a Crimson Sergeant is showing off, and the sergeant will know that just as much as I do. A mercenary needs to be able to use their brain as well, for more fights are won with brains than unthinking brawn.”

Drexla looked at Callen’s now somewhat crestfallen face. “Cheer up lad,” she said. “You’re competent and competency does speak for itself; you just need a little more seasoning. Now, how about I buy you that ale we came here for?”

Power and its Misuse is a piece of fiction for Archbliss: The City of the Sorcerers, one of the supplements for Cities of Sundara, which is available in versions for 5th Edition and Pathfinder.

“Legend says that the sorcerers who founded Archbliss were fleeing a cataclysm,” said Thannis Mantar. “At least that’s what the surviving books from the era say.”

“Legend says a lot of things,” retorted Brendor Calliorn. “Some may even be true. That doesn’t mean they all are, or that tales of a great cataclysm are true.”

“But what if the legend about the cataclysm was true?” asked Thannis. “That could mean that the legend about those who raised the city being empowered by the Prim are also true. And if that’s the case, then such power could be obtained by others. All we’d need to do is find out how it was accomplished.”

“Playing with the raw power of the Prim can cause serious problems.” stated Brendor in warning. “Just look at what happened to Moüd. The Silver Wraiths are still cleaning up the necromantic mess from that. If both legends are true, then mayhap the power the city’s founders had from the Prim caused the cataclysm. They could easily have been fleeing a mess they caused.”

“We’d just need to be more careful,” was Thannis’s reply. “Power in and of itself doesn’t cause a cataclysm, only its misuse. If it wasn’t misused, then there wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Misuse is something that it’s easier to state you’re going to avoid than to actually avoid,” said Brendor in turn. “I’ve seen enough spellusers injured by their own power when they intended anything but. By the time misuse becomes obvious, it may well be too late.”

“Say what you will. I am not going to be so overly cautious. I’m going to look into the legends for the truth of the matter, and see if there is a way of gaining the power of our forefathers.” Stated Thannis.

“Do as you will,” said Brendor as Thannis departed. “For your sake, I hope that the legend is just that. And for our sake, if you do uncover something, do not play with the Prim where it will affect the rest of us.”