There was A Mighty Duel: a Warning

This artifact was found under mysterious circumstances at the crossroads of the Matriarch. The Guild is unsure if any of the statements are fact or fiction, but consider this party’s report before purchasing:

Our patrol arrived shortly after dawn on the morn of the summer solstice. The crossroads of the Matriarch are… interesting this time of year. The air was stagnant and felt heavy, sinister, not unusual though as the magical ley lines intersect here underneath the ancient oaks. Mattgyver (our scout) suddenly motioned for everyone to be still. We all sensed it at that moment—the sulfur smell, the dryness—as if an intense forest fire ravaged the entire area only hours prior. But, everything was still green. How can this be?

A wisp of smoke caught my eye. Just off the path in a small clearing, a pair of black slippers with golden adornment sat alone, smoke slowly rising from them in serpentine fashion and quickly vanishing in the eddies and currents of morning air. Mattgyver made a perception check before approaching that area. A cursory search revealed footprints… and more. There was a mighty duel. It ranged all over. They were both masters. Who won? How did it end? The winner ran off towards the frontier, our home, but the loser was… incinerated. Further inquiry revealed the duel in detail:

Two mages, of equal cleverness, faced off in a dual at dawn. The brief battle was likely over a bad deal involving counterfeit rare spell components—as evidenced by several large, broken merchant’s jars and papers scattered about with obviously forged labels. Shady McShadeface’s Mercantile has developed a reputation for questionable goods as of late. A quick taste confirmed the more innocuous ingredients to be bone meal instead of bat guano—a common mistake.

In a challenge to recover sunk costs, the challenger equipped Oup-Sie’s® Original enchanted fireproof shoes and confronted the swindler, fireball at the ready. The second mage, recognizing the shoes worn by his opponent as a brand name exclusively stocked at McShadeface’s, took extra care readying his own fireball for action. When the challenger’s fireball erupted, it did so in a harmless, smelly, light show as if a critical component had failed. His opponent smiled and glanced at the black shoes adorned with golden dragon’s teeth. ”Your fireball is weak. Though art impotent?” Had the challenger used bone meal instead of bat guano as his spell component? Or was it the shoes?

It mattered not. In a flash, the mysterious opponent unleashed a full 8d6 blazing hot fireball centered directly in the challengers mouth, and told him to ‘keep the change.’ No saving throw was possible with such a critical hit. When the smoke cleared nothing remained save a smoking pair of magical shoes.

Hold on Mattgyver, about that last part. How did you know what the mysterious wizard said? Because that’s what I said when I fireballed him. Now help me gather these ingredients and get these enchanted shoes back to Shady—he’s still studying their properties.

The hike home was uneventful. Apparently the mage had been stealing from McShadeface’s and reselling the goods for some time, but was poor at identifying and labeling spell components. Like many, he was simply trying to make some fast coin, while inadvertently damaging Shady’s already questionable reputation. It also seems our party’s arrival was not coincidental; Mattgyver intended to apprehend the buyers here at the appointed time with the help of our party, but they never showed. A story for another time perhaps.

Oup-Sie’s® Originals

Magical and enchanted artifacts for the discerning wizard. If you’re looking for that non-athletic wizard aesthetic, get a genuine Oup-Sie®.

Please note:

• To cast fireball, you must have all the right components, including verbal and somatic gestures, sulfur, and bat guano.

• These shoes provide one additional free spell slot for Fireball; it is for all intents and purposes a free cast.

• The shoes provide 50% fire damage reduction (8d6 base damage is reduced to 4d6), and each tassel pair adds an additional 25% for a total of 100% protection.

• These shoes are very uncomfortable and do not breathe, at all. Not only will your feet hurt, but they will be very sweaty. The moisture helps protect against fire attacks.

• The dragon tooth tassels are loud, almost like elf shoes with bells on them. All attempts to move silently will be done at -2 disadvantage.

• The tassels may come off. Not even the magical cords of Ny-Lon can prevent dragon’s teeth from becoming emancipated.

• Each missing pair of tassels improves the move silently disadvantage by 50% (-1 disadvantage for one missing pair).

• Each missing pair of tassels lessens the fire protection 25% ().

• Please no returns. We only have one pair of these, they may be cursed, and we definitely won’t want them back. Buyer beware.