Deck of Many Things

The Deck of Many Things was a deck of 20 magical cards.

Collateral Damage Finds the Deck

On Day 16 of the campaign (29 Tarsakh, 1492), Collateral Damage was exploring Wave Echo Cave and looking for Nezznar. They discovered the Forge of Spells, a room that could only be opened by using blood from a descendant of the Garrick Family and the Rockseeker Family (the creators of the Phandelver's Pact). After entering the room, the group found the Deck of Many Things on the floor next to the remains of Nicknack Turen.
Next to Nicknack's remains, the group found his journal, which included a detailed history of how the deck was used by his adventuring party in the year 992, as well as details about how most of the cards were used previously. For more information, view the Item History section below.
Collateral Damage decided to use the deck:

• Rayphlárd was the first to draw a card, and he pulled the Knight card. The card shifted its form into a blue dragonborn fighter in the service of Rayphlard; Rayphlard named the fighter "Tubby."
• Herb Stoner was the next to draw a card, and he pulled the Sun card. The card vanished, and Herb's natural strength greatly improved.
• Conor McGregor was the next to draw a card, and he pulled the Skull card. The card shifted its form into an avatar of death, and Conor defeated the avatar.
• Shinzon Greenshadow was the next to draw a card, and he pulled the Fool card. The card vanished, and Shinzon's natural wisdom declined.
• Tubby then drew a card, just minutes after he was created by the deck. Tubby drew the Star card; the card vanished, and Tubby's natural strength greatly improved.
• Mosk, who recently joined the party, pulled the Flames card. Mosk learned that a powerful devil was now pursuing him.

Rayphlard Learns More About the Deck

On Day 17 (30 Tarsakh), Rayphlard woke up from a dream in which he saw Razaycrynth, the ancient dragon who was the ancestor of all blue dragonborn in Faerun. In the dream, Razaycrynth revealed to Rayphlard the following facts about the Deck of Many Things:

• Rayphlard's ancestor Olshirik isolated himself while channeling his skill in wild magic and crafted the Deck of Many Things.
• A man later pulled a card from the deck, creating the magic sword named "Talon." Rayphlard was now the owner of that sword after the group found it in the Redbrand Hideout under Tresendar Manor in Phandalin. After the card and the sword were reunited the previous day in the Forge of Spells, the sword's wild magic was activated.

Garaele Pulls a Card

On Day 18 (Greengrass), during the conclusion of the Phandalin Greengrass Festival, Collateral Damage joined the forces defending the town from the dragon and then the Many Arrows Tribe orcs. Toward the end of combat, Rayphlard turned to Garaele Edermath and convinced her to draw a card from the Deck of Many Things. Garaele drew the Vizier card, and she saved it for later. After combat ended, she spoke to Rayphlard and agreed to not use the card without consulting with him.
Later that day, Garaele asked Rayphlard for his thoughts about using the Vizier card to learn more about the Red Wizards of Thay and Ebondeath. Rayphlard and the rest of the group agreed. After meditating on the card, Garaele learned that the Red Wizards have a necromancer named Ularan Mortus who is trying to find a way to attach Ebondeath’s soul to an unwilling dragon’s body.

Brophilius and the Imps Pull the Last Cards

On Day 19 (1 Mirtul), Collateral Damage was leaving Phandalin when they were ambushed by Velleen Firecrow and her Talassan assistants. Argus Skeel was also planning an ambush, and he joined the fight after it started with two swarms of bats and a reanimated Ander. After Velleen's and Argus' forces were defeated, two imps appeared and began talking to Collateral Damage. The imps - Eddie and Yep - asked the group if they had a magical deck of cards because their boss sent them to find it. The group denied having it.
Herb (in tiefling form), Rayphlard and Tubby then traveled into the Phandalin town center to find Lords' Alliance agent Don-Jon Raskin at Stonehill Inn. While walking toward the inn, the trio noticed a horned devil sitting on the ground at the Shrine of Luck. Herb nodded at the devil while walking by him, attempting to pass him without stopping, but the devil (Brophilius) stood up and started talking.
Brophilius recognized the trio as part of Collateral Damage. Herb attempted to keep walking and tried to convince Brophilius he knew something about his past. Brophilius replied, saying "That bugbear Smokey told me about you. You may look like us, but you’re not of our blood. Are you having fun in your devil costume? I can turn you back into what you really are: a puny, weak gnome. What’s one good reason why I shouldn’t?" Brophilius explained how he was summoned to the Material Plane when Mosk drew from the Deck of Many Things, but when Mosk died before Brophilius could claim his soul he was trapped without a way back to the Nine Hells.
Brophilius then stared at Rayphlard, saying "You must be the one that drew the Knight card. That one (Tubby) ... I can tell. He’s here because of me. The deal I made with Olshirik to create that deck was a mistake. It’s time to make things right. I can sense it nearby. Give me the deck, now, or I’ll kill you and take it myself." Rayphlard then handed him the deck, and Brophilius drew the Throne card. He then said "Well, maybe I don’t need to go back. Maybe I’ll stay on this plane for a while. Does anyone know where Longwood is? I need to introduce them to their new king."
While Brophilius pondered his new future, Eddie and Yep reappeared. Eddie grabbed the Deck of Many Things away from Brophilius while he was distracted, he and Yep went invisible for a moment, and they reappeared with cards in their hands. Eddie drew the Moon card and Yep drew the Fates card. Eddie then said "So, it looks like I get to wish for anything I want. Well, I don’t want to be dead anymore. I want to go back to whatever I was before going to the Nine Hells. And Yep, with your card, you can reverse anything that happened in the past. How about we do the same thing?" Yep simply replied, saying "Yep!" The two imps concentrated, disappeared, then reappeared as humans. One of them appeared in regal attire, and the other was dressed as a guard. The one dressed in regal attire touched the other on the shoulder and said "Karl, it's time to go back to Port Llast," and they disappeared again. Brophilius appeared to not care about Eddie and Yep leaving him; he then flew away, apparently looking for Longwood.

Item History

Based on their interactions with Razaycrynth and Brophilius, and information found in the journal written by Nicknack Turen, Collateral Damage learned the following details about the history of the Deck of Many Things.

Creation of the Deck

Olshirik, an ancestor of Rayphlárd and member of the Light of Razaycrynth, crafted the Deck of Many Things after making some kind of deal with Brophilius.

First Uses of the Deck (867-925)

In 867, a dwarf named Aggit Boulderbelly found the deck near Phandalin and pulled the first card. He pulled the Comet card, which spawned a monster. Aggit slayed the monster and gained some unknown "special ability." Aggit then gave the deck to his best friend Henry Tresendar.
Later in 867, Henry Tresendar pulled the Idiot card, permanently reducing his intelligence. Henry had three sons (Hank, Honk and Hunk), but he didn't tell them about the deck. He put it in a box and forgot about it.
In 901, after Henry died, Hank Tresendar found the deck when going through his father's possessions. Hank pulled the Jem card, resulting in immeasurable wealth for the Tresendar Family. Hank used that wealth to build Tresendar Manor and buy his way into influence in Phandalin.
In 925, Hank's son was Aldith Tresendar. Hank gave the deck to Aldith, and Aldith pulled the Key card, which created the magic sword named "Talon."
Finally, sometime after Aldith Tresendar pulled the Key card in 925, the Balance card was pulled. Details about that card were not known by Nicknack.

Nicknack's Adventuring Party (992)

Nicknack's last name was Turen, but his family line went back to the Garrick Family that was famous for their role in the Phandelver's Pact, which was formed in the year 899. The pact was the agreement that led to Phandalin becoming a booming mining town, but that was short lived. In 951, orcs from the Many Arrows Tribe swept through and wiped out Phandalin and the surrounding area.
Nicknack was the son of Breena Garrick, one of the few survivors of the orc invasion of Phandalin in 951. He trained to become a bard, and he joined an adventuring party led by Barisdroul Rockseeker, but he only revealed his lineage to those he trusted. In 992, Barisdroul, not shy about his Rockseeker lineage, led the party to Wave Echo Cave to find the Forge of Spells and try to regain his family's wealth.
The party entered the cave, but they weren't able to fight off the undead creatures and they were forced to lock themselves inside the Forge of Spells. With no other options, Barisdroul told the rest of the party about this deck of cards he bought on the black market, and they started pulling cards:

• Nicknack drew first; he pulled the Jester card, so he was able to draw two more cards.
• Next, Nicknack pulled the Euryale card, and that resulted in a curse on the group.
• Nicknack then pulled the Rogue card, which caused Barisdroul to betray the group. Baris charged out of the room and barricaded the rest of them inside.
• Three members of the party, including Nicknack, were left. One pulled the Donjon card, and he disappeared and became entombed in a state of suspended animation in an extradimensional sphere.
• The last adventurer pulled the Void card, and his soul was drawn out of his body and transferred to some unknown location. His body remained in the Forge of Spells, and Nicknack moved the body into the side room.

Nicknack was left trapped by himself inside the Forge of Spells. He didn't have a way to escape, so he started writing down the story of what happened in his journal. During that time, Nicknack looked at the deck more closely and discovered a sheet of paper tucked inside that was used by almost everyone who pulled a card from the deck before 992. They kept track of who drew which card and what happened on that sheet of paper.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The container for the Deck of Many Things included the following printed rules:
"To play a card from the Deck of Many Things, simply open the deck and remove one card. Once a card is used, it will disappear forever. Each individual may remove one card."
After an individual drew a card, they then read a short description of its magical effect. Collateral Damage acquired the deck in Wave Echo Cave in 1492, and after using the following cards - or witnessing them being used - they learned their magical effects:

• Fates: "Reality's fabric unravels and spins anew. You are now able to avoid or erase one event as if it never happened. You can use this card's magic now or at any other time before you die. After using the card, it will disappear. Congratulations." (drawn by Yep)
• Flames: "A powerful devil is now your enemy. The devil will seek your ruin and plague your life, savoring your suffering before attempting to slay you. This enmity will last until either you or the devil dies. Good luck." (drawn by Mosk)
• Fool: "You are now a worse version of yourself. A fool." (drawn by Shinzon Greenshadow)
• Knight: "You have gained the service of a fighter. The fighter will serve you loyally until death, believing the fates have drawn him to you." (drawn by Rayphlárd)
• Moon: "You now have the ability to cast the wish spell. After you cast the spell once, the card will disappear. Congratulations." (drawn by Eddie)
• Skull: "You have summoned an avatar of death. This avatar will fight you until you or it dies. If you die, you cannot be brought back. You must fight this avatar by yourself. If anyone helps you, a second avatar will appear, and that individual must fight it to the death. Good luck." (drawn by Conor McGregor)
• Star: "You now feel one of your abilities has greatly increased. Congratulations." (drawn by Tubby)
• Sun: "You now feel like a stronger version of yourself. Congratulations." (drawn by Herb Stoner)
• Throne: "You have gained rightful ownership of a keep in your birthplace. However, the keep is currently in the hands of monsters, which you must defeat before you can claim the keep as your own. After doing so, you will be the lawful ruler of that territory. Congratulations." (drawn by Brophilius)
• Vizier: "At a time of your choosing, you may ask one question in meditation. You will receive a truthful answer to that question. After you ask the question, the card will disappear." (drawn by Garaele Edermath)

Item type

Magical