The Phantom City Sirus
When passing along the Ruins of Sirus, one of the players may spot a specter of a knight standing among the ruins. If the party approaches the knight, he will walk off into the ruins of the city. The players will eventually see him entering a plaza of a ruined forum. Yet, the moment the spectral knight crosses the arch of the plaza, he vanishes. If the players follow him, they will find themselves in an alternate version of the forum, one that isn’t ruined. A thick mist covers the arch behind them.
Echoing through the square is the clinging of a hammer hitting an anvil. Off to the side is a smithy, manned by a phantom of a bulky demon. In the center of the square is another teleportation circle, connected to the flame network. Across the plaza is the entrance to a tomb. The phantom knight is standing in front of the tomb, guarding the closed door behind him. The knight is holding a phantom version of the Blade of Reflecting Failure. The knight does not speak or change his pose. When the players try to interact with him, he just gazes at them through the helmet that’s concealing his face.
When speaking to the smithy, the demon will explain that this used to be the plaza of Syrus, one of the few demonic cities before the rule of Arenez. During the deity's conquest, the city was destroyed. The place where the party finds itself now is a phantom of the old forum, a duplicate of the old forum existing in stasis inside the temporal plane. Unfortunately, he and the knight are the only ones residing in this realm and only as spirits. The smith goes on to explain that the knight near the tomb used to be a mighty eldritch knight who fought against the city’s invaders. The knight was slain, however, and to his shame, his weapon was stolen by his killer. Unable to accept this outcome, the knight stands guard over the tomb of his former companion, who was an eldritch archer.
The smith is able to sell the players a few standard items. In compensation he will ask for golden coins, explaining he could use them for some of his forging. His rates are a bit more expensive than a common smith. Among his stock, he offers three magical items. The Gauntlets of Rapturing, which he designed himself. The Zephyr Steppers, a patch-up job he did for a fellow demon who took them off an angel, as such the smith doesn’t know everything the boots are capable of. And the Cloak of the Void, which the smith cannot give any information about, given that he did not make it. Instead, the cloak was designed by a famous tailor who is said to have created it from the void itself. The smith only had to add some finishing touches to it, commissioned by a wealthy gnome, but never got around to the request before the city was destroyed. The demon charges between 100 to 140 gp for the items, however, he is willing the give a discount if the party does a little job for him.
Following a path out of the plaza, the players can reach a vast, hilly plain with a pasture on it. Graving in the pasture is a black steed, a nightmare. The smith says that this steed has a little bell that belongs to him and asks the players if they can get it back for him. The bell hangs around the neck of the nightmare, dangling on a chain. The horse will try and run away whenever the party gets close to him. If the players manage to retrieve the bell and give it to the smith, he will hang the bell on the top of his hammer. Striking down on the anvil, the hammer no longer makes a sound due to the bell. The smith will note that this bell silences the sound and that he wanted it back because the clinging made his head hurt.
The players can later return to the forum when having the Blade of Reflecting Failure. By giving the blade to the knight, he will either bestow the blade on a worthy member of the party. Alternatively, he may do this instead for the Bane of the Sisters, which is kept inside the tomb and was carried by his companion.
Echoing through the square is the clinging of a hammer hitting an anvil. Off to the side is a smithy, manned by a phantom of a bulky demon. In the center of the square is another teleportation circle, connected to the flame network. Across the plaza is the entrance to a tomb. The phantom knight is standing in front of the tomb, guarding the closed door behind him. The knight is holding a phantom version of the Blade of Reflecting Failure. The knight does not speak or change his pose. When the players try to interact with him, he just gazes at them through the helmet that’s concealing his face.
When speaking to the smithy, the demon will explain that this used to be the plaza of Syrus, one of the few demonic cities before the rule of Arenez. During the deity's conquest, the city was destroyed. The place where the party finds itself now is a phantom of the old forum, a duplicate of the old forum existing in stasis inside the temporal plane. Unfortunately, he and the knight are the only ones residing in this realm and only as spirits. The smith goes on to explain that the knight near the tomb used to be a mighty eldritch knight who fought against the city’s invaders. The knight was slain, however, and to his shame, his weapon was stolen by his killer. Unable to accept this outcome, the knight stands guard over the tomb of his former companion, who was an eldritch archer.
The smith is able to sell the players a few standard items. In compensation he will ask for golden coins, explaining he could use them for some of his forging. His rates are a bit more expensive than a common smith. Among his stock, he offers three magical items. The Gauntlets of Rapturing, which he designed himself. The Zephyr Steppers, a patch-up job he did for a fellow demon who took them off an angel, as such the smith doesn’t know everything the boots are capable of. And the Cloak of the Void, which the smith cannot give any information about, given that he did not make it. Instead, the cloak was designed by a famous tailor who is said to have created it from the void itself. The smith only had to add some finishing touches to it, commissioned by a wealthy gnome, but never got around to the request before the city was destroyed. The demon charges between 100 to 140 gp for the items, however, he is willing the give a discount if the party does a little job for him.
Following a path out of the plaza, the players can reach a vast, hilly plain with a pasture on it. Graving in the pasture is a black steed, a nightmare. The smith says that this steed has a little bell that belongs to him and asks the players if they can get it back for him. The bell hangs around the neck of the nightmare, dangling on a chain. The horse will try and run away whenever the party gets close to him. If the players manage to retrieve the bell and give it to the smith, he will hang the bell on the top of his hammer. Striking down on the anvil, the hammer no longer makes a sound due to the bell. The smith will note that this bell silences the sound and that he wanted it back because the clinging made his head hurt.
The players can later return to the forum when having the Blade of Reflecting Failure. By giving the blade to the knight, he will either bestow the blade on a worthy member of the party. Alternatively, he may do this instead for the Bane of the Sisters, which is kept inside the tomb and was carried by his companion.
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