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 Post subject: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:34 am 

Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:46 pm
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Greetings,

I’m looking for information, supposition and thoughts on the Keys of Man. I’ll cert review the references in the Blessed Lands book along with Drinking Deeply From the Chalice of Midnight, though I don’t recall it explicitly being named a key there. In addition to comments here, anything else I should look at? I tried a search in the forums but the words are too short and so ignored. Looking to include it or elements of it into my home campaign. Thanks!

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 12:52 am 
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The biggest chunk on the keys is in the History section of the Blessed Lands Book (previously told in the Canceri Book in the 3rd edition days, by Loshnek no less). The BLB also says that the Azure Way claims to have one in their stronghold in the First City. I would be surprised if the Emerald Society and the Jial of the Phoenix also didn’t have keys of their own.

It appears one was hidden in the Vault of Larissa but was stolen/taken before the PCs arrived. If so he Singarthan Trolls are probably involved...they were just finishing looting the place ahead of the PCs arrival. Maybe they stashed it with their looted World Gate. Or maybe they were intermediaries for someone else. The lanaguage of the Tear’s prophesy suggests that the Destroyer *may* have had a hand in getting that key.

Leonydas wore one of the keys around his neck. It’s unknown if he had it with him when he disappeared into the Citadel of Silence.

In addition to the Chalice of Midnight there was one other 3rd edition module that allegedly had a key (or a piece of one of the keys)...but I don’t remember which one it was. Maybe Temptations of the Flesh? There is some ... fuzziness on how big the keys are. The other alleged piece was a pendant on a necklace as I remember.

The keys are supposedly indestructible. If anyone tried to sell you one you should demand to test it with a war hammer!

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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 2:01 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:46 pm
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Hi Eric,

Thanks and good memory, it was Temptations of the Flesh. In that one it's a key on a collar. The Vault noted a long box for a key, empty. References certainly point to keys as key shaped objects which makes the Chalice interesting. In the mod the Chalice isn't referred to as one of the keys. Was that detailed somewhere else?

Paul


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 2:56 am 
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There was a mod with a chalice that allegedly had a piece of a Key (or a whole Key...depends on if they were all the same size or shape....) but it wasn’t Drinking Deeply IIRC ...it’s a module set in Tralia where the PCs have the chance to take on the sins of another NPC and become fated after death to become a general in Sarish’s Armies. You fight a mounted Nierite on horseback near the end of the mod which I recall as a scary fight. Maybe written by Kristy Weaver? Not 100 sure....

Regardless the stem of the Goblet was hollow and a allegedly one of the pieces/Keys was hidden there.

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AKA Ambassador Tukufu, man of letters, tomb raider and Master Sword Sage
. . . and Sir Szymon val'Holryn, Order of the Phoenix
Formerly Sir Jaeger val'Holryn. Weilder of the Holy Avenger: Thonanos. Gave his soul to help free King Noen


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 11:26 am 

Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:46 pm
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val Holryn wrote:
There was a mod with a chalice that allegedly had a piece of a Key (or a whole Key...depends on if they were all the same size or shape....) but it wasn’t Drinking Deeply IIRC ...it’s a module set in Tralia where the PCs have the chance to take on the sins of another NPC and become fated after death to become a general in Sarish’s Armies. You fight a mounted Nierite on horseback near the end of the mod which I recall as a scary fight. Maybe written by Kristy Weaver? Not 100 sure....

Regardless the stem of the Goblet was hollow and a allegedly one of the pieces/Keys was hidden there.


That’s a fair amount of detail. Likely year 1 or 2, I’ll need to go back and check. Not sure how long a key would be if Leonydes could wear it around his neck.


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 1:36 pm 

Joined: Fri May 09, 2014 11:53 pm
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Year 3's similarly titled To Drink Poison from Gold is the adventure that Eric refers to, with an explicitly described Key of Man in the stem of a chalice.


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:22 pm 

Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 12:08 am
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Hello,

quondamvindex wrote:
Year 3's similarly titled To Drink Poison from Gold is the adventure that Eric refers to, with an explicitly described Key of Man in the stem of a chalice.


FYI - In a subsequent LARP event, that key was discovered to be a fake.

Obviously, in a home campaign, you can make it an authentic one, but for the canon of the Living Campaign, it's a fake.

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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:55 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:46 pm
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Hi Henry,

Good to know. Thanks.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:59 am 
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Hat wrote:
...snip... Not sure how long a key would be if Leonydes could wear it around his neck.


That's funny I had that exact conversation with Tony before the Arcaniscon with the Vault of Larissa.

My 2 cents is that The 12 Keys came in different shapes and sizes. And each Key may have been made out of multiple parts that could be disassembled. Leo was a big strapping Nieirite, but I think there are practical limits on the "bling" he wore around his neck. Though I don't think its necessarily indicative of all Keys, I would assume the one he wore was no more than a foot long.

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Eric Gorman

AKA Ambassador Tukufu, man of letters, tomb raider and Master Sword Sage
. . . and Sir Szymon val'Holryn, Order of the Phoenix
Formerly Sir Jaeger val'Holryn. Weilder of the Holy Avenger: Thonanos. Gave his soul to help free King Noen


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 Post subject: Re: Keys of Man
PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 12:39 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 11:17 am
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There were 4 major references to the Keys of Man in the 3.x campaign modules.

1. Year 1 Temptations of the Flesh the the key was placed on a collar and held in s secret chamber. The module doesn't mention that's a key. Only the secret mission from the Followers of the Azure Way gives the history.
2. Year 2 Wake, Again the secret mission of the Followers of the Azure Way states that a necklace has a Key of Man attached to it. The player can obtain the necklace and it's a certed item. The cert also had some unusual rules about the player needing to state they possessed the cert at every table, and if a Follower of the Azure Way should get the cert they could email the campaign staff.
3. Year 3 To Drink Poison from Gold. The "key" was hidden inside the hollow stem of chalice made by Sarishians and Beltinians. Again only the secret mission of the Followers of Azure Way called it a key. If it turned out it was fake, then it's fake.
4. Year 4 the mega adventure Shadows of a Forsaken Past. The Followers of the Azure way send a note to any of their people that report to them, that they believe the original hiding places of the Keys are written on the walls of the Tomb of Hilur.

After that the Keys are never mentioned in any 3.x module again.
My belief is that that story line was dropped to focus on the Coryani Civil War. But we are now coming back to that story line in the First City.

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