Love Between Leaf and Stone (Glaugust '25 2: Dwarf-Elf Gifts)
It is well known that the many great nations of the wood elves and the mountain dwarves have a... tenuous relationship. While usually not at outright war, the two frequently snap at each other diplomatically due to their vastly different values (dwarves do not take kindly to tree-cutting quotas) and do their best to inconvenience each other. However, in one pair of kingdoms, the unthinkable has occurred... not just any dwarf and elf, but the underlord of dwarves and great elfatar of elves have fallen in love! Their subjects would never let either of them hear the end of it if they found out, however, so they must instead exchange clandestine gifts and make the most of their diplomatic meetings. Of course, as legends among elves and dwarves, their gifts are also incredibly valuable and often magical items. Perhaps they have been lost to the hoard of a dragon, or stolen by kobold thieves for your PCs to find. These great rulers won't mind their gifts to their beloveds being used by a bunch of deranged tomb robbers, right?
Roll 1d4 for dwarf-to-elf, 1d4+4 for elf-to-dwarf, 1d8 for the whole list.
- Adamantine Elven Blade
Made of pure adamantine, light as wood but sharper than should even be possible, this blade was designed for the hands of an elven champion. The grip is wrapped in the silk of giant cave spiders, smooth and comfortable to hold, and a gleaming star sapphire is set in the pommel. Engraved on the blade are the runes for protection, swiftness, and love. A +3 weapon with an extra +2 to damage on top of that, capable of cutting through incredibly tough materials, indestructible, and can use dexterity instead of strength for to-hit and damage (assuming your system uses strength for that in the first place).
- The Kindly Flame
An artifact made from coal and ruby, etched with runes of fire and protection, this spherical object burns with a flame that heats and catches only what its owner wills despite burning with the heat of a forge. Even the driest leaves won’t burn if the holder if its power deems it so. Crafted so that the elfatar can experience the joy of smithing without risk to the forest they hold dear.
- Forest Replica in Crystal
Crafted from immaculately carved gemstones, this is a diorama of the heart of the Elfatar’s home forest, down to the smallest detail. Individual leaves are sculpted. Tiny gem elves can be seen going about their days. The Elfatar’s throne is itself studded with tiny gems. While this item has no magical properties, it is incredibly valuable if you can find someone able to buy it.
- The Greatest Pipe Organ
An enormous pipe organ, as wide as a small temple, crafted from immaculately carved stone, brass strings, and golden pipes. The tones it plays are deep and echoing as if the tone of a church bell were softened for elven ears. Each note hangs for seconds or more, while its soothing songs can go on for hours. Designed to be appreciable to the long-lived elves and their similarly long attention spans.
- Fungisinger Tablet
This tablet was carved from willingly-given bark from the greatest tree in the elven homeland, and on it it written the secrets of treesinging, modified for dwarven voices. Those who study it can command mushrooms, crops and giant cavern mushrooms included, to shift, grow, and even split off “wood” in the shape of whatever objects the singer needs. While the secret of singing trees into shape is forbidden to share, this is enough of a loophole for the Elfatar to risk it.
- Liquid Starlight
A vial of liquefied Starlight from the most beloved and beautiful stars, carefully condensed on rock crystal before being bottled in crystal glass. It can light even the darkest places, and its light repels the most unholy monsters of the deep and evil places of the world.
- Ironwood Beard-Beads
This collection of eight intricately-carved ironwood beads was designed for braiding or weaving into a long, flowing Dwarven beard. A small gemstone is set into each, and while most of them are mundane if valuable, four possess magical properties. The ruby bead grants the wearer immunity to mundane fire, allowing them to work a forge with their bare hands. The sapphire bead allows them to breathe without issue no matter what the quality of the air is, even choked with coal dust or poison vapor. Lastly, an identical pair of clear diamond beads allow their wearers to speak with each other instantly, no matter the distance, simply by tapping the bead. One of these diamond beads is meant for the Elfatar’s hair rather than the underlord’s beard, so that the two may speak whenever they desire.
- Miner’s Harp
This harp, taller than even a human, is crafted from grown wood and strung with unicorn hair, with a different gem or stud of metal set above each string. When a single string is played with intent, ore of the gem or stud above the string will resonate in kind, allowing the player to locate ore by sound alone. When played for its beautiful music, metal and gem will resonate with the harp, harmonizing the song with the very earth itself.