This magical island, often lost in the mists, is where the magic sword named Excalibur was first forged by fey beings and spirits of the land. Avalon is one of a class of recursions called the “Arthurians” because of their association with the King Arthur myth. Indeed, Avalon has direct connections to other recursions where other portions of the Arthurian myth play out, including Camelot Le Morte.
Avalon is an idyllic place of lakes, streams, and groves of fruit trees, especially apple trees. Some of the fruit is enchanted, and eating it provides a variety of temporary boons, such as healing, knowledge, or fecundity. Other fruit is cursed and brings quick death.
The fey beings of the island include nine sorceresses, sisters all, who rule Avalon. One of the sisters is Morgan Le Fay. Other natives also live on the island, but they seem to appear and disappear according to the whims of the sisters or their own impenetrable natures. The sisters rarely see eye to eye on all things, and indeed, Morgan Le Fay—often portrayed as an evil entity—isn’t the worst of her siblings. On the other hand, she is quickened, and in addition to traveling to connected Arthurian recursions, sometimes she visits unassociated recursions, possibly even Earth. She is responsible for killing more than a few versions of Merlin, and she hunts others as they turn up. It may be her meddling that gave at least one version of Merlin the spark, though the wizard maintains that it was the other way around.
A tomb surrounded by an Avebury-like henge stands in the center of the island. On the central stone is inscribed, “Here lies Arthur, the once and future king.” Normally, the grave is empty. But it may one day hold Arthur of Camelot—or one of him, at least; there are many “Arthurians.”
Recursors who venture to Avalon might do so because they are looking for a magical fruit, the Holy Grail, Excalibur, or Arthur’s aid. More likely, they find one of the nine sisters, perhaps even Morgan Le Fay.
Avalon is one of a class of recursions called the “Arthurians” because of their association with the King Arthur myth. Indeed, Avalon has direct connections to other recursions where other portions of the Arthurian myth play out, including Camelot Le Morte.
Lesser sorceress: level 5; Armor 1; long-range curse inflicts damage and puts victim to sleep
Morgan Le Fay: level 8; Armor 2; long-range curse inflicts damage and puts victim to sleep; carries six random cyphers she can cast as spells
Level: 7
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Dagger with white hilt
Effect: This dagger functions as a light bladed melee weapon. In addition, Carnwennan’s user can step into shadow, which allows him either to teleport to another shadowy location within long range, or to become invisible for up to one minute or until he attacks another creature.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check per use of invisibility or teleportation)
Level: 1d6+2
Form: A quill made from a green feather
Effect: If suitably inked, the dragon pen can render an object or creature that becomes real for one minute. The object or creature’s level is half the artifact’s level, +1 level if the user is trained in drawing, or +2 levels if the user is specialized in drawing. Once released from the page or surface it was drawn upon, the object or creature swells until it reaches the appropriate size, but no bigger than an immediate distance in width, depth, and height. If a creature is made, it does the bidding of its creator.
Someone versed in magic, such as someone who has the Inks Spells on Skin focus, can use the dragon pen to cast spells. When doing so, the difficulty of one task associated with the spell (such as an attack roll) is decreased by one step.
Depletion: 1 in 1d10
Level: 1d6
Form: Ornate drinking horn
Effect: When held to the lips, the horn magically fills with red wine.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100
Level: 7
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Sword inset with jewels and engraved with
Latin phrases (“Take me up” and “Cast me away”) on opposite sides of the blade
Effect: This sword functions as a normal weapon of its type. The first time each day that Excalibur is drawn from its sheath by its wielder, all enemies within long range are blinded for one round (depletion roll required). Constructed of magically enhanced meteoric iron, Excalibur can cut through wood, stone, and normal metal (of the artifact level or less) without losing its edge; the blade inflicts 1 additional point of damage (no depletion roll required). Finally, Excalibur has the ability that Earth myth often confers to the blade’s scabbard and can keep the wielder healthy even if wounded. When this ability is used, 1d6 points are restored to any stat Pool the wielder wishes. Though using Excalibur in this fashion requires a depletion roll, it does not require an action.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (if depleted, the sword becomes embedded in the nearest boulder and will not come free except in the hand of its maker or the rightful ruler of the recursion)
Level: 1d6
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Emerald-hued plate mail
Effect: This plate mail functions as heavy armor. In addition, the user gains +3 to Armor against effects that would directly affect her Speed (such as poison) or Intellect (such as a curse or psychic attack). The user can also make an extra one-action recovery roll each day.
Depletion: —
Level: 1d6+3
Origin: Albion (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Dried humanoid hand with candle-tip fingers
Effect: A hand of glory has several potential uses, including the following. In all cases, the candles making up the hand must be lit and burning to produce an effect.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6+4
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Modest bronze cup
Effect: Anyone who drinks from the Holy Grail is immediately healed of all wounds, diseases, toxins, and malign mental influences. A drinker who suffers from one or more curses is released from them all, and unwelcome transformative effects are completely reversed. Furthermore, the ill effects of age are wiped away, rendering someone older than twenty-five years back to that approximate physiological age. The drinker is not made immortal, however, or immune to normal aging thereafter.
Depletion: 1 in 1d6 (Upon depletion, the Holy Grail disappears. A new quest to find it, if successful, restores the artifact for another span of time.)
Many versions of the Holy Grail exist throughout the Shoals of Earth. One version, from a recursion where Nazis have attempted to pervert the power of the Grail to their own uses, has twisted the magic so that it creates “eternal life” by converting the drinker into a mindless zombie.
Level: 1d6
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: A river-smooth stone with a hole in the center
Effect: When the stone is activated, the next task the wearer attempts within one minute is decreased in difficulty by one step.
Depletion: 1 in 1d10
Level: 1d6+2
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Splendidly tailored, long black suitcoat with red velvet lining, pants or skirt, and boots
Effect: This clothing looks fabulous in any setting and fits whoever puts it on as if tailored especially for him. The wearer has an asset on all tasks related to persuasion, deception, and pleasant social interaction. The set of clothes repels dirt and odor, and it self-repairs tears, punctures, burns, and so on.
Depletion: —
Level: 1d6+4
Origin: Camelot (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Black gem, usually set in a chair or table
Effect: When someone sits in a chair set with the artifact or at the place on a larger table where the artifact has been installed, she gains a true vision about one topic of her choice. Certain individuals (Sir Galahad being one) can safely use the Siege Perilous. But those not so chosen must succeed on a level 7 Intellect defense roll or fall dead as the vision comes over them. Death usually comes so quickly that they cannot communicate their vision to anyone else.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Upon depletion, the gem disappears, possibly to reappear in another time or recursion, potentially in a different form with different, though no less impressive, abilities.)
Level: 1d6
Form: A bronze necklace or circlet
Effect: For the wearer, the difficulty of resisting unwelcome mental influence or commands is reduced by a number of steps equal to the artifact’s level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100