#craft (composition)

[terolusgreyhawk]

Craft (alchemy), (drawing) or (composition), or Knowledge (the planes) DC15:

Charcoal pencils are popular among artists, but graphite pure and solid enough to use for writing is rare on Oerth. It has to be made by alchemists or mined in the Elemental Plane of Earth, so graphite pencils are very expensive and rare.

[terolusgreyhawk]

"What lies beyond we cannot know

Do rivers run? Do candles burn?

If empty is the land below

What peace is there for us to earn?

When questions asked give no reply

Forsaken, yet the winds retain,

Yet we with deafened ears deny

That naught but anguish can remain.

So into darkness I must go

That from which none can yet return,

Yet speak not harshly of me, darling

Lest my wrath you forthwith learn.

In silence there is no abatement

In blindness no release but death,

Forever lost is any soul

When curses are the owner's final breath.

To ye who wish upon others suffering with malice,

When the darkness comes for you,

And your soul begins to unravel

And your final breath is drawn

And you see the void before you

It will already be

Too late."

-old folk poem

Craft (composition) DC12: A harrowing piece, its symbolism is present not just in the words but in the very structure of the writing: it starts off in a regularized meter and in rhyme, but as it continues it begins to lose structure, first changing to a more alternating rhyme, then losing its strict meter, then decaying into no rhyme at all, then finally withering away into a few short utterances at the end.

[terolusgreyhawk]

Knowledge (local) or Bardic Knowledge DC22:

Bards of legendary power can produce such powerful music or poetry that their harmonics can even disrupt curses and transmutations, liberating the afflicted as with a break enchantment spell.

[terolusgreyhawk]

Languages, Part 7 (OOC)

The following are some of the languages spoken in the world of Greyhawk. They can be learned with the Speak Language skill, though exceptions may apply where noted. Unless your character speaks a particular language, assume that knowledge or recognition of it is OOC information.

Dvati: the racial language of dvati, a strange race of twinned creatures that share one soul in two bodies. Proper Dvati requires two creatures speaking simultaneously. One twin provides a description of actions, while the other supplies connecting words and descriptions of things. The two weave together to communicate in a uniquely dvati manner. Non-dvati can speak this language solo, but only very poorly (-4 to all language-based checks and the save DCs of language-dependent spells you cast while using Dvati this way), and speaking in unison in the proper dvati manner takes many years of practice. Dvati are very rare outside of their communities, so this language may not be learned without tracking down a native speaker.

Dwarven: the racial language of dwarves, it is one of the most ancient humanoid languages and has changed very slowly thanks to rigid dwarven culture. Some of the most comprehensive histories of kingdoms and wars are written in Dwarven as well, making it important for historians. Its plain, runic alphabet, favored for the ease of writing it on many different surfaces and with many different tools, has been adopted by many other languages over time, including Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Terran. Though most dwarves also learn to speak Common, they are a proud people and often take it a mark of respect when supplicants choose to use their own language instead. 

Egyptian: a human dialect of Common used in the Southern deserts of the Kingdom of Provincia, a region called Egypt. A character fluent in Common can attempt a DC15 Int check to understand Egyptian, or vice versa (each check covers one minute of spoken language, or half a page of written language). Egyptian travelers (usually evangelists) are rare outside of large cities, so this language cannot be learned without tracking down a native speaker.

Elven: the racial language of elves, and perhaps the most common second language in the civilized world. Elven is a fluid language of subtle intonations and intricate grammar. While Elven literature is rich and varied, the language is most famous for its songs and poetry. Known for its beautiful, flowing script, the Elven alphabet is also used by languages such as Aquan, Sylvan, and Undercommon.