30 Gifts of the Nekron

1-Friendship Amulet

According to the strict and byzantine laws of the Nekron 1666 , those who wear this silver amulet in the shape of an hourglass are supposed to be treated to some extent as friends. Provided they are not caught bearing arms against them, raiding parties and the like are supposed to leave them unharmed and their property unstolen, and providing the PCs have not already started laying about them with weapons and spells, most Nekron officers will carefully examine the amulets to make sure they are not fake and let the PCs leave in peace rather then trying to kill them or capture them as slaves.

2-City Pass

Something not given to many topsiders normally (except for merchants who have plenty of good things to sell or trade) this allows access to one of the large Nekron cities for twenty-four hours when shown to the gate guards plus any Nekron police officers who ask to see it. It does not give the bearer diplomatic immunity and those who end up breaking the laws of the Nekron will be in trouble, but providing they behave themselves and have money to spend the PCs will be able to buy many things normally denied to humans in the Nekron markets.

3-Drow Spider Jerky

This looks like black rope and indeed can be used as such, but is in fact a very tasty foodstuff,good for restoring energy.

4-Riding Spiders

The size of horses and as friendly as a well trained horse, these fearsome looking spiders covered in harmless soft grey fur will willingly allow themselves to be ridden,although to keep them healthy and faithful they require the same kind of looking after as a horse would. Over short distances they can go twice as fast as a human horse. Whilst the gate guards of most cities will not allow them within the walls, they are very good for crossing the wastelands.

5-Sleep Globe

This thin glass globe is filled with the tightly packed purple vapors of a gas that causes sleep for hours if breathed in (and death if breathed in for long.) There is just enough gas here to cause sleep without killing the target, to make it work a direct hit on or at the feet of the target must be scored, and the wind must not be blowing towards the PCs or they risk being affected by their own gas. Of course, the effects will not work if the target has a gas mask on.This is used by Nekron raiders to capture slaves without having to wound them, and Nekron doctors as an anesthetic for their patients before operations.

6-Nekron potion

Roll a D6 to see what it is.

D1-Nekron tea, that if drunk will keep the drinker awake and alert for twenty-four hours, before they crash out and sleep several hours as the tiredness comes back all at once. Mainly used by Nekron gate guards to avoid falling asleep on watch.

D2-Healing potion,will heal any one serious wound or two light wounds if drunk.

D3-Anti-ringworm potion. As Nekron spend a lot of time underground, they sometimes suffer from fungal infections,and when drunk this will heal even a persistent ringworm infection.

D4-Light potion, if poured on weapons this will make them glow in the dark bright enough to read by (and look magical) for twelve hours. Nekron prefer not to use naked flames underground when possible in case a seam of coal gas explodes,causing death, destruction and a mountain of bothersome paperwork for those who have to clean up the mess afterwards. If drunk, it causes short term nausea and the person's skin glows softly and becomes see-through as long as the potion's effect lasts, so their own blood, bones and organs can be clearly seen. Useful if undergoing surgery otherwise the person looks like a freak or some kind of strange undead.

D5-Stoneskin potion, lasts for a day and halves the damage of all wounds taken during that time.

D6-Unfortunately this turns out to be one of the Flawed Potions.

7-Nekron Jitte

This dagger with it's ornate metal hilt can be used by those who know what they are doing to catch a blade aimed at them and then, by giving the blade of the dagger a sharp twist, snap the blade. Great for dealing with thin rapiers, but only someone as strong as an ogre could snap the blade of a broadsword or cleaver.

8-Nekron Lawbook

Not only does it help the visitor to a Nekron city avoid breaking the laws and getting into trouble, but if strapped to the chest it is as strong as plate armor and it can be used to kill someone if dropped on them from a first floor window or higher.

9-Dueling Sword

When used in any duel, legal or otherwise, provided a formal challenge has been offered first and accepted, this blade will seem to dance in the hand to parry and thrust, turning an average swordsman into a good one,and a good one into a Master swordsman. In brawls and the like it just acts as a normal sword.Very useful for the duelist PC.

10-Human Slave

The Nekron give you one of the human slaves they have taken in previous surface raids, and it is up to the PCs what they want to do with him or her.Perhaps this slave could turn out to be an important NPC who if freed by the PCs will be able to offer them help of some kind.

11-Nekron Net

Made of thick enchanted spiderweb as strong as steel this can be used magically -when thrown over the target all but the strongest will be magically bound and pulled to the ground to be captured or dispatched. Nekron police officers, of which there are a large number to enforce the large number of laws, are fond of using this to capture the criminal they are after.It has a certain number of charges in it, when they are all used up it can still be used as a net, if the owner is skillful enough.

12-Nekron Pet

This small furry slug like thing the size of a hamster is a tame scavenger. It will eat any scraps given to it that are remotely edible,purrs softly when stroked and has a loud alarm call that it sounds if anyone tries to break into the PCs house or tent which is like screaming.It also has cute looking big brown eyes.

13-Nekron Edible Fungus

To most humans it tastes horrible, which means rather like dwarf bread they will save it for when they have nothing left to eat. But it has it's advantages;instead of decomposing with age, it just grows more of itself, and despite the bad taste it is filling and healthy and acutally quite good food; if it was not, the Nekron would be unable to live on it as their staple diet.Nekron themselves find it very tasty.

14-Crystal Glowstick

No danger of exploding any seams of gas with this, the light is bright, and it can also be used without cracking as a heavy club for those times when violence is unavoidable or needed. You can even parry a sword blade with one of these things.

15-Small velvet bag of jewels

Depending on the RPG they can be worth a lot like diamonds, as the main reward of the adventure, or a lesser reward like amber or rare jewels that are useful for casting magic spells with. They can't exactly be used as money in the shops but a Toplands jeweler in a major city would happily pay a lot of money for them, if you can reach the shop without being robbed once Topside.

16-Diamond Star Medal

Very few Nekron ever earn one of these and only a handful of humans have ever earned one. If your PCs have earned one of these then they've done something like saving a Nekron city from destruction, as it is the highest honor they have. With one of these and a bit of tact, PCs can get Nekron help in a big way, like a permanant City Pass or an escort to their destination of a whole company of Nekron solders. Nekron will tell stories about the PCs which will last into the mists of time.

17-Nekron Wife

Whilst to most humans they look ugly, Nekron wives are for the most part sweet, loving and very sexy during lovemaking. A minority have the powers of a seer and are able to see glimpses of the future although how accurate these predictions are, is uncertain. The Nekron will be very offended if the offer of one of their womenfolk is turned down.

18-Glowshield

The glow of this shield is magically controled by it's legal owner and can only be operated by the owner, and it comes with it's own dark glasses to protect the user's eyes. At one end of the scale the owner can make it not glow at all, on the other end of the scale it can be made bright enough to blind anyone who looks at it for more then a few seconds.

19-A Ballad

The finest Nekron composers of the city come up with a ballad saluting the PCs as heros (how good it is in quality is up to the GM) and it is sung to the PMs with a whole orchestra providing the music for it.

20-Wet Work

Whilst the Nekron have very strict laws against murdering each other this is not the case towards other races. Do the PCs want somebody bumped off? A Nekron assassin can be despatched for a nominal payment of a gold piece or two, to permanantly remove the PC's target from the world, with a pretty good chance (at least 60%) of success.

21-A zoological book

It has in it's entries every dangerous animal that can be found underground,common and rare alike,as well as how dangerous their bites and stings are and what if anything works to heal them.It might save the life of a PC someday.

22-A Notcher

A well made Notcher can blunt or even end up destroying the sword of a foe,as it is specially made with ridges on the rim that makes each blow chip the blade if it hits the metal rim, which many blades will. Unlike most armour and weapons, Notchers improve with each fight they are in as damage by blows only makes them better at chipping blades.

23-Some well cooked meat

Nekron don't get much meat...meat is not common down there as it has to be traded in or captured by raiders which makes it much more expensive then meat on top. So for all but the upper class, some meat is a real treat and is normally eaten only at weddings and on the few High Holy Hoildays.

24-A book on Necromancy

Whilst the Nekron are very much against raising their own dead they have nothing much against raising the dead of other races to use either as slaves in the fungus fields, as assassins or warriors or, if fresh dead, as spies, and will happily share their knowledge of necromancy with the PCs.

25-The Leech Staff

In one of their raids above ground this staff fell into their hands; they know it is magical but don't know how to operate it's magic,so why not give it to the PCs as a reward since it is useless to them?

26-A silver chain

It is what it is, a thick chain of silver that is worth a reasonable amount of money for the PCs. Many shops up Topside would be happy to accept individual links for payment for items.

27-An honesty charm

Unless a person tells a lie whilst genuinely thinking that he or she is telling the truth, this silver ring will go slightly cold when somebody lies. No more can someone use weasel words to trick the PCs into an ambush or sell them something at grossly inflated prices.

28-A Nekron orphan

The Nekron offer the PCs one of their own orphans and if they accept him, he will prove to be obedient, within reason, a reasonable fighter and eager to make himself welcome with them.

29-Giant spider eggs

PCs may feel disgusted by the offer of these but in fact they taste delicious and are very filling despite what they look like. They taste like caviar.

30-Chainmail cloak

On the outside a cloak of rich fur and on the inside, mithril chainmail, able to withstand blows from most weapons, other then for example, a crossbow bolt at short range. Both good looking and effective protection rolled into one.