Illus. by M. Phillippi
ITEMS OF LEGACY
CHAPTER 3
SLING OF THE DIRE WIND
150
uncounted foes with nothing more than leather, cord, Sling of the Dire Wind is a sling made from dark, tightly and stone. (DC 20; Harness the Gale) woven cord and a thick piece of leather etched with Cyril wanted none of his fame. His skills were meant runes written in Giant. for repelling creatures threatening innocent lives, not showmanship. When he was a man, he retreated into Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 sling; Cost 2,300 gp. Any stones fired from this sling act as bullets, taking seclusion with his wife, hoping the fanfare would no penalty on attack rolls and dealing normal sling subside with his absence. His disappearance only increased his reputation. The aristocracy had become damage. Finally, while sized for Medium creatures, this weapon automatically resizes to fit the hands of curious about the boy who never missed his mark, and they tracked Cyril down and hounded him una Small wielder and is then treated as a Small sling. til he agreed to demonstrate his skill publicly. After a Omen: If the sling is swung overhead while loaded, a light breeze surrounds you. couple of lackluster shots and more than a few misses, the audience was ready to riot, having traveled so many HISTORY leagues into the forest for nothing. A group of ogres, atSling of the Dire Wind would never have existed had it tracted by all the noise, suddenly fell upon the crowds. not been for a quiet boy named Cyril. Cyril’s father had Cyril reacted with instincts honed by conflict, slaying given up the art of war and refused to teach the foul creatures in short order using only his his son how to use a sword, so sling. The audience was stunned at the Cyril devoted himself to the man’s true skill. A representative humble sling instead. He of the king asked Cyril to return to his village, where practiced constantly, mastering the weaphe would be available to on at a young age, help defend the kinghitting any target dom in time of need. he set for himself. Cyril reluctantly agreed. Then a day came (DC 25; The Modest Way) Cyril had dispatched many when bandits raided Cyril’s village. The robmonsters in his life, making A small stone can smash walls when hurled bers where out for blood, having more than a few enemies. Now from the Sling of the Dire Wind these foes knew exactly where to lost a few of their number to a regional guard patrol. Cyril loosed find the man and his sling. Life rock after rock at the invaders, knocking them from quickly became unbearable in the little village, repeated their horses and incapacitating many. After singleattacks plaguing the place as if the creatures sought Cyril out. After an ettin wreaked havoc on the comhandedly preventing a massacre, the taciturn youth munity, Cyril’s father demanded he leave before more became a peasant hero, and a local militia leader soon offered to train Cyril further. (DC 15) innocents were harmed. Cyril agreed without protest Against his father’s wishes, Cyril readily embraced and left again with his wife, but the monsters were the soldier’s life, but he became famous for his method unrelenting. A pair of trolls found Cyril’s woodland of slaying monsters. Cyril toppled hill giants with his hideaway at a moment when Cyril was out hunting. sling and knocked manticores out of the sky with His wife was alone. Cyril arrived to find the giants loosed stones. No matter how much martial training standing over his beloved’s corpse, and he flew into he acquired or how strong he became, his focus never a murderous rage. One of the trolls died quickly, but changed. Cyril was neither an outspoken man nor a Cyril extracted the awful truth from the second. The well-traveled one, preferring the comforts of his rural king had been sending monsters after Cyril, probably home. But the moment some creature threatened his hoping the slinger would kill each in its turn—he community, Cyril was the first to face off against the had become an unwitting exterminator for the crown. beast, Sling of the Dire Wind in hand. With anger beyond reason, Cyril rode to the royal city, stood outside the walls, and launched stone after stone Like many legendary heroes who cling to their at the fortifications, destroying huge sections of wall simple lives, Cyril’s was torn from him. His fame with rocks no larger than big pebbles. Archers atop began to attract challengers, warriors who wanted to the battlements returned fire. Watching the volley test their mettle against the youth who had defeated
