The Fallen Star

The Fallen Star is a curiosities shop in the northern market district of Emru-Marol. It consists of three split-level floors, connected by a hemispherical spiral staircase that allows full visibility of the upper levels from the front desk. The shop is dimly lit and perpetually smoky from the widely separated torches.

(Art: Tobias White)

The proprietor is an exotic humanoid of unknown origin, thin and elongated, with blue-tinted skin and yellowed eyes. Despite the heavy wrappings on his arms and legs, it seems obvious that the joints beneath don't bend in precisely the same place that normal limbs would be expected to bend. He seems to be unable to communicate verbally in any of the languages of the surface or underdark, but has little difficulty understanding requests made by guests in any language, often seeming to anticipate the requests before they have even been made by producing the requested merchandise even before a customer has begun describing it. He never seems to eat or sleep, and leaves the shop for not more than two or three hours at a time. He gives out cards at the registry that list his name as “Mister Leng”.

The store is constantly patrolled by two muscular infernal fiends, both over 10 feet tall, with oversized heads and thick necks that give them the look of hooded executioners. They communicate only in some unfamiliar tongue of the lower planes, and will growl menacingly at anyone who attempts any unauthorized handling of display items. They seem to respond to requests from Mister Leng by some kind of natural telepathy.

Curiosities in the shop are left uncovered on small tables, with small cards beside them giving their supposed provenance and suspected function. The cards are handwritten in calligraphic script that duplicates the text in multiple languages and runes: Drowic, barbarous Common (of the Larcenous Coast dialect), and something alien that uses wedge-like cuneiform symbols.

All of the prices are exorbitant. In addition to a huge collection of scrolls, wands, and potions, some of the most interesting exhibits in the shop include:

1. A hideous fountain of living heads joined around the perimeter of a stone basin. The heads perpetually vomit forth a foul black liquid from their mouths and noses, rendering them unable to speak, although they are clearly in a state of conscious misery. There are several empty mount points around the basin that are apparently missing their heads. The fountain has a placard with the unsettling caption “Thieves Beware”.

2. A jeweled nightingale in a cage of golden wires, currently inactive but with a clockwork winding mechanism that allows it to spring to life and begin singing on its perch. Strange lights glitter in its eyes, and its song is lilting and faintly magical.

3. A half-dozen enchanted swords, including one labeled “Life Drinker, 6 charges” and two with “Dragon Slaying”,

4. A floor mirror with a drape over it labeled “Mirror of Opposition, leave covered at ALL times, especially when nycaloths are present”

5. A “Brooch of Shielding”. The word “brooch” is crossed out and replaced with “broach” in Common, which is itself crossed out and replaced with “brooch”. Spelling is hard.

6. A collection of vials of oil, with labels like “Oil of Sharpness”, “Oil of Plant Control”, “Oil of Dragon Control”, “Oil of Flying”, and “Oil of Human Control”.

7. Several rings, including a “Ring of Spell Storing (6 spells)” and “Ring of Djinni Calling”. The latter has an asterisk beside it, with the footnote “Note: does not grant wishes”

8. A sign that reads “Commissions with the Shadow Sorcerer available upon request, 100000 gp minimum down-payment”