Me work was always best done in the shadows. From the cover of darkness I could kill and steal. Slippin’ away unnoticed. But here, the sky was wrong, like twilight came early. Somethin’ else was movin’ in the shadows. I didn’t like it. The air had a funny taste too, all sharp-like? Was a presence too… I could feel it.
The elf calmly stepped out into the clearing. Smilin’ all smug-like. Rod in hand, proud like he owned the place. I charged, but I couldn’t strike ‘em—no matter how hard I tried, he just slipped away. Then the rod pointed at me, and the world shattered. The ground weren’t ground no more. Turned to cobblestones, cold, hard. The trees vanished. I looked ‘round, but the forest weren’t there. A street. Too far, too long. And the shadows… they weren’t shadows no more. They had bestial forms and teeth. Big, sharp teeth. I ran, didn’t think, just ran this time. But they was just behind me. Closin’ in.
I was screamin’ but it didn’t matter. The cobblestones echoed beneath me boots, and the shadows—they cackled. The elf was there, still smilin’, watchin’, too calm. I rushed him again, but the street fell away. Ground just… melted. I was back in the forest, tangled in roots. And the shadow beasts were there again. But when I swung, I hit nothin’. Just air. It felt real, but it weren’t.
Then everything stopped. I dropped me dagger, there weren’t no point. I’d had enough. Waitin’ for it to end. The elf came close, looked down at me, all calm-like. “You’re in a different place now, goblin,” they said, voice smooth, cold. “A place of fear. Confusion. Choices.” I tried to speak, but no sound came outta me mouth. The rod spun in his hand, slow, easy. Then, he was gone. Just like that.
Feels like I’m still in it, all these months later. Shadows watchin’, waitin’…
Rod of Serling
Rod, Very Rare (Requires Attunement)
While holding the rod you have have advantage on saving throws against charm or fear effects and you have half cover while in dim light.
Also, the rod has the following properties (save DC 17). When one of these properties is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn.
- Bend Reality. As an action, you can cast the phantasmal killer spell.
- Cryptic Visions. When you roll a die, you can immediately roll it again and use either result.
- Isolate. As a bonus action, you can cast the blink spell.
- Mind Warp. As an action, you can cast the confusion spell.
- Temporal Anomaly. When you take a bonus action, you can immediately take another bonus action.
- Zone of Twilight. As a bonus action, you can create an area of dim light that extends to 30 feet around you. It moves with you and lasts until you are incapacitated or you use a bonus action to extinguish it.
Check out last week’s item: the hammer of banishment.
