You are browsing archives for

Category: Magic Items

Tonight, in their 50th episode, the Keepers of Mystery are joined by guests Stephen Newton, Francis Roberts, and the Dark Master himself – Joseph Goodman. The Keepers and their guests discuss Joseph Goodman’s favorite Appendix N work, Robert E. Howard’s The Tower of the Elephant.

In the Zamorian city of Arenjun,also known as the “City of Thieves,” a young Conan is drinking in a rowdy tavern when he overhears a Kothic rogue describe a fabulous jewel known as the “Heart of the Elephant,” which is kept in a tower by an evil sorcerer named Yara, of whom even the King of Zamora is afraid. Conan ventures into Yara’s garden to steal the jewel and encounters Taurus of Nemedia, known as the “Prince of Thieves,” who has the same agenda. Taurus is wily and fat, but amazingly agile. Impressed by Conan’s daring, Taurus agrees to work together.

Also, be sure not to miss the information on how you may win the very last unclaimed copy of the Shadowed Grimoire, #10 of 10.

Adventures, Magic Items, podcast, Sanctum Secorum Quarterly, Spells, Uncategorized Akimbo, Arkham Witch, Atop the Sorcerer's Tower, Austrian Death MAchine, Baldur's GAte, Baldur's GAte II, Basil Poledouris, Blasphemy and Larceny in Lankhmar, Bob Brinkman, Conan, Conan Exiles, Conan the Barbarian (1982), Conan the Barbarian (2011), Conan the Destroyer, Doom of the Savage Kings, Evidence of Immortality, Francis Roberts, Harley Stroh, Hector Berlioz, Igor Stravinksi, Ironsword, Joseph Goodman, Journey to the Center of the Aereth, Killa Nann the Barbarian, Knut Avenstroup Haugen, Loot the Body!, Magnific Machinations at the Gand Exposition of Marvels, Masks of Lankhmar, Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad, Michael Curtis, Michael Hoenig, Morten Braden, Nanny Devito, Predawn, Rats of Ilthmar, Reverend Bizarre, Rite of Spring, Stephen Newton, Symphonie Fantastique, The Heist, The Jeweler That Dealt in Stardust, The One Who Watches from Below, The Road of Straw Suite, The Tower of the Elephant, The Tower Out of Time, Thulsa Doom, Tower of the Black Pearl, Tyler Bates, Unholy Nights in Lankhmar, witchcliff

Sanctum Secorum #49 – The Charwoman’s Shadow

February 15, 2023Written by Gatekeeper

1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tonight the Keepers of Mystery discuss a work by Lord Dunsany, The Charwoman’s Shadow. Published in 1926, before the term “fantasy” had ever been used to describe the genre.

An old woman who spends her days scrubbing the floors might be an unlikely damsel in distress, but Lord Dunsany proves once again his mastery of the fantastical. The Charwoman’s Shadow is a beautiful tale of a sorcerer’s apprentice who discovers his master’s nefarious usage of stolen shadows, and vows to save the charwoman from her slavery.

Sanctum Secorum #48 – The Dolphin Cross

January 10, 2023Written by Gatekeeper

Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Sanctum Secorum Quarterly – COMING SOON!

The story picks up the saga of the two protagonists from the Face in the Frost, Prospero and, to a much lesser extent, Roger Bacon. In this adventure, war has come to the South Kingdoms and Prospero finds himself kidnapped and exiled on an island. While he manages to escape, he finds himself an unwitting captive a second time, with a situation even more dire. Meanwhile, he is unable to completely unravel why he was captured in the first place.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight, the Keepers of Mysteries return from their long hiatus to discuss this unfinished work by John Bellairs.

Sanctum Companion #44 – The Lost Issue

October 15, 2021Written by Gatekeeper

Leave a Comment

Sanctum Secorum #44 was the “lost episode” and so, it stands to figure that there was a “lost issue”. You can get it here!

Our special thanks to author James A. Pozenel Jr. for his contributions to the issue.

Additional Content, Artifacts of the Ancients, Magic Items, Men and Magicians, NPCs, Weapons Bob Brinkman, James A. Pozenel Jr.

Sanctum Secorum #39 – Greyfax Grimwald

October 16, 2018Written by Gatekeeper

1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #39 Companion HERE!

Drawn together by an enchanted summons, three loyal friends — Bear, Dwarf, and Otter — bid farewell to their fair home in the kingdom of Lorini and embark on a magical journey to the fabled World Beyond Time. A place where glows the ageless Circle of Light.

Along the way they meet many marvelous friends, including the mighty wizard Greyfax Grimwald. But little does the trio realize the dangers that await them: the gloomy border of the Northerland … the green fires of the Palace of Darkness…evil spells and dark enchantments … the dread city of Humans and — most fearsome of all — the evil Dark Queen.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight we take a walk on the wild side with a special-length episode where we discuss Greyfax Grimwald, the first of the Circle of Light series and pair it with Primal Tales.

Sanctum Secorum #38 – Nine Princes in Amber

September 6, 2018Written by Gatekeeper

1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #38 Companion HERE!

Carl Corey wakes in a medical clinic, with little to no knowledge of who he is or how he got there. He suspects he is being over-medicated, so he overpowers the nurse and doctor and escapes his room. He finds the manager of the clinic, and learns that he was recovering from a car accident in a private clinic, paid for by his sister, Evelyn Flaumel.

He flees and heads to her house. She addresses him as Corwin and calls herself Flora. Hiding his lack of memory, he convinces her to let him stay. In Flora’s library he locates a set of customized Tarot cards— the Trumps—whose Major Arcana are replaced with images which he recognizes as his family. As he looks over the cards he remembers all his brothers: sneaky Random, Julian the hunter, well-built Gérard, arrogant Eric, himself, Benedict the master tactician and swordsman, sinister Caine, scheming Bleys, and the mysterious Brand. He also views his four sisters: Flora who offered him sanctuary, Deirdre who was dear to him, reserved Llewella, and Fiona, whom Corwin hated. Carl Corey investigates, discovering the truth, piece by piece: he is really Prince Corwin, of Amber, the one true world of which our Earth is just a shadow. He is one of nine men who might rule Amber, if he can fight his way past the armies of his older brother Eric.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Returning from our Gen Con Hiatus, tonight we discuss Nine Princes in Amber, the first book of Roger Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles and we match it up with the noir goodness that it Nowhere City Nights.

Sanctum Secorum #37 – The Maker of Universes

July 13, 2018Written by Gatekeeper

5 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #37 Companion HERE!

The story follows Robert Wolff, a man disenchanted with his life and his marriage. One day, while looking at a new house, Wolff discovers a strange horn in the basement. Blowing the horn, Wolff is transported to a strange new world, the World of Tiers. Wolff finds himself initially in an edenic paradise known as Okeanos. This region is the first level of the planet, which contains a number of tiers like a wedding cake, separated by vast mountain ranges. The entire planet is ruled over by a cruel and mysterious lord named Jadawin, who created it. Okeanos consists of a beach, an ocean, and a small forest and is populated by nymph-like humans who originated in and near ancient Greece. In this new world, Wolff regains his youth and vigor and falls in love with a local woman named Chryseis who lived in Troy at the time of the Trojan War.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight we discuss the Maker of Universes, the first book in Philip José Farmer’s World of Tiers series and pair it up with The Dread God Al-Khazadar.

News: April Contest Winners

May 13, 2018Written by Gatekeeper

Leave a Comment

Our April contest theme was “Gonzo”, an anything goes sort of category. We were wholly unprepared for the amount of submissions that we would receive. Seriously, we will have content from the April entries popping up for a long time because…Wow! Several folks certainly wanted to be sure of a win and avalanche of content was the result (we should have contests more often). After being up all night, the drawing is finally done and soon I will enter the Prize Closet of Mystery^tmto select our runner up’s prize.

As rolled at random, our winners are

1st Place – Daniel J Bishop’s The Altar of Woeful Consumption
* 1 copy of Super No. 1 Food Tower
* 1 sheet of pregen characters

2nd Place – Ian Shears’ Patron spell, Infernal Voice
* To be determined by the Prize Closet of Mystery^tm

Look for these fantastic entries in upcoming Sanctum Secorum Companions!

Additional Content, Contest, Magic Items, News, Shameless Self-Promotion, Spells Daniel J. Bishop, Ian Shears

Sanctum Secorum #33 – The Powder of Hyperborea

March 2, 2018Written by Gatekeeper

2 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #33 Companion HERE!

Retired master-thief Satampra, Zerios of Uzuldaroum recounts an adventure from days gone by when he and his two companions (Vixeela and the dubious magician/alchemist Veezi Phenquor) endeavored to rob the temple of the moon god Leniqua, and steal away with the Thirty-Nine girdles of virginity by means of stealth, cunning, and a little bit of hyperborean chemistry. Originally published in the Saturn Science Fiction & Fantasy, it is the last of Clark’s Hyperborea cycle.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight we look at a work by Clark Ashton Smith, The Powder of Hyperborea and match it up with Edgar Johnson’s delightful Street Kids of Ur-Hadad.

Additional Content, Classes, Magic Items, Men and Magicians, Monsters, NPCs, Patrons & Deities, podcast, Spells Adam Muszkiewicz, Appendix N Book Club, Ari-Matti Piippo, Carl Bussler, Clark Ashton Smith, Crawljammer, Dak Ultimak, DCC Lankhmar, DCC RPG for BOSS, Dead Can Dance, Derek Scott, Diogo Nogueira, Edgar Johnson, Elzemon and the Blood-Drinking Box, Eric Hoffman, GAMA, Gamestorm 20, Gary Con, Gen Con, Harley Stroh, Harry Gregson-Williams, Hyperborea, Jason Sholtis, Jon Marr, Keith A. Garrett, MACE West, Madhouse Meet, Masks of Lankhmar, Matthew Goiffon, Mepacon, Michael Bolam, Michael Curtis, No Small Crimes in Lankhmar, Operation Unfathomable, Paul Wolfe, Perils of the Sunken City, Ravi Shankar, Red River RPG Con, Sari Galin, Street Kids of Ur-Hadad, Super Number One Food Tower, Terry Olson, The Cromcast, The Curse of Cragbridge, The Jeweller Who Dealt in Stardust, The Orm Lies Down in Punjar, The Powder of Hyperborea, The Treasure Vaults of Zadabad, Zakir Hussain

Sanctum Secorum #27 – The King of Elfland’s Daughter

August 4, 2017Written by Gatekeeper

3 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Get the free Sanctum Secorum #27 Companion HERE!

The lord of Erl is told by the parliament of his people that they want to be ruled by a magic lord. Obeying the immemorial custom, the lord sends his son Alveric to fetch the King of Elfland’s daughter, Lirazel, to be his bride. He makes his way to Elfland, where time passes at a rate far slower than the real world, and wins her. They return to Erl and have a son, but in the manner of fairy brides of folklore, she fits uneasily with his people. She returns to the waiting arms of her father in Elfland, and her lovesick husband goes searching for her, abandoning the kingdom of Erl and wandering in a now-hopeless quest. However, Lirazel becomes lonesome for her mortal husband and son. Seeing that she is unhappy, the King of Elfland uses a powerful magic to engulf the land of Erl. Erl is transformed into a part of Elfland, and Lirazel and her loved ones are reunited forever in an eternal, enchanted world.

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. Tonight we discuss Lord Dunsany’s novel The King of Elfland’s Daughter as well as Daniel J. Bishop’s adventure Through the Dragonwall.

Latest Episode

Sanctum Secorum Reading Room – Tuesday, March 28 at 9pm EST

Tales from the Sanctum

Card Catalog

Welcome

Category: Magic Items

Sanctum Secorum #50 – The Tower of the Elephant

Sanctum Secorum #49 – The Charwoman’s Shadow

Sanctum Secorum #48 – The Dolphin Cross

Sanctum Companion #44 – The Lost Issue

Sanctum Secorum #39 – Greyfax Grimwald

Sanctum Secorum #38 – Nine Princes in Amber

Sanctum Secorum #37 – The Maker of Universes

News: April Contest Winners

Sanctum Secorum #33 – The Powder of Hyperborea

Sanctum Secorum #27 – The King of Elfland’s Daughter

Tweets from the Sanctum

Subscribe to Sanctum Secorum