A legendary knight who is the patron of most lawful humans, as described in the Shadowdark core rules (p. 28). She ascended to godhood long ago and is the embodiment of righteousness and justice.
Clerics, magistrates, and common folk alike still carry torches blessed in her name. Whether in tombs, trials, or the wild places where evil stirs, these flames remind all who see them that justice cannot be hidden in shadow.
Unless noted, each of these special torches burn for one hour.
Sanctifier’s Torch
Effect: While lit, unholy or cursed objects within Near glow faintly white.
Special: The bearer may touch the flame to an object or doorway, consecrating it for the torch’s duration. Any supernatural evil must succeed on a morale check to cross or touch it, even if normally immune.
Lore: Kept burning in the great cathedral where Saint Terragnis was anointed, the Sanctifier’s Torch carries the purity of her oath to the heavens. Clerics and pilgrims bring its flame to bless homes, purify battlefields, and mark sacred ground. In its presence, the air feels cleaner, and even the most jaded feel the weight of what is holy.
Rot-Eater Torch
Effect: Undead in Near lose 1 HP at the start of their turn. Corpses in Near dissolve to ash in 1 round.
Special: Lighting it immediately alerts the nearest undead to its location.
Lore: Bound in cracked bone, its pale, cold flames are kindled from the pyres of battlefields where Saint Terragnis fought. Grave-watchers carried them to deny necromancers the chance to raise their fallen. The light smells faintly of damp soil and carries the weight of final judgment. Lighting one feels like ringing a funeral bell the dead cannot ignore.
Hearthlight Torch
Effect: While lit, provides warmth to all creatures within Near.
Special: May be lit again after one week. When lit in total darkness, the first hostile creature to enter Near must succeed on a DC 12 WIS check or hesitate for 1 round.
Lore: First given by the clergy to remote villages beyond the safety of city walls, these plain torches were blessed so their flame would never truly be spent. A single spark could bring them to life, pushing back the dark long enough for the faithful to rally or flee. Farmers, hunters, and sentries kept them ready by the door, their steady light and heat a simple shield against the night. Many are still passed down in families as both tool and relic.
Torch of Verity
Effect: While lit, any creature within Near that speaks a deliberate falsehood must immediately roll a Reaction check.
Special: On a result of Hostile, the creature involuntarily stops speaking. This effect does not reveal truth directly and does not detect mistakes or misunderstandings..
Lore: Saint Terragnis carried this torch into courts, guildhalls, and war councils, its flame known to still the tongues of liars. Over the centuries, countless replicas were made for meeting halls across the realm. Most are nothing more than well-crafted placebos, their light offering only the weight of tradition. Yet every so often, a torch long thought mundane will flare with ancient power, silencing a lie and changing the course of history.
