Thursday, December 26, 2024

On the Second Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Two Turtle Doves
This pair of small silver lapel pins are identical representation of a dove in flight. If detect magic is used on them, they radiate abjuration and summoning magic. The two turtle doves is treated as one item, but the two pins that it consists of it is intended to be used by two different individuals.


   Function: When worn on a character's collar or lapel, it grants a +1 bonus to all Bargain, Bluff, and Diplomacy skill checks, as the item's enchantment makes the wearer seem inherently more likable.
   Perhaps an even more important function of two turtle doves is that it provides a magical link between the person to whom two turtle doves was gifted by Brigid and a person that is given one of the two pins to wear. The two characters can, by taking a full round action and picturing the other person in his or her mind, get a sense of how that person is physically and mentally--whether they are injured, scared, sleeping, unconscious, and so on. On the round immediately following, the character may take a second full round action to cause him- or herself to be magically transported to a safe location within line-of-sight of the other wearer of a turtle dove pin. If it is not possible to appear in a safe location within line-of-sight, the character appears as closely as possible. A successful Listen or Search skill check (DC dependent on location) will give him or her enough clues to discern where the one they've come to help is.
   Trivia: Brigid created this item to partially mimic a dragon's ability to locate things they are very familiar with and very fond of (a particular coin, a favorite magic sword, a loyal friend, and so on).


"Friends look out for each other. Friends are the greatest treasure!"


Wednesday, December 25, 2024

On the First Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree
This item is five inches tall and two inches wide at the top. It is a glass figurine of a tree attached to a shallow silver dish that's just slightly over two inches in diameter. 
   The glass tree a lightly leafed tree with tiny yellow drop-shaped objects hanging from its branches. A representation of a partridge sits in the crown of the tree.
   If detect magic is used on the item, it radiates summoning and protection magic.
   Functions: Once per day, at Sunrise, a perfectly ripe pear appears on the silver plate. It can be cut into up to four sections, and each person who eats their part of the pear gains 1d4 bonus hit points above and beyond the character's normal maximum (or heals that number of points if already injured). The bonus points go away at Sundown.
   When the item is placed where the person to whom the partridge in a pear tree was gifted is residing (either temporarily or permanently), it starts making loud squawking noises whenever someone that has harmful intents toward the character and his or her property (including theft). The noise is loud enough that any sleeping characters are awakened and anyone just outside the dwelling or anywhere within it will hear.

Brigid, the Dragon Who Loves Christmas posing as human.
Click here for a little information about her.


This post is part of a series describing twelve magic items created by an ancient red dragon who loves Christmas. Click here for background and context.

The Twelve Days of the Christmas Dragon

Brigit is what an ancient red dragon calls herself when she assumes human form to interact with mortals. Although she spends most of her time in her isolated dwelling in the mountains of northern Arizona, every December and January, she travels the Earth non-stop to visit as many places and share her love of Christmas with as many people as possible. 

The Dragon Who Loves Christmas with her treasure hoard.


Unlike most of her kind, Brigit is fond of humanity and their ever-changing ways and seemingly boundless creativity. She has always enjoyed taking part in their Winter Festivals, and has loved Christmas since villagers invited her share their celebration early in the 9th century A.D. If she visits a town or attends a dinner or party where the Christmas spirit is in the air, things become so magical and festive that those who were present will tell stories about it for years. There will likewise be talk if she comes to a town or enters a home where the spirit of Christmas is being violated with cruelty and selfishness. When encountering such, Brigit first tries to convince the wrong-doers to mend their behavior and outlooks. When that fails, which it almost always does, because Brigit's human form is that of a cute and unimposing young woman with messy red hair and lots of freckles, she reveals her true self and brings a level of terror and destruction to that time and place such as only a red dragon is capable of.

"You better watch out. You better be nice. You won't like me when I'm angry."

Centuries ago, a rhyming game played by human children at Christmas time inspired Brigid to create a set of 12 magic items that reflect the game. As with almost everything Christmas related, her source of inspiration has morphed and changed over time and it is now the Christmas carol known as "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

Brigid makes one or more of the items every month during the year, and, at Christmas time. She gives them out as presents to mortals that were either particularly generous to her or selflessly sacrificing to promote the well-being of others, or to individuals she feels could benefit from and deserve the help the magic item can provide.


Click on the links below to read descriptions and RPG mechanics for each of Brigid's "Twelve Days of Christmas"-themed magic items.
 
THE TWELVE MAGIC ITEMS OF CHRISTMAS
First Day           Second Day           Third Day
Fourth Day        Fifth Day               Sixth Day
Seventh Day      Eighth Day            Ninth Day
Tenth Day          Eleventh Day        Twelfth Day



NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas!

Santa Claus has finished his annual rounds and all the stockings of the good kids have been stuffed! Now, he is spending some time relaxing with Snoop Dogg before heading over to their mutual friend Brigit's place to meet up with Mrs. Claus to begin their annual vacation.


 

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas!

Every year, Brigid the Christmas Dragon makes a point of singing Christmas carols with her long-time friend Snoop Dogg and immortalizing the moment with a photo. Here they are on Christmas Eve, 2020!


The songs? They vary from year to year, but there are always at least three and one of them is always Brigid's favorite Christmas carol. Click here to hear it as she performs it.



(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas

Brigid the Christmas Dragon has been visiting rapper Snoop Dogg on Christmas since he was a child. When Snoop converted to Rastafarianism, he took to celebrating Christmas in January, which thrilled Brigid because it gave her more time to spend with him and his family.

Here are Brigid and Snoop in 2015, keeping alive their tradition of singing a few Christmas carols and having their time together memorialized in a photo.



(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)


(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

NUELOW at Christmas: Happy Christmas!

 Since he was a child, rapper and songwriter Snoop Dogg has spent a few hours each Christmas with Brigid the Christmas Dragon. Here's a photo of their get-together on Christmas Eve 2009!


(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)