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Bjem was a crafty fellow. Tinker gnomes usually are. Bjem got much more than
he bargained for with this creation . . . come to think of it, so have the
Realms.
This is a windable mechanical donkey, ideal for carrying the equipment of
overburdened adventures. There is only this little irritating snag that we'll
return to in a moment . . .
History:
Bjem-bjem was a wandering tinkergnome from Krynn. Tired of carrying his heavy
equipment on his small back when traveling (sometimes running) from place to
place, he decided to construct a mechanical device for this purpose. His first
few constructs resulted in monstrosities covered with hooks, straps, and other
devices. However, they quickly proved impractical when traveling through the
woods. The hooks and straps fastened in the twigs and the branches of the
trees. Unlike his brethren, he isolated the problem and solved it by removing
the appendages (any other tinkergnome would have added mechanical arms and
such to push the offending twigs away). The resulting machine was a barrel
like creation with a giant spring beneath. Without the hooks to attach his
stuff, it would fly in all directions when the contraption wobbled and jumped
along a trail. Something needed to be done.
One day Bjem-bjem met a caravan on the road, after seeing their packhorses he
knew he had the solution to his problem. He would make a mechanical horse!
When he showed his invention to the world and they insisted that it looked
more like a donkey than a horse. Putting his disappointment behind him, Bjem-
bjem made good use of the mechanical donkey for nearly half a year until it
disappeared before his eyes after he rewound it for another day of travel.
All his equipment disappeared with the donkey. Bjem-bjem hasn't seen the
donkey or the equipment since.
Description:
Bjem-bjem's mechanical donkey is a silvery shining construction looking more
or less like a donkey complete with mane and tail. The only mar to the
illusion is a big screw sticking out of the side of the donkey. One rewinding
is good for one day of travel (8 hours). The only way to stop the donkey in
this eight-hour time frame is to tip it on its side and allow its legs to walk
harmlessly in the air. There is no saddle on the donkey, but one could easily
be strapped to its back. The donkey can carry up to 700 lbs. of equipment
before it ceases all movement (the donkey has an effective strength of 20 when
determining encumbering-effects). An unloaded donkey moves at MV 12 (After
Bjem-bjem had loaded it up with his equipment the MV would usually have been
reduced to six making it easy for him to keep up with it)
The current owner knows nothing of the history and has labeled the donkey as
"Karsus' Fabulous Mechanical Netherese Donkey". It is currently priced at
10,000gp.
Recent history:
Bjem-bjem added several magical items to the construction of the donkey.
These are welded into the structure and cannot be removed without destroying
them or the donkey. One of the magical items is a plane shifting device. This
bit of magic has caused untold trouble for those using the donkey over the
time. Every time the donkey is rewound (usually one time a day) there is a 1%
chance the device will shift to another prime material world. This chance is
constant and isn't accumulated over time. Each time the donkey shifts, it
takes all items strapped to its back. If a PC is sitting on the donkey when it
is rewound, there is a chance that he or she will plane shift with the donkey
(save vs. death magic to avoid).
The donkey has previously been on Toril. It was in the employ of Mornikak, the lord of a forgotten land across the Shar. Mornikak lent the donkey and several of his most potent magical items to a group of adventures for a quest. Mornikak was very angry when the group returned and told him the donkey and the items disappeared one morning after breaking camp. He quickly marshaled his magical might to track the donkey down, but failed because the donkey wasn't in Faerun anymore.
The donkey has just recently returned to Faerun laden with several crates of gold ore. The last owner of the donkey was a mining company on Oerth. The donkey was found by a group of dwarves. They quickly unloaded the ore. However, when they discovered that the donkey would gallop away (MV 12), they sold this useless and obviously magical item. Harrud Ephreme, a rare goods dealer in Arylon, bought the donkey for 500gp.
Mornikak knows the donkey has returned to Faerun, and has sent several of his
creatures to recover it. He hopes to regain his lost magical items as well. He
is unaware that these items are now on Cerilia (the world of the Birthright-
campaign).
Submission by Niels K. Handest
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