That's So Raven

Field reports from the Lady's chosen.

That's So Raven

Field reports from the Lady's chosen.

Wiki · Item

Grey-Flame Torch

Type: Unique magical torch / Blight-counter / planar artifact Origin: Carried by an expedition of the Grey-Robed Order through the Netherese Portal; recovered by the party in session 032 Current Holder: AC (in his pack; carried) Status (latest): Lit (grey flame, sustained — see ignition rules below)

Description

An alien-haft torch — the metal-or-wood is not local material. When inert, a thick, viscous liquid (comparable to "toffee candy" in the player notes) leaks from the head; the haft itself is unfamiliar — possibly alloy, possibly ironwood, possibly molten-glass-cooled.

When lit, the torch produces a shadowy grey flame that:

  • Throws no heat.
  • Sheds dim light in a small radius.
  • Allows darkvision-equipped users to see as if the radius were bright. (Mechanically: as a torch's bright-light radius for darkvision purposes only.)
  • Releases no fumes.

What the Party Knows

  • The grey flame repels the Blight. Walking through a Blight-saturated chamber with the torch lit causes the visible Blight to flee the flame.
  • The grey flame unmakes Blighted matter. AC tested it on the Rat Queen's corpse; she burned in monochrome — no heat, no fumes, almost no light — and was consumed entirely.
  • The torch can only be lit by certain magical fire-sources. The party tried, in order:
    1. AC's flint and steel — no.
    2. AC holding a normal lit torch to it — no.
    3. Moist's Druidcraft — no.
    4. Ubys's Sacred Flame — no.
    5. Falkor's breath — no.
    6. Moist's familiar's fire — YES. (The torch flared with sparks and faded into grey flame.)
  • Implication: the torch is picky. The familiar's fire ignited it; the cleric's holy fire did not. The mechanism is unclear — familiar-source? non-divine-source? specific creature-type? Greg, banked.
  • The grey flame can be used as a healing medium. Ubys paired the grey flame with his healer's specialty (per The Blight DM Notes — possibly Lesser Restoration via Moist's slot, channelled by Ubys) and purified Jorry of his Blighted state. The cure nearly killed Jorry; he is in a coma to recover.