Silver and its Importance in the Festering Lands

In game, silvered weapons will deal an additional 1d8 damage against any creature infected with the Rotmire Blight. This effect can stack with Relic weapons such as +1 weapons, etc.

Once, silver was a symbol of prosperity, wealth, and divine favor. Its coinage passed hands in bustling markets, its luster adorned the fingers and necks of nobility, and its purity was revered in rituals and sacred rites. But in the second year of the Rotmire Blight, silver has become something far greater—and far deadlier. No longer a currency of trade, silver is now the currency of survival. It is no longer bartered for luxury but for life itself.

As the Blight took hold of Norvostra, it became clear that conventional weapons were of little use against the afflicted. Swords and axes cut through their flesh, but the wounds closed as if the very disease re-knit their bodies from within. The dead did not stay dead. Yet, when a desperate warrior drove a silvered dagger into the skull of a risen corpse, it did not stir again. Word spread like wildfire—silver was the key. Not only did it slay the Blightborn with finality, but it also seemed to burn the infection from the bodies of the afflicted, searing them as though it carried the wrath of the gods themselves. Whether by divine providence or some unknown force, silver alone could keep the horrors at bay.

With this revelation, silver ceased to be a mere commodity. Nobles and anyone of means melted down their coinage, reforging wealth into weapons. Blacksmiths, once craftsmen of utility and artistry, became the most vital figures in society, sought after by nobles and commoners alike. The mines that once produced silver for trinkets and coin were now battlegrounds, their control more valuable than entire fiefdoms. House Harrowden, once overlooked as a lesser power, now found itself indispensable, its dominion over the silver-rich Thornmere Mines giving it an authority that even House Valkenmar could not ignore. The veins of silver buried deep beneath the land became the lifeblood of any kingdom that wished to stand against the tide of undeath.

As silver grew rarer, so too did trust. A single silver dagger was worth more than a chest of gold, and men would kill for a handful of silver shavings. The market for counterfeit weapons flourished, with desperate warriors falling prey to blades that shattered upon their first strike. Smugglers and brigands made fortunes ferrying silver ingots across quarantined lands, risking the noose for a chance at riches beyond measure. To hold silver was to hold power, and to hold power in the time of the Blight was to paint a target upon one’s back.

But silver was more than just a weapon—it became a talisman against despair. Villages lined their doorways with slivers of it, hoping to ward off the sickness that lurked beyond their walls. Healers mixed powdered silver into their tinctures, praying it would cleanse the body before the Blight took hold. Priests of the Old Ways declared it sacred, a gift from the gods meant to combat the darkness. Whether through faith or desperation, silver was no longer just a metal—it was salvation.

Now, in the second year of the Blight, silver is more than scarce; it is mythic. The mines are nearly dry, their riches exhausted by war and greed. Those who still possess silver weapons guard them as jealously as their own lives. Bands of mercenaries scour the land in search of forgotten stashes, while scavengers dig through the ruins of old cities, hoping to unearth a single, tarnished coin. To wield silver is to hold onto hope, and in a world where hope is in short supply, its worth cannot be measured in gold or copper. It is the line between life and death, between salvation and oblivion. It is the last light in the dark.

Silvered Weapon Costs in The Festering Lands

Key Notes:

• Tiny Ingot = 0.5 lbs silver (25 silver coins)
• Small Ingot = 1 lb silver (50 silver coins)
• Standard Ingot = 5 lbs silver (250 silver coins)
• 1 Silver Coin (sp) = 5 Gold Coins (gp)
• Silvered weapons deal +1d8 damage against Blighted creatures