River's Rest Museum

The River’s Rest Museum a museum in the town of River's Rest. It is home to a number of artifacts of historical and cultural interest to the town. The museum is located south and west of the entrance to the Pavilion of the Bells. With a blue-tiled roof and walls covered in stucco tinted a soft orange hue, the tower that houses the museum is very similar in appearance to how many of the buildings in town may have looked before they came to ruin.

Artifacts

North Exhibit Room

Artifact	Description	Information	Loresong
a bamboo flute	The bamboo flute, clearly a very old instrument, is the color of very rich butter. The area around the fingerholes is shiny from use. A crack runs along the body of the flute, rendering it useless.	Attached to the flute is a tag that reads, "This instrument is a classic example of elven flute-making during the era of the Kingdom of Elanith. It is said the owner of this instrument committed suicide when it was inadvertently broken.
a curved brass shard	Even the most cursory examination of the shard reveals it was originally a part of some larger object, now shattered. It is almost the size of a buckler. It's as thick as a triple layer of troll hide and about the length of a halfling's forearm. One side of the curved chunk of brass is smooth, the other is adorned with ornate scroll work.	Attached to the shard is a tag that reads "This is a fragment of Oteska's Bell. Crafted at the direction of the corsair Oteska, the bell was intended to give warning when any vessel of the Imperial Turamzzyrian Navy entered Maelstrom Bay. Legend has it the bell was responsible for Oteska's death."
a tinsmith's hammer	The tinsmith's hammer is a smallish tool, more useful for delicate tapping than for dedicated pounding or banging. The wooden handle is dark with age and use.	The small tag attached to the hammer states, "This is the Gavel of Walga. Although no legal records survive from the River's Rest Smuggling Wars era (5018-5020 M.E.) it is widely believed the death toll would be significantly higher but for the jurisprudence and legal wisdom displayed by Walga in resolving conflicts. Little is known of Walga's background. His many admirers affectionately called him Walga Lackwit for his insistence that other jurists were better equipped to pass judgment on his fellow citizens. He is said to have used a tinsmith's hammer for a gavel to remind him that his decisions affected the common folk."
a mummified thumb	This small scrap of flesh and bone is clearly a human thumb. The severed edge is neat and tidy, indicating it was cut with a very sharp blade. The color of the thumb...a dark grey...suggests it was mummified through some natural process.	N/A

South Exhibit Room

Artifact	Description	Information	Loresong
a troll-ear necklace	Troll ears have been strung together on a wire to form a gruesome and grotesque necklace. The ears are so old and desiccated they look more like strange, gristly mushrooms. Only the ragged severed edges suggest the ears are flesh and not fungus.	Attached to the troll-ear necklace is a tag that reads, "After the collapse of the Kannalan Empire in 3961 M.E. trolls ruled much of the territory surrounding River's Rest. One of the legendary rangers of that era was Nocis of the Lagoon. Nocis was respected for his rangering skills, but not always trusted. Since he managed to survive for years in trollish territory, he was thought to be overly friendly with the trolls. This necklace was found among his possessions after his death, suggesting Nocis was more feared than accepted by the trolls."
a chipped brick	This is very clearly an ancient brick. It was made from a yellowish clay that has faded over time into a soft beige.	Attached to the chipped brick is a tag, which reads "This is one of the few remaining bricks from the Saffron Bridge, one of the four magnificent bridges that linked River's Rest with the mainland during the glorious days of the Kannalan Empire. After the fall of the empire, when marauding orcs and trolls and barbarians threatened the security of the island, the townsfolk didn't have enough warriors to defend all four bridges. Three of them, including the Saffron Bridge, were destroyed." "The Saffron Bridge took its name from the brilliant yellow-gold color of its bricks. It was said to be the highest and most ornate of the four bridges."
a small brass statue	The small brass statue has been cunningly cast to resemble a turtle engaged in a graceful dance movement. There is an expression of seraphic joy on the turtle's upturned face.	Attached to the statue is a tag which reads, "This statue is part of the treasure recovered from the wreck of the Delora, a coastal cutter which went down in Maelstrom Bay during a storm. The Delora was owned and operated by members of an obscure cult of turtle worshipers. The wreck of the Delora can, it is said, still be found sitting on the bottom of the bay.
a small brass bell	This brass bell is a small instrument with an ornately engraved ivory handle. The clapper is missing.	A small tag attached to the bell reads, "This bell was donated by the Klipsted family estate. During the Turamzzyrian Resettlement era of River's Rest, (mid-4490s M.E.), a 'bell servant' fad developed among members of the wealthier merchant families. In addition to the usual body servants, each member of the family kept a 'bellboy' or 'bellgirl,' an all-purpose servant trained to respond to a bell of a specific tone. Each family member had a bell with a different tone. The fad was short-lived."
a small monir box	This monir box is made of the darkest burled monir wood and banded with brass. Stamped onto a thin brass plate on the lid is the sigil of the Imperial Quartermaster's Corps. The inside of the monir box is lined with dark velvet. Small indentations hold a dozen glass eyes with irises of various colors.	Attached to the box is a tag that reads, "This was donated to the River's Rest Museum by the estate of Berwin Cottswold (4698-4753 M.E.). It was presented to Cottswold by the Imperial Quartermaster for his gallant service to Countess Vicalle Mestyr of Torre during her failed rebellion against Cassolus Chandrennin (4715-4719 M.E.)."

East Exhibit Room

Artifact	Description	Information	Loresong
a riverstone slab	The small tag attached to this slab of dark grey riverstone identifies it as the doorstep of Predcop Manor, the residence of the last official Warder of River's Rest.	Derep Predcop, the Torren Warder of River's Rest between 4493-97 M.E., is better known as "Mad Derep." One of the most corrupt of the Torren Warders, Predcop amassed a sizable fortune during the Turamzzyrian resettlement program by accepting bribes to evict squatters (known as "river rats") from their small parcels of land and selling that land to the new immigrants. He is said to have gone insane after being cursed by an old widow. After losing his wits, Mad Derep became a figure of scorn and pity in Western Elanthia. He was last seen outside an inn in Tamzyrr, dressed in rags, jabbering incoherently and begging for crusts. His eventual fate is unknown.
a green tourmaline ring	This is a simple ring, just a round-cut green tourmaline inset in a modest band of silver. The band is scuffed on one side.	A tag attached to the tourmaline ring states, "According to local lore, this was intended to be the wedding band of the legendary Estamil of the Bridges. Contemporaneous historical records confirm the existence of Estamil, who was undeniably the designer of several bridges in and around River's Rest (two of which still exist). The legends which have grown around her, however, cannot be authenticated.
an onyx inkwell	The bottom of this onyx inkwell is engraved with a seal. Clearly, the inkwell served double duty. Written on the side of the inkwell are the words 'You could do worse.'	A tag attached to it states, "This small inkwell was the property of Kemal Jaffar. Jaffar was originally sent to River's Rest by King Gardiel of Torre in 4241 M.E. as part of the Royal Survey and Census party. His reasons for remaining behind in River's Rest after the others left have long been a mystery. There is no mystery, however, about the service Jaffar provided to the people living in River's Rest. Kemal Jaffar was the most effective 'wali' the island has ever known. In his time he arranged marriage contracts for well over a thousand 'river rats.' It is said Jaffar never had an unsatisfied client. Birth records dating from 4245 M.E. show the most common name for newborn boys was Jaffar.
a silver chalice	The silver chalice is designed to be a trophy rather than for use as a chalice. Inscribed on the cup are the words 'First Prize - Archery' followed by the date 4001 M.E. The space between the words and the date, where the winner's name would normally be inscribed, is blank.	Attached to the chalice is a tag which reads, "Donated by the Ammat family. This chalice belonged to Anka Ammat, who came to River's Rest in an hour of great need and rose to prominence during the era of the Last Commander of the Citadel. Circumstances have forced the Ammat family to leave River's Rest many times, and each time they have returned."
a metal ring shirt	At first glance this appears to be a shirt of very flimsy chain mail. Further examination, however, reveals the garment could never have been intended to protect the wearer. The small metal rings which comprise the shirt are much too thin for that. Nor would it have been possible for the wearer to don the shirt alone. Oddly-shaped metal clamps line the back of the shirt and the backs of both sleeves.	A tag attached to the metal shirt says, "This is Lingba's Shirt. In 4605 M.E., during the First Elven War, a number of local smugglers, elven patriots and elf sympathizers secretly aided the Elven Nations in their war on the Turamzzyrian Empire. One of the sympathizers was said to be the daughter of Lingba the Tailor. She was captured and interrogated under torture by Emperor Krellove's personal Inquisitor. She died on the third day of interrogation. Late in that year, the Inquisitor was captured by elven sympathizers. Lingba constructed this shirt and, according to legend, forced the the Inquisitor to wear it for nearly thirty days.

West Exhibit Room

Artifact	Description	Information	Loresong
a sand timer	This is a simple sand timer. It's small enough to fit into a belt pouch and sturdy enough to be carried around without fear of breaking. Yet the glass is cracked and there is no sand left inside.	Attached to the timer is a small tag stating, "During the last years of 4200 M.E. and the first years of 4300 a style of improvisational poetry competition known as 'mosha-ereh' (being in company of poetry) became popular among the educated classes along the southern coastal communities of Elanthia. A poet was given a topic, the timer turned and the poet was expected to extemporize on that topic before the sand ran out." "This sand timer belonged to the poet Hakim Kharadh, who gained a wide reputation before his mysterious murder in 4292 M.E. Depending on the grain of sand used, Hakim's timer is thought to have been a two minute model."
some braided green cord	This is just an old section of braided green cord. The color has faded over time and it's easy to see the old cord has been through rough wear.	Attached to the braided green cord is a tag that reads, "This cord is thought to have belonged to Millah Pradapt, the leader of the famed Falcon company, who fought under the Last Commander of the Citadel (4002 to 4011 M.E.). The cord was used as a symbol of rank."
a falcon-headed cloak pin	This cloak pin is a disk of carved onyx. Inset in silver is a stylized image of a falcon's head. On the obverse side is the inscription 'Falcon Company...First to Fight.' A deep nick mars the beauty of the pin.	Attached to the cloak pin is a tag, which reads "This artifact was discovered in the ruins of the Citadel Infirmary. It is thought to to have belonged to a member of the legendary Falcon company, which fought so ably and valiantly from the time of the fall of the Kannalan Empire to the ultimate collapse of the River's Rest Citadel. The cloak pin was donated by members of the Beacon Hall Archives."