The Loaded Deck
Cards is a game for gentlemen and rogues, and both manner of player ends up cheating as much as the other. Loaded decks are not an uncommon thing; tricks like marking cards, weighting cards to disrupt a shuffle and other simple tricks and cheats are relatively common place in taverns and card emporiums the world over. There does, however, exist one deck that is said to be loaded with more than just "luck".
The story goes that a fallen noble, giving up his business and title, fell into a lifestyle of gambling. After several fights concerning cheating in a local tavern, the noble decided to protect himself against these brawls. To this end, he approached a local gnomish weaponsmith who was known for his bouts of insanity when it concerned the creation of weapons. So impressed with the noble's idea was the gnome that although the noble offered all his winnings from previous nights as payment, the gnome took the project on for free. His only request was that his name be stamped upon his creation.
A few short weeks passed. With the noble's luck on the rise, he returned to the gnome. There on the table lay a stunning deck of cards. Made of silver, the cards were wafer thin, beautifully crafted, and in all ways resembled an exquisite but mundane deck to the unsuspecting eye. The final trick, however, was revealed only when the cards were contorted in a certain way. When they were flexed thus, the corners of each folded out to forming a shuriken stamped with the name of the gnome.
Happy with his new deck, the young man returned to tavern for another evening of poker. After all the weapons had been left at the door, the poker game began. As the evening progressed, it became apparent that one member of the group was far luckier that night than the others. The noble suggested a change of deck in an attempt to avoid the imminent punch up.
Unfortunately, the nobleman's attempt at quelling the burgeoning conflict not only failed but seemed to escalate matters. Things rapidly went from bad to worse when the lucky man rose from his chair, hovering a good five feet off the floor no less. His glowing hands struck at two of the men as they fled in fear, burning great frozen marks into their backs. A third card player stood and swung his chair at the spellweaver, only to be frozen in mid swing. The noble panicked, quickly flicking out one of his new cards. With a lucky shot--the first luck he had seen all night as it was--he planted the shuriken between the eyes of the mage. Gathering his winnings, he immediately fled the town.
When dawn came, the four card players--who, as it turns out, all had a rather unlucky evening!--were found slain, three by cold burns and one with a silver star lodged deep in his brow. The only clue found to account for the murders was the name that was stamped on the face of the metal star.
The gnome smith was quickly found and executed, found guilty for the murders. His name, however, still shows up from time to time--whenever one of the shuriken-cards is discovered. The cards still appear every so often in locations across Mistone, identifiable only by the name embossed on the face of each: Jan Tong.
