THOSE MYSTERIOUS HOVERING BALLS (IRON SPHERES)

HAIL & WELL MET!

THOSE MYSTERIOUS HOVERING BALLS

For years, adventurers in the “home” Realms campaign have been encountering grapefruit-sized or smaller dark brown, rust-hued, or black spheres, some stashed in flowerpots or trays of household handy items, others hidden in treasure coffers under floorboards and behind bed-heads, but a few floating silently—and somehow menacingly—in midair, in bedchambers and hidden refuge rooms and even crypts.

And for years, many finders been wondering what these spheres are, and how they got there. Sensible caution (“looks like a bomb to me!”) have led them to often just leave the little balls alone, but a recent spate of questions from Dungeon Masters who happened upon the manuscripts of long-ago adventures I ran for TSR designers and editors and for a few for-charity games at Milwaukee-era GenCons, has led me to share a little lore with you now about these little features.

Which turn out to be very useful, in a world crawling with magic.

Anyone who’s dared to examine one of these spheres will notice...

* Please find the full transcript attached in .docx and *.txt formats.