wavescrest writes "Take a look at five deadly blades, crafted by the barbarians of Rhizia, that sparked the bloody continental war that would be known as the Greyhawk Wars. These are the Five Blades of Corusk.
The
Flanaess is replete with many fantastical items wrought by puissant artificers
in the annals of its history. Blades such as Blackrazor, the Pillars of
Heaven and Druniazth the Claw of
Tharizdun could fill sheets of vellum in the halls of loremasters. Such
blades have played a role in the history of Iuz the Old One. Kelanen, Prince of
Swords aided in the imprisonment of the Old One, while the Blade of Black Ice wielded by Lord Robilar released the fell deity.
There are more blades connected with Iuz and his recent rise to power. Few
learned and wise could have predicted that obscure blades forged in the fires
and enchanted by the magic of uncouth barbarians of the north origin could
steer the surrounding nations to war. These were the Five Blades of Corusk. Individually each one is a formidable weapon
but when used together with the appropriate knowledge they are said to provide
the means to release the God of the North, Vatun from his centuries-long
imprisonment.
In 582
CY this nearly came about when patriots of Rhizia located the blades and with
the aid of the Nyrondese mage Karasten Meldraith began a ritual to summon the
God of the North. They intended for their deity to rally the barbarians to
victory over the warm southern lands. Alas their quest had been part of the
machinations of Iuz and in the midst of their ritual he appeared, masked as
Vatun, and proceeded to the tribes of Rhizia with their enemies in Stonehold,
leading them south to invade Tenh. Thus the Five Blades of Corusk were at the
root of the Greyhawk Wars.
Dreamsinger (Turdenjo)
Dreamsinger is a +1 longsword made
of white steel with a platinum filigreed crosspiece. The pommel is inlayed with
moonstones and mother of pearl. If
wielded by a bard of the barbarian tribes the blade serves as a +3 longsword. It also grants a +1 insight bonus to Armor
Class, Saving Throws. When faces with
illusions or mind-affecting spells or effects, these insight bonuses become
penalties as Dreamsinger dulls the mind to such effects. Additionally,
the weapon allows a bard of the tribes to use the augury and clairaudience/clairvoyance
spells once per day, and the divination spell once per week (all as
a 20th level caster).
Dreamsinger
communicates
through dreams about its quest to recover the other four blades. It only truly
communicates with bards belonging to the barbarian tribes as only they can
recall any details from the dreams; others are left simply with vague concepts,
and ideas about what the sword wanted. While dreaming under the influence of
the sword the owner can be seen dancing and singing in a long forgotten
tongue. Fragments of the song that is
being sung can be recalled by the owner, but always in this lost tongue. After
each dream sequence there is a 75% chance that the owner remains in the
dream-state longer than necessary. This
dreamstate imposes a –2 distraction penalty to Spot and Listen, and a –1
distraction penalty to Initiative scores and lasts for 1d6 hours. It is also
known that periodically the owner will enter a dream-like trance in the middle
of the day, which imposes the same penalties.
Dreamsinger
has a simple
special purpose, which is to unite the Five Blades of Corusk. To that end it has the ability to damage any
who try to prevent this end. It does so
by firing a 10-foot long lance of fire at a target up to 80-feet away. The wielder must make a ranged touch attack
to successfully hit. A successful hit
deals 6d10 damage, half of which is fire. There is no saving throw against this
effect, although spell resistance does apply (consider the lance as having
originated from a 20th level caster). This ability may be used twice
per day, and when used it also generates a burst of sound that ripples outward
with faint hints of antiphony. This
sonic burst duplicates a prayer spell in a 60-foot radius. The prayer effect lasts for 1d6+6
rounds. Dreamsinger does not make this power known, and only reveals it the
first time it is necessary.
Dreamsinger is Neutral aligned, has 14 Intelligence,
10 Wisdom and 14 Charisma, and an Ego score of 23.
(Strong
Enchantment, Strong Divination) Market Price: 125,000 gp
Notes: The
Frutzii singer Sabrala Starbreaker (CN, half-elf female Brd 9) once wielded Dreamsinger and experienced its visions.
Now from her quiet demesne in Marner she has little love of the waking world,
preferring the solitude of her dreams and the escape from her guilt. She awaits
the blade to contact her once more.
Greenswathe (Vercaran)
Greenswathe
is an odd weapon,
seemingly fashioned gold yet harder than even Adamantine. There are unreadable inscriptions surrounded
by arabesques that decorate the blade and hilt.
The pommel is decorated by a large emerald, which also bears the same
style of arabesques.
Greenswathe
is a +1
Adamantine scimitar, yet in the hands of a druid the weapon is treated as +3
Adamantine scimitar which bestows a –1 distraction penalty to Armor Class
and a +1 insight bonus to all saving throws. Additionally, in the hands of a druid
the weapon grants him or her an additional spell of each level that they can
cast. These additional spells must be
chosen from the Animal or Plant domain lists.
Greenswathe
has no special
purpose that has ever been identified, although it does have a special
attack. Once per day the wielder may
perform an armor-piercing strike and ignore all armor bonuses on one attack.
Should this attack hit, the hit is an automatic critical hit (unless the target
is not affected by critical hits). Any druid who bears Greenswathe knows
that there are more latent powers that are yet to be discovered.
Greenswathe is Neutral aligned, has 10
Intelligence, 14 Wisdom and 14 Charisma and an Ego score of 16 (although the
fully awakened the Ego score will increase, as will the known Market Price).
(Strong Enchantment, Strong Transmutation) Market
Price: 120,000 gp
Notes: Travellers still tell tales of a
pure white woman and her snowy owl companion.
Tales tell of her compassion for travellers and the ill, but tales also
speak of the melancholy that seems to envelop her. These tales speak of Ingrid Hashandir (N, human
female Drd9 of Obad-hai). She at one
time wielded Greenswathe and has not forgiven herself for the terrible
evil they accidentally unleashed upon the world, and in shame has retreated
into a remote area of the Corusk Mountains.
Stalker (Larendenjo)
Stalker is a dangerous, and mysterious blade. This +1 longsword is fashioned from a
blue steel, while the crosspieces and hilt are fashioned on a pitch black metal
that is as hard as Adamantine. When observed for any length of time the blade
seems to shift about, and wisps of shadow move across the blade’s surface. Some
label this illusion, yet others are not so quick to label is as anything so
simple.
Stalker
becomes a +3
longsword in the hands of a ranger, additionally it grants a +1 insight
bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom while in the possession of the blade.
Additionally, the blade’s ability to shroud itself in shadows grants a +10
circumstance bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks. When used by a ranger it also provides a +4
circumstance bonus to Survival checks that are made to follow tracks. Finally,
it also provides a ranger with an affinity to dogs and wolves, although its
reasons for doing so are unknown. This
bestows a +4 insight bonus to Charisma when interacting with dogs and wolves
(this only applies to creatures that retain the animal type, thus worgs, hell
hounds and the like are excluded). When holding Stalker a ranger can use
speak with animals (only to dogs and wolves) three times per day as a 20th
level caster. Additionally, the wielder may use each of the following once per
day, all as if cast at 20th level: invisibility, hide from
animals, and hide from undead. These effects all first make the
wielder seem shadowy and semi-translucent before they take full effect.
Stalker
has a special
purpose but it has not chosen to reveal its full powers yet, nor has it reveal
what special power is tied to the accomplishment of its special purpose.
Stalker is Neutral Good aligned, has 14
Intelligence, 14 Wisdom and 10 Charisma and an Ego score of 19 (Although, this
will increase when the special power becomes known, as will the Market Price).
(Strong Enchantment, Strong Transmutation) Market
Price: 100,000 gp
One of
the few people to brave Tenh during the Ether Creature invasion was a Frutzii
scout. This scout, Fenestir “Swifthand”
Galander (NG, human female Rgr 8), has long served in this capacity. While she did feel remorse over the result of
her actions, she also feels that penance has been served, as she aided in the
fight against Iuz’s forces.
Harmonizer (Ilayev)
Harmonizer is the most peculiar of the
weapons. Its surface bears an
inscription of a wizard performing a ritual over five swords. Behind the
wizard, who is inlayed in white, is a swirling mass of wind and earth, coiling
in an eerie splendour. Harmonizer, a +1/+1 two-handed sword, is
large and bulky. It is fashioned of a
silver tinged material, which despite its size makes the weapon weigh only as
much as a dagger.
Harmonizer
becomes a +5/+5
defending (x2) two-bladed sword in the hands of any rogue, additionally it
grants the wielder proficiency in the blade for so long as they are the owner.
The sole power of the blade’s that is known is its aim to provide balance in
all things. To that end, whenever the
wielder, so long as he or she is a rogue, faces another rogue in combat their
rogue abilities are identical to those of whichever opponent is higher in rogue
levels. This ability only affects those
abilities that are granted by the rogue class. Additionally, Harmonizer may
be dropped to prevent this, but then (as described below) the heroes must fight
the apparitions again when it is again picked up.
Harmonizer seeks to equalize everything,
and to that end it tests the heroes when first picked up. It scans the area to determine who is a friend
and who is a foe, having done so at the first time that the friends are all
alone together it causes shadow duplicates to form. These apparitions fight the heroes with the
same abilities, equipment and spells that the heroes themselves possess. It also does this, as noted above; each time
the weapon is set down and then picked up again.
Harmonizer
has no known
special purpose, nor has any special ability ever been identified.
Harmonizer is Neutral aligned, has 18
Intelligence, 18 Wisdom and 10 Charisma and an Ego score of 26 (Although, this
will increase if and when the special power becomes known, as will the Market
Price).
(Strong Enchantment, Strong Conjuration) Market
Price: 225,000 gp
Notes: The stringent neutrality of Harmonizer makes attracts the archmage
Mordenkainen, who seeks the blade not only because it is a symbol of the
balance, but also to prevent the five being gathered. His cold gaze has
recently been directed southwards, towards the Amedio Jungle where he sponsors
companies to investigate rumours of an aggrandizing chieftain who claims to
rule his tribe with “true justice”.
The Edge (Zotot)
The
Edge, one of
the most peculiar of the five blades, is formed from gray steel. It never dulls, never needs sharpening, and
is said to be so sharp that a hair landing on its blade is cut by virtue of the
hair’s weight alone. The hilt of the sword is covered in a soft leather, giving
it a comfortable grip. From the pommel jut three blackened and slightly oozing
daggers like great venomous fangs. The Edge is a +1 bastard sword.
The
Edge becomes a +3
keen bastard sword in the hands of a fighter (for this purpose, one must
have at least one level in fighter to qualify).
The daggers that extend from the pommel may be fired (all at once) by
using the command word, which is revealed to the user by The Edge when
the weapon is first picked up. The
command word is: neyacar. These
daggers are treated as +2 daggers of distance when used in this way.
Additionally, when used in this way the daggers are poisoned with a deadly
poison. Any creature struck by one of
the daggers must succeed on a DC 19 Fortitude save or die, any creature that is
immune to poison is not affected by this. These daggers must be retrieved
normally, and should two of the daggers the remaining dagger loses the ability
to fly (and thus the poison ability as well). There is one other special
ability that The Edge grants to its wielder. Any time its wielder threatens a critical
when attempting to sunder, roll to confirm.
If the critical hit is confirmed the item being sundered is destroyed if
it is a weapon. If the item is armor then the armor bonus provided is reduced
by one, when the armor bonus reaches 0 the item is fully destroyed and beyond
repair. If the item in question is
magical it may make a DC 20 Fortitude save, should it fail it loses a point of
enhancement or a special ability as determined by the Dungeon Master. When the item in question has lost all of its
magical powers, it is affected normally by this attack as if it had never been
magical.
The
Edge’s special
purpose is to locate Harmonizer.
To locate Harmonizer one simply grasps the blade-stops. If within 1000 feet of Harmonizer then
The Edge begins to pull towards it, getting stronger the closer one
gets.
The
Edge is Chaotic
Neutral, has 16 Intelligence, 16 Wisdom and 10 Charisma and an Ego score of 31.
(Strong
Enchantment, Strong Transmutation) Market Price: 320,000 gp
Notes: In
the war torn Hold of the Sea Princes there talk is of a warrior on a spiritual
quest to locate a noble sword with a “pommel as black as the heart of night”
and a blade as “grey as the morning mist”. This quest has taken him across the
length and breadth of the Hold, where he literally leaves no stone or leaf unturned.
A
company from Hokar noted as they followed an incursion of his company into the
west an encampment of Olman warriors that appeared to have died from cold. The
warrior’s name is Rentar (NE, male human Ftr8+) and though he declares no
allegiance he is thought to the in the service of the Scarlet Sign.
"
