Grarg

Mathongrarg, sentience inside Grarg
CategoryArtifacts, Swords
Typeartifact, Cairn Scythe
ForgeYarrokhal, Maze Furnace
SmithRaxcvillibus Dumu-loc
Enchanternone
Created19 Kindle 1219
Sentient6 Bloom 1239
LocationRaxcvillibus Dumu-loc

In the beginning, this blade was nothing more than an ornate, non-magical short sword. Raxcvillibus forged it in the ruin Yarrokhal. On 6 Bloom 1239, this weapon gained sentience when two of Mathongrarg's incisors were crafted into it as the sword's cross-guard.

With its awareness, the sword became magical. It slowly gained more power and sentience from each soul that it devoured from a killing blow. Over time, the iron of the blade slowly disappeared, leaving in its place a bony material called bonebrack. As the weapon's magic strengthened, pieces were removed and others added. These later additions were added when Raxcvillibus was given a godforge called the Maze Furnace.

The sword's bonebrack blade is connected to the hilt with the sacrum of a powerful gelugon. This ice devil was slain by Raxcvillibus on his first tour in the Hells system.

In the weapon's pommel is the tip of a black horn. This comes from a black unicorn named Anabara. When Anabara died in 1252, Raxcvillibus honored his former steed by cutting the top of its horn off and making it part of the sword. It gave the weapon the ability to teleport to his hand - even if it being held by someone else. Raxcvillibus put a safety feature into this enchantment, making sure that the sword’s strong ego would have no say in whether or not it comes. It is a mental command though, so if wielder cannot communicate telepathically, the teleport fails. Mathongrarg's psyche, inside the sentient sword Grarg, was not happy with this new addition - even a bit jealous of Rax's show of love for the lowly beast.

Grarg is a +6 sword of quickness. It has been wielded by many creatures, but the true owner of the weapon is Raxcvillibus. When he was periodically taken away, as part of Apoxlins Sentence, the weapon was divinely forced to remain on Bal-Kriav while its owner was away. During these times, and on its own volition, the weapon would teleport to a random place and then send out telepathic urges to intelligent creatures. The weapon would draw someone to it, and then for a time they would become a temporary owner until Raxcvillibus's return. For some wielders, Grarg has been the size of a short sword, for others it has been a bastard sword. In the hands of Rax, it is always a bastard sword.

Raxcvillibus was cursed by the solar Apoxlin to serve time for his atrocities - the most grievous of these was soul destruction. He was cast out of the Hall of Edicts, beginning a rotating sentence, nine years in the Hells, then nine years on Bal-Kriav, repeating until one year had been served for every lawful good soul he destroyed on his sentient sword Grag - in all 198 years, 11 times in the Hells, 11 times back on his home world Bal-Kriav.

- Apoxlins Sentence

The infamous Crick, former member of Black Banner, wielded the weapon for several years. With Grarg in hand, sized as a short sword, Crick slew two white dragons and a number of ice crabs in a span of five minutes.

At the wielder's discretion, when a creature comes within 5' of the weapon, he/she will see ghostly images of vile spirits dancing around the length of the blade. The creature must make a save (Will DC20) or lose initiative to the wielder. Considering it to be a form of trickery, this Lost Souls power is rarely used by Rax.

Sentience
TraitValue
PsycheMathongrarg (green dragon)
Alignmentlawful evil
Intelligence19
Ego62
Communicationtelepathy
Special PurposeGrarg urges its wielder to indulge in schemes of grand conquest.
Powers
NameDescriptionUsuage
Energy Transfer acts as a ring of vampiric regeneration at 50% continuous
To My Hand Rax can summon the blade to his hand, even if in the hands of another 3/day
Lost Souls images of ghost spirits, 5' radius, Will save (DC20) or lose initiative to the wielder at-will
Soul Release this releases a soul from the weapon, which looks like a frightening apparition of something previously killed and soul devoured by the weapon, reduces weapon enchantment by half for one day 1/day
Revenance revenance, as spell 3/day
Zone Perilous zone perilous, as spell 1/day
Deathbane protection from deathbane, as spell 2/day
Scourge Strike see Scourge Strike below for hits with a natural "20" continuous
Sourge Strike
NameEffectd20 Roll
Critical Blowconsult normal critical table1-8
Psyche Smashcreature struck must make a Will save (DC24) or be feebleminded.9
Bone Splinterthe bone splinter attack fires chips of bone from the blade. It delivers 3d8 hps of vile damage to any one creature within 10', Reflex save (DC24) to avoid.10-11
Disintegrationcreature struck must make a Fortitude save (DC24) or be disintegrated.12-13
Malevolence on Wielderthe wielder must make a Fortitude save (DC24) or have all items on his/her body disintegrated. A Fortitude save (DC19) is required for each item to avoid this effect.14
Soul Sappingdamage caused by the blade for all attacks for the rest of combat against the struck creature act as temporary hit points to the wielder. If the creature is slain by the blade thereafter, they have their soul sucked into the blade and destroyed. This provides +5 strength to the wielder (maximum of +25 temporary strength in this manner). The temporary hit points and strength last for 1 hour.15-20
Energy Transfer

The dragon shrieks in pain as some of its life energy is sucked out. Acting like a conduit, the life energy from the dragon goes into the wickedly sentient sword, where it's converted to negative energy, healing Rax's battered frame.

- from the Godspawn Saga

Disintegration

Time seems to stop for a moment, or at least it always has for Rax; then a low droning sound echoes outward from where the sword was stuck to the hilt in his foe. Falling away from the tail, he lands 15 feet down, looking up at the fine dust drifting from where an eight-foot section the dragon's tail once was. The dragon wails in agony, causing the remaining third of its tail, now separated from its body, to plunge into waters turned crimson.

- from the Godspawn Saga

Related Information