Silencer of Bodash (Magic Sword)

The Silencer of Bodash is a mighty two-handed broad sword almost 7 feet in length. Its blade is long and straight and made from an unidentifiable alloy of red metal harder than enchanted steel. The blade is diamond-shaped in cross-section and is unusually wide—nearly 7 inches at the hilt. The only decoration appears on the crossguard—a red, glowing rune of ancient design whose meaning is now lost. The hilt is made of black, watered steel and wrapped with braxat hide. The pommel is crafted in the shape of a serpent's skull.
The sword appears to be too large and unwieldy for any warrior short of a half-giant's stature, but it is amazingly light and well-balanced. The massive blade is far lighter than a steel edge of the same size. This sword is usually only found on Athas.
In the ancient wars that ravaged Athas, the city of Bodash was a great neutral power. Its armies and magicians jealously guarded the lands of the city-state while the rulers refused all offers of alliance with the warring defilers and preservers. Eventually, the great defiler warlords decided to eliminate Bodash, and a great host gathered to destroy the city.
The leader of this host was a human defiler, a warlord named Irikos, "the Left Hand of Rajaat." It was Irikos's ancient duty to destroy the race of orcs, and when the last orc was no more, he turned to the conquest of all who did not stand with Rajaat's captains.
Irikos possessed a powerful weapon called The Silencer. Using this weapon, he and his host systematically destroyed the armies of Bodash and sacked the city. Still, the last and most powerful sorcerers of Bodash managed to cast a mighty spell of destruction against the def iler warlord, which blasted Irikos to ashes even as his hordes threw down Bodash with fire and sword. Only The Silencer survived.
About three Kings' Ages ago, a wandering adventurer named Rimmon discovered the ancient weapon in the heart of Bodash's ruins. With it, she led a band of heartless raiders and rose to great power. However, Rimmon dared too much. In her arrogance, she gathered a horde to attack Balic, but only succeeded in angering Andropinis himself. The sorcerer-king and his soldiers slaughtered Rimmon's desert rabble, although it is recorded that the bandit-queen slew a hundred half-giants with The Silencer before she was killed herself. The sword was reportedly carried away by one of Rimmon's lieutenants, a wily elf who escaped to the wilderness.
Over the years, The Silencer has appeared in the hands of a succession of slave tribes, raiders, and savages. Twelve years ago, it was recovered by a patrol of Tyrian soldiers from the lair of a fierce bandit and brought back to Kalak's armory. But with Kalak's death, the sword disappeared again. It is thought that one of Kalak's templars took the blade and fled into the desert.
The Silencer is a powerful and evil weapon that deludes its owner with dreams of glorious conquest and righteous destruction. In fact, its extremely impressive array of offensive powers lends a fair amount of credence to these urgings, and there are few more powerful weapons to be found anywhere on Athas. However, The Silencer is a "double-edged sword."
In dealing with The Silencer, the old adage of "He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword," is remarkably accurate. If a PC gets his or her hands on the sword, allow the character to become intoxicated with new-found power. With a weapon of this great might, a character could unite the raiders of the desert, tame the thri-kreen of the Hinterlands, or master the giants of the Silt Sea. In time, the character could rattle the golden thrones of the sorcerer-kings themselves!
Yet one day it will come to an end.
Like all the petty warlords and bandit-kings who have previously owned The Silencer, the character eventually finds that he or she is confronting an enemy beyond even the power of The Silencer. The character's empire will then collapse around his or her ears before the might of an angry sorcerer-king—or the Dragon itself.
Another campaign use for the sword lies in its potential as a weapon for good. A great quest in search of a weapon potent enough to assassinate a sorcerer-king might be built around the legendary blade. Tracing the weapon's bloody trail across the Tablelands and bringing it to bear against a villain could make a fine adventure.
Several of the sorcerer-kings in the Tyr region know of this weapon and remember it from Irikos' days. They recognize the potent threat it poses and act to take it for themselves or destroy it altogether. The PC who holds the weapon is inviting the wrath of the sorcerer-kings themselves!
Constant Powers: The Silencer of Bodash is a two-handed sword +5 that swings like a long sword. The blade is incredibly sharp—it ignores any nonmetal armor and passes through it without resistance. (Targets wearing nonmetal armor are effectively AC 10, but may count magical adjustments and Dexterity bonuses.) Tree trunks and stone walls can be hacked through at a rate of 10 feet per round. The sword also provides a +2 Armor Class bonus to its owner.
Invoked Powers: By swinging the weapon in great, horizontal sweeps, the wielder can effectively attack all creatures in a 10-foot circle. The swordsman suffers a -4 attack penalty when assailing multiple targets this way, unless the enemy is very tightly packed (a shield-wall or pike formation). If the wielder uses the blade in such a reckless fashion, he or she must also make attack rolls against any allies within the 10-foot radius of the sword.
Three times a day, the sword can release a mammoth blast of pure force at any target up to 20 feet away. This has the effect of a 40-foot-square earthquake spell. Gates are sundered, walls collapse, small buildings are destroyed, and trees uprooted. When aimed at living creatures, a normal attack roll must be made (as if firing a missile weapon, and without the sword's magical bonus). Any creature hit suffers 5dlO points of damage.
Three times a day, the sword can project a Tower of Iron Will psionic power for up to one turn.
Random Powers: The sword possesses three abilities from Table 1-11: Enchantment/Charm, and one ability from Table 1-23: Protection.
Curse: The sword thrives on bloodlust. Every week, the character must save vs. death magic or permanently lose 1 point of Wisdom.
The sword also inflicts artifact possession, seeking to drive its owner to deeds of glory, conquest, and violence. The owner may attempt to seize command of any group, of any size (the bigger, the better), and lead those forces against any foe. Worse still, the possessed character develops a fanatical hatred of those who would defy or imprison Rajaat.
Suggested Means of Destruction:
* Melt The Silencer in the Dragon's breath.
* Break it on an anvil of meteoric iron.
* Dissolve it in the foam of the sea (suitable only on Athas).
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Swords
Category:Magic Weapons