Seven Swords of Sin

Ancient Thassilon was not ruled by wizards and spells alone, for even the runelords
had their martial champions. Also known as the Alara'hai or the Seven Blades
of Conviction, the Seven Swords of Sin were the weapons of those champions, assorted
blades imbued with the deadly might of the schools of magic that dominated Thassilon.

The following introduces all of the Seven Swords of Sin
in their fully awakened states, along with details on their first wielder,
the blade masters who served as the first champions of their respective runelord
masters and from whom each blade takes its name and imbued intelligence.

## Asheia, Sword of Lust

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends*

**Aura:** Strong enchantment

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 6 lbs.

Accepting the burning blade intended for her champion, Runelord
Sorshen strode directly into her harem and buried it between the legs of
 her least favorite consort. To the hundreds of shocked courtesans
remaining, Sorshen made a simple promise: whoever returned the cleaned
blade to her in her private chambers would be deemed her most devoted
servant and gain the honor—among others—of being named her champion.
Shouts and shrieks followed the runelord from her seraglio. Few survived
 that night, and none save one were fit to please their mistress in the
aftermath. When they emerged from the royal chambers days later, Sorshen
 dubbed the exotic swordswoman Asheia her champion.

This beautiful blade is a *+5 flaming longsword*.
 While bearing the weapon, the wielder is immune to all enchantment
effects. Any creature that casts an enchantment spell upon Asheia's
wielder is led to believe its spell or effect worked as normal and that
the sword's bearer is under its control, allowing the wielder to deceive
 his opponent if he so chooses (and doesn't give his enemy a reason to
believe its magic failed). Whenever Asheia strikes an opponent, the
target must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or fall under the effects of a *charm monster*
 spell. Only one creature can be charmed in this way at a time. If
another creature becomes charmed by the sword, the first is freed from
this effect. If the sword instead scores a critical hit, the target must
 succeed at a DC 25 Will save or be affected by a *dominate monster* spell.

## Baraket, Sword of Pride

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends*

**Aura:** Strong illusion

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 2 lbs.

Runelord Xanderghul had intended to personally wield the blade
crafted by his servants at Runeforge. For weeks he studied the weapon,
and though he would never admit a personal failing, he found his martial
 skills lacking. For a time he sought to further ensorcell the blade to
allow it to wield itself, or create a simulacrum swordsman to wield it,
but ultimately he settled on enslaving a peerless creature to serve as
his guardian. The runelord conjured a princess of the ghaele azatas to
his court, and for years subtly courted her while wrapping her in a
phantasmagoria of masterful illusions and deceptions, twisting her
perception of reality until she accepted the runelord as her master.
Baraket rose as one of the most unlikely of the runelords' champions, a
deceived celestial being whose consciousness lingered on even after she
was slain over a century later by the agents of the empyreal lord
Chadali—emissaries attempting to liberate her.

Although known as the Sword of Pride, in appearances, Baraket is
nothing more than an elegant basket hilt seemingly made of glass or
highly polished crystal with no blade, as the deadly length of this *+5 spell storingspeed rapier*
 is invisible. Baraket grants its wielder a +5 bonus on Bluff checks
made to feint, so long as his opponent cannot see through invisibility.
Additionally, on a critical hit, the sword casts weird upon the target
and all of that creature's allies within 30 feet.

## Chellan, Sword of Greed

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends, Rise of the Runelords—5th Anniversary Edition*

**Aura:** Strong transmutation

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 25 lbs.

**Alignment** LE;

**Ego** 25

**Senses** sight and hearing (30 ft.)

Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 10

**Communication** telepathy
**Languages** Common, Thassilonian

**Lesser Powers** 3/day—*create food and water*,
*cure serious wounds*,
*endure*
elements

For centuries the transmuters of Shalast
idealized the arcane pursuit of transfiguring lead into gold. Upon
unlocking that secret, they sought even more challenging and dangerous
transformations, among which was the quest to turn gold into living
flesh. Presenting their master with the petrifying blade they'd created,
 the arcanists of Runeforge included a second wondrous gift, a woman of
living gold they called *Chellan*. She excelled at all things—art,
dance, song, magic, swordsmanship—and it seemed fitting that she would
bear the blade that birth from Runeforge made her sibling. But *Chellan*'s
 time proved short, and after 5 brief years of reducing the enemies of
Shalast to rubble, her unperfected animating forces dissipated—all
except for those vestiges of calculating fanaticism that imprinted upon
the blade that came to bear her name.

Although made of gold, *Chellan* functions as an adamantine weapon for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness. *Chellan* is a *+5 keen scimitar*,
 and its density allows it to damage foes as if it were one size
category larger than its actual size. It can be properly wielded only by
 characters with a Strength of 18 or higher—all other characters must
either wield it as a two-handed weapon or take a -2 penalty on attack
rolls with the weapon.

Whenever *Chellan* strikes a foe, the target must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save or be slowed as per the spell *slow*
 (CL 16th). If the sword scores a critical hit, the target must succeed
at a DC 25 Fortitude save or be turned into a crystalline statue, as if
by *flesh to stone*. Characters turned to crystal by *Chellan*
 appear to be made of ruby, diamond, or some other valuable gem, but are
 in fact merely colored quartz oflittle value to looters.

Fanatical in the extreme, *Chellan*
 seeks to force its wielder into serving Karzoug and furthering the
runelord's goals. To enforce this purpose of their existence, it can use
 its intelligence and special abilities to aid and manipulate those who
think to wield it.

### Destruction

Karzoug can destroy the sword of greed merely by commanding its destruction
with his voice (a free action for the runelord).

## Garvok, Sword of Wrath

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends*

**Aura:** Strong evocation

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 10 lbs.

Garvok was merely the first wielder to be cremated by the blade that
took his name and consciousness. A particularly brutal member of the
Shoanti caste, he was granted the weapon crafted by the evokers of
Runeforge and, to display its might to the Runelord of Wrath, entered
the arena of Xin-Bakrakhan. Facing wave after wave of soldiers, Garvok
was finally brought down not by the spears of his foes, but by the
explosions of his own sword and the resulting collapse of the royal
arena. When the sword was dragged from the rubble, drops of Garvok's
blood still boiled upon the blade's shattered edge—a fitting christening
 for the sword of wrath.

This scarred piece of crimson stained metal functions similarly to a *+5 returningthrowing greatsword*.
 Instead of the normal benefit of the throwing weapon special ability,
Garvok can be thrown with a 25-foot range increment. Additionally,
whenever Garvok strikes a foe, the target must succeed at a DC 20 Reflex
 save or take an additional 5d6
 points of fire damage. If the sword scores a critical hit, it explodes
in a fireball centered on the wielder's opponent. All creatures within
the fireball's 20-foot-radius spread—including Garvok's wielder and
allies, if within range—take 10d6
 points of fire damage (DC 25 Reflex for half). The wielder has no
control over the sword's eruption and cannot prevent it from exploding.
The sword returns to its wielder's hand, fully reformed, just before the
 beginning of his next turn.

## Shin-Tari, Sword of Sloth

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends*

**Aura:** Strong conjuration

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 2 lbs.

When the conjurers of Runeforge presented Runelord Ilthyrius with the
 blade he had bid them create, he immediately ordered their executions.
The tales he had heard of golden weapons and fortress-leveling might far
 exceeded the stunted short sword his lazy wizards had presented to him.
 Unable to enter Runeforge himself, he unleashed a contingent of xill
raiders into his own servants' midst, and bid the alien warband's leader
 personally gut his lead arcanist with the disappointing blade. The xill
 did as commanded, but in wielding the weapon, discovered the extent of
its remarkable properties. After carrying out their murderous rampage,
they reported their victory and the versatility of the extraordinary
sword their leader had come to call Shin-Tari—the Quicksilver Talon. In a
 rare display of thanks, Runelord Ilthyrius commanded the new conjurers
he installed at Runeforge to etch the blade with images of their slain
predecessors, whose collective intellects had take up residence within
the sword.

A scene of imperial decadences depicted in fantastically fine
etchings—which seem to change upon each consideration— covers the
surface of this *+5 short sword*. Every time Shin-Tari successfully damages a creature, it gains the *bane*
 weapon special ability, with the target's creature type being its
designated foe. This additional weapon quality actives after the weapon
first strikes an opponent, granting additional damage to subsequent
attacks but not the first attack.

The bane weapon special ability persists for the rest of the day, or
until the sword strikes a foe of a different creature type.
Additionally, whenever Shin-Tari strikes a Large or smaller foe, the
target must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or be affected as per the spell
 *dimension door*.
 This effect functions as the spell, but Shin-Tari's wielder determines
where his opponent is transported to, and the destination must be within
 the wielder's line of sight. The wielder cannot teleport an opponent
into a space occupied by another creature or a solid object. Only one
creature can be affected by this ability each round, and the target can
act as normal on its next turn. If the sword scores a critical hit, the
target must succeed at a DC 25 Will save or be affected by the spell *teleport*. The sword's wielder determines the destination, which must be very familiar to him.

## Tannaris, Sword of Envy

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends*

**Aura:** Strong abjuration

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 7 lbs.

One of the early bearers of the title Runelord of Envy, Runelord
Tannaris sought to master every pursuit he applied himself to, harboring
 vicious jealously toward experts of fields he'd not personally
conquered. Unwilling to let the skills of others exceed him in any
capacity, Tannaris sought to prove his bloodline's endless potential,
and upon having his first son left him in the care of Edasseril's most
talented weapons masters. Raised to be a champion of envy—and a strong
host for Tannaris's consciousness should such ever be needed—the child,
named Tannaris as well, grew along the paths the runelord dictated,
becoming both a phenomenally skilled warrior and devoted bodyguard to
his father, eventually accepting his lord's newly crafted dispelling
blade. Yet for all his son's talents, Runelord Tannaris could not share
in his offspring's accomplishments, and grew resentful of his skills.
Finally the runelord attempted to murder his son, but Tannaris the
swordsman was prepared. Expecting his father's betrayal, he was able to
catch the runelord off guard and instigate a lengthy battle that left
both slain. Yet one consciousness remained, trapped within the blade of
the champion of envy, though it remains unclear whether it is the
intellect of the fallen soldier or the scheming mind of his runelord
father.

A purely cosmetic magical effect causes the elegant blade of this *+5 defending bastard*
 sword to cycle through distinctive colors and textures, making it
appear to be crafted from massive pieces of gemstone, coral, or precious
 metals. When used to augment the wielder's Armor Class, the sword's
enhancement bonus does not cease augmenting attacks and damage.
Additionally, whenever Tannaris strikes a creature under the effects of a
 spell, the target must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or have the highest
 level spell currently affecting it instantly dispelled (as if by the
spell *dispel magic*;
 no additional dispel check is required). This ability has no special
effect on summoned creatures or persistent spell effects. If the sword
scores a critical hit, the target must succeed at a DC 25 Will save or
have all of the spells currently affecting it dispelled (as per the
spell *greater dispel magic*; no additional dispel checks are required).

## Ungarato, Sword of Gluttony

### Cost to sell

*Unknown*

*Artifacts & Legends*

**Aura:** Strong necromancy

**Caster Level:** 16th

**Slot:** None

**Weight:** 8 lbs.

With the completion of their work, the necromancers of Runeforge set
forth for Xin-Gastash amid a contingent of their most potent—and
conspicuous—undead attendants. While skirting the northern ridge of the
Kodars, the necromancers fell under attack by savage northland
barbarians aided by ferocious white dragon twins. Few of the wizards
survived, and those who escaped lived only long enough to report to
Runelord Goparlis the loss of their masterpiece and the name of the
blood-haired barbarian dragon master: Ungarato. Runelord Goparlis sent a
 legion of his finest soldiers in pursuit of the blade, and when they
fell, he sent a contingent of slaves and necromancers to reanimate their
 bones so they could march on. Ungarato's forces struck like axes of
glacial ice—lethal, but melting away after every attack. The runelord
spent much of his remaining reign pursuing Ungarato, but never captured
the savage warlord or laid hand upon the blade crafted for him.
Goparlis's distraction and obsession eventually cost him his rule, when
his apprentice, Krune, betrayed him and took up the mantle of Runelord
of Gluttony. Soon after Runelord Krune's ascension, Ungarato sought to
meet with the new tyrant. Exposure to the twisted energies of the evil
sword, the endless assault of Goparlis's magic, and his own drive for
vengeance against the runelord—who for so long had harvested the
northland tribes as materials for profane experiments—had warped
Ungarato. Upon a chariot pulled by twin skeletal dragons, Ungarato
revealed that he had fallen years ago, but conviction and rage had
restored him as a graveknight. The warlord offered to trade his
Thassilonian blade for Goparlis's body, so the northlanders might have a
 trophy of the tyrant's fall. Although impressed, Runelord Krune
proposed a different exchange: his predecessor's corpse in exchange for
the blade and Ungarato's service as his personal champion. The
graveknight accepted and took the fallen runelord's body north. When he
returned, he did so at the head of an army of his kinsmen, who to show
their devotion had sacrificed themselves upon his blade so they might
follow their master even in death. Centuries later, when Ungarato
finally fell—bearing with him a portion of his master's final creation,
the Gluttonous Tome, amid the ruin of Thassilon—his essence and devotion
 passed on into the foul blade that now bears his name.

This *+5 ghost touchvicious falchion*
 has a misty, ethereal quality that makes it appear to be spectral in
nature despite being perfectly tangible to the touch. Anytime Ungarato's
 wielder takes damage from the weapon's *vicious* special ability
he adds an amount equal to that damage to his next attack roll. Ungarato
 faintly glows a sickly, unsettling green anytime there is an undead
creature within 50 feet of the wielder. Whenever the falchion strikes a
foe, the target must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save or take an
additional 1d6
 points of damage, which the sword's wielder gains as bonus hit points
that last for the next hour. If the sword scores a critical hit, the
target must succeed at a DC 25 Fortitude save or be slain outright, with
 half of its remaining hit points passing to the sword's wielder as
bonus hit points. Any creature slain by Ungarato—either as the effect of
 a critical hit or otherwise—reanimates as a juju zombie1d4
 rounds later under the control of the sword wielder. The sword can
control up to 32 HD worth of juju zombies in this way. If this amount is
 exceeded, undead are released from control as per *animate dead*.

## Shared Properties

Despite their broad range of differences, the Seven Swords of Sin share a variety of powers.

### Dormancy

The Alara'hai were crafted to serve the runelords of Thassilon. In
modern times, however, these runelords lie dead or dormant. With no
lords to serve, the weapons of their champions lie dormant as well,
reducing each to a +2
 weapon with the noted weapon special abilities (those detailed on page
469 of the Core Rulebook) but no other properties. The only way to
awaken one of the blades is to restore its runelord master to active
life or have some other legitimate ruler take up its master's mantle
(the weapon determines what is considered legitimate). The swords can
detect such restorations and flare to full power immediately, demanding
their wielder seek out the restored runelord and swear eternal fealty.

### Intelligence

In addition to the unique powers possessed by each blade, every one
of the Alara'hai is a sentient servant of a runelord. Fanatical in the
extreme, the swords seek to force their wielders into serving the lords
of Thassilon and furthering the ancient empire's goals. To enforce this
purpose of their existence, each can manifest as a lawful evil
intelligent item with 18 Intelligence, 25 Ego, telepathy, senses up to
30 feet, the ability to speak and read Common and Thassilonian, and the
ability to cast create food and water,
*endure elements*, and *cure serious wounds* 3 times per day. These properties only manifest while the sword is active, however.

## Destruction

Each of the Seven Swords of Sin can be destroyed merely if commanded
to break. That command, however, must come from the rightful runelord of
 the nation and school of magic associated with the blade.

## History

The Seven Blades of Conviction share a common creation, forged in the
 arcane crucible known as Runeforge at the height of the Thassilonian
Empire. With the empire's destruction at the start of the Age of
Darkness, the Seven Blades of Conviction were lost. In modern times,
some of the blades—now more commonly known as the Seven Swords of
Sin—have resurfaced, typically in close proximity to Thassilon's ancient
 borders, though some may have wandered much farther from their fallen
homelands.

## Ramifications

Those who seek out the Seven Swords of Sin adopt the power of Thassilon, but also the potential to share in its grim end.

*Return of the Runelords*: Although significant weapons even
when dormant, the swords reveal their true power only when active,
states that require the reawakening of Thassilon's infamous runelords.
Either dead or locked in the grips of millennia-old dormancy, these
runelords number among the most ingenious villains ever to walk the face
 of Golarion, and even the most selfish of the Alara'hai's wielders seek
 to awaken these archmages—even if only to empower their weapons.
However, the swords also serve as a warning of the runelords'
restoration, with an awakened Sword of Sin presaging a far greater
threat.

*Slave of Thassilon*: Any creature who wields an awakened Sword
of Sin constantly runs the risk of being dominated by the intelligent
weapon. For many characters, a Sword of Sin is only a boon if two
runelords are awake and the blade is being employed in one's battle
against the other.