Sword of Yerner

## The Sword of Yerner

*"Petulant mortal!" shrieked Gardoth the Dreameater. "I have spoken the incantation secret to even Luvmenothp himself, yet here you stand before me, flesh unflayed, tendons untorn, and mind unboiled! In the blackness of your deepest slumber, you have seen the inevitable, you know my power, yet you dare to challenge me with this parlor trick!"*

*The blooded barbarian continued his approach to The Woven Throne undeterred. "Challenge you?" scoffed King Thorm as he swung the Sword of Yerner once more, this time batting away a sickly green bolt of light cast from Gardoth's fingertips. "I am not here to challenge you, demon, I am here to kill you."*

*-Excerpt from The Chronicles of King Thorm*

## Unique Characteristics

A layperson might describe the Sword of Yerner as “anti-magic”, but the reality is far more complex. As this article assumes an introductory audience, it will rely on simplifications and metaphors to demystify core concepts rather than focus on precise scientific explanations.

While the Sword of Yerner is not perceptibly magical, rigorous inspection and testing have uncovered that the blade and hilt radiate the full spectrum of arcane energy, simultaneously and in perpetuity. However, like saying all words in a dictionary at the same time makes the sound devoid of meaningful language, so too does the presence of all magic concentrated around the sword make it devoid of any meaningful spell or incantation.

So while the sword appears to “cut through” or “reflect” magic, the reaction is actually more akin to water being poured into a bucket that is already full, touching two homogeneous poles of a magnet, or a white object casting all visible colors back to the viewer’s eye. The sword is in effect so infused with magic, it rejects the introduction of any new magic it comes into contact with.

## Origins

Due to its anachronistic design, the unknown genesis of the ruins etched on its blade, and the unique forging techniques employed, historians have debated for ages regarding where the sword had been forged and by whom. Conclusive evidence has yet to be presented.

It is unclear how the sword was instilled with its distinctive properties, or how it maintains them, but the most popular theories proposed by alchemists and academics usually conclude that it was created with a combination of Trimotium obtained from a ring-fall, a coating of “Void ichor” (approximate translation), some unidentifiable enchantment (or perhaps enchantment gone wrong), and an echo of the blacksmith’s soul.

## Whereabouts

Unfortunately, the sword was lost during The First Sanguinary Defenestration and is claimed to still be buried in the ruins of Yshnar, very likely still in the hands of the remains of King Thorm himself. Furthermore, its recovery is doubtful, as the exact location of the city appears in no written record known to contemporary scholars.

## Mechanics (draft)

Bastard sword, close, +1 damage, 2 weight

(Uses Strength stat)

10+: wielder successfully reflects or repels magic

7-9: wielder only partially reflects or repels magic, resulting in some additional unintended condition (an ice spike splinters resulting in half damage, a curse is deflected but into an important item, the fireball is deflected but the light is temporarily blinding)

6 or lower: for whatever reason (too slow, spell too powerful and pours around the area of reflection, etc.) the wielder fails to deflect the magic