Temthrull, the Thrice-Forged Sword:
by Geoff GanderOriginally forged for King Aden I of Darokin to help him slay the orcish hordes which were terrorising the countryside, he gave his blade, Narsím, to Iorweth, who commanded Aden's armies against Senkhor-Kha of fallen Mogreth, whose own lizard man hordes had threatened to overrun the allied city-state of Salonikos and eastern Darokin. Iorweth fell in AC 86, and his liege died in battle the year after. The sword was recovered by Ianos Thanopoulos of Salonikos, and was used for a number of years against the local lizard man tribes, who, though no longer united by Senkhor-Kha, still posed a threat to the region.
It was around AC 100 when Narsím was reforged into a holy blade for a Thyatian paladin in the service of Ixion. Named Veritas, the sword was truly lawful, devoted to slaying the servants of pure evil wherever they could be found. The paladin was overwhelmed by a tribe of orcs living in the Orclands region, who then took the blade as their own. Wielded by a brutish orc named Thorog, Veritas was forced to spill the blood of innocents, until it managed to turn on its owner, though it was broken in the process. Where Thorog fell, the blade languished for centuries, until being discovered by a dwarvish prospector in AC 804, who sold it to a gnome in Thyatis City. There, the sword sat in a warehouse for over 70 years, until a prosperous halfling bought the blade, and brought it home to Shireton, thinking he could have it reforged.
Finding no one who could accomplish the task, the halfling put the sword into a storage room and promptly forgot about it. Years later, one of his descendants rediscovered it, and sold it to a collector of such things, who was based in Darokin City. There, it was reforged in AC 966, and was kept on display at the collector's house. The notable gnomish artisan of that city, Skyler Burntratchet, acquired the sword at an estate sale in AC 989, convinced that he was getting a good deal when he first saw it. It sat undisturbed in his workshop since that time.
Powers:
Having been reforged twice, the sword is thrice-forged in total. As Narsím, it was a normal sword +1, +3 vs. orcs. Its purpose, that of eradicating orcs, was unknown to Ianos Thanopoulos, who used it against lizard men. When reforged as Veritas, the sword was rededicated as weapon against pure evil, but also against those unsavoury elements of fallen Mogreth which, though largely forgotten, still plagued the region from time to time. In this second incarnation it was a normal sword +1, +2 vs. servitors of the Outer Beings (though this latter function was not specifically known, the sword functioned in this manner in practice - the creators simply wanted it to kill evil lizard men). While in the possession of Thorog, however, Veritas reacquired its hatred for orcs, and was almost driven "mad" by the experience. After its long period of neglect, the sword was reforged again, as a normal sword +1, but some odd side-effects occurred.
Whenever the wielder encounters orcs, or those whom he or she knows to serve the Outer Beings, the sword will try to force its owner to draw it, and strike. Although not "intelligent", it is self-aware to the extent that it knows it has a distinguished history of fighting evil. When in the presence of its designated foes, the sword "awakens", and acquires a lawful alignment for the duration of the encounter. Thus, it does have an Ego (9), for a total Willpower of 9. If handled by a wielder of a different alignment, it will only damage them if wielded while "awake".
Even while dormant, it tries to influence its wielder. When exposed to gems or other baubles of value, it will try to use its Willpower to force its owner to adorn it in an appropriate manner, but this influence only takes the form of a subtle, but persistent urging to do so.