Gorlen Blackhammer - Journal Entry #201
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Ahh today was an interesting day, there was a young adventuring Magnesti that came into the shop today, looking for spell reagent supplies and a new spellbook or possibly a backup spell book he really didn’t say. The young lad was named Joules, as I directed him to the pre-carved ready for enchantment wands, the blank spellbooks, and finally the last of the spell reagents he had noticed I was intently doing some research on the Kingdom of Raneger. Naturally we got talking, and after a few glasses of mana wine I may have let slip that I had learned of a Necrolord that use to rule the Kingdom of Ranegar, as well as several others over a thousand years ago. He had conquered much of the known lands, by forging the world’s first hell-blade.
How I came of this knowledge is a while back I was searching thru a lost Necropolis and found the remains of a library. Within the library I had picked up some lost lore and history of the area that I thought would lead me to, ahh well that doesn’t really matter. The point is I became intrigued by this Necrolord, his name was Zolus the Fallen, it took him over three years to forge the hell blade and the completed blade was darker than any magical darkness and deadlier than a dragon’s wrath. To complete the hell-blade’s enchantment Zolus summoned a powerful Pit Fiend named Kalyath and bound it to the blade, granting the blade and its wielder the powers of Hell.
There is very little to be known about what happened to the blade, what is known that eventually Zolus and his armies were defeated by a Dragonmaster Arkanis and his legions. The weapon was lost after that to both man, and history.
Until recently, about 6 years ago in the Kingdom of Shetith in the town of Raundernam, an overly ambitious lord name Sothos funded several large-scale expeditions in search of the legendary hell-blade. You see, Sothos was born from a wealthy house, Sothos Landaval was never content with his lot in life. His ambitions lead to desire more and more power, that he believed only the hell-blade could bestow upon the weilder. Overtime this ambition turned to madness, and this desire consumed him.
The gnome grunts as he leans over to top off the young magnesti’s glass with mana wine. There certainly is a life lesson in there Magnesti, that is yours if you’re listening.
Anyway, for years, this lord spent his fortune, pouring resources into multiple quests, oblivious or blind to the draining of his coffers and resources.
Nearly, 8 months ago, I learned that Sothos persistence paid off. Now here is where the story gets a little sketchy, there is no longer a lot of people around to corroborate what happened, I unfortunately had learned of it too late. What I had from one of my sp…/cough, /cough… I mean whispers at the bar, that a lone rider named Thanyan returned to Raundernam carrying a bundle wrapped thickly in cloaks, Thanyan did not look well, pale in the face, body, mind, and soul all weakened from the trip. The rider and a dozen other men finally found the blade, in a place called the cauldron within the underdeep. Their commanding officer, Captain Kridkyn carried the blade on the beginning of their return trip from the underdeep.
One night a madness took hold of him, and he slit his own throat. The next in command Lieutenant Fajik, then took possession of the sword. A few days later, he too went mad and attacked the group, killing the entire company except Thanyan who managed to finish the former officer first. Convinced now the sword that killed his companions is cursed, Thanyan wrapped it in his companion’s cloaks and after burying his party, he headed home.
Once Thanyan arrive in Raundernam, he presented the hell-blade still wrapped tightly in the cloaks of his fallen party to his lord, who immediately looked upon the bundle with greedy eyes. Thanyan pleaded with Lord Sothos to detroy the blade, but Sothos heard nothing more as he unwrapped his prize.
A month later, all contact with Lord Sothos, and the town of Raundernam had ceased, and rumors whispered of dark shapes prowling the borders at night, and even of a rip in the prime material plane to hell began to spread. All trade with the keep has stopped and anyone who has been sent to investigate the town has not returned.
The necrolord Zolos was powerful and able to bind the pit fiend Kalyath and bend the sword to his will, Lord Sothos was no such man. Within a week, the hell-blade was able to devour Sothos’s mind and take control of his body. As each day passed, more of the hell-blades essence was poured into Sothos’s body slowly cursing the lands with his mere presence, and all manners of foul and evil creatures were drawn to the weapon.
Alas that’s where the trail goes cold, the town is a ghost town, plagued by all manner of hell beast, and to boot the blade is no were to be found.
Ahh well, Joules probably for the best, since the hell-blade re-emergence all manner of cult follower, paladin, or holier than though kook is on the march to get themselves killed. I’ll let them do the heavy lifting and find the thing for me. Maybe this time, I’ll learn about it in time.
