Miguel's Blade/The Sword of the Usurper
The God of the Sun granted the kings younger brother a weapon imbued with the power to take the crown and almost enough power to keep it.
Description: Miguel’s Blade is a bronze khopesh. The weapon is 78cm from pommel to the point. The handle is 18cm long and made of a pinkish marble with a white horse hair braid wrapping around the length of the grip. Coming out the handle the blade is straight and lean for 20cm, and curves out ward into a sickle for 40cm. The Sickle portion of the blade carries all the weight of the weapon, and the blade indeed thickens slightly as it gets farther from the handle. The blade appears to made of Bronze and has a cooper sheen to it, but the metal of the blade is much harder than normal Bronze. The blade is sharpened on both the inside and outside of the sickle.
During the day, regardless of whether it is overcast, storming or thick with fog a stream of sunlight always finds the blade. More peculiar is that even when the blade is underground or indoors it shines as if the sun is striking it as long as the sun is the sky. To date no magic, physical barrier or force of unholy will has been found that can avert Zapotex’s (Sun God) gaze from his blade while he is in the sky. At night though, while Zapotex rests the blade loses its shine and sharpness.
The Myth/History: In the First Age of the Kings, the Great God-King Vitotecan sired three Holy Sons with his sister Applelonia. The oldest and strongest of his sons, Sontecan, was known as the the worlds most brilliant warrior and a shinning example of strength and passion. The second son was Fredomahat (Fredo). Unlike Sontecan, Fredo had been wrapped in illness as a child and many times the Priests had brought him back from the brink of death. The illnesses took their toll on Fredo and he grew into a slow witted and cowardly man. Fredo’s weakness was kept from public and all at court treated it as the greatest state secrete. Everyone knew that Fredo’s position of power was a liability to the kingdom, but none could say it without incurring Sonetcan’s wrath. The third son Miguel was born much later than his brothers, and grew into a man of great self will. He often dissagreed with the family and sought education, experinces and even a bride outside the kingdom.
To the God-Kings of the First Age there was nothing more important or more loved than their own blood. To shed the blood of a God-King was a crime punishable by the unspeakable torture. Even the God-Kings bastards were given rank, title and protection. Thus despite Fredo’s weaknesses or perhaps because of them he was loved through out the kingdom, and any insult to Fredo’s honor was soon upheld by Sontecan. Such and insult occurred when Miguel returned to the kingdom with a bride before his older brother had been married. Fredo was humiliated, and in effort to mend his ego Fredo chose for his bride the most beautiful woman known to the world.
Fredo sent an unheralded and unprecedented proposal to Ruth, High Priestess of the Goddess Telomerra, who resided in the great city state of Sargon. With that act Fredo offended not only Ruth, the Goddess Telomerra and Sargon but his only family and nation by forcing them to accept her rejection. It was Sontecan's pride and passion for his family that lead the kingdom into warfare to obtain Fredo the bride of his choosing.
The two brothers went to war, but the God of War uphoars weakness and sought expose Fredo for what he was. The fortunes of battle shifted so that the enemy managed to find the two brothers alone on the field. When the God-King’s soilders reached them Sonetcan was dead, and Fredo was found crying over his dead brother, his chariot clean, his horses dry, javelins still in their quivers and mace still tied to his hip.
But birth not bravery makes Kings, and Fredo took the throne. And though the people loved him, they were not ruled by him. Fredo did not have the wit to rule alone nor the sense to tell truth from false. His court was filled with boasts, his heart was filled with fear, his ears with lies and his veins with poppy. The land became ruled by the Dark Priests of the god of Fear. Within a year they had drained the coffers and kept the people at the Kings labors so long that fields went unplanted.
Fredomahat was not evil or mad, and though he morned the pains of his people deeply, his actions seldom produced fruit. With an earnest desires to better his Kingdom he would seek out advice, but he was short of attention and easily swayed by the flashiest proposals. The Kingdom was collapsing.
Zapotex saw everyday the tragedies of the earth, but also the beauty. And it was for the tragedies that he would set and the beauties that he would rise. But in the Queen Applelonia he saw both beauty and tragedy; Beauty in her form but tragedy in her marriage, beauty in her love for her sons but tragedy in the pain that love was causing her. So Zapotex answered her unsaid prayers, he gave to her youngest son Miguel the means to remove his brother from throne. Miguel had all the qualities of a great king save an early birth, and Zapotex forged for a Miguel mystical Khopesh and had Leethanna goddess of sleep craft a dream for Applelonia describing were to find the blade and how to use it.
Armed with the Khopesh Miguel entered the court of the King and slaughtered all the false sages, Dark Priests and corrupt soldiers that surrounded his King. Each man that the the Sunblade felled disappeared in a blinding flash of gold. At each man was instantly forgotten. It was if those killed by the blade had never existed. At last Miguel stood before his bewildered King. The King looked up at his brother in ignorance and trust for he recalled nothing of the recent slaughter. For the power of the Blade does not just remove its victim but removes all memory of the victim from those in the presence of the owner of the blade. When Miguel had killed his Kin and King he took up the throne and was crowned by his mother. At that moment of his death the memory of Fredomahat was wiped from the Kingdom for within a Kingdom all are in the presence of the King. But Zapotex lacks the resolve of other gods and just as the Sun sets so did the power of the Blade. And at night the Kingdom remembered their former King, and no longer stared puzzled at the statues their old King and whispers of murder and betrayal flooded the Kingdom at night. This curse
would be Miguel’s and Applelonia’s undoing. And all the curfews and revisions of temple writings could not hide the crime. The Queen took her own life, and the King was eventually slain by the blade that made him King. Who knows how long Miguel’s sword propped up usurper after usurper until some fit of wisdom or happy accident caused the blade to become lost. But as sure the sun rises Miguel’s Blade still exists.
Description of Power: The person who wields the blade is not affected by its memory loss powers, and possession of the blade means having it on your person. The memory loss does not occur instantaneously but rather over the course of a few minutes (say 2-5). The power of the Blade to affect the memories of people is very much related to the social standing of the person wielding the blade. A rouge warrior for example would only effect those in his specific presence, while the head of a family might effect all those in his family or those on his estate.
The damage of the blade and its ability to cut through armor is considerably greater than that of a mundane bronze khopesh. The sword also works as a light spell counteracting natural darkness as long as the sun is in the sky.
Roleplaying: What assassin wouldn’t want this blade? He/she would just need to remember to leave it at home when collecting payment. When my PCs first ran into this weapon and vanished
their first opponent, they had a little panic wondering if they would still get Exp. for it if they couldn’t remember killing it.
Not Registered Yet? No problem.
Do you want Strolenati super powers? Registering. That's how you get super powers! These are just a couple powers you receive with more to come as you participate.
- Upvote and give XP to encourage useful comments.
- Work on submissions in private or flag them for assistance.
- Earn XP and gain levels that give you more site abilities (super powers).
- You should register. All your friends are doing it!
? Responses (10)
There are a few typos that spellcheck didnt find, mainly instances of the wrong word being used, done instead of down being the first that comes to mind. The power of the weapon is a bit hard to understand, that it removes someone from consensual memory, but ony for a little while, and said power is tied to the swordbearer's social status. I think that is a bit to inconsistant for my tastes. I did like how the sun would always find the sword so long as it was in the sky.
I liked the names at first, Applelonia (though I might have spelled it Appelonia), Sontecan, Fredomahat these had this great kind of mesoamerican feel followed by...Miguel? I didn't like that part of the name, and I know I shouldn't complain about that, but it really sticks out.
As to the social status thing, I was trying get away from the modern idea that social rank or status is self determined. In many ancient cultures a King and peasant or Warrior and a scholar where consider intrinsically different.
Miguel? Applelonia?
other than that its certainly interesting. Like Scras, I also enjoyed the sun-sword relationship. Thats a nice touch.
My main issue with this is stylistic, it is the names. They are, frankly, in my opinion, terrible.
But I somewhat enjoy the social status quirk (given that social status is a big part of my settings), and the sun connection is interesting, though not revolutionary.
I think most of the comments and criticisms are valid. I would add, for you to add an extra linefeed between paragraphs to improve the readability.
In concept, this work has good marks. The idea behind it is high mark. The execution in terms of write up is merely average. The format a notch below that.
So lets see improvements for the next submissions you post.
Vito, Fredo, Sonny, Micheal, Appolonia? Nothing?
Eh never mind.
But average on the write up is kind (so thanks), I reread it and it is clunky due to errors and dense structure.
Ohhhhhhhhh! I see now! :-D
*walks away humming theme*
So in the last D&D game I ran I used this item. It ended up in the hands of the comic relief PC. A barbarian fighter from an uncivilized nation named Durr. He employed the standard rude ignorant unsocialized fighter with a lack of self awareness that has been a staple character of many an RPG group He used the sword as a primary weapon, which perhaps I should have discouraged more.
At any rate, the whole effect of the sword became more of an on-going gag. Since the sword removed the memory and trace of its kill the other PCs would often tease Durr about not contributing to the battle. In the case that Durr got the kill strike on a major opponent the smartass PC (the halfling fighter-thief. I swear the other characters were all played against sterotype....except maybe the bard) would never fail to use the situation created by the sword to undermine any respect or recognition Durr may have received from slaying a high level enemy.
So perhaps not the most well thought out of items in term of game mechanics. But good times, thanks Durr and Tweed if you happen upon this.
I'd say good times rule over game mechanics any day! :)
Hey A.R.,
I like the sword alot, but why did you have to write so much. Anyway, it is either this or the Ocean sword. I like the way they are both tied to elements.
NCN