Post/Author/DateTime	Post
BadCatMan 05-31-07, 06:29 AM	I'm working on adventures in the Vast, and came across the following tales from The City Of Ravens Bluff: Bambryn Iljack of the Black Blade was a daring brigand who swung a dull black broadsword with magical powers. He terrorized the central Vast in the early days of human habitation, stripping peddlers and dwarven metal-traders alike of their goods. On many occasions Iljack narrowly escaped death, using the magic of his blade to spirit himself out of traps and bloody ambushes - and he would return the favor by hunting down and assassinating anyone who led a strike against him, wherever they ended up (even if he had to travel to Procampur or a more distant city to do so). In the end, this thirst for revenge claimed his life. He hunted down a merchant who was riding to wed a sorceress —and she rose from their bridal bed to hurl Iljack out the window of her tower in Procampur. The highwayman made the flight out over the water in the heart of a swarm of fireballs, and only ashes and a blazing blade struck the water below. Iljack’s booty, widely believed to be hidden somewhere in Bambryn (his base of operations), has never been found. A stone marked with a black sword was found buried under a tree felled by a storm—but under it was no treasure, only another stone bearing the words: “Moved it all. See me for your share.” Under these words was the black sword symbol. Kurth At its heart rises the blackened, overgrown mound that was once Feljack’s Hall. This mansion suddenly burned down one night a decade ago, and the adventurer who built it has been missing and presumed dead ever since. Locals who searched the still-smoking ruins for riches were slain horribly by a giant-sized skeleton that arose from the ashes wielding a black magical blade called a shadow blade by one wizard. Few cared to investigate farther, and those who did were usually found dismembered on the street leading up to the ruins the next morning. Recently, many human skeletons bearing swords have been seen on moonlit nights roaming the burned ruins. Their source is unknown—but guardians usually mean treasure, and Feljack’s treasure, if any still exists, hasn’t yet been recovered by anyone in Kurth. So here there are two adventurers with similar names, in the same region, each dying in flames with a magical black sword involved. Sounds like a legend to me. :) I'm imagining a magic sword, maybe even a Legacy weapon, with powers of escape relating to shadow, but cursed so that whoever wields it is doomed to die in flames. A BBEG gets a hold of it, and causes my PCs a lot of trouble until they work out his vulnerability and curse. With a Gold Dragon Shaman/Disciple and the Kossuthan in the party, that shouldn't be a problem. :D But in the book, shadow blade is italicised for emphasis, which makes me wonder if this is a commonly known item, either in the Forgotten Realms or 2nd edition D&D. If it is, I'd like to know to save myself some effort and to throw in some more background to the weapon. It's not mentioned anywhere else in the book, and the name is far too generic to just search for it. So, has anyone heard of a shadow blade in their time? Thank you for your help.
Suin Bahhar 06-02-07, 07:48 AM	I know of the ShadowStriking enchantment (overcomes all dmg reduction; in Tome of Magic). This blade seems different though. Your ideas look sound to me. Cursed Shadovar Blade +3 dark shadowstriking longsword of planeshifting 3/day deeper darkness 2/day planeshift to the Shadowplane only (as 15 level sorcerer)and back again curse(su): vulnerablity fire