The Sirens of Everfrost were a coven of dangerous mages who lived deep in the mountains of Cyldar. Their intoxicating chants bewitched many an adventurer, causing the doomed fighters to stand in place until they were imprisoned by the elements in icy stalagmites. For those fortunate few who were immune to their charms, the Sirens were more than capable of defending themselves using ancient elemental magic.
That was until the adventurer Justain Dandelar discovered their secret lair while exploring the mountains. Her unique path through what was to others impassible terrain gave her access to a deeper part of the Siren's realm -- where she found the Hallucinosis Orb that controlled the frosty witches. After speaking to the orb and beating it in a contest of wits, the Orb crumbled to dust releasing the sirens who gratefully fled the valley after rewarding Dandelar with The Sword of Everfrost -- a magical weapon with a thirst for warmth.
Description
This object is a two-handed greatsword that feels uncomfortably cold to the touch. From pommel to tip, the sword is 120cm long. The blade and hilt are a single piece of poorly crafted iron -- almost as though the forge in which it was born failed to reach a proper temperature. The grip is made of sheets of copper metal while the pommel and cross guard are made from a smooth, polished white marble. The rain-guard is made from a magical pale blue gemstone.
The air around the sword is unusually fresh, though it has no distinct smell. The blade is quite dull and is difficult to sharpen; it deals bludgeoning damage.
Magic: Ice Dam
- Plunging the sword into a freshwater stream, lake, or river will cause the surrounding water to freeze into solid ice.
- The ice is magical.
- The ice takes longer than usual to melt.
- If the sword is dipped into freshwater, the ice gradually surrounds the blade until it reaches a full
15 cm radius. - If the sword is dipped into freshwater, the ice also extends outward from the tip of the blade up to
120 cm . - If the sword is dipped into freshwater, the ice will anchor itself in the riverbed if it grows long enough to touch the bottom.
- If the sword is slashed into freshwater, the ice generated will create a disc of ice two meters in radius that will anchor itself if the ice touches bottom or rotate and float if the ice does not.
- If the sword is slashed into an oncoming wave of freshwater, the ice generated will redirect the force of the wave. If it's a flash flood, the ice will anchor itself thereby creating a de facto shield.
- If used in a slashing motion against enemies that exist in, are shrouded by, or are made of fog, the sword creates a wave (2m radius cylinder that extends for 5m forward) that pushes the enemies back 5m, damages them, and temporarily clears the fog.
- The sword can hack away at or be jammed into non-magical ice with less effort than normal.
- The sword can be pulled from the ice it generates with ease.
- The sword, if struck against glowing-hot metal will cause the metal to flash freeze, making the metal brittle and unsuitable for weapons.
Trait: Commanded Conquer
- After a melee attack with this weapon, all enemies within melee range are attracted to it (aggro) unless they pass a wisdom save.
- Enemies are often tempted to attack the sword rather than it's bearer, the net result of which is an increased block chance for the wielder.
- Enemies that successfully attack the bearer experience pain in their knuckles, increasing their chances of being disarmed.
Trait: Harmonics
As the sword sucks heat energy from the air molecules around it, it produces a sound that normally can't be heard by human ears. However, when swinging the sword through moist air or while in a windy, damp environment the sound not only becomes audible but pronounced. The volume of the sound never reaches an unpleasant level and the harmonics of the sound are always pleasing.
NOTE: the harmonics are not produced when in dry or arctic climates like a desert or frozen tundra even if there is water nearby. The harmonics are also not produced while the blade is underwater.
- Each swing of the sword produces a unique, faint harmonic.
- The volume rises and falls as the bearer's proximity to rushing water (flash flood, waterfall, rapids, etc) changes.
- The volume rises and falls as the bearer's proximity to an atmospheric storm (magic or natural) changes.
- The volume rises and falls as the bearer's proximity to a wind-swept gorge changes.
Trait: Icy Fresh
- The air immediately surrounding the sword's blade is dry.
- If a character licks the sword, his or her tongue will stick to it. Ending this adhesive effect requires warmth.
- Sleeping within 10m of the sword prevents snoring.
- If the wielder holds the blade of the sword up to his or her nose/mouth, they can pass unaffected through toxic fog.
Curses and Restrictions
- The sword has no effect on salt water.
- The sword cannot take fire damage.
- The sword cannot be heated to glowing even if placed in a forge.
- The sword causes the wielder to take mild frostbite (cold) damage for each minute the sword is held continuously over fifteen minutes.
- The sword, over time, gathers ice on it making it heavier. Striking the sword against a stone or solid object sheds the ice. If ice is not shed every four hours, it becomes so heavy that the wielder gains a penalty against his or her melee attacks.
- The sword is difficult to draw from every scabbard -- even those scabbards that indicate otherwise -- thus causing a penalty to the wielder if he or she is surprised by an ambush.
- The sword, if drawn and held while the wielder is standing in fog, will cause a light snow to fall and temporarily clear the fog in a 2m radius sphere. This leaves a narrow trail in the mist that can be just barely followed by someone 60 meters away from the sword.
- The sword, if slashed while the wielder is standing in fog, will cause a light wind and create a 2m radius cylinder of temporary clearing in the fog that extends for 5m in front of the wielder.
- The sword can be destroyed using lava, magma, or extreme pressure.
- The sword can be destroyed via rusting.
- The sword, when completely submerged into water, will encase itself in ice to prevent rusting or easy retrieval. If held in the hand when this happens, the wielder takes a tiny amount of damage and his or her hand becomes trapped in the ice as well.
- The sword cannot be touched by a water elemental.
- The sword is especially painful if touched by religious characters that worship nature or a god of water.
- If during destruction the pale blue rain-guard is somehow recovered, this piece can be transplanted into another object to transfer the effects or used as a pendant.
Origin
The adventurer Justain Dandelar took the sword with her and kept it all of her life. I'd recommend having the sword be stolen from one of her descendants or a museum, sold at auction as part of her personal estate, or as a reward from a monk or scholar. Also, given how cold this thing is, I'd have an NPC present it to the adventurers wrapped in a thick cloth.
A fun introduction would see the sword submerged underwater in a block of anchored ice. Any attempt to hack through the ice while it was still underwater would simply cause the ice to reform. The adventurers would have to figure out how to dislodge the massive block of ice and get it to the shore.
If a player wanted to play a descendant of Justain Dandelar, they could inherit the sword and gain a bonus to mountaineering and climbing in general.
Alternatives
- A steampunk play on this could be some kind of pipe attached to a refrigeration pump or other coolant system.
- This could also be an award from a god of air or a god of water.
Got a twist or a question for this frosty foil? Bury it in the comments below. Feel free to change anything you see here, lump it into your own world, and share this post with other game masters on Twitter and Facebook so they can use it too.