For my first year of fighting in the Realms, I had a personal rule that I refused to fight with anything taller than I was. I didn’t even like fighting with hand and a halfs; they felt unwieldy. How did I go from this self-imposed restriction to fighting with the single longest weapon I’ve ever seen?
The coronation of King Alexander Cecil was an extravagant affair. Everyone was dressed in their finest to file into the hall to celebrate the new monarch of Chimeron. As people do on these sorts of occasions, many brought gifts. I wish I remembered more of the presentations. Perhaps I should have taken better notes. I do, however, clearly remember Sir Aeston Stromgate, Lord of Rhiassa presenting a very, very, very long polearm by the name of Majesty’s Reach.
Sir Aeston explained that his scouts had been in the tunnels under Rhiassa, an area Chimeron had been working to reclaim for some time. One of the threats in those tunnels was a group of trolls who used their strength to wield weapons far greater than what normal humanoids could wield. While scouting, these Rhiassans recovered one of the great spears that the trolls were using and brought it back to the surface. There, master blacksmiths and other artisans worked to remove as much extra weight from the weapon as possible, while still retaining its stability and effectiveness. When they were finished, they had a weapon which was just at the very cusp of usability by even the strongest of adventurers. Even the added weight of bracers would be too much strain.
This lovely gift has served Chimeron well. Many fighters (and some intrepid spell casters) have made use of Majesty’s Reach, especially to aid Rhiassa by clearing out their caves.
Of course, this weapon has posed many logistical problems. At over ten feet long, trying to bring it to other nations to aid them proves difficult as passages old and new alike are unnavigable by such a long weapon. In addition, most carriages and carts cannot fit it inside in order to transport it. I use it most frequently for the simple fact that I have the combination of requirements: I am a fighter who has both the space to store and the means to transport the blade.
I like to think I have lived up to the grandness of Majesty’s Reach, even if I will always be dwarfed by its length. I do not claim it as my own weapon, but I do enjoy getting to use it. I have done my best to use it well to kill the things that need killing and to protect the things that need protecting. And with its exceptional length, it puts additional meaning to the phrase, “Long live the king.”