Spirit of Steel: Glamdring

With Jason "Aeston" Rosa

It was a long time ago in, literally, a land far away when my first and most treasured magic weapon came into my possession. Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer. The story of how it was presented to me is one of my most cherished memories, but like many things that happened in the distant past I can’t dismiss the possibility that my telling of it will be colored by my perceptions and the passage of time.

It was my first time in Middle Earth, a land that had been adventured to by the heroes of the Realms for many years. In those years for which I was not present there are many and varied accounts of what had occurred and I would not be so presumptuous to try to explain the totality of that history. My impression at the time, however, was that the evil lord Sauron had all but completely wiped out the heroic armies that opposed him and that some of the most powerful adventurers of the Realms had decided to join him.

For those of you who are not as aged as myself, this might be hard to understand, but it really is the crux of this tale. In those days, magic items were incredibly rare and valuable to the point that they often caused conflict. The lord Sauron had convinced several adventures to turn to his side by presenting them with the gift of a very powerful items. Rings that granted their wearers armor, and sometimes powers even greater than that. The bearers of these rings were often called Wraiths. They caused you to have to be servile to Sauron in the deal but, again, items were rare so it was a forgone conclusion that acquiring one was always worth the cost.

There were, of course, adventurers who had never given in to Sauron’s temptation and chief among them were Baba and Ranger, largely my inspirations for traveling to Middle Earth myself to aid the cause of Good. There were many other heroes that were caught in between the two sides. And the conflict and muddled loyalties and friends standing opposed to one another had caused years of hurt feelings and an effective stalemate in many respects.

And so into that situation I arrived along with some of my fellow Chimeronians who had agreed to take up this quest together. Bright, Rel, and Theus. I’m not sure I knew exactly what to expect when I teleported into those lands but there was no way I would have predicted what actually transpired. Almost immediately after arriving, I was set upon by several Wraiths and, struck dead, was teleported to the throne room of Sauron.

There Sauron spoke directly into my deceased mind, keeping my spirit awake and bound. He offered me the same choice he had offered to so many other heroes before me. A magic ring in exchange for servitude. I remember very clearly how shocked he was by my immediate refusal. In punishment for my unwillingness to capitulate, he declared that I was to remain dead and in his possession for all time. Several times afterward he reattempted his temptations, through different tacks and different deals, none of which were the least bit appealing. So it was my fate to lie dead and defeated while my compatriots did all they could throughout the day to win a losing battle and also somehow find their way to rescue me. In the end, however, they did not need to.

As evening set upon the land and little hope remained, all of a sudden my spirit was surrounded by the brightest and warmest light I had ever experienced. My body was restored to life and I had found myself, teleported and made whole, to the side of my friends. There before my kneeling form was an elf. Beautiful beyond my ability to describe, powerful beyond my ability to comprehend. When she spoke her words were pure like the very white light that had enveloped the both of us and I understood that fate had deemed there a purpose to everything I had endured that day.

Her name was Galadriel, and in her outstretched arms she held a sword, glowing blue with white ruins. She told me it was named Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer and that it was my duty to wield it in defense of Middle Earth and its people. With that gesture and that gift I resolved to spend the following years fulfilling my given task. I was a young adventurer and I hadn’t truly found my way in the world yet, but with Glamdring in hand I learned how to lead and army, I came to understand the joy and the heartbreak that follows you along on every quest you undertake, I learned the prices that you have to pay to live the life of a hero. And though we were eventually and overwhelmingly successful in ridding Middle Earth of the scourge of lord Sauron, it was not without cost.

Glamdring, however, was my faithful companion all those years and afterward. To this day, in fact. It’s long been disconnected from the lands of Middle Earth, no longer accessible to us through normal means, and it’s power has faded. Nonetheless there is no other sword that I would rather carry and it will remain at my side for the rest of my career.

Spirit of Steel: Majesty's Reach

With Becky "Kovaks" Baron

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.”

Spirit of Steel: Icebreaker

With Janna Oakfellow-Pushee

My weapon is named Icebreaker. It came from BrightHammer Half-Dwarven Icebreaker (was also a ThunderWalker, but I remember the Icebreaker part). It is pale blue and white, with Icebreaker's name etched and faded into it. It's unique to me two-fold: one, it's a connection I have still to Brighthammer(Buddy Wolfhope), and two, when people come over and ask about the sword, it's effectively 'breaking the ice' about the late Knight and I happily engage in talks with anyone who is willing to listen. I have had it since October 2016. It was made by Eric 'Rudy' Marques.

What does this weapon mean to you?  A heck of a lot of meaning I've placed on it and with it. While BrightHammer and Iawen didn't get to interact all that much together, other characters we played did, and Bud is and was my Best Bud, was even the best man at my real life wedding (we got hitched to each other in-game).

Any sword could have been won by anyone at the auction done in his memory; it's kismet that I ended up with one so perfectly well-made to carry on a part of his name (and one of many stories to be told again and again).

Spirit of Steel: Guidance

With Pat "Saka" Bobell
Introduction by Ryan Welch

The weapons with which we quest are so much more than instruments of combat, more than foam, cores, tape, and socks. The blades that adorn our belts and our closets are defining features of our characters. Some weapons have names, shared as one might share the title of a novel, and our eyes glitter with excitement when a new adventurer asks “what’s that?”. Other weapons have no need for names and are simply identified by the lineage of hands which have wielded them. In this series, which I am calling The Spirit of Steel, I will explore the bonds we form with our weapons. This is not a catalog of magic item powers, nor a “look behind the curtain”, but rather a collection of stories and legends.


My dagger was named "Guidance" by Rel, Janus, Rosetta, and Tria (the full membership of Clan Rua Thar Cinn at that time), reflecting my inclination to lead and advise others both on and off the field of battle, as well as a knack for ushering my enemies to their deaths. I have carried it since the Yule celebrations the night of December 22, 1012, when I swore to follow my Laird, Sir Magus Rel Zhirah, as a member of Rua Thar Cinn, and thereby also as a citizen of the Kingdom of Chimeron.

Guidance was originally made for me by Rel, and silvered by the Clan's collective force of will. Its silver has been restored since then by myself and others, and I reforged it myself in June of 1017 as it had by then seen several years of heavy use. It is an 18-inch silver-bladed dagger with a wide and sturdy blackened-steel crossguard. A stone of polished hematite is inset on one face of the crossguard, and the reverse face is emblazoned with the heraldry of Clan Rua Thar Cinn in white. Each member of Rua Thar Cinn carries a silver weapon inset with hematite such as this. While they are not unique among us, this design is unique within the greater Realms.

Starting before my arrival in Chimeron and continuing through to the Bedlam War's bitter end, members of Clan Rua Thar Cinn dedicated themselves to the task of eliminating a powerful type of Bois from the field of battle. Called Soul Leeches, these monstrosities consumed the souls of the living. They were invulnerable to all weapons but Swords of Light, the Northern Light blades from Pater Yule, and silver weapons that were wielded while holding a hematite stone. The first two types of weapon could kill Soul Leeches only for them to reappear nearby soon afterward. The only permanent solution was to channel the souls, one at a time, by stabbing the Soul Leech with a silver weapon while the weapon or wielder held fresh hematite. The soul contained in each stone could be Called out or put to rest with last rites. (In cases when we were short on hematite or a Soul Leech had consumed a great number of souls, we had to extract a soul, Call it out while in combat, and use the refreshed hematite once more to free another soul.) Once the Soul Leech had been drained of its prey, it could be killed like any normal Bois. We have thankfully not encountered enemies with such power since the Realms defeated Mad Tom, but members of Rua Thar Cinn still carry our weapons should the need arise.

My dagger is a symbol of my allegiance to my Clan and my Kingdom, and its name serves to remind me of the role I fill within my chosen families and the Realms at large. It is the product of Rel's and my own skill and effort, a relic of the Bedlam War, and a vessel that has held and saved countless innocent souls. It has been a release from pain for those beyond healing, and a source of torment for those who deserved it. It has seen me through thousands of conflicts in the last six years - from small skirmishes to battles that seemed they would have no end. More than any other possession of mine, Guidance has seen what I am capable of and is fully a part of who I am.