Sarghathuld

Sarghathuld, or "Orcbane", was a legendary magical sword forged by dwarves to slay orcs, before becoming a sword of a king's royal guard, then finally a prize to a dragon, adventurers, and knights.

Description
Sarghathuld was a short sword forged of "orcslayer" metal, which was of dull gray hue. "Sarghathuld" was etched in dethek runes on one side of the blade, while "Orcbane" was etched on the other side. A glowing gemstone was embedded in the pommel.

Powers
Sarghathuld was made of orcslayer, an alloy of steel that was poisonous to orcs. It was also an orc bane weapon, so its touch was lethal to orc-kind.

The glowing stone in the pommel continuously radiated light equivalent to a daylight spell. It could be blocked by covering the pommel.

The weapon could also be made to unleash a powerful beam of energy at will, which blasted whatever it touched.

The sword's magical powers came from the glowing gemstone in the pommel. Sages believed that even attempting to remove the stone would cause both it and the sword to lose all these powers.

History
Master Smith Fyrfar Smokebeard forged Sarghathuld in the Year of the Many Serpents, 605 DR. This was one of over a thousand orcslayer weapons made over several years at the order of Deep King Tuir Stonebeard, in an effort to destroy the orcish realm of Vastar. Sarghathuld and the other weapons were enchanted by High Old One Turbaern, Blood Axe of Clangeddin, who was assisted by the human mage Beldossan and the elven sorceress Aleratha Ilnatar.

Sarghathuld was granted to Ulnorn, a dwarven warrior. Wielding Orcbane, Ulnorn fought with courage in the dwarven battles against Vastar's orcs, culminating in that realm's fall in the Year of the Spellfire, 610 DR, and the rise of the dwarven kingdom of Roldilar.

Ulnorn later journeyed to Myth Drannor in its heyday, and there dwarven craftsmen and elven mages further enchanted Sarghathuld. But with the fall of Myth Drannor in the Year of Doom, 714 DR, Sarghathuld disappeared from history for almost twenty years.

But Sarghathuld found its way back into dwarven hands, and in the Year of the Splendid Stag, 734 DR, Ironlord Barundar mac Idrin of Earthfast presented Sarghathuld as a gift to King Halanter I of Impiltur on his coronation. Halanter was known as Arausamman, or "great friend", to the dwarves of Earthfast, and was the first Impilturan ruler to make a pact with them.

Sarghathuld lay in Impiltur's Royal Vaults for some time, and was eventually collected by Mage Royal Soargar in his tower as part of his mission to preserve the treasures of Old Impiltur as the realm fractured. He granted the collection, known as Soargar's Legacy, to Imphras I in the Year of the Dawn Dance, 1095 DR. Sarghathuld was one among a hundred-or-so magical weapons in the collection. These were granted to Imphras's loyal battle companions, who later became his Royal Guard.

Sarghathuld remained in the hands of the Royal Guard until the Year of the Luminar Procession, 1127 DR. King Imbrar I led the Royal Guard and a troop of soldiers against the hobgoblins of the Giantspire Mountains—and all vanished without a trace. Sarghathuld and the other enchanted weapons were thought lost.

Sarghathuld resurfaced a century and a half later, when Kesten Orthalin of the Grimblades adventuring company had the sage Arthylmas of Saerloon identify the blade. Given the Grimblades activities, Sarghathuld may have been plundered from some ruin in the lands around the eastern Inner Sea. Shortly after, however, the Grimblades were slain by the green dragon Urnalithorgathla in the Spiderhaunt Wood in the Dalelands and Sarghathuld lay another ninety years in her hoard.

Finally, a force of dwarves slew Urnalithorgathla, and their leader, Borlin, claimed Sarghathuld to wield in battle. In the Year of the Wave, 1364 DR, Borlin led the Mithril Legion on a quest to reclaim the lost Mines of Tethyamar by the Dalelands. Then they, too, disappeared, and Sarghathuld with them.

Othiiyr Velthrann, a sage from the city of Tsurlagol in the Vast, made his life's work the study of the magic swords of Soargar's Legacy. Othiiyr dedicated himself to recording the legends around them, and pieced together the history of Sarghathuld and other blades. Othiiyr assisted the Knights of Imphras II in their continuing quest to find the lost swords of Soargar's Legacy. Sarghathuld remained missing by the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, but the Knights were working to recover it.

Notable owners

 * Ulnorn, blood of Jalabar
 * Ironlord Barundar mac Idrin of Earthfast
 * King Halanter I of Impiltur
 * Mage Royal Soargar
 * Royal Guard
 * Kesten "Steelglance" Orthalin
 * Urnalithorgathla
 * Borlin, blood of Ghellin