MERIKEL
CHAPTER 3
ITEMS OF LEGACY Illus. by W. England
Powers once benign and helpful became dark, unholy This enormous, silvery greatsword was once the magic, searing the soul and crushing hope. Hinsa did weapon of a solar who shared the weapon’s everything in his ability to restore Merikel’s purity, but he was unable to do so. With a heavy name. The blade retains a commanding aura heart, he cast the blade into the deepest part of of goodness and power, but small aspects the ocean, praying Heironeous would guide a of the greatsword’s appearance can only be worthier hand to it. (DC 18; Pious Redempdescribed as disturbing. The guard is blackened as if by an intense fire, and it is studded tion or Down the Dark Path) with cruel barbs wholly out of place on such a Despite being separated from Merikel by the planar boundaries, the greatsword was still tied inhallowed weapon. Celestial writing along the blade seems innocuous enough, but anyone who timately to the spirit of its fallen owner. As Merikel can read the language sees the words brooded in the Hells, slowly becoming become foul blasphemies halfway more twisted and devilish, the blade to the sword’s tip. mirrored his descent into evil. The Nonlegacy Game Statistics: tainted sword brooded at the bottom +1 greatsword; Cost 2,350 gp. Merikel of the sea, becoming a dark reflection counts as a good-aligned weapon for of its former form. Aquatic elves eventually found Merikel, brought the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. sword to the surface, and sold it to a weaponsmith in a coastHISTORY al market. There, Garnaj, a Merikel was one of the most blackguard dedicated to Hexpotent and favored solars in tor, stole the unholy blade. In the service of Heironeous. He Garnaj’s hands, the last sparks stood at the god’s right hand, of goodness in Merikel were all carrying out the Invincible’s but extinguished. They might will and defending the faithhave been lost altogether had ful against the depredations of Garnaj not been slain by Hinsa’s grandson Dremmik, a noble knight. Hextor and other enemies of the Dremmik reclaimed his grandfather’s faith. His influence was so great that sword and, guided by Heironeous’s wismany of Heironeous’s worshipers prayed not directly to their deity, but to Merikel for his dom, embarked upon a quest to redeem Merikel. intercession. Perhaps this worship led Merikel (DC 25; Path of Hope or Path of Despair) to grow arrogant and prideful, or perhaps Dremmik’s pursuit of Merikel’s deliverance Hextor or some other foe manipulated him, was cut short when Merikel himself, now a but Merikel claimed godhood for himself and powerful lord in the Nine Hells, attacked the challenged Heironeous for the right to be the young paladin in a bid to reclaim the weapon deity of valor. Heironeous defeated the solar that had once been his. Fallen solar and knight and, with great sadness, cast him down into met in a clash of epic proportions, laying waste the Nine Hells. Merikel’s sword was separated to vast areas of countryside. Though the battle from him as he fell, however, and came to rest was long and fierce, in the end Merikel slew on the Material Plane. (DC 15) Dremmik. The purity of the paladin’s sacrifice, When Merikel’s greatsword—bearing the however, purged enough of the evil from the sword that Merikel was unable to carry the fallen angel’s name written in Celestial upon its blade—fell to the Material Plane, it was still weapon away. Revolted, the fallen angel left pure and holy, as befitted the weapon of an anMerikel with Dremmik’s body and returned to gel. A paladin named Hinsa discovered it and the Nine Hells. The final fate of Merikel remains unknown, for when Dremmik’s body carried the blade for several years, vanMerikel was once the quishing many foes with it. Over time, was discovered, the sword was not with renowned weapon of a solar however, Hinsa noticed a darkness rothim. (DC 31; Final Purification or ting the core of goodness within Merikel. Final Damnation)
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