Merikel

This enormous, silvery greatsword was once the weapon of a solar who shared the weapon’s name. The blade retains a commanding aura of goodness and power, but small aspects of the greatsword’s appearance can only be described as disturbing. The guard is blackened as if by an intense fire, and it is studded with cruel barbs wholly out of place on such a hallowed weapon. Celestial writing along the blade seems innocuous enough, but anyone who can read the language sees the words become foul blasphemies halfway to the sword’s tip.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 greatsword; Cost 2,350 gp. Merikel counts as a good-aligned weapon for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. HISTORY

Merikel was one of the most potent and favored solars in the service of Heironeous. He stood at the god’s right hand, carrying out the Invincible’s will and defending the faithful against the depredations of Hextor and other enemies of the faith. His influence was so great that many of Heironeous’s worshipers prayed not directly to their deity, but to Merikel for his intercession. Perhaps this worship led Merikel to grow arrogant and prideful, or perhaps Hextor or some other foe manipulated him, but Merikel claimed godhood for himself and challenged Heironeous for the right to be the deity of valor. Heironeous defeated the solar and, with great sadness, cast him down into the Nine Hells. Merikel’s sword was separated from him as he fell, however, and came to rest on the Material Plane. (DC 15) When Merikel’s greatsword—bearing the fallen angel’s name written in Celestial upon its blade—fell to the Material Plane, it was still pure and holy, as befitted the weapon of an angel. A paladin named Hinsa discovered it and carried the blade for several years, vanquishing many foes with it. Over time, however, Hinsa noticed a darkness rotting the core of goodness within Merikel. Powers once benign and helpful became dark, unholy magic, searing the soul and crushing hope. Hinsa did everything in his ability to restore Merikel’s purity, but he was unable to do so. With a heavy heart, he cast the blade into the deepest part of the ocean, praying Heironeous would guide a worthier hand to it. (DC 18; Pious Redemption or Down the Dark Path) Despite being separated from Merikel by the planar boundaries, the greatsword was still tied intimately to the spirit of its fallen owner. As Merikel brooded in the Hells, slowly becoming more twisted and devilish, the blade mirrored his descent into evil. The tainted sword brooded at the bottom of the sea, becoming a dark reflection of its former form. Aquatic elves eventually found Merikel, brought the sword to the surface, and sold it to a weaponsmith in a coastal market. There, Garnaj, a blackguard dedicated to Hextor, stole the unholy blade. In Garnaj’s hands, the last sparks of goodness in Merikel were all but extinguished. They might have been lost altogether had Garnaj not been slain by Hinsa’s grandson Dremmik, a noble knight. Dremmik reclaimed his grandfather’s sword and, guided by Heironeous’s wisdom, embarked upon a quest to redeem Merikel. (DC 25; Path of Hope or Path of Despair) Dremmik’s pursuit of Merikel’s deliverance was cut short when Merikel himself, now a powerful lord in the Nine Hells, attacked the young paladin in a bid to reclaim the weapon that had once been his. Fallen solar and knight met in a clash of epic proportions, laying waste to vast areas of countryside. Though the battle was long and fierce, in the end Merikel slew Dremmik. The purity of the paladin’s sacrifice, however, purged enough of the evil from the sword that Merikel was unable to carry the weapon away. Revolted, the fallen angel left Merikel with Dremmik’s body and returned to the Nine Hells. The final fate of Merikel remains unknown, for when Dremmik’s body

Merikel was once the was discovered, the sword was not with renowned weapon of a solar him. (DC 31; Final Purification or Final Damnation)

Illus. by W. England

Table 3–30: Merikel

————— Personal Costs —————

Wielder Attack Save Hit Point

Level Penalty Penalty Loss Abilities

5th — — — Touch of grace 3/day or touch of fury 1/day 6th — — 4 — 7th — — — Divine countenance (+2) 8th — –1 — Bless or bane 9th –1 — 2 — 10th — — — +2 greatsword 11th — — — Consecrate or desecrate 12th — — 2 — 13th –2 — — — 14th — — — +2 (holy or unholy) greatsword 15th — — 2 — 16th — –2 — Summon archon 1/day or summon devil 1/day 17th — — — Circle of peace or circle of woe 18th — –3 2 +4 (holy or unholy) greatsword 19th — — 2 — 20th — — 2 Swift heal LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Merikel. The greatsword is a dual legacy weapon (see page 208), existing in a state of flux between good and evil. Thus, each ritual has two aspects. You must decide which of these to develop whenever you perform a legacy ritual. Your choice cannot be changed retroactively, but you can choose a different aspect when undertaking a new ritual.

Pious Redemption or Down the Dark Path: Pious Redemption requires you to perform an act of redemption, such as atoning for a personal sin or convincing a thief to leave behind her life of crime and put her talents to good use. To enact Down the Dark Path, you must perform a wicked act, such as deliberately breaking a promise made in good faith or convincing a new cleric to abandon his holy tenets and desert his faith. Cost: 4,500 gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Merikel).

Path of Hope or Path of Despair: To perform Path of Hope, you must destroy an outsider servant of Hextor or another evil deity opposed to Heironeous. Path of Despair requires you to make contact with and slay a good-aligned outsider who serves Heironeous. You must face your chosen foe alone and use Merikel as your only weapon. Cost: 12,500 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Merikel).

Final Purification or Final Damnation: Final Purification requires you to travel to a church of Heironeous and bathe the sword in holy water blessed by the high priest there. To perform Final Damnation, you must dip Merikel into the poisonous water of the River Styx, whether by traveling to one of the lower planes through which the Styx runs, finding a wellspring on the Material Plane, or simply acquiring a container of the water. Cost: 40,500 gp. Feat Granted:

Greater Legacy (Merikel). WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

Blackguards, clerics, and paladins are most likely to use Merikel.

Merikel Wielder Requirements

Ability to cast 1st-level divine spells Base attack bonus +3

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Merikel.

Dual Legacy Properties: At each level where two abilities are listed on the table, you gain the ability associated with the ritual path you’re following but not the other ability. The first ability listed is associated with the good path of rituals, while the second is associated with the evil path. If you change paths midstream, all abilities change to match your new outlook. For example, if Amri performs the Pious Redemption ritual to acquire Least Legacy (Merikel), Merikel acquires the touch of grace and bless abilities over the next several levels. If she subsequently performs Path of Despair to acquire Lesser Legacy (Merikel), the least abilities are replaced by touch of fury and bane, respectively, and any lesser abilities come from the evil path. Touch of Grace (Sp): At 5th level and higher, three times per day you can use cure light wounds as the spell by touching the item to the creature to be healed (including yourself) and speaking a command word.

The save DC is 11, or 11 + your Charisma modifi er, whichever is higher. Caster level 5th.

Touch of Fury (Sp): Starting at 5th level, once per day on command, you can use infl ict moderate wounds as the spell. The save DC is 13, or 12 + your Charisma modifi er, whichever is higher. Caster level 7th. Divine Countenance (Su): At 7th level, you gain a +2 enhancement bonus to Charisma. Bless (Su): At 8th level and higher, Merikel is the center of a constant bless spell. Caster level 5th.

Bane (Su): Beginning at 8th level, Merikel is the center of a constant bane spell. The save DC is 11, or 11 + your Charisma modifi er, whichever is higher.

Any enemy who successfully saves is immune to this ability for 24 hours. Caster level 5th.

Consecrate (Su): When you attain 11th level,

Merikel is the center of a continual consecrate spell.

Caster level 10th.

Desecrate (Su): At 11th level and higher, Merikel is the center of a continual desecrate spell. Caster level 10th.

Summon Archon (Sp): Beginning at 16th level, once per day on command, you can use summon monster

V as the spell, but only to summon a hound archon.

Caster level 9th.

Summon Devil (Sp): At 16th level and higher, once per day on command, you can use summon monster

V as the spell, but only to summon a bearded devil.

Caster level 9th.

Circle of Peace (Sp): Starting at 17th level, two times per day on command, you can use mass cure light wounds as the spell.

Circle of Woe (Sp): Starting at 17th level, two times per day on command, you can use mass infl ict light wounds as the spell. The save DC is 17, or 15 + your Charisma modifi er, whichever is higher. Caster level 15th.

Swift Heal (Sp): At 20th level and higher, once per day as a swift action while holding, wearing, or wielding Merikel, you can recover hit points as if from the more benefi cial form of either a heal spell or a harm spell. Caster level 17th. ADVENTURE SEED (EL 4)

While camping in the wilderness one night, a particularly religious party member receives a prophetic dream, revealing an angel battling a man who resembles depictions of Heironeous. Finally, the angel is felled and thrown down into the Hells. A sword the fallen one carries plummets separately, landing on the Material Plane. The dreamer recognizes the site shown in the dream as an old, ruined temple of Heironeous just a day’s ride to the north. When the PCs go to investigate the temple, a forbidding hound archon attempts to block the way.

The archon does not use lethal force unless attacked with the same. If the PCs overcome it, or convince it to let them proceed with a DC 25 Diplomacy or Bluff check, they can enter the ruined church. However, without the archon’s knowledge, a party of gnolls found a hidden way into the cathedral. While the archon guards the front doors, the gnolls come and go freely through the rear. They have set up a camp within the cathedral and must be dealt with before anyone can claim Merikel. Hound Archon: hp 33 (see page 17 of the Monster

Manual). Gnolls (4): hp 11 each (see page 130 of the Monster

Manual). Ruined Church

Gnoll Nest The gnolls camp in the nave of the ruined church. They are on guard against intruders. Altar This altar contains an elaborate design that Merikel is actually part of, hiding it from easy recognition. A DC 21 Search check reveals the sword as a separate element, and a DC 18 Strength check pulls it free.