Coilin Esp (Legendary Sword of the Steel Realms)

Steel Realms
Value: ? silver crowns

Location: Hall of Heroes

This relic lies in the Hall of Heroes, unclaimed and unused. It is said to be a weapon of potent magic, as fast as a striking serpent. Those that wield it improperly may feel the bite of its poisoned fangs – a horrid and painful death. It is a slim longsword has a razor sharp edge and point. The grip incorporates a fanged serpent with needle-like teeth. The balance feels awkward, as if it were never designed to be wielded by a humanoid. Light does not glint off the blade, and when it’s drawn, it makes a soft sibilant hissing sound. It makes no sound when slicing through the air for an attack. It is legendary for imparting great speed to its wielder, and a poisonous cut on enemies.

Bonded Compact: The sword will not lend itself willingly to attack or harm in any way through the actions of it or its wielder, the following: Snakes (all), Lizard Men, Naga, and Yuan-Ti. If the wielder has a familiar, it must be in the form of a snake; treated as it were dedicated +1 ac/+2 hp

Offering: per great spirit of Sisslenn.


D20 Sword Features

Universal [Ongoing] Properties:

  • The blade is treated as if it were a Finesse weapon; It does d8/4; but no damage adjustment.
  • Swift: +2 Initiative; +2 [magical] Attack bonus
Item Endangerment: The item can be harmed by Magical Acid Damage > 25 (-1 damage) and Psychic Damage > 25 (items Bonded powers suppressed until a Short Rest or Lesser Restoration).

Minor Powers

Requires: Essence Attunement

  • The blade requires Minor Attunement; it takes 1 Essence.
  • A FEAT is required to become Proficient with the weapon – any class/race can.
  • Distraction: Extends the Help action range by 5′
  • Detect/Sense Poison 30′ (empathy; of any kind of poison, includes direction)
  • Agile: Wielder gains proficiency in Dexterity (wielder does not have to be holding it, just Attuned)

Major Powers

Requires: Attunement

  • The blade requires Major Attunement; it takes 2 Essence. At the beginning of this time the attuned character takes 1 HP permanent damage and has a venom induced fever w/3 levels of Exhaustion until the Major Attunement is complete.
  • Physical Impact: The attuned’s eyes become serpent eyes and soft scales grow in symmetrical patches around their body. They sweat nearly nothing/have dry skin and their tongue will poke out from between their lips every now and then.
  • Watchful: If stolen, it turns into a snake and returns to attuned wielder.
  • Speak w/Animals (snakes only) at will (must be holding); can use Persuade/Deception checks to coerce any single, collection or body (swarm) of snakes.
  • Animal friendship 1/Long Rest (snakes only); Disadvantage on saves.
  • Silence 1/Long Rest – but centered on the wielder and moves with them.
  • Envenomed Strike: Any target hit must make a DC 10 Constitution save or have the Poisoned condition for the next 3 rounds.
  • Swift: [Improved] Initiative checks become 10+d10/15 while wielding.
  • Unseen Strike: Can use Battle Master Maneuvers; d6(6) superiority dice (always uses maximum value). The strike can be used a number of times per Short Rest = Attuned wielder’s Proficiency Bonus:
    • Ambush
    • Evasive Footwork
    • Lunging Attack
  • Wielder is Immune to poison damage and the Poisoned condition.
Superior Powers
Requirements: Major Attunement, Conviction (for Ssisslenn), and an alignment shift to neutral (as per all animal archetypes).
  • Envenomed Strike: [Upgraded] The target loses 5′ of movement – even if the poison save fails. This is not cumulative with multiple hits.
  • Watchful: [Improved; Watchful Serpent] While resting (Short Rest), the blade can alert the wielder of anyone unauthorized coming within 30’. They must have their hand touching the weapon, and will take 1 hp of damage when alerted, but are instantly awake and clear headed (barring any Conditions they were suffering). Allowing certain targets to approach takes a Short Rest per creature, which must stay within 10′ for the imprint to work. The blade is considered to have improved/superior darkvision 30′ for the purpose of assessing if it can “see” or sense a target.
  • Guardian: 1/Long Rest it operates as a Staff of the Python, if it is broken it becomes a sword once again, but treats the owner is if they were not proficient (though they may wield it without the danger of being bit) until a Long Rest is complete.

Prohibition

The wielder can try and force the blade to violate the compact, contesting its Dexterity (Acrobatics) +10 vs. the character’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) – whichever is best. If the wielder wins, the attack follows through and the wielder takes 1 hp of Hard Damage and a poison (against which the wielder has no Immunity or Resistance) slows the wielder’s speed by 5’ for 3 rounds (cumulative). No active powers of the sword can be used on these creatures – they are blocked.

Unproficient/Unattuned

If the wielder is not proficient or unattuned and attempts to wield the sword, only the minor abilities are available to them, and each time they grab the sword to wield it or hit an opponent, they must make a DC 15 Dexterity check or the serpent on the grip will strike them as well, with a major envenomed strike.

Incarna Core Sword Features

About/Chronicle

Coilin Esp is what is referred to as one of the few “Weapons of the Realm.” They are singularly and legendarily powerful. Legends, myths, and all manner of tales surround them. Most are watched over by the Bardic Tradition of Kings, The Guild of Solars, AND the sisterhood of the Sisterhood of Dohar Jaideen, and stored in the Hall of Heroes in Oerdney – seat of the High King. They are rarely used, for all have purpose and power far beyond normal. Only the truly special and powerful can wield them, because some are known to subvert the will of their wielder. Several times these weapons have survived the death of a wielder to make their way back, a few have been lost, and a few destroyed over the ages. These weapons are all named, and the chronicles of their battles mostly well documented. Many are tied to Great Spirits, or the spirit of an entity that died to Awaken the item. Their memories are like faint echoes when sentient creatures are about – the sadness, the anger, all the emotions their wielders and victims felt over the ages. The most famous of these is Stone-Cutter.

Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability. If nothing is indicated, assume Common Knowledge.

Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty

Most Recent History

Believed lost

Commonly Understood Origins

Unknown, it was not crafted from any metal on Helca.

Commonly Understood Development

It was built for a reason, though that purpose has never been found.

Into the south came the hero Skallagrim, and united much of the south. His expeditions into the dune sea uncovered it. His kin kept it for several generations but did not wield it. Rumors say they feared it. It was taken to and sat in the Hall of Heroes for hundreds of years until it was used by Kyon Lamyr (and party) to slay a dream dragon. It was lost after that, probably with Kyon, who vanished seeking a passage through the Black Fens for the hero’s ride.

  • Key Places: Heroes Hall (Oerdney)
  • Key Entities: Thought to be sacred to the serpent lord Sisslenn
  • Key Concepts: Swiftness

Duel at Sun’s End:

The Curse of the Evenwood:

Ifnew’s Blood River:

Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty

It was built for those who revere serpents, to all others it has a limit to its powers. When grasped, it is always an even temperature, no matter if it’s been in icy wind overnight, or just pulled from the embers of a bonfire. Natural conditions never affect it.

Elise’s Ire – the Feud of the Sisters: (feywild)

Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty

The trail of the Parched Host:

In reality, Kyon Lamyr died in the desert, killed by the serpent folk when they sensed it and took back their relic of war. It was reported again in 8931 when the druids of Sisslenn traded it for saving the serpent people’s last brood mother from an illness that nearly wiped them out. It’s been kept, under the arch of Sisslenn in the Pranin Moorswood for almost 150 years.

Dunstrand Rising Living World

Dunstrand Rising (Steel Realms Campaign) Record Only

The Gallants…

Obscure Knowledge / Near-Impossible Difficulty

Note: Secret Knowledge is information not available in any known references; It is not necessarily Forbidden Knowledge.

It came from Amenti Apep when the world was young. Forged in the fires of a meteorite crash, quenched in the venom of the snake folk. The ancient serpent folk used it in their war with the Druunad until it nearly killed both races. The sword was buried in a temple in the southern desert for a thousand years.

A great and powerful sea serpent gave itself voluntarily to empower the blade. From the cold depths the beast was called, it had slept for hundreds of years. The light of day was a foreign experience, it bellowed and poison dripped from its maw. The serpent was mesmerized by the glinting blade, and the compact was made. The sword was driven into its eye, and the creature slumped, its body dead in an instant and its power and mind became the blades. The living serpent spirit bound to it will harm none of its brethren. As it was an animal and not highly sentient, the blade is not “intelligent” per se. The spirit uses the compulsion it feels to generate a powerful empathy with the wielder. Even in combat, it emits a powerful sensation of detached calmness. No mercy, no anger, merely impersonal survival.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic