The Sword of Lorinth

Aura moderate conjuration, necromancy, and transmutation; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 54,550gp; Weight 8 lbs.

Lady Penelope Smith was the founder of the free city of Lorinth. A tireless adventurer, she continued seeking new quests even in her old age. Rumor among her subjects was that the adventures kept her young. Such activity could not keep her eternally young, however, and old age eventually began creeping into even her bones. Reluctantly, Penelope left the city of Lorinth behind and embarked upon one last adventure from which she never returned.

No one is sure quite what happened to Penelope, but decades later a group of adventurers discovered a magical intelligent sword that contained her personality. Either the Lady of Lorinth had been placed under a curse and bound to the blade or she intentionally transplanted her spirit into a magical sword as a way to remain eternally young. The greatsword now known as the sword of Lorinth is a mighty weapon that thrives on blood and battle. Many adventurers have tried to wield it, only to find that Penelope’s personality takes over, constantly driving the wielder to seek out greater and greater peril.

The sword of Lorinth is a keen greatsword +3. It is intelligent, imbued with Penelope’s personality. The sword has an Intelligence of 17, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 17, and is capable of both speech and telepathy. It has darkvision and hearing out to 120 feet and can read and speak Common, Giant, Goblin, and Orc.

The sword of Lorinth has a chaotic neutral alignment. However, unlike most intelligent items, the blade does not inflict a negative level upon wielders of incompatible alignment. Instead, Penelope will do her best to work with the wielder as long as it leads her to greater adventures. The sword tries to influence those who wield it, pushing the adventurer into greater and greater challenges and usually bringing about that adventurer’s doom.

The sword of Lorinth can cast deathwatch 3 times per day, which it uses to determine which enemies are the closest to death and which provide the most challenge. It changes the wielder’s demeanor, granting the adventurer 10 extra ranks in Intimidate. It can cast cure moderate wounds upon its wielder 3 times per day, healing 2d8+3 damage with each use. Finally, the sword of Lorinth can cast haste on its wielder 3 times per day. If the wielder attempts to run away or ignores the sword’s attempt to seek out the strongest challenge in battle, the blade will cease using its abilities and will act as a normal +3 keen greatsword for the duration of the battle.

The sword of Lorinth has an Ego of 17, making it difficult to control for most warriors. The wielder must make an Ego check whenever he attempts to flee a battle, which Penelope’s spirit will not allow. Additionally, the sword drives the wielder to seek out the strongest foe in any combat, even if another foe is in easier reach. Trying to do otherwise requires an Ego check from the wielder. If the sword’s wielder reveals himself to be cowardly or overly prudent, the blade will seek to escape, using telepathy to attract thieves, monsters, or anyone else who might take the weapon through theft or force.