DwarfSlayer

Full Item Description

The DwarfSlayer is a three foot long iron mace with spikes of crystal and a leather thong to wrap around the wearer's arm in battle.All those who go near it sense it's awesome power.

History

At first the humans and the Dwarves, although they had the odd arguement here and there, were friends. Both marched to the aid of each other against the Orcs of the West and their super-weapon, Grond. More then once they broke sieges on the other race's cities and at last, the Orcs were chased back into the wilderness and peace broke out.And it was then that things began to go wrong.

Human prospectors cast greedy eyes towards the gold and silver mines of the Dwarves and resented their hold on the best veins of ore in the area. The Dwarves for their part made it clear that they were not going to share their mines with humans any more then they would share them with Orcs.
Things came to a head when Prince Rainier got drunk when on a diplomatic mission within Goddlott, the finest of the Dwarven cities, and decided to try and rape a Dwarven princess, which in his drunken state he mistook for a human child.Her screams brought her bodyguards to the scene who battered her attacker to death with warhammers.

King Rufus, his father, could not beleave that it was his son's fault that he had died, and convinced himself in his grief that the Dwarves had murdered his son. He declaired war but his men were unable to break through the iron gates and tall stone walls of Goddlott. So the King ordered his wizards to create a weapon that could bypass them.

First they summonned an Earth Elemential and, with great difficulty and the loss of many soldiers and two of the King's finest wizards, mananaged to kill it. Then they took some of the broken pieces from it's shattered crystaline body and used them as the spikes for a mace of iron that the finest human blacksmiths had forged, and the King decided to test it out, once the wizards had enchanted it.

He was able to use it to step into solid rock, through which he could see dimly,as if he were under a lake. He took the dwaven guards by surprise when he stepped into their tunnel, and slew them,before throwing open the gates from the inside and letting his army pour in. They made great progress at first, but the city was too big for them, and they were forced back, which was when the King used the biggest power in the weapon, an earthquake which shook a large part of the city to the ground, killing both Dwarves and humans.

He was able to avoid being crushed by stepping into the rock, only to feel greatly weakened, with only his weapon hand able to work properly.It was then that he realized that he had used the weapon too much and it was draining his life force, and would kill him quickly if he did not let it go.With great diffculty he untied the leather strap and let it go...and died in agony as he soldified inside the rock, which choked him to death, snapped his bones and crushed his flesh to pulp at the same time.

Humans dug out the weapon a few months later whilst rebuilding the conqured city.

Magic/Cursed Properties

The DwarfSlayer is a potent weapon with many uses. First, in battle it has a two in six chance of smashing sheilds, weapons and helmets as long as they are non magical.

Secondly, the user can use it to walk through solid rock for up to five minites without ill effect.

Thirdly, once a week the user can summon an earthquake capable of destroying part of a city.

However, it has it's drawbacks too. Walking through solid earth or rock for more then five minites will start to drain the life force of it's owner.At first the owner will become tired, then sluggish, then sick, and if the weapon is not put down quickly enough, he or she will die.But putting it down before one has got back into the open air will cause painful and fatal results-the owner will become solid inside the earth or rock and will be suffocated and crushed at the same time.

Using the earthquake power will sap the owner's life force at once and the weapon must be put down at once or the owner will die.

The powers can only be used when the owner has both feet on the ground, and should the owner get caught in quicksand or try and swim whilst holding the weapon, he or she will be sucked under.

Dwarves,Gnomes,Hobbits and other races of that type will fear and/or hate the user, often to the point that they want to kill him. Earth Elementials are sickened and outraged by the sight of Earth Elemential body parts on the weapon and will at the very least not agree to help him/her.
They too might well act violently.