OSR Commentary - The Insidious Nature of The Blades Stormbringer & Mournblade In Original Dungeons & Dragons

" Elric knew that everything that existed had its opposite. In danger he might find peace. And yet, of course, in peace there was danger. Being an imperfect creature in an imperfect world he would always know paradox. And that was why in paradox there was always a kind of truth. That was why philosophers and soothsayers flourished. In a perfect world there would be no place for them. In an imperfect world the mysteries were always without solution and that was why there was always a great choice of solutions."

Michael Moorcock,  The Elric Saga Part I

When it comes to Stormbringer & Mournblade from Michael Moorcock's Elric saga no two enchanted blades have come close to matching the modern impact of these two blades on Sword & Sorcery. In Robert  Kuntz & James Ward's Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes Stormbringer appears and it's a beast; "Chaotic in nature, this sword has an intelligence of 12 and an ego of 12, is plus 5 when hitting, in the presence of Mournblade is as a Dancing Sword, and drains energy levels.On a roll of 11-20 it will drain all the energy levels from a being if it hits, with a roll of 7-10 allowing it to drain one half of the energy levels if it hits. The energy levels gained from the battle are transferred to Elric giving him an 18 strength, and a 100% on his exceptional strength. It also adds to his hit points by the method of rolling the proper die for the type of being hit. If a magic user is hit roll a 4 sided die and multiply the number gotten by the levels the magic user has. The same is done for all other classes and creatures. The sword becomes sated after draining off 300 energy levels, in which case after 10 melee turns Elric reverts back to his former strength and hit points. This sated state lasts for 50 full turns, at the end of which the sword will take another 300 levels." 

What makes the Black Swords so damn dangerous?! According to the Stormbringer fandom wiki entry on Stormbringer's history; "Before the Melnibonreans' ancestors, the Mernii, arrived on  Elric's World, the Nihrain were a prosperous society who served the Cosmic Balance. To combat the Dead Gods and other powers of Law and Chaos that threatened to tip the scales of the Balance, the Nihrain forged the pieces of the  Dragon Sword into the twin Black Swords, Stormbringer and Mournblade, and perhaps also forged their many brothers as well. Out of fear for the blades' power to slay them, the Dead Gods killed themselves (removed their physical forms and joined Eternity). But while both blades had the power to absorb vitality as did all Black Swords, Stormbringer was different from the others, because a mysterious power entered the blade at the time it was forged"

 And one of the most dangerous magical quality that both Stormbringer & Mournblade have is the fact that they can slay divinities & gods; "Godslaying-  Stormbringer  is fully capable of killing gods, even  Chaos Lord  and Lords of Law, and is greatly feared because of this. Though it is said that this does not truly destroy the Lords of the Higher Worlds, it just consumes their current manifestations in that world and ensures they cannot return there." 

This brings a whole other level of dangerous to both manifestations of the Black Blade or Sword; "Stormbringer is a manifestation of the Black Sword, a cosmic archetype that can exist in any world of the Multiverse. In some universes, it manifests in other ways. It has been seen as a black jewel, and even a large humanoid demon. It is even suggested that Stormbringer  and perhaps any Black Sword's true form is that of the humanoid demon"

This maybe one of the most dangerous aspects of these blades because not even the gods themselves are safe from having their divinity absorbed by the Black Swords. This means that the wielders of the Black Swords are the heralds for the 'End Times.'

The second that the two swords are snatched from their place in the Pulsing Cavern the world of the Young Kingdoms is doomed. Way back in the early Eighties we had a chance to run across Elric's cousin Yyrkoon. And our PC's were adventuring in the Young Kingdom during one of my uncle's games. We were too get several sorcerous herbs & spell components for our employer. Ultimately, we got the items and completed the task. We figured out what he was going to do which was open the dimensional door into the Pulsing Cavern. Our party left the world of the Young Kingdoms for Greyhawk shortly there after without us getting paid. Mournblade is the twin of Stormbringer and as such they are merely two parts of the same evil or malevolent entity. We wanted no truck with either of the demon swords and this policy continued into our years playing Stormbringer. 

OSR Commentary - The Insidious Nature of The Blades Stormbringer & Mournblade In Original Dungeons & Dragons

 “Elric knew that everything that existed had its opposite. In danger he might find peace. And yet, of course, in peace there was danger. Being an imperfect creature in an imperfect world he would always know paradox. And that was why in paradox there was always a kind of truth. That was why philosophers and soothsayers flourished. In a perfect world there would be no place for them. In an imperfect world the mysteries were always without solution and that was why there was always a great choice of solutions.”

― Michael Moorcock, The Elric Saga Part I

When it comes to Stormbringer & Mournblade from Michael Moorcock's Elric saga no two enchanted blades have come close to matching the modern impact of these two blades on Sword & Sorcery. In Robert  Kuntz & James Ward's Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes Stormbringer appears and it's a beast; "Chaotic in nature, this sword has an intelligence of 12 and an ego of 12, is plus 5 when hitting, in the presence of Mournblade is as a Dancing Sword, and drains energy levels.On a roll of 11-20 it will drain all the energy levels from a being if it hits, with a roll of 7-10 allowing it to drain onehalf of the energy levels if it hits. The energy levels gained from the battle are transferred to Elric giving him an 18 strength, and a 100% on his exceptional strength. It also adds to his hit points by the method of rolling the proper die for the type of being hit. If a magic user is hit roll a 4 sided die and multiply the number gotten by the levels the magic user has. The same is done for all other classes and creatures. The sword becomes sated after draining off 300 energy levels, in which case after 10 melee turns Elric reverts back to his former strength and hit points. This sated state lasts for 50 full turns, at the end of which the sword will take another 300 levels." 
What makes the Black Swords so damn dangerous?! According to the Stormbringer fandom wiki entry on Stormbringer's history; "Before the Melnibonéans' ancestors, the Mernii, arrived on Elric's World, the Nihrain were a prosperous society who served the Cosmic Balance. To combat the Dead Gods and other powers of Law and Chaos that threatened to tip the scales of the Balance, the Nihrain forged the pieces of the Dragon Sword into the twin Black Swords, Stormbringer and Mournblade, and perhaps also forged their many brothers as well. Out of fear for the blades' power to slay them, the Dead Gods killed themselves (removed their physical forms and joined Eternity). But while both blades had the power to absorb vitality as did all Black Swords, Stormbringer was different from the others, because a mysterious power entered the blade at the time it was forged"  
And one of the most dangerous magical quality that both Stormbringer & Mournblade have is the fact that they can slay divinities & gods; "Godslaying- Stormbringer is fully capable of killing gods, even Chaos Lords and Lords of Law, and is greatly feared because of this. Though it is said that this does not truly destroy the Lords of the Higher Worlds, it just consumes their current manifestations in that world and ensures they cannot return there." 

This brings a whole other level of dangerous to both manifestations of the Black Blade or Sword; "Stormbringer is a manifestation of the Black Sword, a cosmic archetype that can exist in any world of the Multiverse. In some universes, it manifests in other ways. It has been seen as a black jewel, and even a large humanoid demon. It is even suggested that Stormbringer and perhaps any Black Sword's true form is that of the humanoid demon"

This maybe one of the most dangerous aspects of these blades because not even the gods themselves are safe from having thier divinity absorbed by the Black Swords. This means that the wielders of the Black Swords are the heralds for the 'End Times.' 

The second that the two swords are snatched from thier place in the Pulsing Cavern the world of the Young Kingdoms is doomed. Way back in the early Eighties we had a chance to run across Elric's cousin  Yyrkoon. And our PC's were adventuring in the Young Kingdom during one of my uncle's games. We were too get several sorcerous herbs & spell components for our employer. Ultimately, we got the items and completed the task. We figured out what he was going to do which was open the dimensional door into the Pulsing Cavern. Our party left the world of the Young Kingdoms for Greyhawk shortly there after withour us getting paid. Mournblade is the twin of Stormbringer and as such they are merely two parts of the same evil or malevolent entity. We wanted no truck with either of the demon swords and this policy continued into our years playing Stormbringer. 

Zothique, X2 Castle Amber, And Clark Ashton Smith's Necromancy From Naat By Way of OSRIC

 Today's blog post is going to pick up right from this blog post here.  When it comes to Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique exotic & completely alien are the two words that come to mind. This is borne out within the CAS story ' Necromancy In Naat'. Clark Ashton Smith cranks up the 'ick' factor by '11' and then goes in for the kill with his ending. Death, the grave, and even then the ending isn't the original one. According to the Deep Ones KentonSem;"A few details from the notes by Scott Connors and Ron Hilger in the NSB edition of The Last Hieroglyph:

"Necromancy in Naat" was completed on February 6, 1935. It appeared in the July 1936 issue of Weird Tales, where it was accompanied by another Virgil Finlay illustration, where it tied with Robert E. Howard's "Red Nails" as the most popular story in the issue. Smith was paid seventy-three dollars for the story.

Smith wrote to August Derleth that "'Necromancy in Naat' seems the best of my more recently published weirds; though Wright forced me to mutilate the ending."

Apparently Farnsworth Wright had an issue with the last paragraph and the "shadowy love" that is hinted at (although it's not exactly necrophilia if it's between two consenting dead folk, now is it? Let's just call it necromantic). The original version was eventually restored for the NSB volume and presumably the online version listed above." 

Rodney Matthews, Obsidian Castle used without permission. 

And so what does this prevading use & abuse of the undead in 'Necromancy of Naat' have anything to do with OSRIC or the D20 version Zothique? Quite simply the dead don't rest quiet on Zothique and I believe that THAMOGORGOS the lord  of The Abyss is partially  responsible for this state of affairs. Many of the events of 'Necromancy in Naat' remind me of the restless and dangerous undead of X2  Castle Amber by Tom Moldvay. How?! In both the story & the module the dead play dangerous parts with the living. And it's possible when weird old gods are at play the rules for reality slide out the window. 

Starcrossed lovers who are actually dead & then become the play things of the necromancers amid the dying Earth's lost wasteland seas?! The classic X2 has many of the trappings of the' Necromancy of Naat' without the implied undead umm ick . X2 is one part dungeon, one part wilderness, & partially a module with deep roots in Glantri. Zothique itself while not a magick heavy setting none the less is on par with many Sword & Sorcery settings. 

And this is where the connection comes in with Elric's Pan Tang wizards, soldiers, mercenaries, etc. comes into play. We know for a fact according to the Stormbringer books by Michael Moorcock that the Young Kingdom's Pan Tang were sending out expediationary forces, envoys, etc. to expand the scope of the horrid kingdom's reach. 

Pan Tang miniature forces by Games Workshop 

If we look at the idea that we've got Pan Tangian envoys & forces moving beyond the planes of the Young Kingdom through foul magics then.  Then the foul forces of Pan Tang  can show up any place and this includes Zothique! The party may come up against forces they may have to flee from. 

If the PC's go into the land of Ghouls in X2 Castle Amber then the party may eventually find themselves within the lands of Mordiggan on Zothique!  After naviagting & neogatating with the ghoul tribes  or their foul Lovecraftian god events may trip in the party's  favor if the ghost of Stephen Amber parleys with the ghouls on the players behalf. Stephen  De Ambers was a mage of iincredible skill and it's no surprise that other mages may be angling to take over his domain. 

Many of my contempary DM's have eluded to the fact that Castle Amber may be a domain of Ravenloft. And perhaps Zothique could be one as well?! 

Michael Moorcock's Melnibonéans And Clark Aston Smith's Zothique By Way of OSRIC

 OSRIC came out in 2006, and it's use at the table top is a God's sent allowing the DM to create their own table top adventures & supplements. And OSRIC  also allows the DM to transcend the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Guide, Dungeon Master's Guide, & Monster Manual all in one at the table top level. All of these references are there at the DM & player's finger tips. 


Michael Moorcock – The Stealer of Souls (1963) artwork by Rodney Mathews used without permission 

This thread picks up right from this blog post from the other day here. So let's talk about the  Melniboneans whose alien & very primal ways get a solid from the Knights & Knaves forums here.  And it was Geoffrey's canon that has me thinking over about the classic Michael Moorcock stories:  "My "Elric canon" is pretty short; 

"The Dreaming City" (Science Fantasy #47, June 1961)
"While the Gods Laugh" (Science Fantasy #49, October 1961)
"The Stealer of Souls" (Science Fantasy #51, February 1962)
"Kings in Darkness" (Science Fantasy #54, August 1962)
"The Flame Bringers" [later retitled "The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams"] (Science Fantasy #55, October 1962)" 

And its really Grodog here that I agree with; " grodog » Tue May 14, 2019 7:23 pm

I tend to think of Melnibonéans as earlier "generation" of AD&D elves---they're more atavistic/primal, closer to Faerie (in this case the Unseelie Court, of course!), and more tainted with Chaos in comparison to modern-day AD&D elves. Modern elves would likely be seen as some debased Morlock-like freak, if they were acknowledged as relations at all.

YMMV, of course " Of course this brings in the fact that the  Melnibonéan tribes may be far more common then at first it appears. There could be other  Melnibonéan sorcerers scattered along the planes that never got the message about their ancient homeland ending. 
And the odd Melnibonéan sorcerer will be right at home within Clark Aston Smith's Zothique. These thoughts go back to Guy Fullerton's threads on the Knights & Knaves forum. Fullerton's been playing with this idea for a long time as he's got a Moorcockian Sorcerer class here.  As was said this isn't anything new & goes back to 2015. And it's perfect for Clark Aston Smith's Zothique and Smith himself describes Zothique in a great letter breakdown according to the Zothique wiki entry; "Clark Ashton Smith himself described the Zothique cycle in a letter to L. Sprague de Camp, dated November 3, 1953:

Zothique, vaguely suggested by Theosophic theories about past and future continents, is the last inhabited continent of earth. The continents of our present cycle have sunken, perhaps several times. Some have remained submerged; others have re-risen, partially, and re-arranged themselves. Zothique, as I conceive it, comprises Asia Minor, Arabia, Persia, India, parts of northern and eastern Africa, and much of the Indonesian archipelago. A new Australia exists somewhere to the south. To the west, there are only a few known islands, such as Naat, in which the black cannibals survive. To the north, are immense unexplored deserts; to the east, an immense unvoyaged sea. The peoples are mainly of Aryan or Semitic descent; but there is a negro kingdom (Ilcar) in the north-west; and scattered blacks are found throughout the other countries, mainly in palace-harems. In the southern islands survive vestiges of Indonesian or Malayan races. The science and machinery of our present civilization have long been forgotten, together with our present religions. But many gods are worshipped; and sorcery and demonism prevail again as in ancient days. Oars and sails alone are used by mariners. There are no fire-arms—only the bows, arrows, swords, javelins, etc. of antiquity. The chief language spoken (of which I have provided examples in an unpublished drama) is based on Indo-European roots and is highly inflected, like Sanskrit, Greek and Latin." 

So using OSRIC to recreate a Zothique style campaign setting isn't only possible but it might be easy to drop in a whole tribe of Melnibonéans and no one is going to be the wiser. 

More artwork by Rodney Mathews used without permission that captures in my mind the weirdness of Zothique.

OSRIC is perfect for a Zothique one shot because of it's flexibility & it's easy of rules for players to grasp. it makes sense then that these rules could be twisted to Smith's world & yes I know about the Free D20 Zothique pdf here.  And we'll be diving into how this applies next time! 

Michael Moorcock's Young Kingdoms And Clark Aston Smith's Zothique By Way of OSRIC

Before this blog entry get's underway we already know about the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition Deities & Demigods By Robert Kuntz & James Ward's  Elric mythos. The material below compliments it. 

 Rodney Mathews Elric artwork used without permission. 

 Over the weekend after playing several games & DMing, it was time to return home to the family. My mind wasn't idle at all over the rest of the weekend. And it went back back in time to 2006  & the release of OSRIC or Old School Reference and Index Compilation. At the time OSRIC was particularly a God sent because it allowed me to have instant access to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition Dungeon Master's Guide, the Players Handbook, and The Monster Manual all in essentially first edition goodness. And yes, the excitement is still there for OSRIC but the mind weights heavily with Pulp origins for a Elric style game using the OSRIC rules. And then Guy Fullerton's Stormbringer/AD&D first edition hack thread from 2015 jumped out at me here. Now Fullerton's been playing with this idea for a long time as he's got a Moorcockian Sorcerer class here.  As was said this isn't anything new & goes back to 2015. But seed is there for me as a dungeon master. 

Over the years the idea of using the Grey Elves inplace of the Melnibonéans for AD&D first edition & OSRIC. Reading through Guy Fullerton's PC entries that perhaps these rules could serve another Pulp world setting quite easily. I'm thinking about using these rules for Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique as a one shot or mini campaign. And yes this flies in the face of convention or does it. Zothique itself has bold sorcerers who make bargains with otheworldly powers of Chaos & Hell. So it makes sense that these rules could be twisted to Smith's world & yes I know about the Free D20 Zothique pdf here. 

But how does one incorporate the OSRIC races or classes within such a Zothique game?! The answer is fairly simple really, the OSRIC characters are visitors from another realm and the Young Kingdoms or Zothique are another stop on a whirl wind tour. 

This all was a thought excercise over the weekend but OSRIC looms large in my DM brains headlights at the moment. So this might be a mini campaign coming up or simply two stops that are a part of the next mini campaign at the moment. 
Somet thoghts on OSRIC as well, the retroclone isn't fully AD&D first edition but it does emulate a good chunk of it. OSRIC is excellent for Sword & Sorcery adventures and does a nice job at what the Rpg sets out to do. The old school mechanics of OSRIC are very flexible & could be applied to any number of OSR adventure styles. 

Blood & Souls For the Demon Swords - OSR Commentary - Weird Tales Judges Guild Wilderlands of High Fantasy -

 

"Stay well away from that sword," Smiorgan warned. "It has the habit of killing more than its master chooses." ~ The Sailor on the Seas of Fate


In the annals of legend is there a blade with as many souls that have been cut down in their prime as Stormbringer & Mournblade from Michael Moorcock's Elric books. Yesterday we spoke about the Dwarves of the Wilderlands & Hyperborea. Today we're going to speak of one of the most evil swords of three worlds & no its not Stormbringer. This blog entry picks up with the Dwarven efforts from yesterday. And it picks up with the sword Tyrfing or as its called Tyrfing, Tirfing or Tyrving; "Tyrfing, Tirfing or Tyrving (The name is of uncertain origin, possibly connected to the Terwingi) was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which features in the Tyrfing Cycle, which includes a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and the Hervarar saga "

DM Steve called Tyrfing - 'the Sword of  Three Names'. What does it have to do with the Stormbringer entity? "Moorcock intended the sword/character as a symbol of his theme, "how mankind's wish-fantasies can bring about the destruction of... part of mankind." Tyrfing has many of the same qualities as Stormbringer. This cursed sword was forged by the hand of the Dwarves.  Tyrfing is another part of the Dwarven legacy of items of mythology & power. In order understand the magnitude of Tyrfing's influence we have to look a very brief summery of the events surrounding the sword from the wiki entry ; "Svafrlami was the king of Gardariki, and Odin's grandson. He managed to trap the dwarves Dvalinn and Durinn when they had left the rock where they dwelt. Then he forced them to forge a sword with a golden hilt that would never miss a stroke, would never rust and would cut through stone and iron as easily as through clothes.

The dwarves made the sword, and it shone and gleamed like fire. However, in revenge they cursed it so that it would kill a man every time it was drawn and that it would be the cause of three great evils. They finally cursed it so that it would also kill Svafrlami himself.

When Svafrlami heard the curses he tried to slay Dvalinn, but the dwarf disappeared into the rock and the sword was driven deep into it, though missing its intended victim.

Svafrlami was killed by the berserker Arngrim, who took the sword in his turn. After Arngrim, it was worn by Angantyr and his eleven brothers. They were all slain at Samsø, by the Swedish champion Hjalmar, and his Norwegian sworn brother Orvar-Odd; but Hjalmar, being wounded by Tyrfing (its first evil deed), has only time to sing his death-song before he dies, and asks Orvar-Odd to bring his body to his beloved Ingeborg, daughter of Yngvi at Uppsala.

Angantyr's daughter, Hervor (by his wife Tófa) was brought up as a bond-servant and remained ignorant of her parentage. Upon learning it, she armed herself as a shieldmaiden, and travelled to Munarvoe in Samsø in an attempt to recover her father's weapon. She found it and married King Gudmund's son, Höfund. Together they had two sons, Heidrek and Angantyr (the second). Hervor gave Heidrek the sword Tyrfing in secret. While Angantyr and Heidrek walked, Heidrek showed Angantyr the sword. Since he had unsheathed it, the curse the dwarves had put on the sword made Heidrek kill his brother Angantyr. This was the second of Tyrfing's three evil deeds.

Heidrek became king of the Goths. During a voyage, Heidrek camped at the Carpathians (Harvaða fjöllum, cf. Grimm's law). He was accompanied by eight mounted thralls, who eventually entered his tent and slew him in his sleep, the third and final of Tyrfing's evil deeds. Heidrek's son, also named Angantyr (the third), caught and killed the thralls and reclaimed the magic sword, finally satisfying the dwarves' curse.

Angantyr was the next king of the Goths, but his illegitimate half-Hun brother Hlod (or Hlöd, Hlöðr) wanted half of the kingdom. Angantýr refused, and Gizur called Hlod a bastard and his mother a slave-girl. Hlod and 343,200 mounted Huns invaded the Goths (See The Battle of the Goths and Huns). The Huns greatly outnumbered the Goths. The Goths won because Angantyr used Tyrfing to kill his brother Hlod on the battleground. The bodies of the numerous warriors choked the rivers, causing a flood which filled the valleys with dead men and horses."  And then Tyrfing vanishes from mythology & legend according to the same wiki entry; " The  curse on Tyrfing is comparable to that placed on the ring Andvaranaut in the Völsung Cycle." The ring Andvaranaut is another blog entry unto itself.  As we said in yesterday's blog entry there's are several analogies of the Young Kingdom empire within the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. 

Tyrfing vanished from history secure in the hands of its makers as a part of the treasures & artifacts of the royal houses of the gods of the Dwarves. The sword was used in the final battles of the gods of Earth against the forces of darkness. All of this taking place in the far future battle of Ragnarök. All of this takes place on 'Old Earth in the far future before the passage across the nexus gates of humanity onto Hyperborea & the Wilderlands. The sword Tyrfing was or will be at the battles of Ragnarök.The sword Tyrfing is a part of the stormbringer demonic entity that eternally comes around as a part of the end of a world or univere's cycle. 

This means that Tyrfing or a Stormbringer analogy in the form of a magic or artifact sword could well be on both the Wilderlands of High Fantasy & Hyperborea. But why?! Because the Stormbringer entity is eternally wanting to be born or forged across realities of the multiverse. Which means possibly right now a cycle simliar to or paralleling the events of Elric & the Young Kingdoms could be happening right this second in Hyperborea or the Wilderlands. 

This happens across realities time & again to trim the 'fat' of each of the realities that we see. In Black Blade of the Demon King from Knight Owl Publishing from 2018 we see this cycle in its full effect with an adventure for PC's. 

 

Where will the evil sword strike next?! We'll get into that coming up.  

'The Harvest Begins' - Elves, Stormbringer, & The OSR God Cycles

 Sometimes one has to wait for a Kickstarter to end then wait a month for the supplement to get published to really access the full weight of its impact on the market place. Not so with the classics & in this case Frank Mentzer's Immortals box set has been playing with my mind. And here's the line that's been doing it;"The Player's Guide to Immortals lays out the basic information needed to convert you mortal player characters to Immortal status. It also explains new game mechanics, as are many aspects of the character's new existence" 

Are immortals divine powered up agents of their respective immortal superiors  & spheres?! If the  god Freyr is the actual progenic ruler of  the Ljósálfar ('Light Elves') does this mean that  the gods of the elves of Dungeons & Dragons & even Advanced Dungeons & Dragons are to share his fate again & again? The Archons only know. Like I said before Frank Mentzer doesn't get half the credit he deserves. The light elves power gets watered down generation after generation over tens of thousands of years. Why?! Because Freyer & the like are actually of the rank of Archons & here's the description from the immorals set; "These Lawful champions of goodness are sworn enemies of Chaos. They are native to the Home Plane of the Hierarch of Energy. Their full description is given in the D&D Master Set (MDM page 40). They are entirely mortal. In the opinion of the Hierarch (who has little experience in working with the substance of the other Spheres), his creations are shining examples of the perfect blend of beauty and power. Few other Immortals agree, but those of his Sphere dare not voice their opinions. Archons have very narrow views of what is acceptable behavior. They are so outraged by any neutral, chaotic, or evil behavior that they are avoided by all other creatures. Despite their good intentions, they manage to arouse resentment in nearly everyone they meet. And they are multiversally considered to be the most obnoxious creatures in all the Home Planes." 
The Hierarchs are exactly the sort of mortal gods & goddesses that the Stormbringer entity was designed to hunt, kill, & absorb.. That's right its sort of cosmic Jack in the Green.  

Swords like Stormbringer & Mournblade are very dangerous in the extreme & they are a part of an entity that's been stalking the backdrop of popculture for ages;

"Various books refer to this malicious entity as a demon, the anti-balance, and Sword. It is a treacherous being, chaotic evil to the core, that hungers for blood and souls and wishes to defy and destroy humanity and the Cosmic Balance. As a consequence of its influence, Stormbringer caused every Nihrain who handled it to become mass murderers. A court was assembled in the Nihrainian stables to put Stormbringer and its handlers on trial. But Stormbringer caused the judges to go mad and sentence both court and defendants to a terrible death. In the end, only ten Nihrain remained, including Sepiriz." 

What are these entities?! The Stormbringer entity is a part of the antibalance & the sword. This entity isn't Law or Chaos but a part of the entropic end of all things. All it wants is violence, blood, & souls. By proxy the Lords of Chaos & Law get a piece of the occult action. 

Surely this has nothing whatsoever to do with the Elves?! What if the sword has been in the mythology of the German & Norse this whole time? What if Stormbringer is actually the mystic sword Tyrfing, Tirfing or Tyrving; "Tyrfing, Tirfing or Tyrving (The name is of uncertain origin, possibly connected to the Terwingi) was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which features in the Tyrfing Cycle, which includes a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and the Hervarar saga. The name is also used in the saga to denote the Goths. The form Tervingi was actually recorded by Roman sources in the 4th century.

Svafrlami was the king of Gardariki, and Odin's grandson. He managed to trap the dwarves Dvalinn and Durinn when they had left the rock where they dwelt. Then he forced them to forge a sword with a golden hilt that would never miss a stroke, would never rust and would cut through stone and iron as easily as through clothes.

The dwarves made the sword, and it shone and gleamed like fire. However, in revenge they cursed it so that it would kill a man every time it was drawn and that it would be the cause of three great evils. They finally cursed it so that it would also kill Svafrlami himself." 

Gleamed like fire or a black fire? Where have we seen this before?! 

You know who else wields a sword like Tyrfing?!  Freyr whose divine connection to the primorial & elemental titans makes him perfect god pray for the Stormbringer entity. And he's doomed to be killed by Surtur at the end of  Ragnarok. Freyr is or was fated to give up his sword. A metaphor for the fate of the Elven people over & over again in the cycle of the planes?! 

Seated on Odin's throne Hliðskjálf,
 the god Freyr sits in contemplation in an illustration
(1908) by Frederic Lawrence

Elves may be better then you at everything but it seems that they are fated to the harvest of cosmos cut down by the cosmic sickle in a never ending cycle. This is also part of lord elves role; "Freyr (Old Norse: Lord), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with sacral kingship, virility, peace and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather, and with good harvest." Hence the lord of the light elves himself is fufilling a cosmic role destined to him in long ages past. 
And this puts me in line with thinking that perhaps the 'old gods', the 'forgotten' gods, are not as gone as they seem. A thought that seems in line with both Freyr & Zzarchov Kowolski's Pale Lady Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg.  adventure. The idea that perhaps the witch in the forrest had another role eons ago. Now she's removed from the games of Law, Chaos, & Fey. The Fey whose role as forgotten angels or worse has been forgotten by long dead worshipers. 

This is why the champions of Law & Chaos are never welcomed into Mystara or even into Greyhawk per say. The immortals on the highest inner levels of the councils of immortals within the inner circles know this relationship. But even Greyhawk has its own strains of the Stormbringer entity. 
Elves basically have been seeded across the multiverse for the purpose of harvesting for the cosmic bounty by their very god & lord who himself is 'doomed'. We'll get into the why coming up. 

'The Consequences Of Gods & A Sword' - Elves, Stormbringer, & The OSR God Myths

 "Ever wonder what happens to powerful heroes after their adventures legendary, and they have passed in to the realms beyond? Now you can find out with the D&D Immortals Set.

The Player's Guide to Immortals lays out the basic information needed to convert you mortal player characters to Immortal status. It also explains new game mechanics, as are many aspects of the character's new existence"

Its been a long while since the spines on the  Immortals set got cracked. But looking into the deep background on Elves something came up in the usual romps across the internet. A thread on the Piazza site last night stopped my morning musings 'Titans: Why Are The D&D Titans Weaker Then The AD&D Types ' & this was the bit that really stopped me ; "
The Immortals Set titan is, it's true, somewhat weaker than the AD&D titan. They're only 15 HD instead of around 20 HD (though listed as 21 to 30 feet tall, so around the same height of the 2nd edition titan). They only have 25% anti-magic instead of the 50% 2nd edition magic resistance or the 60% 1st edition magic resistance. Still, I don't think they're that far off, conceptually. Perhaps your difficulty comes from comparing the standard lesser titans to the greater and elder titans described in Deities & Demigods and Legends & Lore. I think you could call Djaea or other Immortals "titans" in the same way that the divine Cronus and Oceanus are titans in Deities & Demigods - clearly they're a more ancient, greater level of being than the lesser titans who are their descendants, though." 

Titans are the missing mythological link between Elves, the gods, Fey, & even the elements. Let's dive in. You can read a full break down of Frank Mentzer's Immortals set here on the Otherside blog.  Needless to say that Frank Mentzer doesn't get the credit he deserves.  Let's move back to the Elves. Within Norse & Germanic mythology there some links.  The Prose Edda describes the Ljósálfar ('Light Elves') who are 'fairer to look upon than the sun.' Like Tolkien's mythology, there are Dökkálfar ('Dark Elves'), and also Svartálfar ('Black Elves'.) The light Elves in particular. The god Freyr was given Álfheimr ('Elf-home'), and elves can at times be seen in the company of the gods. 


The Rällinge statuette, believed to depict Freyr, Viking Age

 Freyr is the ruler of the Light Elves ; " Freyr (Old Norse: Lord), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with sacral kingship, virility, peace and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather, and with good harvest. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house. According to Adam of Bremen, Freyr was associated with peace and pleasure, and was represented with a phallic statue in the Temple at Uppsala. According to Snorri Sturluson, Freyr was "the most renowned of the æsir", and was venerated for good harvest and peace." And he is also one of the æsir who are present after the creation of the world ; "The interaction between the Æsir and the Vanir has provoked an amount of scholarly theory and speculation. While other cultures have had "elder" and "younger" families of gods, as with the Titans versus the Olympians of ancient Greece, the Æsir and Vanir were portrayed as contemporaries. The two clans of gods fought battles, concluded treaties, and exchanged hostages (Freyr and Freyja are mentioned as hostages)" 

The Elves of Dungeons & Dragons may in point of fact be descended from the light elves of mythology. The light Elves themselves might have been like unto the gods in many ways becoming the gods of contemporary elves in D&D campaign worlds such as Greyhawk. 
 The Æsir and the Vanir may in point of fact be descended from the elemental & primordial titans at the beginning of the planes. And this goes a long way to explaining many deities that have connections with Fallen  angels, devils, &  demons. These Fallen  angels, devils, &  demons are the Lords of Law & Chaos respectively in Michael Moorcock's eternal champion series. And let me direct you to the Warhound & The World's Pan for the connections. 

We've seen interactions between Elric & various incarnations of the eternal champion with the forces of darkness & chaos. But these are often fraught with peril because of the masks that the forces of Law & Chaos wear. The real danger behind the scenes is the entity of the black sword. 

The Elves & their various incarnations were created long ago & the titans have strong connections to them. 

Freyr may in point of fact have far more familiarity with the entity of the black sword because he once may have wielded an aspect of it. The 'Sword of Freyr'  had to be separated from its owner; "The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the female jötunn Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it." Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the jötunn Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire jötunn Surtr during the events of Ragnarök."  

Freyr's Sword is very similar to Elric's Stormbringer both in occult qualities,  temperament, & even its apocalyptical curse that surrounds it; 

"In Norse mythology, the sword belonging to Freyr, a Norse god associated with sunshine, summer and fair weather. Freyr's sword is depicted in Norse mythology as one of the few weapons that is capable of fighting on its own. After Freyr gave up the sword to Skírnir for the hand of the giantess Gerðr, he will die at Ragnarök because he didn't have his sword, fighting Surtr with an antler."

All of this ties back into the Black Blade of the Demon King for Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg. And could be use greater adventure framing device. 

So where does this leave the immortals?! Screwed?! Nope the immortals want nothing to do with any of this & actively take down any sign of the games between Law & Chaos. Even the immortals of the entropic sphere want nothing to do with this. Playing with fire to end their reign isn't their style. This is why demon weapons like Stormbringer & Mournblade are so dangerous for Mystara & worlds like it. More to come.