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. 

Originial Dungeons & Dragons Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes - Of Lovecraftian Shadows - Facets of Tsathoggua

" He was very squat and pot-bellied, his head was more like a monstrous toad than a deity, and his whole body was covered with an imitation of short fur, giving somehow a vague sensation of both the bat and the sloth. His sleepy lids were half-lowered over his globular eyes; and the tip of a queer tongue issued from his fat mouth"
"The Tale of Satampra Zeiros", Clark Ashton Smith 

This blog entry is going to pick right up from here on the blog.  On page forty nine of 'Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes' By Kuntz & Ward which  has stats for TSATHOGGUS. How does this version of the Clark Ashton Smith Lovecraftian diety differ from the usual depictions? According to Gods Demi Gods & Heroes; "TSATHOGGUS Armor Class — 4 Magic Ability: (See Below) Move: 12" Fighter Ability: 10th Level Hit Points: 275 Tsathoggus is a diety with a frog's head and a man's body. It has 7 eyes and the power to animate its statues in any of its temples. This God is very fond of human sacrifices and will animate a statue in a temple at any opportunity to get one. He drains energy levels at the rate of 3 per turn no saving throw applicable."

Now looking at the Wiki entry on TASTHOGGUS; "Tsathoggua/Zhothaqquah is described as an Old One, a god-like being from the pantheon. He was introduced in Smith's short story "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros", written in 1929 and published in the November 1931 issue of Weird Tales.^[2] His first appearance in print, however, was in Robert E. Howard's story "The Children of the Night", written in 1930 and published in the April-May 1931 issue of Weird Tales. His next appearance in print was in H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Whisperer in Darkness", written in 1930 and published in the August 1931 issue of Weird Tales." He's mentioned right up front but we really get a complete description  in Smith's "The Seven Geases" (1933), Tsathoggua is described again:

"In that secret cave in the bowels of Voormithadreth . . . abides from eldermost eons the god Tsathoggua. You shall know Tsathoggua by his great girth and his batlike furriness and the look of a sleepy black toad which he has eternally. He will rise not from his place, even in the ravening of hunger, but will wait in divine slothfulness for the sacrifice." 

For a Lovecraftian god of  "divine slothfulness" Tsathoggua it's OD&D depiction is very active and highly aggresive in his hunger. This marks the difference in my mind of this Lovecraftian diety in Gods,Demi-Gods, and Heroes.  This is because of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith's descriptions of this diety are completely different. According to the Tsathoggua's wiki entry; "

Robert M. Price notes that "Lovecraft's Tsathoggua and Smith's differ at practically every point". Lovecraft, dropping Smith's bat and sloth comparisons, refers to the entity in "The Whisperer in Darkness" as the "amorphous, toad-like god-creature mentioned in the Pnakotic Manuscripts and the Necronomicon and the Commoriom myth-cycle preserved by the Atlantean high-priest Klarkash-Ton"^[4] (the priest's name was Lovecraft's nickname for Tsathoggua's creator, Clark Ashton Smith)."

 I believe that 'Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes' entry on Tsathogua is following the Lovecraftian style of the god. This allows for the more aggresive Hyborian version of this Lovecraftian god. Our own player's group of PC's encountering Tsathogua was harrowing to say the least. We stumbled upon a temple of Tsasthogua filled with treasure and of course our own PC's helped themselves to the riches. When the statues of Tsathoggua animated we had a complete TPK. 

OSR Commentary - Original Dungeons & Dragons Along With Gary Gygax's Birthday.

 The other day was Gary Gygax's birthday & it's been a New York minute since I cracked the spine of my copy of original Dungeons & Dragons set. Looking at the original three books it's easy to remember the sheer excitement of the game that I love. 

Quite a few reviewers also felt this same way, according to the Original Dungeons & Dragons Wiki entry; "

Tim Waddell reviewed the original Dungeons & Dragons in The Space Gamer #2.^[8] Waddell commented that "The most stimulating part of the game is the fact that anything can happen. Nothing is impossible."^[8] Andy Pudewa also reviewed the original Dungeons & Dragons in The Space Gamer #2.^[9] Pudewa said that "As a game, D&D is a fantastical outlet for the imagination. It has the quality of being infinitely flexible, and with it comes the reality of impossibility. [...] There are drawbacks to the game however; as there are in any game. D&D cannot even begin to get interesting in less than 20 hours playing time. Hundreds of hours of work must be done ahead of time by the referee, and it takes a fairly long time to prepare on the part of the players." I think it's this anything can happen attidude that keeps bringing me back to original Dungeons & Dragons. And this includes the idea of using monsters as player characters. Original Dungeons & Dragons is a deadly affair make no mistake about this. 

The nice thing about original Dungeons & Dragons is the simplicity about the game. It's an easy game to pick up and then run with. But once again OD&D is a game that takes a lifetime to master. Everything within the game is self contained and according to the OD&D wiki entry:"The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set was the first published role-playing game, a fantasy game system modeled on medieval Europe.^[1] This set introduced elements which would become standard in later editions, including abilities (such as strength, intelligence, and dexterity); character classes (fighting-man, magic-user, cleric) and character levels; races (human, dwarf, elf, halfling); armor class; monsters and treasure; underground dungeons consisting of halls, rooms, and doors protected by tricks and traps; and magic items, such as intelligent swords.^[1] The set also presents rules for travelling through the wilderness by land and sea, hiring specialists as well as men-at-arms, constructing fortifications and establishing baronies.^[1] The set defines movement rates and areas are using inches, like that of the miniatures rules from which the system descended"

Original Dungeons & Dragons literally has everything one needs to run an ongoing campaign. Is it any wonder why I see so many OSR players using original Dungeons & Dragons or prefer it as thier edition. 
What does this have to do with Gary Gygax's birthday?! Quite a bit when I've medated on the subject. Gary was a gamer and a risk taker who played the odds on many things. However, he was also a wargamer and knew how to minimize risk. And his controbutions to original Dungeons & Dragons can't be denied. Sure Dave Arneson laided out so many things but it was Gygax who was the means & the marketing of the grand game. I really appreciate Gary Gygax for bringing Dungeons & Dragons to the public perception & all of his contributions to this crazy hobby of mine. I also miss him and James Ward along with so many other designers and writers from heyday of original Dungeons & Dragons. It wasn't been until I've grown older to appreciate so much of what went into these games. 

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. 

OSR Commentary On The Most Unholy of Unholies - The Wand of Orcus..

 Eldritch Wizardry is iconic because it introduces some of the most dangerous and harrowing artifacts ever to appear in role playing. And I'm not just saying this lightly. The section of artifact within Eldritch Wizard makes it very clear how dangerous they are just to be around them; "This section is devoted to a number of Artifacts and Relics of tremendous power. It is set up so that only the Dungeonmaster will know what these items can actually do, the players will only have "rumors" to go on. Each item is described and a list of "suggested" powers is given, but in the back of this section is a series of tables which the referee can use to change the powers that are "suggested" under each artifact. The Dungeonmaster should feel free to add new items to the tables or to change them, but he should be careful to make sure that new or changed items are placed on the appropriate table. The abilities of all artifacts and relics must be determined by trial and error, by the players, and usually their effects are permanent and irreversible (due to the extreme strength of the magic used to create them)." 

 It is both unlawful and evil to give a relic to a non-player character because there may be danger involved. Non-player characters who are given artifacts to try out will, upon learning how to use them, attempt to dominate or destroy their masters/employers. All artifacts and relics are one-of-a-kind. It is usually very difficult to destroy them (after all most of them have been around for thousands of years), and any one who attempts to take apart an artifact for any reasons usually dies as a result. The owners of artifacts eventually become greedy, possessive and secretive, first solely in respect to the treasured item, then with regard to all possessions." The artifact that's playing a central role in our current mini campaign is the infamous Wand of Orcus. Now our version of the evil wand has a malevolent intelligence that will corrupt anyone foolish enough to mess with it. According to the Eldritch Wizardry entry the wand is highly dangerous; " \The Wand of Orcus is a rod of obsidian topped by a skull. When used by any other than Orcus himself, the wand has a 50% chance of annihilating any creature, except types such as Princes, High Devils, Saints, Godlings, etc., merely by touch, but subjects the user to one of the effects from TABLE III each time this is tried. In addition, the wand confers on its user three powers for TABLE I. Suggested Powers: Actual powers: TABLE I: IP, IU,;" 

For the cult of Orcus within our campaign there is no other artifact that has the same aura of unholiness and horror about that matters as the Wand of Orcus. In the current C&C campaign the Wand of Orcus is number one on the most dangerous & nasty weapons that has the entire Chaos cult within our campaign seeking out the PC's.  For our Castles & Crusades rpg campaign we're pulling from the older resources. The reason is simple not a lot of the players have access to the OD&D books for the lore. For our Troll Lords Game The Tomb of the Unclean has everything about Orcus on tap and the wand is beginning to pull all of the strings together.