Graz'tchar is a sentient greatsword with a fragment of the consciousness of Graz'zt, the Demon Prince of Indulgence, and Graz'zt speaks through it from the Abyss. The blade was left behind following the defeat at the Battle of the Umbra Hills, where it called out telepathically for a new wielder.[15] The sword is currently held by Captain Novos of the Crimson Abyss, sailing the waters of the Shattered Teeth.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Graz'tchar appears to be noble and kingly: a beautiful, cruciform, silver greatsword—though relatively short and broad for a greatsword[16]—inlaid with rubies. It appears to do extra radiant damage to humanoids when activated. A creature with truesight can see its true nature: rusted, pitted, and dripping with acid.[1][17]
Personality[]
Graz'tchar's personality is that of Graz'zt, but it pretends to be a wise and sorrowful lost Sovereign of Tal'Dorei, beckoning the wielder to seize their destiny. The sword also attempts to slowly sway the wielder toward sowing chaos in the realm by telling lies about great leaders and claiming that the heads of the Tal'Dorei Council are corrupt and must be overthrown.[5]
Potential wielders of the weapon may have dreams in which they have visions of the sword surrounded by shadows and demons, and hear it whispering pleas for help along with its location.[18][19]
History[]
Background[]
During the Scattered War, King Neminar Drassig delved into necromancy and entered into dealings with Bane, the evil god of conquest, to fuel his war machine. When Neminar died and his younger brother Trist succeeded him, Bane's patronage continued through the bloodline to Trist. Years later, Zan Tal'Dorei's forces finally backed King Trist Drassig's army into a valley at the base of the Cliffkeep Mountains, but Drassig had a secret weapon. At what would be called the Battle of the Umbra Hills, a flood of fiends poured into the battlefield in support of Drassig.[20]
Both the Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting and the later Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn include an adventure called "Sword of the Demon Prince" recounting that Graz'zt himself fought in this battle but was defeated and banished to his Abyssal prison, leaving his greatsword Graz'tchar behind.[21][22]
By the account in the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, a desperate Trist pledged his service to Graz'zt in exchange for the power to smite his foes, and Graz'zt sent his forces to fight alongside Trist's.[23]
By the account in the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, it was Bane who sent fiends to fight alongside Drassig's army, and a clever demon among them gave the blade to Trist, who wielded it until he fell. By this account, the blade was more definitely left alongside Trist's body in the Umbra Hills.[24] Elsewhere in the sourcebook, the sword is also referred to as the "lost blade of Neminar the Black-Fingered",[11] who died years before the Battle of the Umbra Hills.
In both sourcebooks, the sword was left where it lay for centuries. As of the 800s PD, the blade still calls out telepathically across great distances to a warrior in hopes of seducing the wielder into doing Graz'zt's will, and the blade is guarded by demons pretending to be ghosts of great knights.[25][26]
Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]
After Bells Hells defeated the demons that had taken the Iridon Bastion in the Grey Valley, Chetney took the sword Extovass the Gluttonous had been using before he was killed.[27]Fresh Cut Grass then cast Identify and confirmed the name of the sword under a more benign identity, "the Luminary Blade". It told FCG it was once a great king opposing the darker shadows creeping across the land, who placed his spirit inside the blade with his dying breath, but had lost most of his memories since. It told Ashton they could fight together for justice and good, washing the corrupting shadows from the land. Chetney was the most enthusiastic about the weapon, even after the FCG's Legend Lore revealed that its apparent radiance hid the will of a Prince of Hell (Graz'tchar assured him that the demonic influence was the residual power of Extovass). After one night thinking about it, the blood hunter attuned to the blade.[28]
Graz'tchar was kept in the bag of holding most of the time, being taken out when Chetney wanted to speak with it to ask something. Although elusive in its answers, the greatsword confirmed it didn't know anything about Predathos, although it did know about the Matron of Ravens, and was aware of Ludinus Da'leth, who according to the weapon was untrustworthy. Later, when the group returned to Zephrah, Chetney held Graz'tchar so it could "see" while Keyleth addressed the Air Ashari and praised Orym.[29]
That night, while the adventurers were celebrating, a very excited Chetney held his new weapon and engulfed it in flames, and the greatsword used that chance to start whispering to him, warning him of how dangerous Keyleth was and how the Tal'Dorei Council was ruining the nation.[30] Graz'tchar continued speaking against the Voice of the Tempest the following day, sending warnings and suggesting ideal moments to attack the archdruid if necessary. Chetney's friends noticed that he was behaving strangely (although without knowing the reason), and the sword warned the werewolf to act normally so the rest of the group wouldn't suspect.[31]
When Bells Hells traveled to Bassuras and fought General Ratanish and six other members of Paragon's Call, Chetney got the chance to use Graz'tchar for the first time in combat, and the weapon was enthusiastic in praising him; moreover, by wounding one of his enemies, the blood hunter discovered one of the special properties of his weapon when it charmed its target briefly.[32] After Chetney and his friends traveled to Slival, they summoned the Crimson Abyss and its crew and captain Urlu Novos attacked them. Laudna struck a deal with the captain: transportation to Kalutha in exchange for the captain's lost compass and Graz'tchar (which Laudna described as having the strength of 100 holy men). During the negotiations Chetney held the greatsword, which whispered to him that they should return to Tal'Dorei; however, he reluctantly handed the blade to Novos despite its protest. Graz'tchar then started to speak into Urlu's mind, and the undead captain went below deck to have a conversation with his new treasure.[33]
Later, Fearne Calloway attempted to bargain with the captain for the return of the sword but he was unwilling, although he did agree to let her hold it briefly. When she did so it spoke to her, praising her as being Chosen, and telling her that together they could do great things. The Captain denied it had ever spoken to him (despite having been seen whispering to it), and Fearne, honoring her promise, returned the sword to him.[34] Before leaving the Crimson Abyss she asked for the weapon one last time, and Urlu told her that whenever he was done with it, he would give it back.[35]
Notable owners[]
Screenshot of Graz'tchar in the Grey Valley, by Cyarna Trim from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 5:31.[art 2]
The blade belonged to the Demon Prince of Indulgence, and later was used by King Trist Drassig. After that it was left in the Grey Valley, but if the weapon itself can be trusted, more people wielded it:[36]
- Three generations of a now broken family that auctioned off the sentient greatsword (allegedly)
- A keeper of beasts, presumably a ranger, who ended up being killed by the animals they tried to control (allegedly)
- A great warrior in a stronghold, probably the Iridon Bastion
- Extovass the Gluttonous
- Chetney Pock O'Pea
- Captain Urlu Novos (currently)
Features[]
These are the features laid out in the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn,[8] which are slightly changed from those in the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting.[5]
- The wielder gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls with this magic weapon.
- Corrosive Submission: When Graz'tchar hits a creature with an Intelligence score of 4 or higher, the target takes an additional 3d6 damage (see notes on damage type in Secret features below) and makes a Charisma saving throw (DC 17). On a failure, the target is charmed by the wielder for up to one hour. If the wielder hits the creature again while it is charmed, the additional damage increases to 10d6 and the charm ends. On a successful save or when the charm ends, the target cannot be charmed again in this way for 24 hours.[37]
- Sentience: Graz'tchar has an Intelligence of 14, a Wisdom of 12, and a Charisma of 18. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. It can speak, read, and understand Common, and communicate telepathically with its wielder. A creature who succeeds on an Insight check (DC 26) while listening to the blade's voice detects the blade's true malicious intent.[38]
Secret features[]
Fan art of Graz'tchar, by animatrobin.[art 3]
- Hidden Nature: The additional damage dealt by this weapon is acid damage but appears to be radiant damage. A true seeing spell or the like reveals the true appearance of the blade.[39]
- Personality: (See Personality section above.) If the wielder disobeys the urges of Graz'tchar for an extended time, it can attempt to charm the wielder, forcing a Charisma saving throw (DC 17). On a success, they are immune to the sword's charm for 24 hours. On a failure, the wielder is charmed by the sword for 24 hours, and it can force the wielder to make one action of its choice per hour for 24 hours, the wielder accepting this as their own will. If the chosen action leads to the harm of a non-hostile creature or ally, the charm immediately ends. If the wielder succeeds on the saving throw or when the charmed condition ends, the wielder is immune to this property for 24 hours.[3]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign Three
- "Bloody Flowers" (3x67) (first appearance)
- "For The Tempest" (3x68)
- "Nice" (3x69)
- "Embattled in Bassuras" (3x70)
- "Phantasmal Parley" (3x72)
- "Kindling the Spirits" (3x73)
- "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76), mentioned only
Quotations[]
Fan art of Graz'tchar's words, by Elaine Tipping.[art 4]
- (to Chetney) "Rise in glory. Take what you've taken and together, we will do great things."[40]
- (to Chetney) "Great wielder, majestic, wondrous warrior. I worry that you are being duped by a dubious leader. The one who calls this village her own. This Voice, I think she is one of a few, a cabal who seeks to bend this land of Tal'Dorei beneath their will. It would do you well to not trust her."[41]
Trivia[]
- During his conversations with Graz'tchar Chetney tried multiple nicknames for it, including "Char", "Sir Chad", "Sword Chad" and "SC".
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 64–65.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 0:15:52.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 196.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 64. See also pp. 10, 12, and 35 for evidence on how long ago the Battle of the Umbra Hills was.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 65.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 106. In the earlier Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, it is alternately said to be in the Grey Valley on p. 64 or in the Umbra Hills on p. 12.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 196. See also p. 107.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 195–196.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 195.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 195. In the earlier Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, the sword was an artifact.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 23.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 40.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 0:28:19.
- ↑ See "Phantasmal Parley" (3x72) at 2:32:18.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 40. See also pp. 107 and 195–196.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 0:19:16. The sword is 2.5 to 3 feet long and almost 6 inches wide.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 0:27:13. FCG gained information about the true nature of the sword using Legend Lore.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 64.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 107. See also p. 40.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 19–20.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 64. In this mid-level adventure, Graz'zt was defeated at the "the Battle of the Grey Valley", and the sword calls out from the Grey Valley (which is immediately north of the Umbra Hills). On p. 12, however, the sword is said to be in the Umbra Hills, which is consistent with the Battle of the Umbra Hills mentioned in other places in the sourcebook.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 107. This high-level adventure instead refers to the Battle of the Umbra Hills, but although the sword calls the adventurer to the Umbra Hills, it is still left in "the center of the valley."
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 64. See also pp. 10 and 71.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 20. See also p. 40.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 64. Here it is guarded by hezrou demons.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 40. See also p. 107. Here it is guarded by marilith demons.
- ↑ See "Bloody Flowers" (3x67) at 1:39:34. The description of the sword matches that of Graz'tchar: a beautiful silver cruciform blade with a crossguard and rubies encrusted in the hilt. 3:35:03.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 0:57:27.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 1:32:47.
- ↑ See "Nice" (3x69) at 2:19:48.
- ↑ See "Nice" (3x69) at 2:55:58.
- ↑ See "Embattled in Bassuras" (3x70) at 1:04:57.
- ↑ See "Phantasmal Parley" (3x72) from 2:32:18 through 3:14:07.
- ↑ See "Kindling the Spirits" (3x73) from 1:17:34 through 1:22:08.
- ↑ See "Kindling the Spirits" (3x73) at 2:35:45.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 0:24:28.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 195–196. In the earlier Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 65, Corrosive Submission is activated when the sword is used to hit a humanoid, the wielder can choose whether to deal the extra damage, and the DC of the Charisma saving throw is 14.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 196. In the earlier Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 65, there is no mention of this Insight check.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 196. In the earlier Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 65, a creature charmed by the weapon perceives the damage dealt to it as merely an "admonishing jostle."
- ↑ See "Bloody Flowers" (3x67) at 4:06:30.
- ↑ See "Nice" (3x69) at 2:19:48.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of Graz'tchar, by Stanislav Dikolenko from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, page 195. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of Graz'tchar in the Grey Valley, by Cyarna Trim from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 5:31. Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Graz'tchar, by animatrobin (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Graz'tchar's words, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
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