Topic: Unmaking / Cleansing an Evil Magic Weapon

[Mourglin]

So I have introduced a sword into my campaign (1st one) that is magic. It was found in an ancient ruin of an elven city that once stood. This place is several layers deep, beneath the ruins of other civilizations. The sword is made of black laen which is a material in my campaign/world that hearkens back to an age when some gods walked the earth with their hosts of 'arc angels', both good and bad.

I'm simplifying here but the point is dark laen isn't workable anymore and hasn't been for several thousands of years. The material is indestructible in this setting. The blade can't be broken or melted down... at least by any means the PC's and anyone they will likely ever run into. Presently the blade is being carried by a 4th level Bard... who is unable to attune to its powers, so I've basically just described the blades appearance. The PC has not used it at all but has tried to attune to it with no success so far.


1.  My question is could the evil of the blade be 'cleansed' away? If yes why and how? If no why?
2.  In general, what are you thoughts on un-making magic items?

I'm open for suggestions here. I have some ideas in mind but don't want to taint any creative answers you may have so I will with hold my ideas until the end.  Here is my raw write up of the blade:

The Dark Eleven Sword – “Mournrist” the Dark Cutter

One of two swords forged of black laen, the same material as the tower of Athylel. These Saren looking blades were forged by the Lyaglin the Black, a dark crafter who lived and served during the early hegemony and rise of the Black Jester. He was betrayed by his master and slain. Each blade is veined in mithril and has a deep blood grove. The blade itself is slightly curved as a Saren would be with an elongated handle which can be wielded as a 1-H or 2-H. The hilt is a coiled serpent with its mouth holding a black opal.

Black Laen Saren: +20 Magic and Unholy. (Delivers and Holy Crit in addition to normal damage)
If the damage would be greater against AT1, then the sword has a 30% change of cutting through the armor it strikes. If the blade does succeed in cutting through, use the damage as if the blade struck AT1 and make the armor hit -1 to DB for every 3 points of damage done ( max -30) penalty.

This ancient blade is unknown to anyone save those still alive from the Hegemony. This would likely include a few elves, a few living Drow, my main antagonist in the game. Attuning to its power is difficult and -20. Once the bearer is successful attuning to Mournrist, they will become attached to the blade and will receive a -1 per day against their will to part with it until the penalty reaches -100. Once this happens the user will in essence do anything to keep the sword. This attachment is considered a curse.

[jdale]

"My question is could the evil of the blade be 'cleansed' away? If yes why and how? If no why?"

Would it be interesting for the game/story for it to be possible? If so yes, if no then no. If you want it to be possible, explain the enchantment as being, for example, arising from a spirit bound into the blade, or anchored in the black opal or the mithril veins. A spirit can be redeemed, exorcised, freed, or destroyed, even if the blade can't be. The spirit angle gives more plot opportunities; does it have personality? Was it evil when it was bound in, or twisted to make the blade? Did it have goals? Is it capable of growth and change? Could it be redeemed through life lessons, by achieving objectives it long ago gave up as impossible, by exposure to holy forces, by being forgiven by a deity or an entity long forgotten? These things could be easy or they could be so difficult it takes the entire span of the campaign.

Materials-wise, black opal and mithril can be worked or destroyed. Perhaps with tremendous heat and force the mithril can be worked out leaving the laen as clear and pure as water. (Although, thematically, mithril tends to be good, so that's a bit odd.) Conversely, it could then be suffused with purified metal or other substances filling in those veins, and then polished back down to the mirror-like surface of the laen. The stone of course can be replaced.

[Jenkyna]

The blade could lead the players on a quest rediscover the secret of forging the material, so as to allow them to reforge it as a holy weapon or alternatively to unmake it. When they discover the secret you could present them with a moral dilemma of some sort associated with the reintroduction of the secret into the world.

Touching on jdales spirit suggestion, the act of cleansing the blade might result in them unwittingly releasing a demon from it's imprisonment inside it. The demon might be enraged and seek revenge, or might have been driven mad by thousands of years of imprisonment.

It might need time to restore its lost power, so instead of attacking the player it might flee and turn up at another time.

[Malim]

I agree. Make the enchantment a demon or undead, so you gotta go to a quest to find a scroll or something like that with the proper spell to banish it.