Munchum and Crunchum
In the lands of Pardinal, deep in the Railir Peaks, there is a legend of a Bugbear chieftain the locals call “Big Boss’um”. This chieftain wields in battle a pair of silver long swords that he calls Munch’um and Crunch’um that are powerful in their enchantment. How such a lowly vile creature got his hands on such magical weapons is not known, but some clues from survivors have pieced together some the mystery surrounding the blades.
The two swords are identical from a distance, broad silver blades with gold filigree hilts, a broad and thick guard and an oversized hilt with distinctive pommels that resemble balls of granite. Up close, the blades bear Khordish runes that are severely worn and distorted. The silver on the blade is tainted with black mottled stain like a diseased vein running across the blood runnel. The pommels are carved with the smith mark of Reba Ironhands, the great Khord weaponsmith of the Sylvari-Khordaldrum war era.
Both weapons are very sharp and deadly (+3 to hit and damage). Munch’um creates wounds so severe that flesh seems chewed upon while every hit steals vitality from the victim to the sword bearer (vampiric regeneration for every 8 points of damage it does, it returns 3 hp back to wielder). Strikes from Crunch’um are very deep and are particular hard to heal (For every 8 points of damage, victim will lose an additional 1 hp/round from bleeding. Magically healing will stop bleeding but will not heal wounds. Only time or regeneration will heal the wounds from this sword).
It is known that Reba Ironhands forged weapons during the great war between the Syls and Khords long before man came to Audalis. His mark is a well known rune and to possess a weapon forged by Reba was considered a high honour among the Khordaldrum people. The thick bladed, long hilt swords were a specialty of his, allowing a Khord to use the weapon single handed for finesse attacks or in both hands for stronger strikes. Two of these swords were lost in during the war, one being Olara-Barak which was wielded by General Hath Slatenose and Alagh-Thudal which was the weapon of Bart Deathforger. Originally these swords were made to be sharp and hold their edge well in battle, while the runes of the blade protected the wielder from magical attacks. After the war they were lost for some time but then resurfaced in Drannon in the hands of a Warlord named Indigo Decimus Harthian. The warlord called the weapon Victory and Honour and claimed to have cut them out of the stomach of a dragon he slew in single combat – though most believe that to be Drannese exaggeration. Anecdotal evidence suggest that he actually won the swords in a game of cards from a Pick who didn’t know what he had and choose to bluff against 4 jacks.
Don Indigo wielded the two swords until his untimely death in a skirmish with Sendarian forces. Then the swords were placed in the hands of Amer'Loc. The Lich queen took to experimenting with the swords, changing their nature through magic and corruption - twisting the essence of the forged metal to suit her evil whim.
How they came into the hands of a Bugbear raider in Pardinal is not known, but there have been times before where Amer’loc has created evil devices and allowed them to be lost and then found for her own amusements.
     
Thanks to Roger (Alacrity) Briant for this contribution!
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