Glamdring (EvilHack)
| ) Glamdring (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Base item | elven long sword |
| Damage vs. small | 1d10 x2 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d12 x2 |
| To-hit bonus | +1d8 |
| Bonus versus | Orcs |
| Weapon skill | elven long sword |
| Size | one-handed |
| Affiliation | |
| When carried |
(none) |
| When wielded | |
| When invoked |
(none) |
| Base price | 8000 zm |
| Weight | 15 |
| Material | mithril |
Glamdring is an artifact weapon that appears in EvilHack. It is chaotic, and its base item is an elven long sword made of mithril.
Generation
Glamdring can only be created by combining Orcrist and Sting at a forge - it cannot be wished for, and will revert to its base item if left in a bones file.
Description
Glamdring has +1d8 to-hit and deals double damage versus orcs (including orcish players), with a chance of instantly killing them upon hitting. While wielded, Glamdring confers shock resistance and MC1, and warns the wielder of orcs by glowing blue when any are present - orcs that see a character wielding Glamdring will become hostile, and orcish shopkeepers will ban the character from their shop.
A Wizard that forges Glamdring unrestricts the long sword skill and can advance it to Basic level.
Strategy
While easily the weakest of the forged artifacts, the ease of access to Sting and Orcrist makes the ability to create Glamdring valuable for early characters. Its base item and material make Glamdring a decently strong weapon, and it provides a valuable source of extrinsic shock resistance; non-orcish Wizards in particular may also create it to unrestrict the long sword skill for a stronger artifact such as The Sword of Annihilation.
Origin
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and Unfinished Tales, Glamdring (known in Sindarin as "Foe-hammer") was an elven sword originally forged several millennia ago by high-elven smiths in Gondolin alongside Orcrist - like most elven blades, both swords radiated a blue glow whenever orcs were near. Glamdring was described as a white-gold sword in a ruel-bone (ivory) sheath, with a beautiful scabbard and jewelled hilt much like Orcrist; once the sword of King Turgon, it was most likely lost during the Fall of Gondolin. It was known as the "Beater" among goblins and orcs alike, suggesting that Turgon put it to good use before it was lost.
When the wizard Gandalf rescued Thorin's traveling group from a trio of trolls, Glamdring was discovered in their hoard alongside Orcrist and Sting. Gandalf claimed the weapon as his own, amazed by its appearance and inscription, with Elrond translating the runes for him. When Thorin and his company were captured by orcs in the Misty Mountains, Gandalf rescued them by using Glamdring to fell their ruler, the Great Goblin - the other orcs fled at the sight of the "Beater", allowing Thorin, Bilbo and the dwarves to escape. Afterward, Gandalf would travel with the Fellowship of the Ring, using Glamdring in his standoff with the Balrog known as Durin's Bane at the The Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
With his staff destroyed during the battle, Gandalf saw to the collapse of the bridge, which allowed the Fellowship to escape; Gandalf then fought the Balrog on the Endless Stair and into Durin's Tower, the battle eventually bringing them to the peak of Zirakzigil. After three days and two nights of intense combat, Gandalf cast down and defeated the Balrog for good, but died shortly after - fortunately, he would return as Gandalf the White, bringing Glamdring with him when he met the Three Hunters. Gandalf continued to bear the sword from that point on, surrendering it briefly it to Háma at Edoras, and carrying it at his side as he and Frodo's group arrived at the Prancing Pony in Bree. When Gandalf left Middle-earth and sailed into the West, the fate of Glamdring was left unknown.
Encyclopedia entry
The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of
the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his
other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted
again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two
vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and
cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.
'You cannot pass,' he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead
silence fell. 'I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of
the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not
avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot
pass.'
[ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]
