Sommerswerdedit this page
From Lone Wolf
The Sommerswerd is a holy, magical artifact brought to Magnamund by the Sommlending, a race of fair-skinned humans with special powers, and it has tremendous effects against the minions of Naar. It is a golden broadsword, but can be wielded as a sword, short sword or broadsword. It was forged by a race of people now known as gods in Magnamund. Only a Kai warrior may weild the sword, if someone else does, it’s power will be lost forever. It greatly increases ones combat prowess. It has the ablity to absorb any magic used against its bearer and is able to slay Darklords and the undead. It increase ones Sixth Sense. It is said only a true son of Sommerlund can release the powers that lie within the blade. The sommerswerd's powers can be contained and hidden in Korlinium. It draws its power from the sun. It is one of the few weapons, other than those created by the Nadziranim, capable of killing a Darklord its inherent power will fade if wielded in combat by another save Kai Lords.
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[edit] Wielder abilities
Its supernatural powers increase the bearer's CS by 8 (prior to the application of weapon skill bonuses), and also increase the sensitivity of his Sixth Sense. It is doubly damaging to undead foes and absorbs hostile magic. Perhaps its greatest power is the ability to kill Darklords, and it's possible, as stated in The Curse of Naar, that it might be able to kill Naar himself. Only members of the royal house of Sommerlund or a Kai Lord can wield it. If anyone else uses it in battle, it will slowly and irrevocably lose its powers.
[edit] History
It was created by the God Kai and was sent with the Sommlending people to destroy the Darklords and keep the King of Darkness, the dark god Naar, from taking over the world of Magnamund. It was used by Ulnar I to kill Archlord Vashna. Later, it was given to Durenor as a symbol of the mutual trust between the nations. In return, the Durenese gave Sommerlund the Seal of Hammerdal with a promise that the Sommerswerd would be returned on demand to the bearer of the Seal. Lone Wolf recovered the sword in the aftermath of the Massacre of the Kai and used it to destroy the Darklord Zagarna. He kept it, and has since used it to conquer his many foes.
[edit] Controversy
The Sommerswerd is noted as one of the more controversial special items in Lone Wolf, in that some fans believe it had a negative effect on the overall difficulty of the gamebooks. However, beginning in the Magnakai series, some battles turn out to be more difficult if the Sommerswerd is used, which is reasoned either by its divine presence alerting Lone Wolf's foes, or having them use high-powered weapons which cancel out the advantages the sword offers.
[edit] Name origins
It can be noted that the actual name of the sword is likely derived from an elderly variant of Swedish, in which Sommerswerd (spelled "sommarsvärd" in contemporary Swedish) translates as "summer sword".