Evil
drow wizards [of Arak in the Ravenloft campaign] created
this sword, and no human was ever meant to hold it. The drow have
lost the sword, however, and as of this writing, no one knows its current
location.
To any physical and
magical examination, the item appears to be a sword of sharpness +2.
Indeed, it performs as one. But the sword also carries an evil curse--a
horrid thirst for blood. Once a day, it must kill or help kill a
creature no smaller than a large dog. The sword is not required to
deal the fatabl blow, but blood must spill from the wound of the blade,
and the victim must die no more than an hour after those first drops flowed.
Each day the sword's thirst is not quenched, its owner suffers. He
loses 1 point from each of his mental attributes (Intelligence, Wisdom,
and Charisma) and gains 1 point in each of his physical attributes (Strength,
Dexterity, and Constitution). After the first such adjustment, the
owner becomes so fond of the blade that he dares not let it from his sight.
If someone forcibly seperates him from the sword, he will do anything to
regain it.
When one or more of the character's mental attributes drops to 3, the conversion
is complete. He is now bestial--a monster that looks like an ogre.
The DM runs the character. Usually, the beast will have superhuman
physical abilities at this points, with scores above 18. Its only
goal is to satisfy the blade's thirst for blood. The creature may
embark on a mindless rampage or--if he has a shred of intelligence left--begin
a series of clever, fiendish murders.
Once the conversion is complete, even removing the sword will not cure
the monster. Only powerful magic--or the monster's death--can remove
the curse at this point. The remove curse spell may at first
appear successful, but it can provide only temporary relief.
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