The Dagger of Vashna is a twisted, black, steel, blue-flamed dagger once owned by Darklord Vashna, that weighs as much as a Broadsword. It contains a piece of Vashna's spirit, and its main purpose was to allow for his reincarnation by his Acolytes if he ever died.[1] As such, after his death in battle with King Ulnar I, it became a focus of conflict between the Cult of Vashna and forces of Light.
History[]
The Dagger of Vashna was forged in the furnaces of Helgedad.[2] It contained a portion of Vashna's spirit, to allow for his reincarnation by his Acolytes, in case Vashna died.[1] At the Battle of Moytura Pass, Vashna was defeated by King Ulnar I wielding the Sommerswerd, with Vashna being cast into the Maakengorge.
The Dagger was recovered by the Cult of Vashna. Teakkro used the dagger to slay many foes, before giving it to the first Doomslayer, Barraka.[3] Together with the Cult of Vashna, they attempted to revive Vashna using his Dagger using a ritual: The sacrifice of a descendant of King Ulnar I, into the Maakengorge, using the Dagger of Vashna. During the events of The Chasm of Doom, Barraka attempted to sacrifice Madelon, daughter of Baron Oren Vanalund (and descendant of Ulnar I), when a full moon shone over the Temple of Maaken.[4][note 1] This was thwarted by Lone Wolf, who took possession of the Dagger, and used it on his own quest. The Dagger was lost during the events of The Legacy of Vashna, as Lone Wolf passed through a magical barrier, where it was lost within the Plane of Darkness.
The Cult of Vashna scoured the Plane of Darkness for the Dagger, including the domains of Shamath and Avarvae, to no avail.[5] In MS 5102, during the events of Dead in the Deep, they eventually summoned the Chaos-master, having discovered he could retrieve it. The Dagger was recovered by the Cult (Grand Master may take temporary possession of it, but it is stolen by Teakkro soon after), and a second ritual was planned: To sacrifice the captured Kai Grand Master Steel Hand, revealed to be a descendant of Ulnar I, above the Maakengorge, now filled with the supernatural fire of the Nengud-kor-Adez.[note 1] However, Steel Hand was able to fight off the attempted sacrifice, and in the skirmish, the Dagger of Vashna fell into the Maakengorge, where it was destroyed. This, however, served to release Vashna's spirit, merging it with the Nengud-kor-Adez; Banedon finally realised the link between the Dagger and Vashna's spirit after witnessing it.[6] Lone Wolf himself underestimated the strength of that bond, for he was unable to defeat the fully-reborn Archlord Vashna in MS 5103 (during the events of The Dusk of Eternal Night), as Vashna was forever reincarnated from the Nengud-kor-Adez after each "death".[7]
Effects[]
The Dagger of Vashna is taken by Lone Wolf after his defeat of Barraka, a cultist who was attempting to resurrect the Darklord from his imprisonment in the Maakengorge. While usable as a normal Dagger, the Dagger of Vashna is one of the few weapons Lone Wolf wields that are capable of wounding a Darklord. The Dagger can be carried into the Grand Master series; however doing so will result in the Dagger being lost in the Plane of Darkness during Lone Wolf's first encounter with Shamath in The Legacy of Vashna.
The Dagger resurfaces in another attempt to resurrect Vashna in Dead in the Deep. It is destroyed forever when flung into the Lake of Blood, although this has the unintended side effect of restoring Vashna to life.
Although the Dagger of Vashna is clearly magical, there are, oddly, some sections that imply the Dagger can be destroyed just like a normal weapon, e.g. against the Dakomyd in The Kingdoms of Terror, and against Demonlord Tagazin in The Dungeons of Torgar.
In general, the Dagger of Vashna is largely superseded by the Sommerswerd, which is more powerful, if Lone Wolf possesses both. However, the Dagger of Vashna may be useful when using the Sommerswerd would draw too much attention, such as when Lone Wolf is in Helgedad during the events of The Masters of Darkness.
In the Definitive Edition of the books, the Dagger of Vashna adds +3 to Lone Wolf's Combat Skill, but reduces his total Endurance by 3.
Gamebook rules[]
Location:
- Book 4: can't be missed, it's obtained at the very end of the adventure.
Usage:
- Book 8: fight a Helghast (the book does not mention it, but the Dagger is clearly effective against the Helghast).
- Book 9: defeat the Zakhan Kimah.
- Book 12: Combat Skill +7 against a Darklord, and an extra +5 when used in Helgedad. This bonus is explicit for the fight against Darklord Gnaag, but the Project Aon errata suggests it can be applied to the preceding fight against Darklord Taktaal for similar reasons.[8]
- Book 14: defeat a Helghast; helps to get past two guards.
- Book 16: destroy a magic barrier, but the Dagger vanishes as well. It cannot be carried over in gamebooks after this.
The Dagger of Vashna makes a short return in New Order series, book 30: Dead in the Deep. Either the forces of Darkness will obtain the Dagger, or Grand Master will gain possession of it — but in the latter case, it will be stolen back by Teakkro before it sees any combat, so the bonuses are meaningless.
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The requirement of a full moon above the Temple of Maaken is mentioned in The Chasm of Doom, but does not appear to be a requirement as of Dead in the Deep, where a similar ritual was attempted. This is possibly because, in the latter case, Vashna was significantly more sentient or powerful, with the Nengud-kor-Adez flowing through the Maakengorge.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stark, Jonathan; Hahn, August. Episode 4: Chasm of Doom (Book 4 of Kai). Journeys Through Magnamund. Holmgard Press (2023-03-??). Timestamp: 40:50
- ↑ The Masters of Darkness: §88
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §128
- ↑ The Chasm of Doom: §137
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §300
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: §350
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §2
- ↑ The Masters of Darkness: Errata.