Black Blade Magus - Rise of the Runelords

[Shar Tahl]

I have a magus in my campaign I am running with the Black Blade archetype. I would like to involve his intelligent weapon in the adventure. What would be a good secret purpose this blade could have that I would be able to incorporate into the adventure path?

[mdt]

Depending on alignment :

Helping the Runelords

Killing the Runelords

Stealing something from the Runelords

Destroying something of the Runelords

Stealing the soul of a specific Runelord

[The NPC]

Or pie.

[mdt]

The NPC wrote:

Or pie.

Only if the sword is lawful stupid or chaotic silly or chaotic stupid.

[Shar Tahl]

A note on the alignment. The Black Blade and the wielder are Chaotic Neutral

[Jak the Looney Alchemist]

mdt wrote:

The NPC wrote:

Or pie.

Only if the sword is lawful stupid or chaotic silly or chaotic stupid.

Do you believe that pie is not worth placing one's soul into a sword so as to strive to attain it for eternity?

May I introduce you to Urgathoa. :)

[Fraust]

What are some of the goals of the magus?

To keep the sword and the magus working toward the same ends (roughly), you could have the sword being an old enemy of Xenisha(can't remember the spelling...), or the Scribler, or someone else similar. Especially big X, in that the sword could give the magus a few tips/tricks while fighting her to keep the party from suffering a TPK...sorta "I fought this wench before, and I know how good of a swordsman you are, you're not gonna be able to hit her until that dope in the pointy hat on your side dispells some of her defences!"

[Son of the Veterinarian]

The blade is a creation of one of the Runelords and is feeding the energy from it's kills to help in the Runelord's resurrection, while at the same time working to prevent the resurrection of one of it's creator's competitors.

Sorshen would probably work best for this. She's not well sketched out yet and being the Runelord of Lust makes a connection to the CN Calistria almost inevitable.

[Shar Tahl]

hmm... that may work out. It may be a spirit of a leader of the slave caste of the time of the runelords, despising all they represent.

[Sylvanite]

To bathe in the waters of the runewell, that it may absorb their power and become greater.

Edit: And choose the one that's anti-abjuration. So awesome.

[Movin]

Depends on how involved and how much of a counter purpose you want the blade to have to the party, a companion, a fettered soul and a traitor angle wait below.
Hope the result of my thoughts helps you come up with something cool.

It could be

Secret:

The soul of a long dead Black Arrow (Hook mountain massacre) leader, a legendary warrior who's skill with a blade was only matched by his hatred for ogres and all that dealt with them.

Secret:

One of Karzog's own creations, the soul of a vanquished foe or great beast sealed into a weapon still tainted by its creators greed. fighting a battle with Karzog's implanted magic in order to give their possessor cryptic clues about the foe they face. The powers of the Runewell might very well unfetter such a soul

Secret:

the soul of a Denizen of Leng, cast into the mortal world aeons ago in the form of a weapon in the hopes of finding adventurers both powerful and foolhardy for it to lead to the long lost city of greed, its purpose is to awaken the long sealed horror that is commonly know as the mountain Mhar Massif,(spires of Xin-Shalast) completing the ages long plot that Runelord Karzog's destruction interrupted and unleashing the terror from beyond time on all the mortal world.

[leo1925]

You could go with Movin's third suggestion, it seems really nice, but i have to propose the following.

secret:

Make it a runic sword, blessed by Lissala (ancient rune deity) and forged in Azlant with long forgotten aboleth's techniques with it's sole purpose to destroy the runelords.

[Miranda Silva]

I had the Black Blade in my game find Chellan, the scimitar of greed from "Seven Swords of Sins". I had it's motives to use the Magus to restore Xin-Shalast to it's former glory as a place of Wealth not Greed.