Marsord

The marsord is a special, multi-functional blade unique to Marrishland and almost exclusive to the most wealthy and powerful magocrats. It has two blades, one on each side of the hilt. The front blade is eighteen inches long and about three inches wide, curving in at the very tip to create a very sharp and abrupt point. The second blade is considerably shorter, about two inches, with the same abrupt point. One edge of the longer blade is toothed, while the other is smooth and sharp. It is almost always carried in a shin sheath, and the cloaks of wizards who wear a marsord are usually subtly slotted to allow quick access to their weapons.

While most often used as a weapon or symbol of the wizard's power, it is also a tool — functional as a saw, machete, and even, when thrown, a hunting implement. In combat, it serves the function of any other short broadsword — hacking and occasionally stabbing opponents — or so say those who do not understand it.

Make no mistake. The marsord is not a battlefield weapon designed for use by rank-and-file infantry soldiers. It was originally created by the magocrats of the Duxy of Pidel as a weapon of assassination, since Pidel has consistently been opposed to using magic to kill fellow Mar, including enemy wizards. As such, its purpose needed to be disguised while still making it functional in that capacity — not an easy task when any assassination attempt must take an enemy wizard completely by surprise.

Shin sheaths allowed such assassins to conceal the marsord under their cloaks, with the shorter blade coming just above their knee. When they were in close proximity to the mark, they would strike with the knee, driving the blade home. Under the best conditions, they could pull a victim's torso or head against the hidden blade, instantly killing her. In less ideal circumstances, the sudden attack to an unexpected quarter would distract the victim long enough for the assassin to go to work on neck and chest with a simple utility knife commonly carried by Mar. The intention was to strike so quickly that the mark never had an opportunity to ready a magical defense impenetrable to mundane weaponry. The abruptness of the blade itself was no accident, as it still stood a reasonable chance of penetrating a hastily erected shield of Power, while a tip with a greater surface area would encounter more resistance.

If the assassin's weapon was discovered, it was generally fairly easy to explain it away as a mapmaking tool, at least until the other magocrats figured out the truth about the marsord. At that point, it was only used widely by the magocrats of the Duxy of Despar who prized it in their battles against the magic-immune damnens.

The heroic acts of several Despar magocrats during the Gien Invasions, however, put the marsord back into fashion — this time, as a symbol of Mar resistance to Gien occupation. The Gien ban on the marsord after several of their officials died at the hands of Mar assassins only increased its popularity among wizards who secretly (or even openly) despised the occupation.

After the fall of the Empire, the marsord remained a trademark of the magocrats and increasingly became a dueling weapon among those who contested the Chair. As the enhanced warrior gambit gained credibility as a dueling strategy, full-fledged combat styles developed around the marsord. Without exception, these styles blended mundane training with magical enhancement.

Though the marsord is the mark of the powerful and wealthy, not all who carry a marsord are skilled with it. Enhanced warriors may make it look easy to wield magic and marsord simultaneously, but doing so effectively enough to defeat an enemy wizard demands a great deal of practice and a wide array of dirty tricks to get close enough to an opponent to actually land a killing blow with the marsord.

(Contributed by Weard Gilda Kronas)

Copyright 2005-2007 Eric Zawadzki and Matthew Schick. All Rights Reserved.
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