Diente Sombrío

Description

Arcane Weapon; Restrictions: Strength d6, Fighting d8
This ornate ceremonial sword is in mint condition despite its age, with a gleaming blade of Toledo steel, a golden rapier-style guard, and an engraved ivory grip set with Salamanca’s coat of arms. The pommel is a strange, round jewel plundered from the Alhambra; a dusky pomegranate that shimmers with hidden depths, depending on the viewer’s angle and the quality of light. The blade is engraved with typical Spanish designs, and bears the inscription, “NO ME SAQUES SIN RAZON, NO ME ENBAINES SIN HONOR.” (“Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor.”)

History
Forged in 1510 in Toledo, Diente Sombrío was presented to none other than Francisco Vázquez de Coronado by the first Spanish governor of Granada, Iñigo López de Mendoza. Despite being an expensive ceremonial sword, Coronado carried it with him to Nueva España in 1535, and thence on his fabled search for the Seven Cities of Gold. Unfortunately for the conquistador, the sword was lost in Alkali Lake, where it was magically preserved by the waters of Quivira and invested with supernatural powers.

Discovered in 1842 by the deranged “prophet” Laurent St-Sébastien, the sword was used by the tyrannical Adventist as a symbol of his holy will. As his deluded disciples labored to construct Fort Jérusalem amidst Nebraska’s barren Sandhills, their leader used Coronado’s sword to dispense divine judgement. Unfortunately for St-Sébastien, his predictions never come to pass, and a Second Great Flood failed to transform the Great American Desert into an oasis. Turning upon their false prophet, St-Sébastien’s followers imprisoned him in Tour d’Hananéel, the landlocked “lighthouse,” where the mad Canadian slowly starved before taking his quietus with the bloodstained sword.

Powers

Aside from its incredible sturdiness and apparent immunity to time, Diente Sombrío has three principle powers.

La Espada de la Crueldad (Increased Damage)
If a successful attack is made on a spade Action Card, Diente Sombrío inflicts extra damage equal to the numeric value of the card expressed as the “nearest die,” rounded down, with all face cards counting as d12 and the Ace of Spades as d20. In other words, the Two, Three, Four, and Five of Spades grant a 1d4 DAM bonus; the Six and Seven of Spades grant a 1d6 DAM bonus; the Eight and Nine of Spades grant a 1d8 DAM bonus; the Ten of Spades grants a 1d10 DAM bonus, the Jack, Queen, and King of Spades grant a 1d12 DAM bonus, and the Ace of Spades grants a tremendous 1d20 DAM bonus.

El Baile de Torbellino (Whirlwind Attack)
If the wielder of Diente Sombrío draws a Joker during combat, he may spend a Fate Chip to attack multiple assailants during his round, up to a maximum number of targets equal to his Spirit die. Each target must be visible and within a ten-foot radius, and the wielder returns to his starting position after the round concludes.

Desenvainar de Necesidad (Needful Draw)
By spending a Fate Chip, the owner of Diente Sombrío may summon the sword from any distance instantaneously into his hand. This is purely a magical power, as the blade can be halfway around the world.

Sources & Notes

This sword appeared in my Deadlands 1876 campaign when the Regulators discovered the mysterious Fort Jérusalem in the lonely Nebraska Sandhills. I’ve always been fascinated by Coronado, so in Deadlands I allowed him to find his lost Quivira—just a bit north, at Alkali Lake! Although my colorful inscription of the sword does not match the image I used in the title graphic, it was the best I could find online. Part of the inspiration for this relic came from a short piece on the Coronado Sword in the Kansas Historical Society’s Kansapedia.

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 30 March 2018
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
PDF Version: Deadlands Relic – Diente Sombrío