Nerd By Northwest #363 - "Getting the Silent Treatment"

Sir Marko isn't the only one with a special magic blade...

Nerd By Northwest #363 - "Getting the Silent Treatment"
(Click on the image to see the full-size version)

So now we know that Sir Marko's new magic sword's sentience was not intentional but rather due to the enchanter, Walt, screwing up somehow and getting his mind & soul trapped in the sword. Hat tip to Hive account@sidekickmatt when he commented on the last strip that an older edition of D&D required that a sentient magic item would have to get it's personality and soul from a person or being... he pretty much guessed how this sword came to be. Unfortunately, like some fantasy fiction where wise & powerful sorcerers put their life essence into a magic vessel in order to live on to guide a hero, here we have a much-less-wise and sleazy sorcerer end up doing the same by misfortune. Though from what we know of Sir Marko and how he got kicked out of paladin training (@northwestnomad/nerd-by-northwest-291-paladin-school-dropout), it may not be all that bad of a match... 😁

I wasn't originally intending for Nolan's flaming magic sword to be sentient too, but having intelligent fire and ice swords sniping nasty comments to each other was just too much for me to resist. And if you think about how it took so long for Krod the flaming magic sword to say anything, if you were around a bunch of people you'd rather not talk with, wouldn't you avoid conversation too? The passive-aggressive silence approach isn't really something D&D lore of sentient magic items really covers, does it? But as someone who lives in a country where I look like an obvious foreigner who probably doesn't know the local language, I totally get that! 😏

Oh yeah, the name of Nolan's magic flaming sword, Krod, is a hat-tip to a funny but obscure & short-lived show some years back. For some of you it shouldn't be hard to guess...

And lastly, while jokes abound about the questionable usefulness of the bard class in D&D, when it comes to the less combat-oriented support roles they truly do come in handy. Dann the Bard pulling the lore of this particular magic blade out of thin air in the first panel is one of many things bards are known for. So yes, bards are good for something! But keep that on the down low... don't let it get around that I said that! 😉

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