# Fragarach and the Swords of Answering



## Vradna (Sep 22, 2006)

Hello one and all,

Just picking the collective brains trust here; how many swords of Answering are there? 
7 or 9?

Regardless of the amount, what are the names?

Any takers?


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## xmanii (Sep 22, 2006)

These are the swords from Temple of Elemental Evil?

*wishes once again I brought my books when I moved*


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## Thanatos (Sep 22, 2006)

I lifted this from another place, its someone's post:



> Are you takling about the Swords of Answering? If so, these will probably not appear in NWN2 as they are Greyhawk specific items. They are mentioned in the 1st Edition Temple of Elemental Evil module.
> 
> "FRAGARACH"
> 
> ...




Oh, here is an actual ToE link where that persons post came from: http://www.gamebanshee.com/templeofelementalevil/magicitems/fragarach.php


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## Scarbonac (Sep 22, 2006)

Nine; one for each alignment.

Can't recall the names, though.


[Edit: Wife found our old UA. The full list is Answerer, Back-talker, Concluder, Lastquip, Rebutter, Replier, Retorter, Scather and Squelcher.)


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## Ripzerai (Sep 22, 2006)

The Final Word Swords were created by the hero-deity Kelanen, the Sword Lord (except for the Answerer, which Kelanen wrested from an alien god). The name Fragarach means "final word" in Ancient Oeridian.


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## Kristian Serrano (Sep 22, 2006)

Ripzerai said:
			
		

> The Final Word Swords were created by the hero-deity Kelanen, the Sword Lord (except for the Answerer, which Kelanen wrested from an alien god). The name Fragarach means "final word" in Ancient Oeridian.



Personally, I think this is what the title "Book of Nine Swords" should have referred to.


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## Erik Mona (Sep 23, 2006)

Actually I think it is just a weird coincidence. It would, however, be cool to develop warblade maneuvers based on the nine "final word" blades. That'd be an auto-accepted Class Acts query, btw. I'd write it myself if I had time. 

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon Magazine


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## Thurbane (Sep 23, 2006)

Interesting fact I only found out relatively recently - Fragarach is named after a "real world" mythical sword of Irish/Celtic lore...

Anyway, as to the alignments:

Answerer - LG
Back-talker - CN
Concluder - LN
Lastquip - NE
Rebutter - N
Replier - NG
Retorter - LE
Scather - CG
Squelcher - CE

...does that sound right?


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## GwydapLlew (Sep 23, 2006)

Erik Mona said:
			
		

> Actually I think it is just a weird coincidence. It would, however, be cool to develop warblade maneuvers based on the nine "final word" blades. That'd be an auto-accepted Class Acts query, btw. I'd write it myself if I had time.
> 
> --Erik Mona
> Editor-in-Chief
> Dragon Magazine




When you put it like that, I imagine you'll have a couple-hundred queries in the next hour.


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## Alzrius (Sep 23, 2006)

Thurbane said:
			
		

> Anyway, as to the alignments:
> 
> [...]
> 
> ...does that sound right?




Actually, no.

The swords (except for Fragarach) were detailed in 3.5 stats in _Dungeon_ #106 (which also had one of the best covers ever!), in "Critical Threat: Dantalion." It lists not only their names and alignments, but powers as well (they all have the same powers, just for different alignments). The nine swords and their alignments are:

Answerer - LG
Back-talker - NG
Concluder - CG
Last-quip - LN
Rebutter - N
Replier - CN
Retorter - LE
Scather - NE
Squelcher - CE


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## Thurbane (Sep 24, 2006)

Cool. Except for Scather, I am about 99% sure that it was CG in the original ToEE module.


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## Ripzerai (Sep 24, 2006)

Thurbane said:
			
		

> Cool. Except for Scather, I am about 99% sure that it was CG in the original ToEE module.




Its alignment wasn't mentioned, but seeing as Thrommel gives it to one of the PCs as a gift (as a reward for finding Fragarach for him), it seems unlikely to be evil. Unless Thrommel was very confused, that is. Which is possible: he was rather groggy.

The "original" Fragarach, Thrommel's own sword identified elsewhere as the Answerer, is listed as CG in the module, but as Thrommel is a paladin that seems likely to be a typo.

If I can indulge in a flight of fancy, maybe Fragarach the Answerer was found by Kelanen in the same tomb in Pelion that Orcus later found the Last Word in. Alien gods are supposed to have created that place, after all, and the name Fragarach _is_ supposed to mean Final Word.


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## Thurbane (Sep 24, 2006)

Well, looking at the list from Dungeon, it seem like they have just lined up the names in alphabetical order then arbitrarily slapped on the alignments in order (3x Good, 3x Neutral, 3x Evil).


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## dagger (Sep 24, 2006)

From the Unearthed Arcana:


"*Sword, Broad, “Final Word” Type is a very rare item -only nine of
these blades are known to exist*. Each is patterned after the legendary
broadsword Fragarach (which means “final word” in the tongue of
the ancient Oeridians). Each of these weapons is thought to have a
differing alignment, but in all other respects each is alike. If a creature
of an alignment different from that of the sword attempts to wield it in
battle, the weapon has no bonuses. In the hands of a creature of like
alignment, the sword becomes a + 3 blade which always strikes last
in any round, but which will strike unerringly and do damage to any opponent
that struck at the wielder earlier in the same round, regardless
of whether the opponent(s) successfully hit the wielder, up to the
wielder’s allowable number of attacks per round. (Of course, since
the weapon is a + 3 blade, opponents immune to weapons of less
than + 4 value will not be harmed.) Each of these swords has a gem of
10,000 gp value set in its pommel, and each gem is different in type
from all the others. Each sword also bears an identifying name; the
nine appellations are “Answerer,” “Back-talker,” “Concluder,” “Lastquip,”
“Rebutter,” “Replier,” “Retorter,” “Scather,” and “Squelcher.”"


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## victorysaber (Sep 24, 2006)

When I first heard of Fragarach (in the Temple of Elemental Evil CRPG), I honestly thought it was a pun on "frag", "Frag"arach.

Oops.


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## cignus_pfaccari (Sep 24, 2006)

victorysaber said:
			
		

> When I first heard of Fragarach (in the Temple of Elemental Evil CRPG), I honestly thought it was a pun on "frag", "Frag"arach.
> 
> Oops.




Hey, I thought it was a corruption of "Fraggle Rock."

Brad


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## Evilhalfling (Sep 24, 2006)

Thurbane said:
			
		

> Well, looking at the list from Dungeon, it seem like they have just lined up the names in alphabetical order then arbitrarily slapped on the alignments in order (3x Good, 3x Neutral, 3x Evil).




yeah Thurbane had the better list 
Im mean comon' Last-quip is a LN blade? Please.


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## Thurbane (Sep 25, 2006)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> yeah Thurbane had the better list
> Im mean comon' Last-quip is a LN blade? Please.



Thanks.   

I also think "Scather" would be better suited to an evil blade, but was basing CG on the original module and the ToEE PC game. Barring this, on my list I would swap Lastquip to CG and Scather to NE.


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## Jason Zehnder (Dec 3, 2017)

From "Critical Threats, Dantalion Dark Champion of the Sword Lord". _Dungeon_. TSR (106): 52–53. Jan 2004.


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