In the unbroken darkness of the tomb, Drakonskyr dreams fitfully inside Tiamat. It beckons to its old blade, the sword of Nul, ordering the blade to bring those who can free Dragonskyr from its millennium-old prison. Throughout the ages, the sword has passed from one owner to another, for its power brings death to its user. It destroys all it touches, as befits a weapon forged by a demon.
The sword of Nul as it appears in Vampire: the eternal struggle
The sword of Nul is a magical short sword made of bronze. It was originally created in ancient Sumer, sometime in 3000-2000 B.C. by demon Drakonskyr, at the time possessing a vampire called Lantla. Drakonskyr used it as part of a bargain it made with Lantla, to be used in defense of the city of Ur against invading forces of the warlord Urlon of Uruk. In reality the demon was merely looking for ways to be freed upon the mortal world. Possessing Lantla, Drakonskyr destroyed all the invaders with the sword, and many more citizens of Ur besides, causing a terrifying massacre. When Lantla realized what the demon wanted, she trapped the demon within herself and flung the sword of Nul into the river Tigris.
History
The sword did not vanish from memory. After Lantla had flung it into the river it rested there until 806 A.D. when an Islamic warrior from Abbasid caliphate recovered it. He put it into use that same year when a civil war broke out. Despite the wondrous blade the warrior was killed in combat, and the sword was later recovered by a beggar looting dead corpses.
The beggar then sold it to Bayt Al-Himah, The house of Wisdom. The scholars were fascinated by it since they had little concept of archaeology, and since the sword still had an edge, they thought it had been recently made by an unknown civilization. The sword was stored in Baghdad, until it was stolen by a Brujah thief who was down on his luck and looking to escape the prince of Baghdad. The Brujah stole the sword among other valuables, and set to travel to Europe. The Brujah thief managed to reach Jerusalem, where he was slain when christian crusaders attacked the city.
The sword travelled with the crusaders to Europe where it was passed from father to son as a family heirloom many times, causing misfortune to each owner, until it eventually came into the possession of the Tremere in mid 15th century. Tremere studied it but never used it. Tremere kept it in their stronghold in Vienna several centuries.
Then one night, a Malkavian anarch called Antoine managed to break into the stronghold, and came across the sword by accident. Antoine was looking for information that could be used against the Tremere when he was discovered. He seized the sword and used it against the Tremere. From there, his escape was assured. The guards either were no match for the sword or were unwilling to face it. Antoine escaped, fleeing first to England and then to United States. He named the sword soulrazor for the fear it caused on the Tremere.
Appearance
It looks innocent enough. It is short, straight, and made of bronze. The entire weapon is slightly green with age. It is still sharp, extremely sharp. In fact the sword is sharper than is theoretically possible for a weapon made of bronze. It has no ornamentation save for a crude skull carved in middle of the hilt. The handle was once wrapped in leather or cloth, which has since rotted away, leaving only bare metal.
Sources
- Bloody hearts - diablerie: Britain, pages 27-30