Relics of the Lords of the Hells Vol VIII: Mephistopheles

By Neldor Ularie

Mephistopheles, Lord of Cania and the greatest wizard of the Nine Hells, has a collection of artifacts and relics second only to Mammon, The Lord of the Third, ruler of Minauros and patron of greed. One such relic is Spellbinder, a greataxe that possesses a unique enchantment. While magical in its own right, the axe by itself is unremarkable, but if it comes into contact with an enchanted weapon it has the extraordinary ability to steal its power. It is theorized that it was created with knowledge stolen from the Netherese and their mastery over chardalyn, an innately magical and quite rare material formed during primordial arcane torrents. 

For most of its history, Spellbinder was gifted to favored warlocks of Mephistopheles, able to be summoned as a pact weapon. One such wielder was the eldritch knight Caisys the Vicelord, rumored to be descended from demons, who fought as one of the Tandoril Thirteen (a sect of warlocks in pact with Mephistopheles in the late First Era). The weapon has a bloody history, and most who wield it find themselves in a tragic end. In the mid to late second era, any record of the axe being gifted to warlock ceased, and Imperial records are unclear as to why. Perhaps it was destroyed, or Mephistopheles has not found one worthy of its patronage. 

The power of Spellbinder varies from tale to tale. The majority of stories with its involvement say that it can absorb weapons up to a legendary quality, but unique enchantments escape its thirst. In the case of Caisys the Vicelord, he claimed to have absorbed the power of The Sword of Zariel, an unbelievably powerful artifact of an Arch-Devil. Whether this is true or not is unclear, and Zariel would sooner throw herself to the River Styx before admitting a mortal stole her blade. Other tales say that the axe drank from multiple weapons at once, claiming multiple enchantments for its own.