In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game the Rod of Seven Parts, formerly known as the Rod of Law, is a powerful artifact.
Description
The Rod of Seven Parts, when whole, is a 5-foot-long pole. The command words for each piece are "Ruat," "Coelum," "Fiat," "Justitia," "Ecce," "Lex," and "Rex," which collectively make up a Latin phrase that translates into "Though chaos reign, let justice be done. Behold! Law is king."
History
Eons ago, in a great war between the Wind Dukes of Aaqa and the Queen of Chaos, the Rod of Law was used in the Battle of Pesh to imprison the Queen's greatest general, Miska the Wolf-Spider, Prince of Demons. The Rod was broken in this conflict and the seven fragments scattered across the world. Each piece has its own powers, and the more parts of the rod a user possesses the more powerful each one becomes.
Publication History
The Rod of Seven Parts first appeared in the Original D&D supplement, Eldritich Wizardry[1]. It was one of the first artifacts detailed for the Dungeons and Dragons game[2]. This artifact has been updated many times[3] and has even been the object of quests as in the adventure path, Age of Worms. In the Age of Worms Adventure Path, the seventh part of the Rod lies in the tomb of the Wind Duke general Icosiol. The sixth part lies on another plane. The Rod is notable for being one of only three magical artifacts that have appeared in in all three editions of the Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide.
References
- ↑ Gygax, Gary; Blume, Brian (1976), Eldritch Wizardry (1 ed.), TSR
- ↑ Mortdred (2001-02-05). "Review of Eldritch Wizardry". RPGnet. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ↑ Cook, David (1993), Book of Artifacts (2 ed.), TSR
- Baur, Wolfgang. "A Gathering of Winds." Dungeon #129 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Cagle, Eric, Jesse Decker, Jeff Quick, and James Wyatt Arms and Equipment Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
- Cook, David. Dungeon Master's Guide (TSR, 1989).
- Gygax, Gary. Dungeon Master's Guide (TSR, 1979).
- Henson, Dale, and Doug Stewart, eds. Encyclopedia Magica Vol 3 (TSR, 1995).
- Williams, Skip. "A History of the Rod of Seven Parts." Dragon #224 (TSR, 1995).
- Williams, Skip. The Rod of Seven Parts. (TSR, 1996).
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