Rod of Seven Parts

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Greyhawk Item
Rod of Seven Parts
The complete Rod, illustrated by Glen Angus, in Tomes: Rod of Seven Parts, "Initiattion to Power", p2. (1996)
General information
Type:Artifact
Rules
Weight:7lbs; feels weightless
Publishing
First published:Eldritch Wizardry (1976)
This article is about the artifact. For the adventure, see The Rod of Seven Parts. For the novel, see The Rod of Seven Parts (novel).

The Rod of Seven Parts, formerly known as the Rod of Law, is a powerful artifact in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

Description

The Rod of Seven Parts, when whole, is a black 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

"Aeons ago, a great war was waged between the Wind Dukes of Aaqa (the guardians of Law) and the Queen of Chaos. Those polar forces each craved the annihilation of the other, and were so obsessed with enforcing their ideologies that they spared no thought for Good and Evil. For many years the balance of power shifted back and forth, and neither side could achieve the upper hand.

Then the Queen of Chaos found and appointed a new commander: Miska the Wolf-Spider, who was so brutal and terrible to behold that the Queen also took him for her consort. With the arrival of the evil Miska, the forces of Chaos were bolstered and the Wind Dukes began to fear eventual defeat.

Therefore, they left the Captains of Law to hold the line while they combined all of their powers and created a magnificent ebony rod. With the newly created artifact in hand, the Wind Dukes rejoined the war at the battle of Pesh. The Dukes gave the Rod to the Captains of Law and bade them vanquish Chaos.

A fearsome battle raged for weeks, and the advantage shifted repeatedly between the foes. Finally, the Captains of Law surrounded the Wolf-Spider, and before the legions of Chaos could swarm to their leader's side, the Rod was driven through Miska's body. For a moment, every soldier stood terrified by the horrible scream of the general. Miska's foul blood covered the Rod and penetrated it as he writhed on the ground, and the magical forces of Law that had been infused into the Rod were combined with the essence of Chaos in Miska's blood, which ruptured the Rod and shattered it into seven pieces. Meanwhile, the Wolf-Spider was cast through a planar rip created by the explosion, and he remains lost on an unknown plane. The Queen's soldiers converged upon the site in an attempt to capture the parts of the Rod, but the Wind Dukes intervened and magically scattered the pieces across the world.

Ever since that time, agents of the Queen have been ordered to seek out the Rod at any cost. It is rumored that if she regains all the parts, she can use the reconstructed Rod to find the Wolf-Spider and return him to her side, whereupon the wars will begin anew."[1]

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 in the possession of the pit fiend Visciannix.

Publishing history

The Rod of Seven Parts has been present throughout all editions of D&D, and is referenced throughout many products.

The Rod of Seven Parts was first ever mentioned in the original edition of D&D in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) where it was called an artifact, but no other history was given. The primary focus of its entry is that is scattered and it's magical powers.

In first edition, the Rod's first appearance was in the DMG[2] where a very brief history of its creation and breaking are given as well as what happens when pieces are found and joined. As was standard for artifacts and relics of this edition, powers of the pieces were not specifically defined and were random or determined by the dungeon master.

In second edition, the Rod's first appearance was in the DMG[3] and the Dungeon Master's Guide Revised (1995) expanded that lore even more,[4] especially about the Battle of Pesh.

Next was the Book of Artifacts (1993), which gives more details which had not been covered before, like the length of the Rod and more information about the Battle of Pesh and Miska the Wolf-Spider.[5]
The Rod is also the subject of an entire boxed set adventure, The Rod of Seven Parts (1996). as a prelude, an article by Skip Williams in Dragon #224 (1995), "A History of the Rod of Seven Parts", gives an extensive look at the background information and the publishing history of the artifact.

For third edition, the Rod made its first appearance in the Arms and Equipment Guide (2003).

The fourth edition Dungeon Master's Guide 2 presents the Rod of Seven Parts for the new edition.[6]

The Rod made its debut appearance in fifth edition with the release of Vecna: Eve of Ruin (2024).

  • Art by Glen Angus, The Rod of Seven Parts, p52 (1996).
    Art by Glen Angus, The Rod of Seven Parts, p52 (1996).
  • Art by David Frazier, Book of Artifacts, p91 (1993).
    Art by David Frazier, Book of Artifacts, p91 (1993).
  • Art by Eva Widermann, A Gathering of Winds, p65 (2005).
    Art by Eva Widermann, A Gathering of Winds, p65 (2005).

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ The Rod of Seven Parts (1996), p.2, Book III:Might and Menace, "About the Rod".
  2. ↑ Dungeon Masters Guide (1979), p.160.
  3. ↑ Dungeon Master Guide (1989), p.91,93.
  4. ↑ Dungeon Master Guide (1995), p.126-127.
  5. ↑ Book of Artifacts (1993), p.91-93.
  6. ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (2009), p.157-159.

Bibliography

———. Dungeon Master's Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
  • Decker, Jesse. "The Spire of Long Shadows." Dungeon #130. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
  • Gygax, Gary. Dungeon Masters Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1979. Item code TSR2011.
  • Gygax, Gary, and Brian Blume. Eldritch Wizardry. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1976.
  • Henson, Dale, and Doug Stewart, eds. Encyclopedia Magica Vol 3. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.
  • Metzer, Frank (1982), The "Dwarven" Quest for the Rod of Seven Parts (1st ed.), Chester, PA: RPGA, Gen Con East II
  • Mona, Erik. Age of Worms Overload. Bellvue, WA. Paizo Publishing, 2005. Available online:[1] Accessed: September 2, 2019.
———. "The Whispering Cairn." Dungeon #124. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
  • Wiese, Robert. Finger of the Wind. Gencon 2000 "D&D Open" tournament adventure. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
  • Williams, Skip. "A History of the Rod of Seven Parts." Dragon #224. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.
———. The Rod of Seven Parts. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Arms and Equipment Guide, D&D 3.0 154
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Book of Artifacts, AD&D 2e 91-92
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook 37
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 160, 161
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide (Revised), AD&D 2e (Premium Edition) 126
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #224 66 - 70
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #230 13
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #233 92, 93
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #294 92
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #299 101, 103
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #351 42
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Encyclopedia Magica - Volume III 1038-1040
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Eldritch Wizardry 42
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, The Rod of Seven Parts: Initiation to Power 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 54, 55, 60, 65, 66, 69, 70, 71, 72, 78, 79, 88, 93
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, The Rod of Seven Parts: Might and Menace 2, 3, 4, 5-12
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, The Rod of Seven Parts: Reference Cards #1145XXX0601
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, The Rod of Seven Parts: Reference Cards #1145XXX0606
Rod {Wand} of Seven Parts Item Artifact, Reference SEE ALSO Wand of Seven Parts
The Rod of Seven Parts Item Dragon magazine #224 68
The Rod of Seven Parts Boxed Set (Tomes) Publication Supplement, Dragon magazine #224 68
The Rod of Seven Parts Boxed Set (Tomes) Publication Supplement, Dragon magazine #233 92
The Rod of Seven Parts campaign set Adventure Adventure - The Rod of Seven Parts: Reference Cards
The Rod of Seven Parts: Initiation to Power Adventure Dragon magazine #233 92
The Rod of Seven Parts: Might and Menace Adventure Dragon magazine #233 93
Wand of Seven Parts Item Reference SEE ALSO Rod of Seven Parts
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