The Blade of Runes (also called the Runeblade) is a magical sword of legend.

A heroine, whose name has been lost to the sands of time, came to the Vale to destroy the evil mage Alaxus, armed with the Blade of Runes and a magical shield, Starshine. The battle raged for many days until the heroine slew Alaxus with the Blade of Runes. She paid for her victory with her life, however, and neither her body nor Alaxus’s was seen again. It was rumored that the blade itself had been created for the purpose of killing Alaxus, but nobody knows for sure.

The sword was said to have crystal runes embedded in the blade which would glow in the presence of mages or magic-using creatures. It could be used either one-handed or in both hands.

(Portions of this text are taken from the module Fast Play – Wrath of the Minotaur by Jeff Grubb)