The
Axe of Lev is a greataxe notable for being owned by the eponymous Cormyrean ennobled warrior
Lev "the Axe" and later passed down through the
Lev dynasty. Despite being mundane and not particularly unique in design or forging, the Axe gained some notoriety around the Storm Horn Mountains for Lev’s exploits with it during the Goblin War. While still a functioning weapon, the Axe of Lev is now mostly used ceremonially, as part of the regalia of the reigning Baron Levev.
Description
Forged in rural Cormyr in the fourteenth century, the Axe of Lev would have initially appeared quite austere for a greataxe, although later alterations by Lev’s descendants have made the weapon more visually distinct. Its wooden haft, hewn from King’s Forest oak, stands at just under four feet tall, on the upper end of heights for typical human greataxes. The weapon notably has a one-sided axehead rather than the double-sided more typically found on greataxes. This was a relatively common alteration around Cormyr’s Storm Horn Mountains, where the rough terrain favoured more close-quarters combat, reducing the effectiveness of a two-sided axe and potentially making the second side a liability. The weapon’s steel axehead is relatively large and heavy, and is somewhat balanced by a small counterweight. During the Goblin War the Axe was undecorated and visually unremarkable, but the weapon has since had ornamental patterns carved into its haft, and the axehead has had similar patterns fire-gilded onto it. These alterations reflect the Axe of Lev’s gradual transition from a martial tool into a ceremonial piece, although the weapon is still fairly usable in combat.
History
Forged in the late 1360s DR in a now-defunct smithy in the village of Espar, the Axe of Lev was a wholly unremarkable greataxe when purchased by the eponymous Lev, who at the time was a hunter and woodsman operating in the Storm Horn Mountains and King’s Forest in western Cormyr. Lev would use the weapon when hunting in these areas, as well as to defend himself against the occasional groups of orcs, bandits, or other hostile forces lurking in the mountains. During the Goblin War of 1370 and 1371 DR, Lev organised a personal resistance against the auxiliary orcish armies and raiding parties in southwestern Cormyr, throughout which the greataxe served as his signature weapon and the origin of his sobriquet “the Axe”. Lev was later elevated to the low nobility as a Baron in recognition of his many pursuits during the Goblin War, most notably his successful defence of the town of Minroe, and continued wielding the Axe, including when holding court, until his death in 1398 DR.
The Axe of Lev was inherited, along with the Barony, by Lev’s oldest son
Nikolay. Nikolay did not use the Axe in combat like his father, although he continued and cemented the tradition of holding the weapon in ceremonial and legal procedures. Nikolay also chose to feature the Axe on the new Lev coat of arms, further cementing it as a symbol of the House. Later in his life, Nikolay commissioned the first alterations to the greataxe, adding a fire-gilded pattern to its head and entirely fire-gilding its counterweight. These alterations would be continued by Nikolay’s son
Ivan upon ascending to the Barony, with the weapon receiving several ornamental carvings and touch-ups throughout his reign. The Axe of Lev is currently in the possession of the reigning Baron,
Sergey, and remains used as regalia and as a recognisable House symbol. Sergey, who is physically weaker than his forebears and now entering his sixties, wields the Axe far less frequently than previous Barons, and often has his son and heir
Ivan carry the weapon on his behalf.
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