Glass sword

A glass sword is a magical blade of nigh unsurpassed power, which is made out of specially prepared glass. While it may kill virtually any being it strikes dead with a single well placed hit, it will always shatter upon impact, making it a weapon to be used cautiously. Such swords appear in  Ultima V,  VI,  VII,  VII Part Two, and  IX.

Age of Enlightenment
Glass swords first came into use during the time of Lord Blackthorn's reign. During this era, a number of them were manufactured by an unknown craftsman before being lost deep within the Serpent's Spine by an airship captain transporting them. By speaking to the glassblower, Sven, the Avatar could learn of this hidden cache of crystalline blades, and could potentially retrieve them to assist in toppling the oppressive regime of the age.

Over time, such swords became slightly more commonplace items, and could be found on occasion amidst caches of treasure. During the years of the Gargish conflict, the Avatar was tasked with retrieving a glass sword for the astronomer Ephemerides, who required one as a structural foundation in fulfilling the hero's request for a concave Codex lens. Minoxian glassworker Dale was able to craft such weapons on commission, but would require a number of peer gems in order to create these mystical blades.

Age of Armageddon
Although glass swords were still present in Britannia centuries later, the art of their manufacture appeared to have been lost to the weaponsmiths of the realm; on distant Serpent Isle, however, the denizens of Moonshade still appeared to be well versed in their construction, and would freely sell them for a hefty fee.

Effectiveness of the Weapon

 * In  Ultima V, glass swords have 5 weight and are rated as doing 99 points of damage.


 * In  Ultima VI, glass swords does 255 points of damage.


 * In  Ultima VII, glass swords are rated as having an effectiveness of 127.


 * In  Ultima VII Part Two, they are listed as having a damage of 127 and a reach of 2.


 * In  Ultima IX, glass swords do exactly 500 points of damage per hit.

Locations

 * Sub article: Locations

Trivia

 * In Ultima V, the maxium amount of glass swords one can carry is seven. That's because you can't find more as long as as a glass sword is in the inventory, thus after equipping it, another one can be found, therefore seven (six equipped plus one in the inventory). The swords of course then can be put back into inventory. More can always be found after exhausting the swords in the inventory.
 * In Ultima VI, glass swords can be used to destroy doors, although sometimes more than one strike (and therefore more than one sword) is required.