Twelve Swords of Power - Townsaver

Townsaver is also called the Sword of Fury. It has a sword raised above a stylized segment of castle wall engraved in white on its hilt.

Townsaver's power is defending unarmed people in a fixed position. When its wielder draws it for this purpose, the blade emits a screaming sound and takes over control from the user, moving his arms with superhuman speed and power to defeat any attackers. It is not an overstatement to say that Townsaver can singlehandedly defeat an entire army.

Townsaver's verse in The Song of Swords hints at its power and peril, and is as follows:

Long roads the Sword of Fury makes

Hard walls it builds around the soft

The fighter who Townsaver takes

Can bid farewell to home and croft

Unfortunately, unlike many of its fellow Swords, such as Shieldbreaker, it does nothing to protect the actual wielder. In fact, it will use the wielder's body to deflect and absorb ranged attacks and other blows, if it is practical to do so and if the action will result in the protection of the people it is trying to defend. Townsaver will keep its wielder alive until the battle is over. If the user has sustained serious wounds during the battle, they can and often do die.

In addition, Townsaver will not allow its user to drop or relinquish its power once the battle has been engaged. The user is totally committed once Townsaver is drawn. It will take no action to defend the user if he stands alone.

Of course, countermeasures have been developed to offset Townsaver's weaknesses somewhat. Giving the user strong armor is one that has been used with success. Since it is not the user's speed and power driving the weapon, it is possible to burden the wielder with heavy armor that would ordinarily be a fatal encumbrance.

The Song of Swords also hints explicitly at the destiny for the Sword. While the phrase is typically taken to mean that the wielder is unlikely to survive a battle, when Mark's half-brother Kenn dies wielding it early in the series, Mark takes Townsaver and leaves his village to find his destiny.

Townsaver was destroyed when its wielder confronted the god Vulcan, who was wielding Shieldbreaker during a siege. The God was heard to mutter "that was Townsaver by its cry...curse all humans who destroy my property!" (Third Book of Swords).