Intelligent Weapons Part 3: Living Weapons

For the final entry, I would like to discuss what I would refer to as living weapons. I would define these as beings that began their existence in one state and, through accident or design, became weapons. Whereas affinity weapons developed intellect, living weapons were creatures that already had sentience, which was further warped into a nature that could be described as weaponsied.

The Myrmidons of Thessaly

The first example I would like to cite is that of the Myrmidons of Greek myth. These begins were said to have begun life as ants and were transformed into soldiers. It was said that the Myrmidons were supremely obedient and would follow orders without question. They were the ancient world's conception of what we might call mindless automatons. Do be called one was an insult, effectively meaning that one was the equivalent of a robot.

The implications of the Myrmidons is that becoming a weapon is a process of lessening. They have lost something: their own autonomy. While Achilles and the other heroes are divinely empowered, these souls have been dis-empowered. Though Achilles makes mistakes of pride and rage, his soldiers are incapable of making these errors. They simply follow his will, as much a tool as his spear, sword or shield. It is important to note that the Iliad itself does not condemn the Myrmidons, though it does not precisely glorify them either. Its stance seems simply the acknowledgement that such beings are the result of creating an effective military. That in an army, there is only room for one autonomous mind. Even if the Myrmidons are interpreted favorably, in a view that they are capable servants of their commander, it nevertheless carries implications that to "purify" a human of their autonomy, is to dehumanise them. It is notable that such demi-humans are capable of some of the more formidable acts of destruction in the account of the Trojan War.

Sacnoth

Sacnoth is the titular magical blade described in Lord Dunsany's "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth". This sword is the product of a hero named Leothric slaying a man-eating monster called Tharagavverug. With a blade pulled from the ashes of Tharagavverug's spine, a pommel made from one iron eye and sharpened the other, Sancnoth is a formidable weapon that still retains the mind of the beast from which it was crafted. Importantly, the sword does not seek to thwart the hero who slew Tharagavverug in revenge, but rather, serves its victorious opponent faithfully.

Then Leothric advanced into the marshes, and the eye of Tharagavverug looked out warily from the hilt of Sacnoth; for Tharagavverug had known the marshes well, and the sword nudged Leothric to the right or pulled him to the left away from the dangerous places, and so brought him safely to the fortress walls.

It may seem at first glance that this is a story of utter defeat, reduction and slavery. A once autonomous creature has been robbed of its life and freedom. However, as one might infer from the description of Sacnoth's origin, Dunsany's tale is fantastical in the extreme sense of the form. It is explicitly stated that Sacnoth already exists within Tharagavverug. Merely burning the beast's carcass is enough to reveal the blade. There is a definitive sense that Tharagavverug is merely a previous state of Sacnoth's being, like a larva waiting to pupate into an adult stage.

Stormbringer

Another such example is that of the runeblade Stormbringer from Michael Moorcock's Elric Saga. Elric is a sorcerer king who comes from a proud and cruel race that have subdued much of the world through the use of powerful magics. They also created the weapons Mournblade and Stormbringer. Such was the destructive character of these swords that they were sealed away. Elric finds and takes up Stormbringer, using it in a series of adventures that bring about countless deaths, including that of his beloved, his own people and many of his friends. When Elric is on the threshold of restoring balance to the cosmos, the sword awakens as a demon of chaos, slays Elric and corrupts the newly remade world.

The implications of this is that any change brought about in a creature is only a temporary one and the underlying substratum of the altered being will come through in time. In such a world, we are all of us incapable of change. We are merely caught up in the ebb and flow of life as it changes into death and back again. The Melnibonéans who made the attempt to shape demons of chaos into the runeblades is in itself a quality of their nature that cannot be altered. The series makes no secret that Elric's folk are worshipers of chaos and that they would wish to enter into a Faustian covenant at their "peril" would hardly be surprising.

Psychological implications

The implications of living weapons seems contradictory. The Myrmidons forwards the view that humans and weapons fall into a gradient in which any combination of the two is a compromised design. This makes sense, if we take a weapon to be co-equal to a tool. The more "living" a weapon shares in, the more unreliable it is. The more of a "weapon" a living creature is, the more it must be acted upon to wield it.

In this view, all creatures are subject be altered by the stimuli to which they are exposed by outside forces. If a being is acted upon, it will be changed. While avoidance of the stimuli may be possible, the effects of the stimuli are beyond control once exposure has occurred.

On the other hand, the story of Sancoth draws even this into question, where it seems inevitable that the latent potential for violent servitude will become actual. That perhaps no "lessening" occurs, as such changes are the unfolding of a creature's full nature over time.

Finally, the Elric Saga paints a different, if perhaps equally grim, picture. It describes living things as having an essential nature. That all change is temporary and leads to a constant return.

However, all depictions seem related to a central theme of limitation. Whether it is the inability of the Myrmidons to act on their own volition, Tharagavverug to shed itself of Sacnoth's form, or of Elric to control Stormbringer's nature, the concept of a living weapon seems to evoke notions of a lack of control. This is obvious when one considers what is implied by the term "living weapon": a being that acts to deal violence on behalf of another. However, the relationship is not so simple as "controller" and "controlled". The very concept carries the implication that a lack of control exists on all levels. Folk who "forge" living weapons are only acting upon the potentiality of another being. They are not creative. They too, are bound a system where control is limited, if not outright illusory.

Examples in Videos Games

Living weapons are frequently depicted in games, but so often fail to get across the notions described earlier. Thane Krios from Mass Effect 2 views himself as a living weapon: that he is an instrument of death and a tool for others to use. However, controlling him in game has no distinctions from other characters. One is left with the impression that Mass Effect 2 is either trying to send the message that all of the characters are merely tools or that Thane is deluded. However, the most likely reason is that this is a case of ludonarrative dissonance where the story concept is not expressed by the gameplay.

A fantasy example of the living weapon trope is the Soul Reaver depicted in the Legacy of Kain series. Beware, the following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the whole series.

The character Raziel is introduced in the series' second installment. He is a vampire reborn and a soul-devouring wraith. During the course of the game, he collects the Soul Reaver, a wraith sword that also consumes souls, albeit with much greater savagery  and reckless abandon. Nevertheless, the Soul Reaver proves very useful in his adventures. However, it is revealed in the following title that Raziel and the Soul Reaver's similarities are no coincidence. Due to the effects of time travel, it is revealed that Raziel will be sent back in time where he will be transformed the insane soul-eating weapon he has been using all along. The lack of choice implied by the living weapons trope is keenly felt and appropriately used, as much of the themes of the story revolve around the characters' attempt to eke out a sphere of free will in a universe where all events seem predestined.

The gameplay is also highly effective in advancing these themes. The Legacy of Kain series is comprised of linear, story-based adventures in which the plot is revealed as the game progresses. Players have no capacity to affect the outcome, and the game's difficulty relies entirely on its combat system and world-exploration. Such gameplay might be restrictive in other titles, but it is entirely appropriate given the narrative threads the designers are attempting to weave. The fact that the Soul Reaver is necessary for Raziel's success hearkens back to Elric's dilemma: the sword is his primary source of strength, yet also heralds his doom. The dehumanising elements are also referenced. To be turned into such a tool is abhorrent to the willful Raziel. Yet, in the end, Raziel chooses to become the sword, so that the blade will benefit his ally Kain. When he has been transformed, he is able to give a deeper sight to Kain, allowing him to see their mutual foe, not unlike Sancoth. One follows the entire arc of Raziel's transformation, to the point of experiencing his utility as a weapon throughout the game.

Living Weapons in Conscientia

Obviously, there are a lot of spoilers for our game in this section.

In Conscientia, how example of beings who have become weaponsied are the Jinetes. While these beings have terrorised humanity, it is by conscious design. Fearing that a unified human civilisation would give rise to a transcendent singularity-born being, they resolved to alter their nature. Like the Myrmidons, these immortal beings choose to lose their plurality of mental perspectives so that while the four of them collectively understand the human condition, each of them is a creature dedicated to a particular world-view and mission. While these creatures fit the mold of such an archetype, they are not playable characters, and this nature can only be read about and not experienced.

The one playable character that exhibits the qualities of a living weapon is that of Rikharr, due to be the subject of a forthcoming installment. He undergoes a dehumanising process, however, his is a self-inflicted procedure arising from his own unique personality characteristics. Rikharr is discontented with his condition as a creature continually becoming and never, as he sees it, being. In his view, the process of always reaching towards a goal is the eternal state of humanity, one he seeks to be rid of. He undergoes a process of kenosis, of the emptying of human qualities, in the attempt to become less than human. In so doing, he becomes the instrument of a higher being, Hel, the first child of Vanargand.

When the player encounters Rikharr, it is ambiguous if he will ever be able achieve his goal, as the process of transcendence through abjection has left him as empty as he ever was. The forthcoming installment will feature themes surround the concept of human nature, change and control.