Hand of Valmont
The Hand of Valmont is a mystical artifact created from the severed hand of Brother Valmont.
History
In 997, during the Battle of Ratheveren, a sorcerer in the service of Constantine III seized the Grimorum Arcanorum from Finella. Under his control, Valmont wrecked havoc on the armies of The Grim, Constantine, and Demona's Clan. As he was about to cast another spell, the Gargoyle of the Sword severed the sorcerer's hand while holding the book. ("Tyrants", "Phoenix") The hand itself, having been severed while casting a spell, was imbued with mystic potency making it a valuable prize. By 1997, it was being kept in Bermuda in the vault of Paolo Prospero and the White Council.
In 1997, Demona was keen to acquire in her quest to locate the new Three Keys to Power. In July, she offered to sell a controlling interest of Nightstone Unlimited to Thailog in exchange for using his connections with the Illuminati to obtain the haft of Gugnir. As part of Thailog and [Shahrizad|Shahrizad's]] scheme to obtain the haft from Eastcheap, they journeyed to Bermuda and stole the Hand from Prospero's vault. When they contacted the Upper Echelons of the Illuminati, Duval ordered the Hand to be delivered to Carbonek only to be overruled by Peredur fab Ragnal who ordered it to Eastcheap - exactly as Thailog and Shahrizad had hoped. While Shahrizad distracted the Society's treasurer, Thailog deposited the Hand into the horde and rummaged around for the haft, which he successfully smuggled out ("Questions", "Quo Vadis Cum Hoc?", "Acquisitions")
Apocrypha
Gargoyles Meets the Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Young Justice
The Manhattan Clan gathered at the Eyrie Building to discuss a mystical artifact known as the Hand of Valmont. Brooklyn shares that after Brother Valmont's hand was cut off during the Battle of Rathveramoen, it absorbed magical energies from the Grimorum Arcanorum he was holding. It was later passed down and preserved by his followers. The police evidently believed that it was in danger of being stolen from the Museum of Natural History and, in fact, not long after, Jackal and Hyena arrived at the museum with that very intent. While the two were ultimately thwarted, Vandal Savage met with Black Cat, who did successfully steal the Hand of Valmont while authorities were preoccupied taking the would-be thieves into custody. ("Recruits")
