Looks like I have to just create a new toon, level it all the way, get the quest to make a new sword, make the new sword, pass it back to the old character (after getting it to 290), delete the new character, and continue the reforging quest on the old character. What a pain in the ass. Yes, this was a very painfully hard lesson learned about locking gear. Believe me, I will be sure to lock critical items from now on.