Five swords were crafted from crystals taken from deep within the Twilight Mountains. It took elven magic to sheer the blades into the sharp weapons they would become, and dwarven skill to craft the perfect hilts to join the blades. Despite their power, and despite their pedigree, the swords were unused, kept with various treasures pulled from the depths of the mountain, or those poured in from places far and wide. The Kingdom of Deep King Throughstone the Wise had riches far beyond most people’s comprehension. Most were dug up from the depths of the Twilight Mountians, the rest fruits of trade far and wide. It was said that the steel smelted in the Deep Kingdom was the finest in all Althanas, and even that adamantine was forged in those halls. If the latter was true, the knowledge had died, along with most of the trade with the Deep Kingdom.
Deep King Throughstone the Wise had spent a fortune on the five crystal swords, and yet he chose to horde them away; apparently fearful of the time the swords would be used. Few knew why the Deep King did as he had, but none questioned. That was over 700 years ago and many Deep Kings have come and gone during that time. It was the most recent, Engleward the Stout, that would break that tradition, but not by choice. Engeward was slain defending his kingdom as were many of his kin. It was as the chaos of the pestilence dragon fell upon the mountains above, deep below stirred horrors. It was months after the death of the pestilence dragon and Engleward that any realised the isolated kingdom had gone silent. By the time a party was collected and sent to the Deep Kingdom there was only the remains of a few dwarves…. and an empty treasure hold.
Little is known of the five crystal swords now. Some say they were taken by the orcs that destroyed the kingdom, others argue that no army of orc could have broken through the dwarven fortifications. What were the horrors that broke through the dwarven defences? What took the bodies of the dwarves, equipment and all? What army could have taken the mountain of treasure without leaving a sign?
Not all was lost, the swords were too distinct to stay hidden for long. Reports and rumours started circulating about the swords. The (mostly) civilised world started to mobilise to search for them. Some did so for the power the swords must hold, others to regain the honour of the dwarves. Regardless of motive, noble or nefarious, the swords were sought after.
While fact and fiction were undoubtedly entwined, below is the current information available on the swords.
Dragon, The Wood Blade (Green)
The fantastic green blade and blue hilt have been seen in marauder bands hiding along trade routes near the twilight mountain. It is unclear how these outcaste dwarves and elves found the blade, but they are known for attacking anything that isn’t heavily guarded.
Rat, The Shallow-Water Blade (Light Blue)
The blue blade and golden hilt of the Rat blade has been seen inside of Qu-Li’s gambling house in Corone, Radasanth. Qu-Li is known for his shrewd cunning and links with the Radasanth law enforcement. He is however a famous gambler.
Goat, The Fire Blade (Red)
The fire blade has been seen in the back alleys across Alerar. It is unkown exactly where it is, but it is not in the possession of any law abiding dark Elf.
Monkey, The Metal Blade (Orange)
Nothing has been heard of the Monkey blade, possibly because of the relatively plain hilt being easily concealed. It might still be with the original destroyers of the Deep Kingdom.
Ox, The Deep-Water Blade (Dark Blue)
The blue blade and green hilt of the Ox blade is unfortunately similar to many carried by high elves. Sightings have come in from Corone through to Alerar. What little evidence points to Bladesingers of Corone. However, no Bladesinger would ever give up their sword easily.
Out of Character:
These crystal swords are a prelude to a boss battle. Each sword will effectively be a ticket to the battle, and once the boss is defeated the abilities (currently secret) will be unlocked. The names and elements of the swords can give you hints as to their abilities. For example, a stealth character probably would want to Rat over the Ox.
Now, to get a sword you need to request it as a spoil. The swords for now are just shiny steel swords, valued at 150gp. You can’t buy these directly; you must request them as spoils. Once all five are found the boss battle will begin. If you have more than one sword, you can invite someone else. The boss battle will have a 48 hour posting time, but the quests to find the swords have no limits. They can be solos, joint questions or whatever. You can find more than one sword in a quest, as long as you are able to request, and are granted them.
The prompts above are just that, prompts. If you decide you want to find a sword on a sunken ship, so be it. If two people are granted the same sword as a spoil, the one that requested the judgement first will get it, with the other person getting a replacement sword. If it’s really complicated or messy, I’ll adjudicate a fair outcome for both. Quests to find the swords are player driven. The boss battle will be run by myself.
Any questions please ask them here. Any approved spoils of the Crystal Swords, post that here too.
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Originally Posted by Storm Veritas
