Tes4Mod:Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul/Implements of Violence

If you travel frequently through Cyrodiil, you have probably seen Ayleid Ruins; marred, grungy remains of the once-powerful civilization now only existing in history.  They were masters of all manners of the Arcane; even beyond us Master Wizards in the Mages' Guild.  Some of their most powerful remnants are their magical artifacts.  Welkynd stones, Varla stones, Ancestral statues, and even crowns of Ayleid kings have been found within these dirt-caked marble halls.

Perhaps you have read another book I have written on the Ayleids: "Magic From The Sky".  In it, I mention the origins of Welkynd and Varla stones, and also make comment on the enchanting properties of Meteoric Iron.  The Ayleids didn't just use the iron and stones in their mana wells and for other Magical apertures, they fashioned them into armor and weapons as well.  Among the more common, but less well-known relics that can be found in Ayleid ruins are weapons made with meteoric iron cores, Ayleid steel edges of the finest quality, and Welkynd stones on the crossguards, pommels, and on the blades and striking heads themselves.  These weapons were some of the greatest works of the Arcane Smiths, the blacksmith-enchanters that made the vast majority of the Ayleids' magical artifacts.

The Ayleids imbued these weapons by channeling the astral power of Aetherius itself, creating deep wells of magicka within them, and also greatly amplifying whatever magical element was bound to the weapon as well.  The most common varieties of these weapons inflict basic elemental damage upon their foes.  However, because of the speed and intensity in which it discharges, the weapon also leaves a lingering effect that makes its victim vulnerable to that element.  Although it lasts little more than a second, this side effect can be exploited by those skilled with the weapon.

Not all the Ayleid weapons are of such high quality: The arcane smiths sometimes ended up making defective weapons.  Their flaws disallowed them from holding the desired strength of enchantment.  However, rather than dispose of a weapon already crafted, they simply put a lesser enchantment on it.  These weapons still can strike deep into the aural presence of an organism and cause lingering vulnerability, but the immediate damage is lessened, and the remainder of the destructive magic takes a couple seconds to be inflicted.

There are other varieties of effects that they applied; an axe that can cause the muscles of the legs to atrophy, thus making the victim slower, a shortsword that can inflict flame and panic upon any form of unlife it strikes for a short while, or a Longsword that can rend asunder any weapon its victim is holding.  Some of the larger two-handed weapons that ended up with flaws from their forging were given special enchantments that issued forth a blast of their destructive element, inflicting harm to anyone close by to the one struck.  Although the weapon's wielder was immune to the effects, the weapon makes no other discernment as to who was inflicted upon.

The Ayleids didn't just make weapons for melee, they also made bows, arrows, and staves.  The bows follow an enchanting regime closely akin to the melee weapons.  Their standard-issue arrows, although devoid of meteoric iron, still had a minor magical effect where it caused extra damage to any portion of armor it struck.  Their enchanted arrows are closely similar to those seen today, except for the fact that they too can cause a lingering vulnerability due to the intensity of the discharge.  Their magical staves were among some of the most powerful ever made, even today.  Their emitter apertures were made of large Welkynd stones so rife with magical energy that it had to seep it out slowly to avoid destablizing; This leaked energy manifests itself as a soft glow and small shining specks that trail behind the weapon.

Although these weapons have amazing arcane properties, much of their mundane properties leave a lot to be desired.  The meteoric iron cannot be refined and must be left as iron; refinement ruins the iron's arcane properties.  Thus, the weapons are rather frail in comparison to other high-grade weapons.  Also, the material is rather heavy, making larger weapons a burden to carry.  Thankfully, the exquisite Ayleid steel is highly resistant to corrosion and can last thousands of years.  Its tensile strength and hardness lends some compensation to the lacking mundane qualities of the iron components.  It also can be sharpened to a remarkably keen edge.

Due to the Aetherial origins of much of the materials that make up these weapons, they have an additional aspect lending themselves to use by mages: They absorb Aetherial energies and then conduct them into their owners.  It does it in a manner much like a Welkynd stone does, but with the Meteoric Iron acting as a slow-release buffer to prevent dissociation of the Welkynd stones.

A great many of these weapons were made during the reign of the Ayleids; the Arcane Smiths made them for Ayleid royalty, nobles, army officers, and soldiers that served with distinction.  Many undead Ayleid revenants, such as Liches, Skeletons, and Wraiths, have been seen wielding these weapons.  Some have been ransacked by Wilderness-wandering folk of ill-reupte, while some still remain buried within the ruined Ayleid halls.  Recently, a cache of daggers was discovered by archaeologists in Vahtacen, and a brief fad manifested itself here on the Arcane University campus.  The Fighters' Guild is in possession of a few of these weapons and have them on display on their halls, though Guildmaster Vilena Donton has informed me that one must be of high rank in the guild in order to requesition these weapons.  Ayleid aficionado Umbacano in the Imperial City also has a very impressive private collection, to which he has hired some of the greatest locksmiths in the world to craft locks for their display cases.

These weapons are worth very much, both in terms of Septim value and in regards to their usefulness.  Any traveler that would happen upon such a weapon would be quite fortunate.