The Book of Swords

**Preface**

I have spent most of my life dedicated to the study of weapon craftsmanship. I have searched the earth for such items as Kludd, the Mountain Mover, a hammer crafted by the dwarven weaponsmiths, Ankle Eaters, the Goblin made set of battle knives, and Tatsugawa, the dragonslayer, a spear forged in dragonfire. However, the most elusive and intriguing legend in all of weaponcraft is that of the Seven Swords of the Ancients. These swords were forged in different ways, but they were all crafted by Thulcandra himself, the god of the forge. Each sword was given to a god or demon as a peace offering, which worked, until the mortal world found out about the weapons. A few brave souls snuck into the nine hells, the nine heavens, and even the outer planes to steal these weapons and wield the power of the gods in their own hands. This created the first great rift between the mortal realm and the god’s realm, leading into the Godfall Wars, where gods and demons fought against each other and humanity. These swords were made for the divine, not for mortals, so to control the immense power of a sword, a person must bond their soul to the metal. Many people did not survive the ritual of bonding to the swords, until seven adventurers from different corners of the earth came together to wield the mighty blades. This legend has been passed down through generations, and some say that the swords were scattered throughout the material plane after the war was ended by the gods locking themselves in the nine heavens. Some say that if seven worthy adventurers would take up arms and move against heaven, the old pantheon would bow to their power, and offer their godhood to the seven. My quest is to find the swords. I have spent countless years scouring deep caves, translating ancient languages, and gathering all information I could into this tome. May it guide you in your search for these ancient treasures.

* Deimos, Master Weaponsmith.

**The Sword of Summer**

The Sword of Summer is in itself a paradox. It is a sword crafted to create peace. The blade is made of solid golden ichor, bled from Thulcandra himself. The handle is wrapped in leather gathered from the beasts of Doom, the plane of monsters. Thulcandra smelted and crafted the sword in the ninth heaven, and cooled the metal in the Pool of Reflection. Its most powerful magical ability is to put out an aura of peace. This massive aura will explode from the blade when the wielder puts all of their emotion into it. The aura calls godly power into it, making grass and flowers grow all around it, and forces all creatures around to drop their weapons and make peace. The sword of summer was gifted to Pan, the god of the wilds. He used it to stop the unfair persecution of satyrs in the material plane. The sword was stolen by a human who betrayed his trust, and taken to the material plane. The sword killed multiple people who attempted to attune to it. None could wield the blade until A young wood elf ranger came along. He was a warrior in the elven armies, and he used the blade to easily turn the tide of battles, and took control of an entire continent with it. The blade was stolen from him in his sleep, and it’s whereabouts are currently unknown. It’s rumored that it is hidden somewhere in the elven city, hiding from the Elf King, its former master. There is a Celestian nursery rhyme that talks about the Celestain Fields of Peace which were created by the Elf King using the sword to drive back the forces of the gods. To attune to the Sword of Summer, one must walk into a field of flowers, lay down on the grass and plunge the sword into their chest and into the ground. Vines, grass and flowers will grow over one’s body, and to attune to the sword you must survive the wounds for 12 hours straight.

*“And so the young elf lifted his shining gold sword into the air, and yelled: “You may take our lives, but our freedom belongs to us always!” And with those words, great flowers of all colors spread throughout the rocky valley outside of Celestia, turning it into a beautiful garden, miles long and wide. All of the filthy fae and demons dropped their weapons, and fell in awe at the beauty of the place.”*

-Excerpt from ‘*The Fields of Peace,’*  a Celestian children’s tale

**Bloodbath**

Bloodbath, the second sword, is the antithesis of the Sword of Summer. It is a blade created for bloodshed and war, a blade made to draw blood and feed on the bodies of mortals and gods alike. It is a greatsword, made of a dark iron and cruelly curved, meant to cause as much pain with each swing as possible. Thulcandra forged the blade in the ninth ring of hell, cooling the blade in the blood that pours constantly from Hel’s mouth. The blade took on the qualities of the blood it absorbed, and gained a piece of Hel’s mind in the process. The blade gathers blood into its core upon every hit, gaining power with every drop that it eats. Upon landing twelve swings and drawing enough blood, it removes itself from its owner’s control and flies around in a bloodthirsty rage, slaying everything in sight. The sword was of course given to Castor, the Blood God. He is a warlord of slaughter, and Thulcandra gifted him the sword as a peace offering, to turn his wrath away from the heavens. It worked, but at the cost of thousands of mortal and demon lives. The sword was eventually stolen by a blood demon named Beezlewartus, the bloodied, by winning against the god in single combat. Beezlewartus used the sword to travel down the nine hells, besting each of the hell gods in combat until he lost to Leviathan, becoming a subject of Leviathan’s kingdom. He prospered and had many children. To attune to Bloodbath, one must make a deep cut from one’s wrist to your shoulder, on both arms, letting the blood fall onto Bloodbath. Not treating or bandaging the wounds for 12 hours. If one survives, one becomes attuned to the sword.

“*Rot, rot, kill and slaughter, murder daughters, sons and fathers. Bleed, bleed, and feed the beast, the beast cast out of iron.”*

-A line from a traditional demonic song: *Bleed for the Hell Gods*

**Crux**

Crux is the third Ancient sword, crafted in the four Elemental planes. Thulcandra took all four elements, Earth, which he heated with Fire, Air which he used to shape the molten earth, and Water to cool it into its final shape. The blades are made of glass, and energy dances between both of the blades. Crux is connected to a pocket dimension, The Glass Palace, which exists on the outer reaches of the multiverse. The glass palace is home to The Pinnacle, an elemental that is bonded to the sword. A creature attuned to Crux may enter and exit the Glass Palace at will, and any creature that dies there is turned to glass and trapped forever. Thulcandra made Crux as a gift to his wife, Neruval, goddess of the hunt, who used it to kill and display the greatest beasts on the earth. The blade was taken from her by the Pinnacle itself, who saw her as unfit to wield the blade. The Pinnacle brought the blade to a young satyr by the name of William Wilder, who used it in the Great Battle of Yavinya. During the battle, the Elf King slew Wilder in battle, thus claiming the final city of the Elven Continent. It is said that the elf king melted the sword down in an ancient, god-made forge and crafted the remaining metal and glass into a key, which he wore around his neck at all times. In recent years, he has stopped wearing the key, and it is said the key was stolen from him. To attune to Crux, one must enter the Glass Palace and defeat the Pinnacle in single combat in less than 12 hours. If the clock strikes 12 in the palace, one will be turned to glass and remain there for all eternity.

*“And with one fell swoop, William Wilder’s arms were severed from his body. They fell tokk*

*the ground, alongside his sword. The great glass elemental behind him shattered, wounding dozens of soldiers around it. ‘I warned you, filthy goat, not to resist anymore.’ The Elf King said to the satyr, raising the sword above his head. ‘Burn in hells.’ replied William defiantly, and with that, his head was removed from his body.”*

-Excerpt from PG 456. *‘The Last Battle of Yavinya’*  an elven history book, published 870 A.S.H. (After the Sealing of Heaven) PG 456

**Skysnare**

Skysnare was crafted from pure lightning, which Thulcandra spent years gathering. He gathered lightning from the nine heavens, the nine hells, and the material plane. He returned to his own forge to craft the bolts of plasma into a blade, which he gave to Glundandra, the god of storms. Glundandra was extremely grateful for the gift, and used it wisely and carefully during the short time when it was in his grasp. Not long after receiving it, a young goliath, sailing on the open ocean, came across a sleeping Glundandra. He mortally wounded the god and took his sword as a trophy. He used Skysnare to dominate the entire eastern ocean, becoming known only as Scar, the Stormwielder. His first mate, Skimpy, a halfling, betrayed Scar by slitting his throat in his sleep and stealing the sword. During Skimpy’s attempt to attune to the sword, he destroyed his ship and killed himself, and Skysnare sank to the bottom of the ocean. It’s exact whereabouts are unknown, but it would be reasonable to assume that it lies somewhere in Scar’s Fury, a constantly raging hurricane off the east coast of the Elven Kingdom. To attune to Skysnare, one must find a high place and hold Skysnare above one’s head for 12 hours. During this time lighting will constantly strike the sword, if one’s arms drop or one dies the ritual will not complete.

*“I’ll tell you a tale, the tale of a pirate who sought only gold. A sword of thunder in his hands, he crossed the mighty eastern sea, bringing great storms wherever he went. His face was a nightmare, all grey and sea weathered, but the most striking part of it was his scar, a great gash across his forehead and down to his chin, a great diagonal slice. His grimace struck fear in even the most brave sailors.”*

-A recounting of The Legend of Scar, told to me by an ancient elven sailor

**Poet’s Tongue**

Poet’s Tongue is the most famous of the Seven Swords. It has a habit of appearing at the forefront of history, and history seems to follow in its wake. The Poet’s Tongue was a gift to Arbol, who was himself a quite amiable poet. Arbol used the power of the blade to teach poetry and music to the people of the material plane, giving the arts to the earth. Lucifer, the demon lord of Pride, began to envy the attention Arbol got from humanity, and eventually launched an attack on the artful people and Arbol, and during the struggle, Lucifer stole the sword. Lucifer misused the Poet’s Tongue’s power, using it to further his own reach into the material plane. Eventually, a human bard by the name of Bartlebee, the True found the blade, and used it to stop the war. During the following time of peace, Bartlebee traveled the world, wowing the entire plane with his musical prowess. Eventually, he died, and without a firstborn, the sword was lost for a brief time. It surfaces from time to time throughout history, wielded by such characters as: Shimmer the Old, the third Great Sage. Morkus, the goblin god of metalwork. Kronos, the God of Monsters. Pan, the God of the Wilds. Muramassa, the Blood Lord of Typhon. Damien, the Warrior-Poet. Chin-Shu, the Worthy. Queen Lucy Pevancy, the Valiant. Queen Susan Pevancy, The Gentle. King Edmund Pevancy, the Just. King Peter Pevancy, the Magnificent. These and many more have wielded the sword, and it is currently in the possession of one King Sean, the Vast, a descendent of the Pevancy family, and king of Celestia. His reign has been a shining light of hope for the world, and Celestia has become a safe haven for all magical beings, safe from the rage and unjust actions of the magic-fearing folk to the East. To attune to Poet’s Tongue, one must write a song, poem, or other form of artistic expression. One must then recite said poem for 12 hours, holding the blade in the air in triumph.

*“Sing, sing, revel and sing! Tonight we dine on brandy and wine! Fear not of the morning, for it hasn’t come yet and won’t for a while! Swing, drink, ‘till your face turns pink, and the sunrise comes tomorrow!”*

-Verse One of Winesong, a famous drinking song written by Damien, the Warrior Poet.

**Infernus**

Infernus is a bit of a mystery, as it spent most of its time in the Elemental planes until recently. It was the first of the seven swords to be crafted. Thulcandra crafted it in the flames of the Pride ring of hell, and gifted it to Ignus, the god of fire, as a way to further their friendship. Ignus managed to hold on to the sword for a long time, before a young dragonborn girl gained his trust. He eventually entrusted the sword to her. Atsukai the Fiery used the sword to retake Nest from the giants, and the battle was legendary. It is said that Atsukai returned the sword to its rightful owner, and it sits in the palace of Ignus. This is the first of only two appearances it made into our plane. The second occurred when a young tiefling attempted to steal the sword from Ignus. The tiefling failed, and was found out by Ignus. He was filled with so much rage that he crossed the sea, wielding Infernus, and proceeded to set fire to the entire island the tiefling came from. The island, Typhon, still exists, but the scar from the wrath of Ignus remains as a large active volcano, Mt. Typhon, that sits angrily in the center of the island. To attune to Infernus, one must build a large bonfire, sitting in the center of it and using Infernus to ignite the blaze. One must then sit in the scorching flames for 12 hours, letting yourself melt, fusing to the blade.

 *“It looked like what I would imagine the nine hells looked like. The fire could be seen from across the sea, and the smog from across the world. I myself was in a fishing boat only a 2 hour journey away from the island. I watched as the fire god destroyed a mountain with one swing of his sword. The impact nearly capsized my boat, and two of my sailors were killed in the squall..”*

-An interview from *The Day the Clouds Turned Black,* written in 1269 A.S.H.

**Backbiter**

Backbiter is the most mysterious of the Seven Swords. For every other sword, there is a direct record in history about their journey throughout time, not so for Backbiter. There are only rumors and old stories. It is said Thulcandra bested Hel in a duel, so she allowed him to take one of her fingers to craft a sword with. It is said the sword was given to Nix, the Goddess of the negative plane, who soaked it in Tartarus, the deepest pit in the universe, at the very bottom of the negative plane. It is said that she then sent the sword up through hell, attempting to find a worthy owner. It is said that not a demon in hell could wield the pure darkness of this blade, yet on earth, there was one human who was. Ozymandias, the Black. A former Celestian knight, who stumbled upon the sword while he served a life sentence for the murder of more than 200 dwarvs. It is said that Ozymandias used the blade to slaughter the last remaining dwarfs, and begin the Godfall Wars. He was at the forefront of the battle, slaying every being that crossed him. Eventually he was slain by Malacandra himself, but Ozymandias would not let death stop him. He made many crooked deals, bargaining and cheating his way back to life, and eventually he made it back. He was only a shell of his former self, his black armor fused to his permanently decaying corpse of a body. He is now only known as the Pale King, and there are rumors that he wishes to find his old sword. To attune to Backbiter, one must fall on Backbiter, impaling oneself, and die. In a limbo created by Backbiter, one must fend off hundreds of ghosts for 12 hours. Upon returning to life, Backbiter will leave only a scar where it impaled one.

*“Eye of midnight, give me sight, slay the hundreds, slash and bite, twelve soul’s price to pay for might, to wield the blade of darkest night.”*

-This is the chant that is rumored to be engraved on the blade of Backbiter.

**Conclusion**

I have written this brief conclusion to add that I have recently come into possession of not one, but two of the swords for study. As of now, I reside at The Vanguard, where I am studying them. I currently hold in my possession Poet’s Tongue, and Bloodbath. King Sean had brought the sword to me to examine, and just today I spotted Bloodbath at a stall in the Vanguard for sale. Obviously I bought it immediately, and now the two are sitting on my desk in front of me as I write this. I am writing in candlelight, as a large man in a coat has been trailing me all day, I think he might be after these sacred blades.

I apologize for the ink, a knock at the door startl-