Elenus, The Sword of Truth
Elenus is the royal sword of the Kingdom of Marcosia, passed down through the royal family from the misty days of yore.
It is said that, in the ancient days of yore, when the peoples of Marcosia were merely barbarians under the fist of mighty Imperial Arcturus, a man came from the south, a mysterious stranger, and he went to the leader of one of the wild tribes, the chieftan Marco, a strong and fierce chieftan who ruled the Cascabori tribe. The stranger appeared in the center of the camp at midnight during a great feast, walking from the bonfire unscathed. All of the tribesmen drew their swords, with shouts of sorcery, and the chieftan Marco proclaimed 'Who art thee, sorceror or demon, who appears from darkness and walks through fire?'
And the mysterious man, who wore an enveloping robe of black, said to him 'I am the Answer. Do you not hate the Eagle-men,' for this was what the Marcosians called the Arcturans, 'with all your hearts?'
Marco looked to his tribesmen and looked back to the mysterious man, the Answer, and said 'Indeed, it is so.'
And the Answer said 'Then to you, Chieftan Marco, I present this.'
And from his voluminous robes he produced a silver shortsword, keen of edge and well balanced.
Marco accepted it with wonder in his eyes.
The Answer said to him 'That is Elenus, the Sword of Truth. It sought your hand. Bear it with you always, for it will tell you truth where others reveal only lies.'
With this, the man called the Answer vanished.
Marco and his Cascabori went on to conquer, and with the Sword of Justice before them, drove back the tyrant Arcturans, cementing the tribes together to form Marcosia, the nation that stands now tall and proud in the north.
Elenus has been passed down through the royal family with every generation, from King Marco himself.
The Sword of Truth is said to be magical, and with its judgement, the Kings of Marcosia are said always to make the right decision.
Elenus is a small shortsword with a leaf-shaped blade made from a silvery metal as hard as fine steel. Its hilt is made from gold with a great ruby set in the center. Its handle is wrapped in silk, with a hemispherical pommel set with a small diamond. Its blade can cut a lock of wet wool and never needs to be sharpened.
Magical Properties:
If a lie is told within the sensory range of the one who bears Elenus, the bearer will hear the Sword of Truth speak to it, saying 'There is falseness in the heart.' It will then proceed to tell of the lie, who told it and its nature. Elenus can also be called upon to give advice on any situation or subject with which it has experience, and, after hundreds of years of being wielded by kings, its experiences are many.
Elenus will only bear the hand of one who has the blood of the Marcosian royal family in their veins. If any other picks up the Sword of Truth, they will soon find that Heaven has cursed them with very bad luck indeed.
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? Responses (5)
Very nice. Well written. Good back story. Nice power level.
Two thumbs and a tail up.
Good work Capt, keep it up.
It does not have a +X against anything, nor does it shoot fireballs. Thank you.
Oh, and just a little bit: What is the Question?
I like it. The back story is excellent, and the idea that a sword is the source of the king's wisdom, rather than just the source of his power is an interesting one.