[Violet De Camp]

** This journal entry was dated back a few weeks IRL **

Spoiler

A once pure blade, forged by a divine being with the purest of celestial silver… Three slots of runes exist on the hilt… Two, made to hold two souls as subjects, with a third meant to control and unite them. The goal was to work together in harmony to strike down those who would do wicked deeds in the name of good. Yet, after a time, the one who united the other two perished… And the other two, trapped together for eternity without a suitable wielder, fell into despair and succumbed to hatred toward one another. They became twisted and evil, and so too did the blade itself.

This blade was brought to me by Sir Kroznaks… He tasked me with researching its origin and finding a way to purify the artifact. And so for weeks I studied until I learned the truth of the blade, and of the two souls that were still trapped within it. I summoned Nica to assist me as I delved deeper into the secret, and as I took it to the grove to sense its core, it spoke to me.

The two voices argued and bickered with one another. They drug me every which way in their argument, and the animosity between the two of them began to fill my very being. I resisted their influence for quite some time, and with Nica’s help, I regained my full senses and performed a ritual that released the two souls from the blade.

When that happened… I lost consciousness. The rite took much out of me… When I awoke, Nica was standing over me, with the now purified blade in her left hand, and her staff in her right. She beckoned for me to stand and take the immaculate silver blade for myself… And so, I did.

As my hand grasped the hilt, I felt as if time stopped… And I heard a voice speak to me from a plane very, very far away.

“I have watched you for some time, Celebrithrade Dedralein… With every step you take, you bring your people great honor. Lillian would be pleased… I knew I was right to save you.”

I was completely speechless. The charisma ebbing from his words washed over me in that moment, making me feel relaxed and at ease…

“Your heart is pure, and your soul is both brave and strong. You are a worthy wielder of this blade… With it, you can do that which you have been unable to thus far: bring the fight to your enemies.”

Under different circumstances, I may have doubted his words… But in the moment, they seemed like the greatest truth I had never known.

“If you would carry out my will, then you and this blade shall become bound… And, perhaps in time, you will find a way to further its potential. Do you accept this great burden, maiden of Tel-Quessir?”

“Yes. I do.”

In that moment, I felt a piece of me leave my body… And enter the blade. It began to shine with a brightness I had never seen. The once emptry rune slot at the bottom of the hilt became filled with a marker bearing my name…

“With every strike you land, your soul will lash at theirs and deliver a blow that is unblockable and unseen. Please, use it well, and continue to serve your people… If you do, I’m sure we will meet… someday…”

It was then that time unfroze, and I fell back against the ground with the blade in my hand. Holding it in my hand felt… Right. I had never held a blade for more than a moment ever before in my life, yet it felt even more familiar and comfortable in my grasp than my favorite instruments. A divine gift, it would seem…

I hope to use it well.