Living Sword
"Which way, Big G?" Æranth asked. His sword, Guide of the Way, thrummed in his hands, pulling slightly to the right. Guide's soft baritone voice sounded in his head.
"The beast appears to be in this direction."
"Ok then... let's go!"
A Living Sword is sword (or any weapon and sometimes other items) that has some level of intelligence and appears to be alive. It may have a soul imbued within. Some simply are alive through magical means. While it may be alive, has thoughts and feelings and can usually communicate in some way, Living Swords are not alive in the biological sense. They do not need to breathe, or eat, or drink, and in most cases cannot do any of these.
Most Living Swords have some sort of unique ability, such as an unerring sense of direction, or the ability to communicate with trees, or the ability to cut through stone like butter. Some are simply intelligent and can aid the wielder in the ways of combat.
As with any intelligent being, Living Swords have personalities. And they must get along with their wielder to be used to the best of their ability. A sword that does not like its wielder can even refuse to be used.Manufacturing
To construct a Living Sword, a smith must first make a sword of exceptional quality with the finest materials available. Generally fonaj is used to some extent, and often joto crystals. A smith may spend days or weeks on the construction, often making the finest blade they ever have. They will use exotic techniques, reserved for use on only the finest of weapons due to their complexity, difficulty, or material expenses.
Once the sword is constructed, it must be imbued with basic magical enchantments. It must be magical before it can be alive. The techniques vary by blade and by smith. It could be quenched in magical waters and oils, it can be prayed upon by priests of high standing with their god, it can be enchanted during forging by simply pouring magical energy directly into it during the process. Any, all, or other methods can be used.
Finally, the sword must be given the breath of life. Again, the methodologies can differ. A god can bless it directly, a demon or elemental can be trapped within it, the soul of a willing participant or unwilling sacrifice can be siphoned into it, the smith can sacrifice a portion of their own soul to it. Again, any combination of these or other methods can be used.
Once a sword is alive, it is named. The sword can then be given to a warrior or other wielder to be used.
Parent Technologies
Access & Availability
Only a few smiths of any given generation ever learn to make Living Blades. Even then, a given smith will rarely make more than one in their lifetime. Each is considered a unique artifact of great worth.
Discovery
Valak first taught the dwarfish smith Udaat the secret of Living Swords early in the Fourth Age. It has been passed down since then among the dwarfs, and, occasionally, to outsiders who prove themselves worthy.
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