The Swords of Grandel Isle

Prior to the first forge being brought alive and the first weapon crafted for battle, a metal fell from above.

The material to craft a Highlander blade came from the heavens, the dragons say. Many moon cycles before the Mystics came to Grandel, an enormous storm arose. A hole ripped open in the heavens. Lightning filled the sky, and thunder shook the land. Rain and fire fell from above. Fireballs plummeted into the Red Sea, where only Water Dragon eyes could see them. A few fragments fell on the dragon islands, but only the Fire Dragons dared to venture near. When Grandel Isle rose from its depths, it brought the Fire Steel with it.

After the rise of Grandel Isle, Smithies brought from Earth held knowledge of the ways to craft blades, arrowheads, and tools. The Fire Dragons furthered that knowledge.

The birth of forging on Grandel Isle was a mixture of Dragon blessing and human knowledge. With claws, the Fire Dragons dug a circular hollow within the rich ground that lay along a thin stream of lava. They lined the stream and walls of the hollow with basalt. A stone created from lava itself and resistant to it thereafter. Once the lava stream lay in wait, the humans lined the walls and floors with soapstone to give them a cool area to work. Granite stabilized the walls and held the vented ceiling. The dragons, caved marble basins that held the quenching waters. Knowing their trade would be an asset; they brought what they could with them. With their hammers and chisels, they forged anvils, and then the heavenly protection work of crafting blades began.

Era of the Fire Steel

Deep within the crust of Grandel Isle, the Fire Dragons gifted the location of the Fire Steel to the humans, placing great trust in them. These humans had shown trust in the dragons and stood strong beside them. They did not falter at the sight of their enemy.

Once located, and in the hands of talented craftsmen, they made swords of legends. The Protector’s Sword, created for war and ceremony. The blade made of Fire Steel and the steel knowledge the smithies brought with them. It is strong and light. Seared upon the blade by magic are the runes for the region the Protector comes from and the Royal-lands. The hilt has braided hide for a firm hold.

The Protector’s Advisor’s sword mimics the Protector’s without the runes. With the same material, they crafted the Queen’s crown before all else. A lone ruby sits at its delicate center.

These relics are held in high regard. They are passed to the next Protectors of Grandel Isle in the Bonding Ceremony that bonds four souls together under a cingular task: Protect the Portal to Earth, Protect Grandel Isle.

Rise of the Monster Blade

The Trinity Witches … the destroyers of the Nine, followers of the Darknesses, created unnatural creatures. They formed them from pieces of other creatures. They would lock their soul energy within the monasteries that they crafted.

Death remained the only relief the soldiers had to offer them, but death refused to come willingly. With the soul energy caged within, the fracturing of the unseeable seal must occur for their freedom to be given. The dark conjured seals refuse to be shattered by the strokes of mundane swords. It must be a sword with the correct amount of iron mixed with the Fire Steel and Steel.

These swords are heavier with a wider blade. Both sides of the blade are razor sharp, but these blades must be tined constantly, oiled, and sharpened. The Highlanders have a saying; A blunt blade is a dead Highlander. Welded by the largest of the Highlanders, the Monster Swords are a requirement on the Outer-lands battleground.

When these blades hit the seal that bottles the monster’s soul energy, a person with unique sight can see the untainted soul energy rush from the mutated body and watch it hurry back to the Life Tree and the Breath of Life.

Honing of the Grandel Isle Sword

After years of searching for the precise mix of Fire Steel, steel, and iron, they discovered the one thing that brought them all together in a unified sword. The salt brine Brandon brought from Saltville, Virgina. It magnified the iron’s resistance to corruption. The steel became stronger and sharper. The Fire Steel was more radiant and pushed back the bleakness of night battles.

With the added salt brine, not only are the blades better weapons. They also purify the wounds. The corrupted, who bear a miniscule of clean energy, are welcomed to the Pale Stream. Those beyond hope are freed forever from their bonds, and this energy, once cleansed by the mountain’s filtration, can never be used for ill means again.

The Smithies know they have the mixture correct when they place the hot metal into its first salt bath and it goes from its orange glow to a golden one, much the color of the Fire Dragon’s eyes.

Marcus, the Prophesied One, was the first warrior granted one of these swords. He carried it into the Battle of Three Worlds. It still sits on his side.