Silver replica blade

The silver replica blade was a prize item for Hunt for History II.

	Description
a silver replica blade	Smaller in scale and certainly less finished than the original, this now tarnished silver replica blade has been forged as a commemoration of Empress Selantha Anodhele's coronation. Although not the original by any stretch of the imagination, it still bears an almost perfect likeness, down to the engraving on the blade. You also notice a small enchanter's mark. There appears to be something written on it. In the Common language, it reads: Searswathe

Loresong

At first you see nothing, and then a wavering golden line twists and bends as though unraveling from a large garment. A faint nimbus clings to the line, the blank vision slowly forming a puzzle of color and shape. Dullness falls away, and the image of a young woman solidifies. But up close, the wear of burden rests heavily upon her. Scattered maps with troop arrangements cover the surface of the table at which she rests. Several decrees pile up at one side, near a feather quill and bottle of ink. Short fingers of wax and a snuffed candle have also been set close at hand. She toys with a metal stamp as she stares distractedly out a nearby window.

Like a shattering of silvered glass, your next attempt is met with your own reflection that gives way in a spray of shards. Once again you see the woman of your vision before. Standing beside her is an elder gentleman bedecked in elaborate robes and a young page with saddlebags draped upon his shoulder. Holding a piece of the wax to the now-lit candle, she presses the molten glob upon the flap of a folded decree and sets the metal stamp to it for a moment. As it releases, you see the embossed crest of Anodheles.

A pool of water shivers slightly as a single drop breaks the surface, and as the concentric waves move out, it seems to dissipate, leaving you with a vision of the woman looking slightly more matured. She stands at a window, looking out on the streets decorated with ribbons and banners. A voice calls from behind her, "Selantha, it's time." She turns to the hidden escort and smiles as she moves towards him. Dressed radiantly in fine cloth made especially for this occasion, she pauses at the door and glances back through the room wistfully, before she exits and fades from your mind.

Softly the grey mist that obscures your internal vision fades, revealing the newly-crowned woman sitting upon a throne in a great hall. People line up along both sides of a narrow aisle laid with a carpet edged with gold silk. A distinguished wizard approaches, and a herald standing off to one side announces loudly, "Presenting Jaxillar the Mage. He wishes to offer a gift. to Empress Selantha Anodheles." Carrying a long case of rosewood balanced across both arms, the wizard stops at the foot of the steps leading up to the small dais and bows deeply. The two exchange polite pleasantries, then Jaxillar opens the case to pull out a magnificent blade that gleams and is engulfed in flames. Rising up from her throne, the Empress takes a step forward to admire the fine weapon, and the mage continues. "A gift to you, on the eve of your coronation. This blade is known to all as "Searswathe."

Having anticipated this gesture, the royal council brings forward chests full of smaller replicas emblazoned with the Anodheles crest one side and the crest of the new Turamzzyrian Empire capital, Tamzyrr, on the other. Quickly, they are distributed to the nobles in commemoration of the coronation.

Verb Traps

VERB	FIRST	THIRD
TOUCH	Stroking the blade, your fingertips brush across the engraved letters fading with repeated polishings and age. The name emblazoned there evokes images of a hidden tale.	As <person> runs a finger along her blade, her fingers dancing lightly over the name engraved upon the blade.