From “Conversations with the Last Landian,” by Keto the Bard

~ 𓏢 ~

“Why would a sword summon a storm?”

That’s a question I have wondered about often as I’ve travelled with a last Landian.  As I’ve noted before, illithimar, which is to say pure illithimar, is reported to only be able to be crafted into one single item. The metal “knew” what it was suppose to be and the art of its smiths was to uncover this one form.  That belief comes from Quartes who said he learned it from Elhandriel, last of the great crafters of the Landians.  One of the many unique traits of the Sword of Lehn was that it was the only sword to be formed out of pure illithimar.

Now, illithimar alloy dilutes this certainty and lets the metal to be formed into whatever the smith desires.  The Shards of Lehn are one of only two bits of pure illithimar I’ve ever seen.  I don’t find that surprising.  If illithimar indeed had some power that made it extra deadly to Dragons, whether because of the metal’s inbuilt certainty or it’s association with Lehn and his fight against Dragons, then trying to make the limited supply of illithimar go further makes sense.  Alloying the metal diluted it and let it be spread across further weapons, to better equip those to fight Dragons.

However, none of this at all helps to explain why the Sword of Lehn shoots lightning bolts and summons storms.  I know of no other legend of a weapon doing such a thing. So, it only seems appropriate that I offer a story to fill in that oddity. I think storm calling wasn’t actually innate to the Sword, I think it was a strength of Lehn.  It seems little of that man is actually known besides the Sword that took his name and both of their roles in the Cycles.  However, one additional bit that Quartes shared with me was that Lehn’s vendetta began because his daughter was one of those sacrificed in whatever ritual created the First Dragon.  Quartes seemed to relay that she was a mage, that there was a belief that this was necessary for the process of corruption.

I offer then that Lehn didn’t just wield a mighty sword but that he was a wizard himself.  A wizard that manifested the sorrow of his grief and fury of his anger in the form of storms.  Rain to hide his tears and lightning to exact his vengeance. The power of storms was associated with man, the man was associated with his blade, and so the storm became part and parcel with the Sword of Lehn.  Which would seem an easy enough leap except for one thing.  If pure illithimar can only be what it was meant to be then how could the sword take on a belief?

I’m going to make a leap here but I think a story affecting the sword is linked to how it was broken.  Illithimar was alloyed by the landians in order to spread out its power, to let it achieve more.  The stories of Lehn and the Sword wielded by his Heirs, also allowed the illithimar’s power to spread.  They changed and enhanced its capabilities, they made it more but this was done by making additions to it.  Not additions by the alloying of other metals, but additions of belief.  The stories alloyed the blade, and while it made it more it also weakened it.  It resulted in it both being a far deadlier weapon but also one that could have its form broken.

There’s an implication I fear to make here.  Just as the memory of the landians seemed to have had a breaking point, one that was used to make the Dragons, so it seems even the bones of Illithiust can be pushed into a way that shatters their surety.  It may mean that the stabilizing force of both illithimar and the landians were never enough, and may be part of why both of them are so rare in this world.