The Artifact Weapons

Over the course of Astillon's history, certain weapons were forged that simply by the nature of their existence could not be considered simply masterworks. More often than not, the mere creation of them involved feats well beyond what a skilled craftspony alone could forge at the peak of their skills. What these weapons could accomplish is as varied as their appearance and natures, but to possess even one is to hold the leverage to shape history itself. They also are notable for their nearly indestructible natures; while they CAN be destroyed, it must be in a particular manner unique to that weapon.

MEA PENA KI'I ("The Painter")

Possibly the most (in)famous of them all, the exact origins of this shapeshifting weapon are partially lost to history. Forged on an extraplanar smithy akin to hell, the only constant truth about this weapon is its powers. It actively projects an aura of fear similar to that of dragons, beckoning only the bravest to come to try and take it. But this is its trap, for once in the possession of a brave soul, it will continuously worm itself into their minds, the gradual subjugation of the wielder - if not a dragon that actively can resist such things - only a matter of time. As a result, the role of who is the wielder and who is wielded swaps, the sword effectively being the one controlling its possessor like a puppet, seeking to mold them into what it considers its ideal host. Furthermore, its powers of manipulation extend beyond the one who holds it - those who fall victim to its blade will have their souls turned into paint, a medium of lovecraftian horror to recolor the world.

True to its nature, the weapon itself has no true form. Nominally it will take the form of a sword - anything from a short sword to a massive greatsword - but it is not restricted to them alone. Whatever could be used to commit harm is within its capability, even something as unconventional as a trumpet for a bard. The only stipulation these forms must have is the presence of four pointed aetherstones, which act like soul containers for its victims to activate its abilities, and somewhere on its body is an ever growing mural telling of the 'story' or events that it has directly taken part in, usually laid out upon its typical sword form's blade.

The only confirmed wielder of the blade in antiquity is the Bannermane Rime. In his talons, the sword corrupted him and wreaked terrible things in secret. At least until his best friend Semitone realized the grifon was acting out of character and pinpointed it as being caused by the sword. The struggle to free Rime from the sword's grasp was so great as to earn it a place among the Four Horrors, with its place of sealing intentionally left unrecorded by Nevermore to ensure it never would return.

But the sword bears true to its name of The Painter, for it is dedicated to its craft, and its great work must continue for it will never be finished until all of Astillon is remade in its twisted wishes.

PERMAFROST

The true signature weapon of Rime. A greatsword that made other greatswords look small in comparison, its ice-based powers are said to have been enough to leave a deeply frozen scar deep within the neck of Morlog when the ancient dragon was felled. It also was said to have been forged of pure oricalcum, the rarest element across all the planes, which has time-bending abilities including reversing damage or in a sense, self-healing. The fate of the sword following the death of Rime is unknown.

WELA'S WARHAMMER

The colossal weapon of choice for Honua Wela, the volcanic abomination of the Four Horrors. It is crude in appearance, seemingly forged sloppily with a band of spiked metal wrapped around a bolder the size of a small cottage. However, this appearance belies its indestructible nature and its even greater elemental powers. When wielded, it leaks lava - though it does not harm the wielder - and even the impossibly strong are prone to clumsiness if they don't have a body big enough to handle the weapon's awkward center of mass.

It is this weapon that Honua Wela used to carve out the entire mountain range on the continental mass east of Bleakburn. In the hooves of a smaller wielder, while it can't forge mountains out of molehills, it is still unimaginably destructive as every hit carries the force of an earthquake. Even just tossed will have it render the immediate area around it as dangerous to traverse upon hitting the ground. And woe be to the foe who is hit, as in addition to being hit by a weapon with the mass of an entire cottage, the sheer force magnification can deafen them permanently.

The power of the weapon was so great that when Honua Wela was sealed away by Nevermore under the ocean, he made sure the monster didn't have this weapon, as otherwise it would be able to break out easily. Instead, it was sealed within the Horrorvault under Aerilon.

BLOODLUST

One of the five legendary artifact weapons named by the 'leader' of the Horrorvault. A sword of pure violence, as its name implies, very little is known about it and its current whereabouts are unknown.

LEMISCATE

The last of the five legendary artifact weapons named by the 'leader' of the Horrorvault. Unlike Bloodlust, this weapon does not appear in any old legends so why it was considered on the level of such storied instruments of battle remains to be defined.