Gleaming Defender {WASC 2021}
To cut a core was considered blasphemy by many of the fairy folk. It took a rebellious swordsmith to break conventions and cut raw cores. The shaped and refined cores became robust materials for new weapons.
He was an accomplished swordsmith but felt that the fairies who used his weaponry could not take full advantage of their powers because they were too busy holding cores in one hand instead of focusing on using the weapon in hand.
Attempts to physically modify cores were considered too hazardous to attempt. The petrified cores are extraordinarily resilient and unlikely to chip, crack, or take accidental damage. If an energized core took damage, the release of power caused more damage than the crashing boulder flung by a trebuchet.
The swordsmith, as a fairy, was able to procure discharged cores for his experiments. He worked them with his chisels, files, and drills.
Through excessive experimentation, the swordsmith finally developed a process that he could use to safely craft shapes out of the cores. It was very delicate work as it could easily shatter the core if not appropriately handled.
The swordsmith's first successful crafting of a sword using cores was named the "Gleaming Defender." It was a double-handed broadsword with the polished cores making the handle and pommel. Only the strongest fairy warriors could wield it. Its size made it ideal for a fighter who did not hold a shield in hand.
Construction
The process to create the Gleaming Defender was the same as other large broadswords. A piece of refined metal was forged and filed into the long blade. It was the handle that was different. The swordsmith crafted the cores into cylindrical shapes with a hole through their center axis. This hole would house the extended metal tang of the sword.
Uses
The hilt cores used on the gleaming defender were from each of the elemental types. The swordsmith included fire, water, earth, and air cores in the hilt's construction. He did not know the specialty of the fairy who would wield it. Future swords built by the swordsmith would take into consideration the personal preferences of its wielder. Frequently all of the stones in a sword's hilt would be of the same elemental type. This way, the fairy would maximize the amount of usable power stored within the sword's hilt.
Later, swordsmiths developed enchantments for fire swords that engulfed the sword in hot blue flames. These enchantments were specific to the sword and wielder.
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