The Spear of Staros

A mystical spear which was once held by the High Kings of the continent, lost to time and legend.

Summary

The Spear of Staros is commonly regarded to be a mythical spear which has been either passed down to or won by the next High King of the continent. While there hasn’t been a High King for several eras, the legend of the Spear is still well known throughout Staros. Every few years a new expedition sets out in order to uncover the final resting place of the mythical weapon, although none have so far been successful.

Historical Basis

There is no question of the existence of the Spear of Staros. Countless accounts of the spear exist, both in writing and artistry throughout the lands. Statues line the Halls of Succession, each representing a different High King holding their iteration of the reforged spear. Tapestries sit in the most important rooms of rich manors, depicting the High kings of the country with the spear, records tell of wars and plots all with the acquisition of the spear at their heart. In the times the Spear was held by mortal men it was well documented.

Spread

The myth of the Spear of Staros is known far and wide across the continent. It is a myth which has been perpetuated by the countless searches for the spear by both treasure hunters and leaders alike, all hoping for whatever glory may come with being the one to recover it.

Variations & Mutation

The legend of the Spear has several variations, although none dispute the historical use of the spear as it is recorded history. In some variations the Spear is a gift from the gods to help bring peace and order to the unruly mortals, or a left over relic from the time of dragons which imbues the wielder with the aura of a draconian which helps them claim the High Throne. In other, less supernatural telling the spear was forged by a mighty blacksmith in eras long gone for the first High King, and has been reforged time and time again since that day for each new High king.

Many retellings of the legend also twist the ending and the final disappearance of the Spear. Most agree it went missing, either by supernatural or mortal means, while others say it was destroyed or sealed away.

Those which speak of it going missing suspect either a master thief or the will of the gods. Some stories perpetuate that the gods who bestowed the weapon saw that mortalkingd was too unruly and chaotic to be trusted with a weapon of the gods, or that one god grew resentful of the mortals and took the spear from them to seal it away from them forever. However some think that it was the High King himself who sealed it away, to prevent others from having and reforging the blade, or that it was lost in the bloody civil war which happened around the same time as the Spear disappeared and destroyed by the rebels who opposed being ruled by a High King at all.

The most historically likely, aside from the destruction at the hands of the rebels, is that a thief stole the Spear. This thief is usually thought to be infamous Kel Carthach, who’s historical heists have been traced to the era in which the Spear went missing. His legacy has lived on as copycats take up his name to continue his dastardly work, but the supposed real Kel Carthach vanished shortly after the Spear. His heists stopped for a span of almost 50 years before another theft was carried out under his name. The reason behind this theft is lost to time if this were the real reason for the vanishing of the Spear.

In Literature

Throughout the continent there have been many poems written about the spear of Staros and its mythical origins and disappearance. Many historians too have written long volumes on the spear, hoping to be the first to uncover deeper secrets of it and the whereabouts of it.