Shattered Sisters

Description

The Shattered Sisters is an ancient longsword and shield set, unique for its multiple crystal cores. It was carried for awhile by a woman named Sera Moontrace before she learned the secrets behind the blade and destroyed it. The Shattered Sisters had the appearance of a longsword from the Silver Age, with a steel blade and a leather wrapped hilt. Many ancient longswords were also plated in corundum, a type of rock that can protect from magic attacks. This material also helped the sword last many thousands of years to more recent times.

Having multiple crystal cores gave the sword various abilities, but also made it difficult to control. The sword can break into three smaller blades, each seemingly with a mind of its own. Because the sword has multiple crystal cores, it is also able to amplify and individually cast magic from four different elements.

The shield is normally in the form of the sword's sheath. The sheath on command can expand into a full sized crystal shield, and can protect the user from all but the most vicious attacks. Most people who see the shattered ruby shield incorrectly assume that it uses fire magic. The shield amplifies Earth Magic instead. Fire magic is amplified by the topaz crystal in the sword, and water with the sapphire, and air with the emerald.

Length: 36 inches
Weight: 26 ounces

Materials (sword):

Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz (Core)

Steel (Blade)

Corundum (Plating)

Leather (wrapping)

Materials (sheath):

Leather

Ruby

Enchantments

Crystal Shield - The Sheath can expand into a large crystal shield that blocks magic and physical blows.

Flying Daggers - The sword can break apart into up to three smaller blades and can be mentally controlled by the one holding the sword's original hilt.

Magic amplification - The Sword's multple crystal cores each amplify a magic element: Fire, Water, Earth, Air.

---

Origin and Story

Vyerin, Cida, Sera, and Thames were shopping in a place called Salika's Armory. Here Cida spotted an unusual sword. It was very cheap, but was said to be cursed. Once Cida heard the details of what the weapon does, she bought it for an amazing deal, needing to only pay 500 Beryls. She wanted a legendary magical weapon and didn't believe that it was cursed.

That night, she got a terrible nightmare about her past. It turns out the weapon was cursed and makes the user regret someting from their past with each use. The four traded the sword between each other. Vyerin and Thames were also uncomfortable using the weapon. Sera eventually became the owner of the sword.

Cida

"I saw mother and father. They were saying goodbye to me just before they...just before they turned to ash and their spirits went into the world tree. I still don't know why they left me..."

---

There was no regretful memory in Sera to latch onto and amplify. The only nightmare that could be given to Sera was putting her in an empty black void with no one but herself. This would be a nightmare to many, but for Sera, it was oddly relaxing.

As the weeks and months passed, Sera used the sword in around a dozen battles. As she used the sword more and more, she figured out that the sheath can turn into a shield and the sword can break into three smaller blades. The sword seemed to be getting angrier and angrier at Sera for using it, but it was unable to do anything about it. One night, the sword attempted to contact Sera in her dreams.

Raini (Sera)

"Nope! Nothing at all...lierally! I have no family and I don't care about anyone so there is no way this stupid sword affects me!

Maybe that's why I dream I'm in an empty void? I don't know! I have no family and I don't care about anyone else like that, and this sword is really powerful, so...empty void it is!

---

A

Izi

Ki

Eli

---

Sera was confused by being told those same things all night, and she kept seeing broken images of someone. She told everyone what happened the next morning assuming that the cursed sword was finally getting to her. Cida had a thought, that maybe the sword was made of Sentient Crystals and each core was trying to speak at once? Maybe the crystals have fragments of human souls in them? Mabe the crystal cores were Soul Crystals too?

Charging a soul crystal directly will show you the memories within. Each of the four of them have done it before. Vyerin, as a descendant of Saint Nora, and a link to Meliheal, the World Tree and Wellspring of Souls, often gets the most intact memories pulled out. He agreed to be the conduit for the souls within the sword.

Cida

"Silver Age alchemists would take a small part of their soul and and place it in a crystal, greatly amplifying the power. The thing is that because it's just a small part of the soul, there isn't much in the way of intact memories, just raw emotions, usually anger and sorrow at not being whole."

---

The four went to a nearby clearing, this way they could defend from anything the sword threw at them if it became hostile. Vyerin sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing and started to meditate. He held the sword up with both hands and started charging it with his magical energy.

The sword itself started to glow. The sword then split into three separate pieces and started to float around Vyerin. The sword's sheath did the same, turning into a crystal shield. Vyerin would then hold one of the pieces and briefly appear and sound as the person did if they were still alive. Each of the four beings inside the sword started to speak through Vyerin.

Vyerin

"This is what, the third time we're talking to a sentient crystal like this? And you know I hate doing this? My soul gets sucked into the wellspring while the souls I call forth are brought out.

Saint Nora isn't going to be so happy to see me in her domain, again..."

---

"We were sisters, human beings, followers of the Old Gods.

Blessed by Ibora, Beirunes, Valka, and Eralli .

For our faith and heritage, we were treated as false.

We were imprisoned. We were used.

We were bought and sold and though our bodies eventually became useless, our souls were not.

---

" A was the first to go, her soul ripped from her body, placed into a crystal for a blade. She was the first success.

UdugHul then sold her. She was used in war. Her power was great.

They wanted more, more souls put into crystals. More crystals put into weapons.

Eli was to be next, but I stood between them. I was taken instead.

I protected my sister as long as I could.

---

" Izi was gone, her soul ripped from her body, placed into a crystal and into a blade. She was the second success.

UdugHul then sold her. She was used in war. Her power was great.

They wanted even more, even more souls put into crystals. Even more crystals put into weapons.

Ki was next, but I stood between them and I was taken. I was turned into a crystal. I was the third success. UdugHul sold me. I was used in war. My power was great.

---

"I am all alone now. A is gone. Izi is gone. Eli is gone. I am alone.

Ki used me every day, using my body until it became useless, but my soul was not.

Souls were put into weapons, but not into shields. They had too many blades. They wanted a shield.

I was the final success. UdugHul then sold me. I was used in war. My power was great.

Please, no more!

---

The four then briefly spoke as one:

"When the war was won, UdugHul bought us back. He wanted us. He needed us.

We didn't need him. We didn't want him.

We turned on him, torturing him. UdugHul refused to sleep. eventually, he was no more.

Our captor is dead, our vengeance was won. Our power was great.

We don't want to be used anymore.

We are so tired...Please let us rest!

---

---

The sword then stopped glowing, and Vyerin regained control of himself before passing out. Before they could discuss the next move, Sera took the sword. She unsheathed the sword and slammed it into the ground against a boulder as hard as she could, shattering the blade. She did the same thing to the sheath. This revealed the crystal cores within. Before the sword could reform itself, Sera took a rock and started smashing each crystal, destroying them. A light ws briefly seen as each one was destroyed.

When Vyerin awoke several hours later, he noticed that there were four graves, each marked with a large stack of stones. Cida, Thames, and Sera were sitting around a fire, somber and silent. Vyerin had his own story to tell about being in the Wellspring of Souls, again, but wanted to know what he missed here first.

That night, Sera couldn't fall asleep. She kept seeing the faces of others. These were fellow Alluthian females like she was, and they all had the Moon Trace, white hair, a marker that shows their heritage, their descendance from the Moon Goddess. They were sisters in their time aboard a "merchant ship", barely. Each was from a different family, and each found themselves far away from their middle desert homeland for the same reason.

She eventually ran away, when she was the last one remaining and realized what her purpose was going to be. Vyerin, Thames, and Cida helped her run away. these were three others who didn't exactly like being told what their future was. Sera finally fell asleep when she thought of them instead.

Raini (Sera)

"...It is done."

"A, Izi, Eli, Ki, you may rest now..."