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Author: Future Man
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History of a Sword:
At first appearance this blade appears to be rather plain and exhibits the characteristics of those mass produced in the Canthan city of Kaineng. While the similarities in style are undeniable, closer inspection of the blade reveals it is of much higher quality. The blade, is actually made of steel as opposed to iron. Iron is the material commonly used in the construction of Dadao blades. The actual blade itself, while still intact has clearly been altered since the sword’s construction. The pommel appears to be an after market addition, meaning it is not original. However, upon close examination traces of gold can be found near the bottom of the blade suggesting that the original pommel was more ornamental than practical.
In the history of the world no region has been known to have a greater affinity for gold than the nobles of Vabbi. The fact that the blade is steel, coupled with a gold pommel, would have made it very heavy and unwieldy, making it highly unlikely that this blade would have seen combat. This is another clue that this was in fact a gift for a Vabbian noble, since most other aristocrats would have demanded that even a gift be practical or usable; the Vabbi however, are known for excess.
The exact origins as well as its crafter remain elusive; although one can almost be assured of the time frame during which it was made. The Cosairs, who made their living preying upon coastal towns, first brought the Cathan Dadao design to Elona. It is very feasible that they would have used these blades frequently in their raiding because of their availability in Kaineng. So its construction probably was sometime after the [URL=http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/First_Great_Corsair_War] in 712AE. One can assume the blade was presented to a Vabbi noble who did not actually fight in the war, but rather helped to finance it. This blade’s style was typical of a corsair, and would have been presented as a symbolic gift of the conquered pirates. (again, the heavy steel and gold lead us to believe it was crafted to be ornamental.)
The fact that it was presented to a Vabbi Noble who was not Akami Voss[/URL] tells us that it was made and given sometime before she claimed herself to be clan marshal and assume the role as “Prince of Vabbi” in 900AE. [img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:EI3M2-pM1c3i1M:http://img.search.com/3/3a/Lutherseal.jpg[/img]This is because once she assumed power, she placed a tax on all good created and sold within her empire. These items were then given a seal, stamped upon them in order to show proof of payment. The absence of this seal places the creation of this blade sometime between the years 712 and 900AE.
Most blades, especially Canthan ones, bear this seal because trade flourished between Cantha and Elona in the early 900’s after the long standing trade alliance between Tyria and Cantha dissolved over an imperial decree. Trade was booming between these two nations, and a great deal of goods was being shipped between them. With an increase of valuable merchandise on the open seas, it lead to the rebirth of the Corsairs. 940 – 1016 AE is generally referred to as the Golden Age of the Corsairs, since sea trade was at an all time high, with such lavish good being shipped. The lack of a land route between the two continents coupled with the vast amounts of wealth left massive boats as the only option for transport. The age of the Corsairs ended with Lady Glaive’s defeat at the hands of [URL=http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Spearmarshal_Maloha] and Istan re-established order on the sea. However, this particular blade appears to have slipped into the hands of Corsairs before that time and ended up in Tyria. While the specific circumstances are not clear. It is known that during this age Corsairs sometime sailed up the Elon River to carry out raids.
A dark part of Tyria’s history that isn’t often talked about, is their dealings with the Corsairs for about a century dating roughly from 950-1050AE. Due to the lack of trade between Tyria and Cantha, and difficulty crossing the Crystal Desert, the entire region was forced to rely upon corsairs for their supplies. Such areas as the D’Alessio Seaboard and Port Sledge were once full of merchants and seaside communities who thrived off this trade. Stingray Strand particularly was home to much larceny and corruption. The Guild Wars[/URL], beginning in 1013 only added to their need for supplies, and warring guilds would often exhaust funds just trying to equip their warriors.
One can suspect that the lavish gold handle was melted off and reformed into some other item, most likely jewelry, and this left the heavy steel blade. A guild under financial stress picked up this blade, saving it from being melted down. Since steel was of much higher quality than iron, this blade was heated and reformed into a formidable weapon. First you can see the marks along both faces of the blade where the excess metal was trimmed. This was done, not only to save money by using the steel for other sources (armor, shields, more arms) it also made the blade lighter and now usable. In addition to decreasing the weight, it was also perfectly balanced, and the front edge was slightly serrated, a common modification on swords called “Barbing,” which was meant to lengthen bleeding extensively. A hilt also had to be crafted since just the actual blade was bought from Corsairs. A heavy bronze and wood hilt was made and attached to the sword; the wood was very distinctive in its marking and is from a Stonewood tree. The largest known species of this tree is located south of Quarrel Falls in a small town called Ventari’s Refuge. The wood is particularly heavy and with persistent use and training it would (or was alleaged) to increase the over physical health of the user. A blade with modification would be known as a sword “of Fortitude.” Interesting to note that the first guild to start using this modification was the Dragon Clan, a Western Krytan guild located near the mountains of Majesty’s Rest.![](http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:DMprZSuTNSx4EM:http://www.tcoletribalrugs.com/resources/SingaporePowerPt/GriffinSeal.jpg") This blade was mostly likely of their creation since they marked all smithed blades with their guild insignia. The traditional place for their marking was always near the top of the blade, with the thought that it would be the first and last thing their enemies saw. This blade however has a hole where the insignia should be. Upon much study, it was discovered that the Dragon Clan was a rival guild of the Ascalonian guild,[URL=http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Ascalon%27s_Chosen]. When defeated on the field of combat, Ascalon’s Chosen took to the habit of removing the insignias of their rivals not only as a sign of disrespect, but also so that the weapons could then be used by their own. It is of note that King Adelbern was a champion of Ascalon’s Chosen before he was elected king. It should also be noted of his strong hatred and distrust of Kryta, possibly stemming from this.
The blade, due to its distinctive markings, was taken when the Dragon Clan was eradicated by Ascalon’s Chosen, but like much of Ascalon was lost in The Searing[/URL] of 1070 AE, which marked the end of the Guild Wars, and the reopening of trade with Cantha in 1071. While a plain appearance may deter the common collector, with further investigation it can be seen that this blade’s unique and intriguing history make it an amazing weapon. In fact if most blades could talk, it can be assured that their tales would far surpass this. Let us hope that this world can find peace soon, so that we do not lost any more of our history to war or destruction; because we lose more then just lives. We lose priceless artifacts like this, priceless reminder of our history.
Sources:
[URL=http://wiki.guildwars.com/images/4/45/TyriaMap2.jpg]
http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Timeline[/URL]
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