Introduction by Ryan Welch
The weapons with which we quest are so much more than instruments of combat, more than foam, cores, tape, and socks. The blades that adorn our belts and our closets are defining features of our characters. Some weapons have names, shared as one might share the title of a novel, and our eyes glitter with excitement when a new adventurer asks “what’s that?”. Other weapons have no need for names and are simply identified by the lineage of hands which have wielded them. In this series, which I am calling The Spirit of Steel, I will explore the bonds we form with our weapons. This is not a catalog of magic item powers, nor a “look behind the curtain”, but rather a collection of stories and legends.
My dagger was named "Guidance" by Rel, Janus, Rosetta, and Tria (the full membership of Clan Rua Thar Cinn at that time), reflecting my inclination to lead and advise others both on and off the field of battle, as well as a knack for ushering my enemies to their deaths. I have carried it since the Yule celebrations the night of December 22, 1012, when I swore to follow my Laird, Sir Magus Rel Zhirah, as a member of Rua Thar Cinn, and thereby also as a citizen of the Kingdom of Chimeron.Guidance was originally made for me by Rel, and silvered by the Clan's collective force of will. Its silver has been restored since then by myself and others, and I reforged it myself in June of 1017 as it had by then seen several years of heavy use. It is an 18-inch silver-bladed dagger with a wide and sturdy blackened-steel crossguard. A stone of polished hematite is inset on one face of the crossguard, and the reverse face is emblazoned with the heraldry of Clan Rua Thar Cinn in white. Each member of Rua Thar Cinn carries a silver weapon inset with hematite such as this. While they are not unique among us, this design is unique within the greater Realms.
Starting before my arrival in Chimeron and continuing through to the Bedlam War's bitter end, members of Clan Rua Thar Cinn dedicated themselves to the task of eliminating a powerful type of Bois from the field of battle. Called Soul Leeches, these monstrosities consumed the souls of the living. They were invulnerable to all weapons but Swords of Light, the Northern Light blades from Pater Yule, and silver weapons that were wielded while holding a hematite stone. The first two types of weapon could kill Soul Leeches only for them to reappear nearby soon afterward. The only permanent solution was to channel the souls, one at a time, by stabbing the Soul Leech with a silver weapon while the weapon or wielder held fresh hematite. The soul contained in each stone could be Called out or put to rest with last rites. (In cases when we were short on hematite or a Soul Leech had consumed a great number of souls, we had to extract a soul, Call it out while in combat, and use the refreshed hematite once more to free another soul.) Once the Soul Leech had been drained of its prey, it could be killed like any normal Bois. We have thankfully not encountered enemies with such power since the Realms defeated Mad Tom, but members of Rua Thar Cinn still carry our weapons should the need arise.
My dagger is a symbol of my allegiance to my Clan and my Kingdom, and its name serves to remind me of the role I fill within my chosen families and the Realms at large. It is the product of Rel's and my own skill and effort, a relic of the Bedlam War, and a vessel that has held and saved countless innocent souls. It has been a release from pain for those beyond healing, and a source of torment for those who deserved it. It has seen me through thousands of conflicts in the last six years - from small skirmishes to battles that seemed they would have no end. More than any other possession of mine, Guidance has seen what I am capable of and is fully a part of who I am.