40th of Frost, 119th Year of the Age of Steel
A sword that couldn’t cut was utterly useless to a warrior. This and one other portion of his work, would be the most important part of his forging process. Talon focused his attention on the edge of the sword. At that particular moment he was carefully tapping along the bottom edge of the widest portion of the one of the blade’s outer edges. There were slight deformities and imperfections in both the structural integrity and aether on the edge of the blade. This made for a blunt sword that, for all of Talon’s work so far, would prove as effective for Taelian as a butter knife in a dragon fight. To that end, he was drawing out the structural pathways within the aether along the edge of the blade. With a pair of forceps and a filing tool he was then sharpening each section of the blade’s edges down to its finest point that he could skillfully produce.
Beginning at the base along the left edge as he was facing it, Talon tapped his hammer on the edge. He then reached out with his kinetics and took hold of the pliable material very carefully. As he did he sifted through the aether until he found the traces of the kinetic magic that he had placed within the weapon itself. Pulling that magic to the forefront, Talon stretched it along the edge of the sword that he was working on. He then used a pair of tongs to fold that property upon itself so that the mundane sharpening coupled with his reinforcement of the structural pathway layered with kinetic magic honing would make the edge unnaturally sharp. Repeatedly, Talon grabbed each section of the blade’s edge, tugging, filing, sharpening and reinforcing with both structural pathways and the presence of the kinetic magic that he had laced into the weapon. He used his own inherent gift to compress the edge of the sword down to a thin point then worked over it with the filing tool.
Once he had finished working along one edge of the sword from the wide base all the way to the tip, Talon shifted to the opposite edge. Using a pair of larger tongs he rotated the sword so that he could more easily access the areas where he needed to work. Slowly and with great diligence he repeated the steps of sharpening and reinforcing as before. When the opposite edge was finally complete, Talon then went to the center of the flat edge of the blade. He patiently began tugging at strands of the kinetic aether that were lining the sharp edges then began extending them across the flat edge of the blade until a web of kinetic reinforcement was present across the sword. Rather than have the webbing overlay the structure of the sword, Talon delved deeper. He wanted the sword to be as resilient as possible with what time and skill he possessed. He would have preferred to incorporate some more potent reagents but in light of the timeline he had to work with, he would be forced to improvise using the gifts at his disposal.
Still, Kinetics was nothing to scoff at. Talon could single-handedly crush opponents with a simple balling of his fist. He could snap necks with a mere twist of his wrist. While he lacked the reagents necessary to bequeath such power onto the wielder of this blade, he could use it to make the sword that much more impressive and resilient in battle. Guiding the kinetic mesh that now was woven over the surface of the sword, Talon pounded it into place so that the kinetic magic held the structure of the blade tightly in place. He then used that same webbing to further reinforce the structure of the aether pathways that he had hammered into place so that the enchantments he’d worked into the artifact would not be easily disrupted.
Talon then picked up his smoothing stone tool and began running it along the edge of the blade in order to evenly disperse and flatten the aether that still flit about sporadically. He found those pieces of aether that were not laying evenly and smoothed them gently into place before hammering them down.
With all of those things in place, Talon took a step back to observe the overall shape and structure of the sword. He stepped back up in order to address small areas where it was evident to him that the building of certain pathways had interfered with others. It was not easy to do given the amount of layering and reinforcement that Talon had poured into the internal layout of the sword but he took his time. When those fine bits of work were complete, Talon removed his aura glass goggles so that this next portion of his work could be done on a more personal level.
Talon touched upon his rune of Semblance, tapping into his aether sight so that he could personally perceive the aura and layout of all of his work. Compared to when he had first begun, the overall state of raw power was less overwhelming but no less potent. Talon could still clearly see the magic humming inside the sword but it was more structure. The viscerite was less volatile and was edging closer and closer toward that of something that resonated as a completed artifact. He could distinguish its properties easily but only due to the fact that Talon was the creator of the sword.
While he still had the chance, Talon picked up a sculptor’s knife and a few other tools. He set them nearby then grabbed a piece of paper upon which was written a single word in elegant Sylvain script. Penned by his mother, Talon had asked her to write it down for him so that he could copy it onto the flat edge of the blade. With painstaking care, Talon began detailing the Sylvain script into the flat of the sword. This would be his artifact’s name. It would speak to the world and proclaim to all who beheld his craftsmanship that this weapon was not mundane. Nor would it ever be mistaken as such. Talon had poured every ounce of skill both magical and mundane into the creation of this sword and he had spent weeks contemplating on what to call it. Every artifact of great power and purpose deserved a name. Talon had finally found it after thinking on aspects of what he knew about the wielder and the sword itself.
As he finished detailing the last of the elven script into one side of the sword, Talon flipped the sword so that he could continue the work on the opposite side. Once the script had been carved into the sword, he picked up his hammer and tongs again. He slid the aura goggles back into place then stirred the sword’s aether back into motion. He dug through the properties of the sword until he found the essence of the illumite dragonshards that had been incorporated into the blood dragonshard he had collected. He took hold of their luminary properties and guided them gently to the shape and weave of each letter of the Sylvain word lining the flat edge of the sword. He structured the pathways in such a way that the script would only illuminate when actively touched upon by magic or when the blade’s yet to be finished distinctive power was active.
Another aesthetic touch that Talon added simply to reinforce the idea that this sword was not ordinary. This sword was something special made for someone that was...equally special. Talon couldn’t entirely place it, but he was driven to ensure that Taelian understood the lengths that he had gone to to provide for him a weapon without compare. The Avialae knew that he was not the most powerful runesmith out there but from any of them, there would not be the touch of the familiar. Taelian was connected to Talon’s partner and in many ways that meant Talon could feel traces of the elf across the bond he shared. It had helped him make even more peace with the state of things in days of late. Especially as he’d poured so much of his attention and time into the making of this magical work of art.
When the aether was firmly in place, Talon took hold of just a few more aesthetic changes. He tugged on the differing properties layered throughout the viscerite in order to make color and appearance changes to the materials of the sword. The crystalline, prismatic nature of the viscerite was soon gone as the color of the blade filled in. The hilt, grip and even the jewel that Talon had shaped into the pommel were each worked on in quiet succession as Talon prepared to put the finishing touches on the outward structure and aesthetics of the sword. As he filled in the sharp edges of the sword, Talon set his tools to the side then stepped back. He eyed the blade from its sharp tip to the jewel resting in the pommel. In truth, the entire sword was one complete piece without interruption to any part of its physical structure. To the observer though, each part had a distinct beginning and end.
Talon would let the properties that he had worked on for that settle before beginning the final enchantment. The whole reason he had incorporated a blood dragonshard into the makeup of the sword in the first place. It would be the most time consuming aspect of the forging yet but once complete, the blade would be finished and he could present it to its owner.
