Dissertation of a Weaponsmith

From the Collected Works of Rutegur Stonespeaker

A smith takes a material without shape and crafts it into a form of his choosing. Of all of the works a smith may perform, there is none with greater impact than the creation of a weapon.

In the non-magical world, the primary concerns of a weaponsmith are what the weapon is made of and how it is made, the design. Though simple on the surface, the application of both these aspects to their fullest is a difficult task and takes years of experience to achieve. The weaponsmith must know the material, must know how to purify it and how to craft it. This is vital, for without this knowledge the weapon cannot take its true shape. Likewise, a superior metal will mean nothing if the design is imperfect.

In this way, two embattled foes were simply individuals, each carrying a weapon as an extension of their respective wills. The battle remained a contest of the two. The one who knew his weapon gained the advantage; the one with no control over his weapon would fare poorly. The fighter with the superior strength would be the victor.

In the magical world we live in the weapon's pattern becomes accessible, however, adding two more elements to the smith's craft. These new concerns are of who crafts the weapon and why they do so. Just as the weaponsmith must know the material and remove its impurities while giving it form, so he must also know the magic of it, removing what is not desired and giving form to the pattern as he envisions it. The weapon can only be as strong as the vision with which the smith sees it, the more knowledge the smith possesses, the greater his sight concerning the newly made sword. Most important of all is the purpose for the crafting of the weapon. While the smith imparts this power on the weapon by careful working, the weapon itself draws upon its purpose. It becomes intricately bound with the world in its own Forging Destiny. One who does not understand the weapon's Forging Destiny cannot use the weapon's true power while one who does draws not only on the power of the weapon, but on its destiny as well.

In this way, the wills of two foes are not the only forces at work in a duel, their weapons representing forces to be interwoven in their combat. The ignorant attempt to use a weapon as an extension of themselves. The effect is at best a weak success, and at worst they find themselves in dischord with natural order. The one with true knowledge of his weapon flows with it, knows his opponent's own ignorance will be his defeat. The one who understands will be the victor.

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