It was forged out of friendship, honor and self sacrifice. It stayed in the family for millennia. It is called The Brightblade. Let’s take a closer look at its history. Buy Lost Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/51186/Lost-Leaves-From-the-Inn-of-the-Last-Home-35?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
According to legend, this sword will only break if its wielder does.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about The Brightblade. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing Lost Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home, DLQ1 Knight’s Sword and War of the Lance sourcebooks for this information. If I misspeak or leave anything out, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
It’s true history was discovered in the great Library of Khrystann in Tarsis, just before the Red Dragonarmy assault during the War of the Lance. The history is recorded by the renowned scholar and priest of Kiri-Jolith, Sumitpo diFurian. What is known is as follows: The sword itself is thought to be from 2,000 -2,900 years old. Most agree with the more recent estimate. It was forged by a dwarven weaponsmith named Romgar Firesteel as a gift for one man and what that man represented.
Berthel was a young Solamnic squire of the Crown. He was the son of a simple farmer, traveling north from Heartlund to Vingaard Keep, where he was hoping to be knighted a Knight of the Crown. His sponsor, Sir Di Kanto deemed young Berthel worthy of the honor. Berthel stopped in Jansburg, a small village south of the keep for the night and met a wonderful dwarf named Romgar Firesteel. They shared food and drink into the night. As the sun rose the next day, Berthel prepared for his journey and heard screaming throughout the town. Upon investigation he discovered a tribe of goblins on wolf back terrorizing the villager. Berthel mounted his steed and began his defense of the town. He eventually came upon the leader of the tribe, a hobgoblin, who had wounded Romgar, and was ready to deal the killing blow when Berthel called out a challenge.
The hobgoblin accepted it and they battled ferociously. Berthel was badly wounded but eventually killed the creature. He crawled over to his friend and began tending to his wounds until he passed out from his own bloodloss. He woke three days later in the inn, with his wounds partially healed. He learned that without a leader, the goblins gave up their assault. His new friend had stayed by him, and joined him in his final stretch to Vingaard Keep where he gave a statement of Berthel’s heroism and selfless actions. The High Justice agreed to knight Berthel in two months’ time. Romgar was not finished however. He took it upon himself to show his gratitude to the knight-to-be by forging him a one-of-a-kind weapon, blessed by Kiri-Jolith himself. Romgar sent dispatches to Garnet with orders for gold, silver, steel and a red gem from the Firesteel treasury. The materials arrived a week later, and Romgar spent two weeks in a forge to produce the finest masterpiece he had ever crafted, the Brightblade.
The Brightblade is known as a hand-and-a-half sword. This provides leverage for it’s wielder. It is a bastard sword of exquisite design. The grip and crossguard are placed in pure god. The grip is edged in the golden patterns of the era, inspired by Tiiashara Luerrath, the elven architect. Its pommel is silver with a gold etched heraldry. It features a forty-nine inch, double-edged blade with Dwarven runes of protection, honor and friendship engraved into its silvery surface. Just above its crossguard is the Firesteel clan ruby held in place by two twirling strips of gold. Engraved on the left of the ruby is the Kingfisher and on the right is a rose. Running the length of the blade is a fuller, one of the first swords to feature it. The blade never dulls or dims. It can cut through anything lighter than plate armor as a hot knife through butter. The blade cannot break if wielded by one who is pure in heart and follows the tenets of Vinas Solamnus — honor, justice and compassion. If its wielder strays from the path of good, the sword would shatter. It is believed that Romgar Firesteel had a vision where Paladine and Kiri-Jolith showed him how to forge the blade, and that the materials used were blessed by Gritmar Steelbrand, a priest of Reorx.
Whether Berthel adopted the name Brightblade from the sword, or Romgar christened the blade after its recipient is unknown. What is known is that Berthel used the sword against the Ergothians with Vinas Solamnus. Vinas was so impressed with the young knight that he made him a lieutenant. Berthel passed the sword to his child, Bedal. Bedal also proved himself a hero by holding a strategic pass against fierce nomads by himself until reinforcements could arrive. He fought the nomads to a standstill! It would stay in the family for millenia, until after the cataclysm, when the sword was to pass to Bayard Brightblade, it was instead mislaid or stolen. Bayard quested for the sword and after a week, he returned with the sword and the ordeal earned him his knighthood. Bayard would pass the sword to his adopted son Galen Pathwarden di Caela Brightblade. When Bayard’s true son came of age, the sword was passed to him. Generations later Angriff Brightblade would be the new owner, and after sending his wife and son to Solace as their keep was raided, Angriff hid his armor and sword in the hopes that his son would return to find them.
Sturm Brightblade would travel to his birth home and eventually find his fathers Solamnic armor and the Brightblade. He would wield it until his death at the battle of the High Clerist’s Tower during the War of the Lance. The Brightblade would be buried with Sturm in the catacombs beneath the fortress. In time, Caramon Majere and Tanis Half-Elven would bring Sturm’s son, Steel Brightblade to his fathers tomb in the hopes of turning him from the Knights of Takhisis. They were unsuccessful, but Sturm’s spirit would appear and gift the Brightblade and the Star Jewel given to Sturm by Alhana Starbreeze to his son. Steel would wield the Brightblade in the battle of the High Clerist’s tower during the Chaos War, and the Battle of the Abyss, where he drew blood with the Brightblade from Chaos, the father of all and nothing, defeating him and saving Krynn with Palin Majere, Tasslehoff Burrfoot and Usha Majere.
Steel did not survive the battle, and Palin Majere would recover his cousin’s body and the Brightblade, laying the sword of his family of thousands of years upon his breast in the Tomb of Last Heroes in Solace. As far as anyone knows, the Brightblade remains there to this day. It is hard for me to imagine a more prescient weapon, other than the Dragonlance itself, that perfectly encapsulates the tradition of chivalry, honor, sacrifice and family. It was forged as a heartfelt gift of thanks and remained in the family for millennia. Ironically, the owners and history of the Brightblade have been illustrious, but it is not a weapon commonly known, as its distinguished list of owners, the Brightblade family, is traditionally closed-mouthed about its prowess and history. They have preferred to let their deeds speak for them, rather than their history.
Outro
And that is all I have to say about The Brightblade. Do you believe the Brightblade will ever be wielded again? Would you also like to hear more of its myriad of owners’ history like I would? And finally, if you could have the Brightblade or a Dragonlance, which would you want and why? Leave a comment below.
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This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I welcome you to join in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
Only through these great sacrifices will we find hope.
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