Dainsleif and Tyrfing

Huge thanks to Austin Witko for the cover art!

Dual swords forged by Svaðilfari, the Stallion of Flame, Dainsleif and Tyrfing were renowned for their ability to channel the elements of fire and ice. They were wielded by the greatest champion of Svaðilfarther during the Reckoning, defending their lands from an incursion by Narvox's followers; however, this champion sacrificed themselves for their clan, and though they defeated the invading forces, the weapons were lost. It is rumored that Svaðilfari took them back to Heitrhylr, hiding the twin blades away in the Forge of the Tempest, but this is unsubstantiated and hypothetical.
Dainsleif is a longsword inscribed with runes of ice and wind to lock down and batter foes, while Tyrfing is a shortsword with runes of flame to annihilate those caught in Dainsleif's power.

The Legend

When the Obsidian Lords were fully on the offensive during the Reckoning, the full brunt of their ire was directed to Iotura and Aitreas; however, Aasveig was not entirely unable to avoid their destructive gaze. Narvox, the King in Black, saw in Aasveig the potential for the brutal unification of the disarrayed clans, and a chance to enslave thousands more soldiers into his dark armies. In this spirit, he sent forth a tide of goblinoids (an event which is credited for their presence on the isles) that sought to overwhelm and obliterate any Aasveigan resistance.
As with most of the Aasveigan Pantheon, Svaðilfari was a child of Isael and had been charged with defending Aasveig and the Maor who lived there as best as they could. So, the Stallion of Flame set about doing what he did best: forging. Deep in the sulfurous pits of Heitrhylr, Svaðilfari created a wide variety of weapons and armors to arm the champions of Aasveig against their goblinoid enemies. Chief among these were the twin runeblades of Dainsleif and Tyrfing, which in tandem could bring the full power and spectrum of Aasviegan elemental fury to bare. Gifting this to his followers in Svaðilfarther, the longsword and shortsword were taken up by one Augdin Karadottir, the greatest champion of Isael's fury among those people.
With the blades in hand, Augdin cut a swath through the invaders, and the legend holds that she singlehandedly annihilated an army of some thousand followers of Narvox who attempted to bring ruin to her clan. Over countless battles, Augdin fought to defend her people and all of Aasveig, until she was eventually felled. It is told that Narvox himself smote the incessant mortal warrior, but that she managed to wound the Obsidian Lord's form with the blades before her defeat. Whether or not this is true is entirely unknown, but since her death (whether on the battlefields of the Reckoning or by some other means) the twin blades have been unseen, save for in whispers.

The Remnant

longsword and shortsword, legendary, requires attunement (uses only one attunement slot)
Hidden away centuries ago by Svaðilfari, Dainsleif and Tyrfing have become dormant. One day, they will once again be held in the hands of a mortal champion, and their power will perhaps be reawakened.
Though the two weapons could be wielded separately, they are intended to be used as per the Two Weapon Fighting style, and some of their features do not function properly without one or the other.

Dormant

Appearing as normal (if not extremely well made) swords, the dormant Dainsleif is a runed longsword, with various chips and blemishes hinting at its seeing many battles. The dormant Tyrfing is a similar shortsword, though its make is more akin to a runed gladius. Both have their runes, but no elemental power is immediately obvious; however, each does have a faint glow when wielded in combat, as the elemental power within aches to be freed.

Properties

• The wielder gains +1 to attack rolls with both Dainsleif and Tyrfing.
• A Chill. As an action, the wielder can swing Dainsleif and send a shard of ice flying out to cast ice knife (+5 to hit, spell save DC 13). The wielder cannot use this ability again until they finish a short or long rest. Additionally, melee attacks with Dainsleif deal an additional 1d6 cold damage.
• A Spark. As a reaction upon receiving an attack, the wielder can point Tyrfing and cast hellish rebuke (spell save DC 13). The wielder cannot use this ability again until they finish a short or long rest. Additionally, melee attacks with Tyrfing deal an additional 1d4 fire damage.

Awakened

As the elemental power is awakened within the blades, the glow of their runes is restored. Dainsleif's runes now glow an icy blue, and Tyrfing's a fiery orange.

Properties

• The wielder gains +2 to attack rolls with both Dainsleif and Tyrfing.
• A Frost. The ice knife ability is now cast at 3rd level, and the spell save DC increases to 15 and +7 to hit. The additional cold damage inflicted by Dainsleif is increased to 1d8.
• A Flame. The hellish rebuke ability is now cast at 3rd level, and the spell save DC increases to 15. The additional fire damage inflicted by Tyrfing is increased to 1d6.
• A Dance of Ice and Fire. As an action, the wielder can slide the blades along each other and call forth the elemental fury stored within them. When they do so, they gain the following benefits for one minute: Dainsleif becomes covered in razor-sharp ice, and its bonus cold damage increases to 2d8. Additionally, every hit with Dainsleif reduces the target's movement speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. Tyrfing erupts into flames, and its bonus cold damage increases to 2d6. Additionally, attacks made with Tyrfing are considered to have a range of 30 feet, as swings of the blade create identical slashes of flame that fly out from the sword. The wielder cannot use this ability again until they finish a long rest.

Exalted

Now, the full elemental powers of the twin blades have been awoken. The glow of the runes is more powerful, and an aura of each sword's element surrounds their blades. This is how Dainsleif and Tyrfing were wielded during the Calamity.

Properties

• The wielder gains +3 to attack rolls with both Dainsleif and Tyrfing.
• A Blizzard. The ice knife ability is now cast at 5th level, and the spell save DC increases to 17 and +9 to hit. The additional cold damage inflicted by Dainsleif is increased to 1d10.
• A Conflagration. The hellish rebuke ability is now cast at 5th level, and the spell save DC increases to 17. The additional fire damage inflicted by Tyrfing is increased to 1d8.
• A Dance of Ice and Fire. As an action, the wielder can slide the blades along each other and call forth the elemental fury stored within them. When they do so, they gain the following benefits for one minute: Dainsleif becomes covered in razor-sharp ice, and its bonus cold damage increases to 2d10. Additionally, every hit with Dainsleif reduces the target's movement speed by 15 feet until the start of your next turn. Tyrfing erupts into flames, and its bonus fire damage increases to 2d8. Additionally, attacks made with Tyrfing are considered to have a range of 60 feet, as swings of the blade create identical slashes of flame that fly out from the sword. The wielder cannot use this ability again until they finish a long rest.
• Reawakened Fury. As an action, the wielder can use unleash the full elemental power within Dainsleif and Tyrfing to cast two separate instances of spiritual weapon, with the following changes: the spiritual weapons manifest an elemental copy of each blade on either side of the wielder, and these copies follow the wielder. Also, the spiritual weapons copy the wielder's movements, attacking when the wielder attacks (i.e., when the wielder attacks with Dainsleif, the spiritual weapon of Dainsleif also attacks the same target), and hitting or missing based off whether the wielder hits or misses. On a hit, the additional damage of the strike is determined by the damage modifier the wielder has on the same weapon (if the wielder hits with Dainsleif and has a +3 to damage, the spiritual weapon deals an additional 1d8 + 3 force damage in a separate strike). The wielder cannot use this ability again until they allow Dainsleif and Tyrfing to lay within a suitable vessel of their respective elements for 24 hours, recharging their elemental runes.