Nihelimen (Nih-hell-ih-men)

Written by UmbralGoat

Nihelimen is a two-handed sword, infamous for its history and usage throughout the later Great Rebirth. It has become one of the most popular examples of a magical weapon, but is also well-known for the curse-like magic that was put upon it in its later life.

Design

The blade of the sword was forged from pure Purple Steel, a form of volinized metal, which allowed it to be significantly thinner than most swords of the time while keeping its rigidity. Due to the material, the brightly polished blade appears to have a light purple hue in certain lights. It was the first weapon to be created of this material. The blade measures over a meter and a half long, and the handle about a third of a meter long.

The handle of the blade is rounded, but flat to allow easy control of the blade. For a long time it was unknown what type of wood it was made from, but it is thought to be that of the Crying Redwood, polished and stained a rich, deep brown. Atop the handle, the crossguard is rather flat and wide, though the edges are considerably thicker to provide more structure. The flat portion of the guard is inlaid with several decorative patterns, including that of Dragons, the Suns, and the floating lands of Vernelis.

At the bottom of the handle is a large circular pommel, cut from the same piece of Purple Steel and inlaid with what is thought to be representations of Souls swirling around each other.

Sword of Souls

The steel that makes up Nihelimen's blade is particularly rare, as it is so naturally embued with magic that it falls into the Absolutely Volinized range of these metals. This means it can reflect magical energy at a concentration four times or more than the original source.

The sword was created in such a way, however, that the majority of its magical energy lays within the very edge of the blade, and this was thought to be in order to introduce that energy directly into the target upon a strike or thrust. It's believed this could allow a direct attack on the Soul and Aura of an individual, causing significant damage with direct hits towards the head or torso; note that such "hits" do not even need to come in contact with the individual. Merely slicing through one's Aura would be enough to cause damage, depending on the aim and speed of the blade. Due to the sheer concentration of magical energy, its believed that pieces of a destroyed Soul are attracted to the sword, keeping them alive but inactive within the blade.

History

Nihelimen was forged at least 1,600 years VA. It was a gift from the ruler of an old country in the Western Lands to his top general, though it is unknown who specifically created it; to smith volinized metal is extremely difficult, due to the manipulation of magical energy required within the blade during the crafting process, especially in a time when knowledge of this material was relatively new. It's said that very soon after receiving this gift, the general assassinated the ruler with this very sword, rending his Soul to pieces before finally killing him.

No guards or soldiers could stand against the magical ability of Nihelimen, and most were still under the general's control; he immediately took rulership over the country.

The final true owner of the sword was said to have tried to destroy it, hearing the story of its past and never wanting it to fall into the wrong hands. They believed that they could use fire magic to melt the blade, but upon sending a surge of flames into the sword, the energy was quadrupled, and reflected, setting its owner alight and killing them, too. Before succumbing to his injuries, however, it's said they cursed the blade, and cast part of their own Soul to the blade before perishing. This extraneous piece of Soul, kept "alive" by Nihelimen's magic, resides within the handle, rather than the blade like its other victims.

The sword was impossible to use regularly again, as the curse was said to damage the Soul of the user upon each use, directly straining and incapacitating the user and equaling any damage it deals to others' Souls upon the user's Soul. For centuries, the sword became an artifact of trade, becoming one of the most valuable swords on the black market.

Modern Day

While traveling in a separate country on a business trip, Cloudwalker Inc. owner Mosaro Adeus came across the sword by chance in a street market; he was told of its origins and was intrigued. The price was significant enough to catch his attention, and thought it would look nice upon his walls. He loved bringing home "souvenirs" from his trips, and paid the exorbitant pricetag just before departing.

To the present day, Nihelimen has resided hung over the study fireplace in the Adeus estate.

XVI

Item Type
Vokändor
Material
Purple Steel
Value
Est. 7,000,000Ð

Dimensions

Blade Length (+ Handle)
162.5 cm (+ 34 cm)
Blade Width
4.6 cm
Blade Thickness
2.5 mm
Handle Width
4 cm
Weight
1 kg