Three Swords of Power & Five Swords of Order

Here, within the protective aura of the Mythal, it has been my privilege to explore the old tales and myths of some legendary artifacts, many of which seem to have been since lost. In particular, my attention has been drawn to a common thread in both Elvish and Human histories, which tells of an octet of powerful swords, one of which – known as Megilvilya, the Sword of Air – seems to have been lost some time between the Ruin of Tsen and the Fall of Feirgotha, just a century and a half before I am writing this.
The Elves write of Two Swords of Darkness and One Sword of Light, which is somehow bound to five others, making six that stand for life and truth. Thus there are “The Two of Darkness” and “The Six of Light”, in Elvish lore. In ancient Nurian writings I have found reference to Three Swords of Power and Five Swords of Order, thus there are “The Three” and “The Five”, in Human history.
On further research, it becomes clear that these swords are one and the same. There are eight blades in total: one of Evil, one of Chaos, one of Good, and five of Order. Respectively they are the Death Blade of Orcus (in Elvish, the Sword of Annihilation or Megil Urtulm), the Chaos Blade of Graz’zt (in Elvish, Mournblade or Megil Nyérë), the Sword of Air of Hecate (in Elvish, Megilvilya), and the Five Swords of Order, also called the Five Elemental Blades.
The Five were named Bramble (an Elvish blade, also called Lhang Eryn), Flame Tongue (also called Narsilambe Tel Maagog; the histories differ as to whether its roots are in the Nine Hells, or the City of Brass, but its name is linked to an immortal Titan from the Age of Dragons), Souldrinker (also called Thord, and seemingly forged by a Stone Giant), Gurthang (a Dwarfish blade, also called Vrem, or Grief), and Azure Destiny (a blade of The Apshanti, also called Stormbringer).
The Death Blade and Chaos Blade held more power than the Five, but it seems that the Sword of Air was singularly supreme. Altogether the swords created Balance in the world; sometimes Evil prevailed, sometimes Good, sometimes Chaos, and sometimes Order – but always things returned to the Balance.
But some awful, alien Thing had come to the world of Shenn, something that did not belong here, and threatened to upset the Balance forever. And so, the Eight Swords were forged to uphold the Balance, which had previously been upheld by the Elder Gods and the Lords of Hell, before their retreat which marked the end of the Age of Magic and the beginning of the Age of Ascendants.
At first it seemed to me unlikely that Hecate, the Goddess of Night and Evil Magic, would create a weapon infused with Goodness, but upon examining the histories it seems this was done with foresight for the chaos to come, and was required to repulse some far greater threat to the world than it had ever before seen. With the Elder Gods returned to the Outer Planes, it would appear the Lady Night, Hecate, was the only Ascendant God with the capacity to create such a powerful artifact.
The Sword of Air was forged on Hecate’s instructions by some entity referred to in the texts as Ahriman, although the blacksmith’s true nature is not specified. It seems that after it was given over to mortals, the sword itself became corrupted by the very evil it had vanquished, and in the end it had to be hidden away and forgotten, lost to the memories of Elves and Mortals. If it had been destroyed, the Balance would have been no more and the Twin Swords of Darkness would have prevailed, bringing no end of evil unto the world. It makes me wonder, if the Three were somehow all destroyed, would the Elder Gods return and the Old Order be re-established?
Where the Sword of Air is connected to Life and Light, the Death Blade has some link to undeath, and the Chaos Blade to demon-kind. It is not clear exactly what purpose of the Five Elemental Blades served. Apparently forged in different circumstances by varied beings of the elder races (Elves, Dwarfs, Apshanti, Giants, and Titans), they were brought together to somehow bind or support the Sword of Air as the embodiment of essential life energy in the world.
The Five appear to represent the recurring cycle of the seasons, and the energies within us all, but how they were bonded to Megilvilya or where they are now, remains unclear. There is some evidence that one was sent by the Kagonesti to the Feywild, and that the Dwarfs of Hvel-Runor buried another after some awful catastrophe, but I can find no confirmation of these, nor any sign of the other three.
I Megil Nertë (The Eight Swords) by Valanthe Oloro, Lorekeeper of Myth Drannor, 924 N.E.
Excerpt from the Lost Annals of Myth Drannor, acquired by the Learned Wizards of the Noldothrond, 1398 N.E.