Antislar Fire Blade
Edits in this wonderful maroon

The Antislar Fire Blade is a strange weapon from the human tribe of the Iol Peninsula.  The Antislar people are nearly the sole wielders of this strange blade, for reasons that are discussed further in the entry. And why is this wouldn't the enemies of the Antislar just pillage the swords from the bodies of their foes.  Called a Fire Blade, it gets its name for being, quite literally, a blade that is on fire.  Created from Doom Steel, a metal derived from the lava pools of the Isthmus of Doom, the blade can be ignited by holding it to flame, and can only be extinguished by immersing in water for a few moments until all flame is gone.

Description

These swords are rather plain in appearance.  With a blade averaging a ped in length, it has a grip that is made long enough for either one or two handed wielding.  The blade is often flat and tapers slightly wider toward the tip, rather than to the hilt.  The last few nailsbreadths then meet sharply to a point.  In its normal state, the sword looks like many swords. I don't particularly under stand that part.  The blade is a grayish colour of metal, with a deep fuller, known as a blood groove, to channel blood away from the victim and avoid suction when removing from a body.

The hilt includes a cross guard, usually plain but sometimes ornate with carved symbols on it, as well as a leather wrapped grip and a ball shaped pommel.  The pommel is usually the part of the sword that gets the most decoration.  Sometimes the ball is etched with designs of vines, mountains, or any number of nature scenes.  Other times, this ball is replaced by an ornate design, such as a skull, or a dragon head, or other fierce looking symbol.  It usually depends on the owners tastes at the time of forging.  

It must be noted that the cross guard is made from regular steel that is made with a slot so that the blade can be pushed through to the tang, the part of the sword unseen beneath the grip.  The grip then is leather wrapped around the tang, over which a round wooden handle is placed, then another thick wrapping of leather.  These two additions to the sword keep the hand safe from the heating of the flaming sword, though it takes some getting used to in order to grip the handle, as it is thicker than mundane swords.  Gloves are also used by most wielders of this weapon. Only most users use gloves wouldn't all of them need it?

Usage

Troops from the Antislar army are given an array of mundane weapons; swords, spears, maces and the like, much like you would find in nearly any army.  Where they differ is that the Antislar army has two divisions within the army; an offensive unit, and a defensive unit.  The offensive unit is equipped with the two handed version of the fire sword.  These troops are usually sent into battle first when the army is attacking, then backed up by regular troops afterward.  They accomplish much in the way of terrifying the enemy with their lighted swords and the carnage they deliver. The other unit, ones with a one handed sword and shield, are used more to defend strategically important objectives.  If a pitted battle takes place, the defenders use their flaming swords to cause uncertainty and pause within the attacking army.

An example of this can be seen in the Battle of Mantle Woods.  This battle took place in 1292 AS during the Fourth Orcish War, in the Mantle Woods, which at that time was held by the Antislar Army.  They had taken the forest one year earlier from the Remusians, and held on to it with a tenuous hold.  The Remusians made a push to retake the woods with an incursion into the forest that far outnumbered the defending force.  This force, however, was equipped with fire swords, and they put up a powerful and brave fight.  They sent word south to the main army for reinforcements, but because of a strategic push there, they were unable to send help, except for a unit of 500 warriors equipped with two handed fire swords.

Fighting Style
It took three days for this rescue force to make it to the battle.  The defenders had managed to hold on to their ground and with the reinforcements, actually repelled the Remusian offensive.  The Remusians refer to this as the Battle of a Thousand Lights, referring to the flaming swords that the Antislar defenders used against them.  The result of this key battle was that the Remusians would never again occupy the Mantle Woods.  The war was to last for another two years, but further to the south.

Having the taper wider nearer the tip puts the weight balance toward the tip, making the weapon very effective at slashing.  As one swings the sword, it carries further into flesh, should it find its mark.  Of course, some detractors of this style of blade are quick to point out that this also can make the sword a bit unwieldy and slow to correct an errant swing.  The tip of this sword has a very shallow point, and is not as good as a thrusting weapon, though it certainly can be used as such if need be. Just one comment on this couldn't the weilder of a fire blade simply touch the enemy and burn them in unprotected spots.

The grip is such that the blade can be used as a one handed sword and shield style weapon, or used as a two handed offensive weapon.  Typically, the more offensive troops use the two handed method, while more defensive troops use the one handed style with a shield.

The fire setting of the weapon is used somewhat sparingly.  When it is used, it increases the intimidation factor of the weapon, causing many troops facing it to wither and flee.  However, this comes at a price.  Doom steel breaks down with burning.  A typical sword can only burn for maybe a day before it starts to become more brittle, leaving the danger of a warrior holding a broken blade in the middle of a fight.  It is true that a piece of Doom steel can burn for up to five days, it breaks down as it burns, turning in time to a pile of ash.  It is because of this, that troops do not light their swords unless absolutely necessary and they extinguish their swords as soon as possible.  The degeneration of the metal is cumulative, so lighting a sword for several hours one day, then again the next, seems to have the same result as leaving the sword flaming for a day.  Because of this the army usually sends extra swords with any unit that expects to find action. To me it seems rather strange for a degrading powerful weapon to be simply be given to the main body of troops.

Origin/History

Doom steel was discovered many years ago by the people of Antislar, thought to be around 500 BS.  It was used for many items, like lighting sources in buildings for years before it was finally turned into a weapon.  The first swords were created from Doom steel shortly before the Third Sarvonian War.  It was used to great extent in their battles with the Remusians.  The name of the actual person who invented it has been lost in the annals of time.  In years hence, only the most experienced and well trained smiths work to make Doom steel swords.  Like any product made with Doom steel, it is a dangerous process and many smiths have been maimed or killed while working on a sword or other object, shaping it and sharpening it.  One errant spark can cause the item to ignite instantly, causing severe burns to the smith, as well as the potential to burn down the smithy.