Shyran spiritblades were swordmages hailing from Shyr and Akanûl who incorporated primal magic into their techniques, particularly by making use of a spirit companion.[1]
Culture[]
Spiritblades saw themselves as the inheritors of an ancient tradition. They were trained as both swordmages and as shamans, and mastered an extremely rare fighting style that required them to form deep bonds with both their swords and their spirit allies. Their training required them to master balance in themselves, which often made them sources of stability in times of crisis as well as effective intermediaries between peoples of the wilds and of settled lands.[1]
Abilities[]
Spiritblades mastered the use of light and heavy blades, and could use either as a spell focus for both arcane and primal spellcasting.[1]
A spiritblade had an unbreakable bond with their spirit companion, alongside whom they fought. The presence of their companion warded the spiritblade against danger, helped them to focus on enemy weaknesses, and helped them to mark their targets. They could coax their spirit companion to become one with their blade, enhancing their precision in battle, or they could channel spells through their spirit companion and their blade simultaneously. Their reliance on their companion was so great that some spiritblades could magically intercept attacks directed at their companions, accepting the injuries in their stead.[1]
History[]
The genasi of Shyr regarded the practices of the swordmage as an ancestral craft,[1] with thousands of years of history going back to the anarchs of Shyr.[2] By the time of the Spellplague, however, Shyr was ruled by the despotic primordial Karshimis, who allowed only those with his favor to train as swordmages.[1][3] In response, aspiring genasi swordmages fled from civilization to practice the ancient arts deep in the wilds. Among these, a few found masters who blended ancient arcane techniques with primal magic, and they became spiritblades.[1]
When the Spellplague brought the Shyran land that would come to be known as Akanûl from Abeir to Toril in the Year of Blue Fire, 1385 DR, so too came the practice of the spiritblades. However, even a century later, their abilities were almost completely unknown among the peoples of Faerûn.[1] This was in contrast to adherents of the anarchs of Shyr, who swiftly propagated their teachings across the new world.[2]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Chris Tulach (September 2009). “Adventurers of the Realms: Displaced Lands and Dire Frontiers”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #379 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 69–70.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
- ↑ Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.