Giving everyone a break from cityscapes this week. I hope you'll enjoy this topic.
For WSG#11 we turn to the mysterious Swordsingers of Hammerfell. Known for their outstanding swordmanship, and their ability to forge blades out of pure thought, they should prove quite an interesting faction in the game. I've spoken with Dexter before, and we considered the possibility of following what information we have, to delevope them as a society of warrior monks.
As luck would have it, I've got a picture of this Warrior Monk in my stock photo collection:
[url=http://img225.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shaolinmonk8rz.jpg][img]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4907/shaolinmonk8rz.th.jpg[/img][/url]
I also just noticed that this WSG falls across Dexter's springbreak. I hope we'll see some sketches from our Admin, who is actually a pretty awesome artist.
Now on to the Lore.. or pseudo-lore.. i'm not sure.
Required Reading
Please read this Information before continuing.
Redguards, Their History and Their Heroes by Destri Melarg
http://til.gamingsource.net/dfbooks/b004_redguard.shtml
This book is about the Swordsingers and their origins on old Yukoda. *Update: This is a book from Redguard* It conflicts with other aspects of lore. It claims that the ancient Swordsingers ARE the current day Redguard (named 'Red' for the blood they spilled), ignoring the history of the word "Ra Gada" (Pocket Guide). It claims that the original exodus from Yokuda WAS the Swordsingers fleeing a society that had forsaken them. It also claims that Hammerfell was named after the Swordsinger's final battle, before their exodus. As opposed to the hammer which was thrown, to indicate where the first settlement would be built, hence, 'Hammerfell'.
Hunding belonged to the sword-singers. This element of empire society grew from the desert artisans and was initially recruited from the young sons and daughters of the high families. They built the first temple to the unknown gods of War and build a training hall "The Hall of the Virtues of War". Within a few generations the way of the sword - the song of the blade - had become their life. The people of the blade kept their poetry and artisanship in building beautiful swords woven with magic and powers from the unknown gods. The greatest among them became known as Ansei or "Saints of the Sword". Each of these began their own training schools teaching their individual way of the sword. Those Ansei of the highest virtue wandered the country side engaging in battle, righting wrongs, and seeking to end the strife.
Hunding pursued the ideal of the warrior searching for enlightenment through the perilous paths of the Sword. Duels of revenge and tests of skill were common place, and fencing schools multiplied.
He became virtually invincible with the sword, gaining such skill and mastery that he finally stopped using the real swords created through the artisanship of his people and began using the Shehai or "way of the spirit sword". All sword singers learn through their intense training and devotion to the gods of war and way of the sword, the forms of discipline that allow the creation of the spirit sword. This is a simple form of magic or mind mastery where by a image of a sword is formed from pure thought. The sword singer forms the sword by concentrating, and it takes shape in his hand. It is an unstoppable weapon of great might, a weapon which can never be taken from the owner without also taking his mind.
He wrote his Learnings down in the BOOK OF CIRCLES while living as a hermit in a cave in the mountains of the high desert in his sixtieth year.
The Sword Singers were never a numerous people... and growing up in the unforgiving wastes eliminated all but those of iron spirit and will.
Lady Benoch's Words and Philosophy
"The ways of the warrior were never meant to be the easiest path. The archetype of the idiot fighter is as solidly ingrained as that of the brilliant wizard and the shrewd thief, but it was not always so. The figure of the philosopher swordsman, the blade-wielding artist are creatures of the past, together with the swordsinger of the Redguards, who was said to be able to create and wield a blade with but the power of his mind. The future of the intelligent blade-wielder looks bleak in comparison to the glories of the past."
The present day Swordsinger's live in the remote deserts of the Alik'r, where they have their temples and training grounds called, "The Hall of the Virtues of War".
I believe we have a large degree of latitude with how we portray the Swordsingers. Not much definate lore exists regarding their order in the current Hammerfell. It's up to us to adress these questions:
1. What do their temples look like?
2. How do they dress?
3. How do they fight? What do 'spirit swords' look like?
4. What gods do they pray to? Are their known Yokudan gods of war?
5. What is thier role in society? Are they reculsive and independent, or do they help those in need? Do they fight as mercenaries, or for other reasons?
Results for this topic:
Lutemoth:
[url=http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7646/swordsinger8bg.jpg][img]http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7646/swordsinger8bg.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/5357/swordsinging6gq.jpg][img]http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/5357/swordsinging6gq.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Nyren:
[url=http://img504.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsingermale4nz.jpg][img]http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/6375/swordsingermale4nz.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img396.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsingerfemale3ob.jpg][img]http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/7398/swordsingerfemale3ob.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img396.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsingerapprentice9gm.jpg][img]http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/2589/swordsingerapprentice9gm.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img461.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sihai8pu.jpg][img]http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/176/sihai8pu.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Macar:
[url=http://img462.imageshack.us/my.php?image=monk5ul.jpg][img]http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/4156/monk5ul.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rough9bi.jpg][img]http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/466/rough9bi.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=firstsword9iy.jpg][img]http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3146/firstsword9iy.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flippy2it.jpg][img]http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/1027/flippy2it.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Dexter:
[url=http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger19fw.jpg][img]http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/9555/swordsinger19fw.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger24ss.jpg][img]http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/720/swordsinger24ss.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img83.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger36fv.jpg][img]http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5904/swordsinger36fv.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger42kx.jpg][img]http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/3812/swordsinger42kx.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Morden:
[url=http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wsg11moswordsinger21hm.jpg][img]http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/126/wsg11moswordsinger21hm.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wsg11swordsingermo4a2zu.jpg][img]http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/3728/wsg11swordsingermo4a2zu.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img222.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wsg11moswordsinger9il.jpg][img]http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/3454/wsg11moswordsinger9il.th.jpg[/img][/url]
LadyN:
[url=http://img446.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sworddancerrecruit8ww.jpg][img]http://img446.imageshack.us/img446/8343/sworddancerrecruit8ww.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger9sf.jpg][img]http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3151/swordsinger9sf.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Groza:
[url=http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger1bc.jpg][img]http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/696/swordsinger1bc.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Hayden:
[url=http://img122.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsinger29ph.jpg][img]http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/716/swordsinger29ph.th.jpg[/img][/url]
The Bard:
[url=http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php?image=swordsingercolor4ns.png][img]http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/8687/swordsingercolor4ns.th.png[/img][/url]
Enigma:
[url=http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=warriormonk5um.jpg][img]http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/3144/warriormonk5um.th.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=meditationchamber6eu.jpg][img]http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/8089/meditationchamber6eu.th.jpg[/img][/url]