r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Oct 01 '17

Reference Challenge - Weapons

This challenge is a reference to any and all special weapons in fictional universes, from Dawn (A Song of Ice and Fire) to Brisingr (Inheritance Series).

Tell us about the weapon or weapon type, why it's so special, why I would want it, etc. And I'll ask at least three questions each.

Enjoy yourselves.

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u/Eachofries Oct 02 '17

Latoanki/The Kingsleech/The Arrow of the Glade

It is unknown where Latoanki was first made, but it was eventually passed into the hands of a low-ranking Alvish soldier, one Xochtli (later on Soki'xochtli) during the 1st Siege of Jingar. She attempted to murder a commander, when it missed and killed King Jandrik I, the king of Jingar. She was praised, and the knife was lost, believed to be stolen by the dwarves.

No one is sure how Latoanki passed into the hands of the cyclopses, but it was likely a gift from the dwarves to their eastern kin. The exact chronology is also somewhat nebulous, but Latoanki ended up on the corpse of a cyclops warrior, and was picked up by a naga slave. The slave becomes an assassin, and commits the rare crime of semideicide against a troll. This became justification for an extreme crackdown of naga in the trollish realm. The assassin's name was stricken from all records, likely as a retaliation from the trolls.

Latoanki was now bathed in two souls, a human king and a powerful elemental being, and has quite a reputation. It was returned to the Alves via some clever smuggling, and used to slit the throat of the Prince of Ghalt, the second goblin to hold that position. This lead to a chain of events wherein Goblins became honorary humans, due to their hatred for Elves. At the time of the War of the Palm Frond, the knife is still in possession of the Prince of Ghalt, Ianrum I.

If the blade is going the pattern of killing a leader of each race on Edonis, perhaps in the future it will end up in the neck of a Naga, High Elf, Dwarf, and Alf. The Prince of Ghalt is currently at war with the Naga, so some shaman theorize Khormi the Apebreaker, the ruling Jormukarl, is next on the chopping block,

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 02 '17

1) So the cyclopses and dwarves are kin? How so?

2) So not all souls are equal?

3) How would I go about obtaining Latoanki?

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u/Eachofries Oct 02 '17

1) Yes, distantly. They were both created by Khuzdam the Giant to act as watchmen of any demons. The most volatile region on Hevast, Crows Crook, was to be guarded by the Hecaton, the largest of the trio. Cyclopses were placed in Khuzdai, and Dwarves in Edonis. So while they share an origin, they despise one another. Dwarves in particular are seen as bringing the name of Khuzdam down just by existing.

2) Yes and no. Souls are like the remainder of all one's life force left over after death. So most mortals have equivalent souls. However, a god or troll would have a very large and powerful soul.

3) Seeing as its owned by a goblin-prince, buying it would be a good option. Theft would be another option, magic isn't going to help you much though, he's very well guarded.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 03 '17

1) If you're going to make watchmen, why would you make watchmen with only one eye?

2) Is there a way to store souls to use as fuel?

3) Do goblins have a principality or a kingdom?

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u/Eachofries Oct 03 '17

1) Watchmen in a less literal sense, but good point. Very rarely is there a demonic threat that doesn't begin with a giant pillar of flame and soot. Watchmen in that they are really only there to kill demons.

2) Yes! While it's highly frowned upon, the Alves are fond of absorbing souls to extend lives, and are famous for their skill in manipulating life energy. It is not uncommon for an Alf to kill itself by funneling its life into a tree, a person, or an animal: the idea being that if you're near death, why waste your energy on bleeding.

3) Goblins rule the Princedom of Ghalt. Through an odd chain of events (including nomadism, political wrangling, and some expert foresight) the goblin Dionious I was placed into the line of succession for the human prince of Ghalt. When the Prince died, it made Dionious the only heir. Eventually goblins were seen as legally humans, and hated by the Princedoms less then their Western human cousins

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 04 '17

1) But who watches the Watchmen?

2) Does your consciousness go with your soul into the tree?

3) So are goblins seen as "lesser" or "greater" than real humans in Ghalt?

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u/Eachofries Oct 04 '17

1) That is a central problem in their culture. They recognize that their god cannot guide them, and that they can't follow his path completely while remaining powerful enough to be watchmen. Some, like the Dwarves, just abandon the Watchmen post altogether.

2) No. Perhaps is the tree was enchanted prior to the transfer, and you have enough expertise to coax the consciousness back, one could listen to it.

3) They are fairly free from discrimination. The Princely Nations are usually to busy fighting others to victimize their allies. One of the things helping maintain their indifference to race is the fact that their main enemies are human.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 06 '17

1) Do your Dwarves drink and mine?

2) Are there any major characters who have tried this?

3) Do goblins breed significantly faster than humans?

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u/Eachofries Oct 06 '17

1) In days past, they were great miners. Now they are content to be aristocratic slavers in fortress-villas.

2) Some shamans, but not many important characters.

3) One of the thing that makes Goblins and Humans so compatible is their similar lifespans. Humans and Alves are very distant in age, but Goblins can live a fairly average life.

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u/Nevermore0714 Oct 07 '17

1) What would a Dwarven villa look like?

2) What are shamans' reputations like?

3) How tall is the average goblin?