Sword of the Stofs

The Sword of the Stofs was an ornamental sword that served as a symbol of Stofonian nationalism. It was said to have been created by the mythical sword-maker and master swordsman Zor.

The Sword of the Stofs was not metal, or at least not any metal known to us today. It was made of a solid white substance. Hard, smooth, but with no metallic luster. Like perfectly white marble, but without the brittleness that would affect such a long thin stone object. It showed no signs of having been either worked like metal, or carved like wood or stone. It looked as if it had been poured into a mold while molten, except that it was also supposed incapable of being melted by any fire, not even the firebrand wielded by Namckon himself. No stone was capable of sharpening it, which was fortunate as it never needed sharpening. It was spoken of as being harder and sharper than any metal sword.

No one in historic times ever saw it actually used as a weapon, so these claims are unsubstantiated.

It was normally kept on display in the residence of the King (later Emperor), who carried it in public view on ceremonial occasions. None but its rightful owner was capable of touching it and living.

The sword was first seen around 1100 EYE in the possession of Ijermeshil I, but was supposedly very ancient even at that time.

One legend said that it had had been wielded by the rulers of the Elosian Empire, but that Ronthor the Bald had taken it from the slain (and hated) Mondroy II. It then passed through generations of Stofonian warlords before winding up in Ijermeshil's hands.

The Sword disappeared in 1908, when Dostof III was arrested by the Stofonian Revolutionary Army. The actual circumstances are disputed. The most common popular story holds that Dostof attempted to resist arrest using the sword as a weapon, but it broke in half on first contact with an enemy weapon.

Some interpret this to mean that the sword had always been a fake. Others say that the real sword remains hidden, and that only a decoy was destoryed. Others yet say that this was the genuine sword, but that because Dostof was a bad ruler, the spirit of Zor fled from the sword when he wielded it.

In any case, the revolutionaries (in particular, the radical and vengeful Namonists) then proceeded to break the sword into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually grinding it to dust and scattering the dust to the winds.

Another version leaves out the attempted use by Dostof, and says that the Namonists simply stole the sword from its customary display case. This view is obviously held by those who do not think the sword was ever really deadly to the touch of non-royalty.

Some Rostofialists and other Stofonian Restorationists think that the real Sword of the Stofs (either whole, or possibly in two pieces, or possibly in the form of a fine white powder) is secretly possessed by Minotan Alst, and is the source of political success.