The Way of the Blade - Drayid Morgrath

[Dezza]

The way of the Blade:  (Musings of Drayid Morgrath)

To many a piece of steel is merely that, a piece of steel. However at some point a crafter takes it and molds this piece of steel it into a form that is potentially a thing of use.

This thing of use is still an object, that is, until it is taken up and held. At this point it becomes an extension of that persons mind, it acts how they direct it to act, it moves how they direct it to move. If the mind is weak then the actions are random, thus without thought and generally deadly. Deadly to both the weilder and their opponent. If the opponent is weak they will face a slow or painful death. If not then the weilder faces the same, as their opponent will see their weakness and take advantage of it.

A weak mind cannot accept the true purpose of the blade and thus cannot connect to it on a level of bonding, a level of respect and thus can never truly understand its purpose.

One must feel the steel in ones hand, feel its heart and its life beat in a rhythm that matches the weilders own. Once the weilder connects to that beat and the mind and the blade become one only then can you truly dance the way of the blade. Only then does the blade become a source of inspiration and beauty.

Any weak mind can weild a blade and harm others, only one who is prepared to accept the blade and form a bond with it will realise that it truly is a thing of beauty, a thing of great power, for through it the wielder has the power to give or take life within their grasp.

[Dezza]

I walked a path of shadows that led me to a fearsomely beautiful sight, a woman of the darkness, the most exquisitely beautiful woman you could imagine and yet most deadly. Her connection with her blade was that of perfection, her poise and grace a perfect dance in harmony with the balanced steel she carried. Nay not carried, existed...her and the blade were one...perfect existance.
 
But one thing marred her beauty and perfection, her darkness. It clung to her like a shadow clings to you in daylight. Every move she made it followed, almost like a second skin it clung to her and was the only thing to me that marred her transcendance.

The one thing I take with me from that terrible place was the thought that I will one day soon return and gaze upon her once again, like some terrible fascination I fear yet wish to see her..

[Dezza]

Musings of Drayid Morgrath

*Meditating by the lake outside the town of Fort Velensk a man in black armour sits, a large blade is laid across his knees with his hands resting on it. Beside him on the ground lies his pack with a shield bearing the motif of a Fort from some far away place.*

Again the closer I become to the balance and perfection I seek between mind and blade I find myself questioning at what cost will it be so.  To dance with the blade requires what to some is the antithesis to what they hold true. Thus I find myself drawn to those that dance for no other reason than their own personal gain and the satisfaction that it brings them.

My thoughts are troubled but I do not know what troubles me more.  The ways and means by which my companions fight or the fact that I can look beyond that and focus merely on the dance.

And then there is the drow woman that still haunts my dreams. Her face appears from the depths of the shadow I know I possess within. It is a dream I cannot shake, a feeling of something lost that I seek to be restored.

I heard word from the woman who spoke with Ramanon of the destruction of my home, Fort Hilm. I did not say anything at the time to them as I felt that the type of people they are, they would not care for the loss of life.

Lothlikillian I wonder what you would say to me now, knowing the people I have associated with in order to continue the dance, the things I have done. I wonder if the long discussions we had deep in the forest on the nature of balance and natural order reflect on what I am doing now.

I must somehow find out if my parents still live. If they died in battle how they had always hoped they would. The demons who must have finally come to Fort Hilm, I must find out what happened. Perhaps Ramanon could travel back with me, while he treads a darker path than I he has exceptional skills. Skills which I feel will be required to get back to Hilm and past the demons.

*a dragonfly comes to rest on the sword hilt, Drayid opens his eyes sensing the sudden alteration in the balance of the blade. For several minutes he studies the creature. What strikes him is that the cross guard of his sword is somehow reminiscent of the insect's wings. On the other hand, the transparent wings of the dragonfly, with their fine network of veins, looked somehow like the polished steel of the quillons with their fine marks from polishing.  A creature that in itself lives its own type of dance, that by natures designs its wings slice the wind.*

With sudden clarity words flood into his mind, words spoken once by his mentor Lothlikillian,  “Remember in essence all things are connected, the flows of the dance from your mind to your blade are not alone. All things mimic this dance. Those that are truly in balance can feel the interconnectedness of this…..that which you seek.”

*Gently he moves the sword hilt watching as the dragonfly launches itself in a flurry of silvery wings and darts back to the lake. Gathering his things he stands, ready tobegin his journey once more.*