| Chrysamere | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The Sword of Heroes (ESO) |
|||
| Type | Weapon | ||
| Origin | Mortal (Breton) | ||
| Creator | Asterie Bedel | ||
| Created | Merethic Era | ||
| Appears in | |||
Chrysamere (also called the Chrysamere Blade,[1] or the Chrysamere)[2][3] is an ancient adamantium claymore artifact with offensive capabilities only surpassed by its defenses.[4][5] It has magical properties which, unlike most weapons, are defensive in nature: it heals the wielder, grants them resistance to fire, and reflects hostile spells.[1][4][5] It is unaligned, and is not a Daedric artifact.[6]:78 Chrysamere was forged in the late Merethic Era by the Breton swordsmith Asterie Bedel, who delighted in using the techniques of both man and mer in her creations. In Chrysamere's case, this most clearly manifests in the placement of her maker's mark, a "mage's knot" within the heart of the sword that is said to harken back to the earliest days of Bretonic culture. Chrysamere is also said to have been influenced by the magic of Breton society's Elven forebears, and it gained further enchantments over time.[7] Chrysamere does not typically stay with one swordsman for long, for it chooses not to favor one champion.[4] It has earned the title of the Sword of Heroes,[7] but it also goes by other names such as the Sword of Kings[8] and the Blade of Blades.[1] Chrysamere is considered a holy weapon, and in this context it is referred to as the Sword of the Paladin, or simply the Paladin's Blade.[1][5]
HistoryEdit
Merethic and First EraEdit
After Chrysamere's forging in the late Merethic Era, it would subsequently be used in the wars to secure Clan Direnni's rule over High Rock. By this time, Chrysamere had already passed hands several times, each time gaining further enchantments. Its defensive enchantments were further enhanced and retooled during the siege of the Fellthunder Clan of giants in Rivenspire, and it would later be seen at the Battle of Glenumbra Moors where it played a small yet important role.[7]
Chrysamere was also present at the first sacking of Orsinium,[7] although it is unknown if this was the sacking supposedly carried out by Ryain Direnni with the help of his Breton legions,[9] or the sacking of the First Orsinium that took place during the tenth century of the First Era.[10]
Second EraEdit
The last living dwarf, Yagrum Bagarn, at one point befriended the sorcerer Divayth Fyr.[11] At Fyr's behest, Yagrum Bagarn wrote a book that would later be known as Tamrielic Lore[12]:241 from the notes that he gathered over the centuries, listing Chrysamere among the artifacts of "unimaginable significance".[5] By the Interregnum, copies of this book circulated throughout Tamriel, providing some general information on the artifact to its readers.[13]
Where Chrysamere was during the time of the Interregnum is unknown, but records from the Infinite Archive in Apocrypha hint that a series of letters penned between a Dunmer researcher from Ebonheart in Morrowind and a Khajiit fence from the city-state of Alabaster in Elsweyr may have contained clues of its whereabouts during that time.[7] Circa 2E 582, both solid gold letter openers in Chrysamere's image[14] and a number of weapon replicas of Chrysamere were seen throughout Tamriel.[15]
Third EraEdit
During the Imperial Simulacrum (circa 3E 389-3E 399), a scribe in Alabaster working with the city's archivists learned that Chrysamere had resurfaced somewhere in Tamriel. Further research on the part of the scribe revealed the existence of a tablet, hidden within a dungeon located in Elsweyr itself, which was inscribed with the current location of Chrysamere. Rumors of Chrysamere's return eventually came to the attention of the Eternal Champion, who followed the rumors to the brother of the scribe. The scribe's brother, who had little desire for adventure, offered to relay the tablet's location in Elsweyr in exchange for gold, which would allow the scribe to complete his studies and his brother to raise a family. After journeying to Elsweyr and discovering the tablet, the Eternal Champion learned Chrysamere was located in a second dungeon outside of Elsweyr, where they were able to acquire the sword.[1]
Sometime during the events leading up to the Warp in the West (circa 3E 405–3E 417), the Agent obtained Chrysamere in the Iliac Bay. One story claims it was bestowed to them by a knightly order after putting a stop to an arch-lich that was raising an army of undead.[16] Another account builds upon this, stating that after putting a stop to the undead menace, the Agent discovered a clue to the blade's whereabouts. This led them to retrieve Chrysamere from a Mages Guild branch, who had stolen it from the great-grandfather of a secluded wizard. However, there are conflicting accounts that the artifact centered around these events was actually a different one altogether, namely the Staff of Magnus, the Necromancer's Amulet, or the Warlock's Ring.[17]
Records also indicate the Agent had at least one unsuccessful attempt in obtaining Chrysamere, during which they were hired to acquire a daedric lodestone in exchange for the artifact. The lodestone's guardian, a daedra seducer, revealed that their employer was deceiving them. It is unknown who they chose to believe, but this ultimately led to a violent confrontation in which the Agent slew their employer and confirmed they never had the artifact in their possession. This resulted in the Agent gaining infamy with the imposter's associates, who turned out to be the faction belonging to the King of Orsinium, Gortwog gro-Nagorm.[2] Nevertheless, the Agent is also thought to have been offered Chrysamere by Gortwog himself at one point in exchange for the Totem of Tiber Septim.[18][nb 1]
Chrysamere would later be in the possession of the Imperial Legion's Order of Ebonheart for many years.[19] Circa 3E 427, the Nerevarine was tasked by this knightly order with recovering Chrysamere and the Lord's Mail from some thieves. The Mail was in the possession of an expelled member of the Legion, while the sword had been taken by a treacherous knight. However, the Legion's spies reported that Chrysamere had changed hands to that of Draramu Hloran, a powerful sorceress found in the Abanabi Caves near Sadrith Mora. The sword had gained a reputation for being designed for killing spellcasters,[20] and Draramu became feared even in Sadrith Mora.[21] The Nerevarine dealt with the two threats and returned both artifacts to Varus Vantinius, the Knight of the Imperial Dragon on Vvardenfell.[22] The Nerevarine later challenged Vantinius for the title of Knight of the Imperial Dragon; the two dueled in the Vivec City arena, and Vantinius was slain, allowing the Nerevarine as victor to claim both artifacts from his corpse.[23] Later that year, the cuirass and blade were sold to Torasa Aram, who put them on display in her Museum of Artifacts in Mournhold.[24]
Fourth EraEdit
Chrysamere re-emerged around 4E 180, when the Warrior came across the blade during their journey. The weapon is thought to have been looted from an extravagant chest.[25] Sometime afterwards, the blade was wielded by a Nord warrior known as the Lost Paladin, who died with the blade at Forelhost in Skyrim. Circa 4E 201, the paladin's aggressive spirit was encountered and laid to rest by the Last Dragonborn, who then claimed Chrysamere.[26]
Previous OwnersEdit
- Asterie Bedel
- Unknown ally of Clan Direnni
- Iliac Bay Knightly Order
- Mages Guild
- Gortwog gro-Nagorm
- Imperial Legion
- Draramu Hloran
- Varus Vantinius
- Torasa Aram
- Lost Paladin
GalleryEdit
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Arena
-
Daggerfall
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Morrowind
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Skyrim Creation Club
-
Blades
NotesEdit
See AlsoEdit
- For game-specific information, see the Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, SkyrimCC, Elder Scrolls Online
, and Blades articles.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c d e Artifact Quest Dialogue in Arena
- ^ a b The Impostor in Daggerfall
- ^ Agning's dialogue in Morrowind
- ^ a b c Arena/Daggerfall in-game description
- ^ a b c d Tamrielic Lore — Yagrum Bagarn
- ^ The Daggerfall Chronicles — Ronald Wartow
- ^ a b c d e Loremaster's Archive - Infinite Archive — Master Malkhest
- ^ Codex Scientia advertisement
- ^ Once — Beredalmo the Signifier
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Orsinium — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Yagrum Bagarn's dialogue in Morrowind
- ^ The Morrowind Prophecies Game of the Year Edition
- ^ Tamrielic Artifacts
- ^ Chrysamere Letter Opener item description in ESO
- ^ Chrysamere outfit style in ESO
- ^ The Army of Undead in Daggerfall
- ^ The Lost Artifact in Daggerfall
- ^ Totem, Totem, Who Gets the Totem? in Daggerfall
- ^ Varus Vantinius's dialogue in Morrowind
- ^ Maranique Jolvanne's dialogue in Morrowind
- ^ Draramu Hloran dialogue topic in Morrowind
- ^ Lord's Mail quest in Morrowind
- ^ Grandmaster Duel quest in Morrowind
- ^ The Museum quest in Tribunal
- ^ Artifact acquisition methods in Blades
- ^ The Lost Paladin quest in Skyrim