D&D feedback request
I'm still working on my next big D&D book, Goddesses of Faerun, and decided to add a wee bit more to the Carliehn Meluthil chapter to get it close to the 3K word count the other chapters are averaging. But I'm not 100% happy with either entry. The sword is just kind of... eh... and I'm not sure the Orichalcum Court is tied closely enough to the Realms to be useful. Any input would be much appreciated!
THE SINGING SWORD OF GULTHEMIYER
Gulthemiyer was a short lived colony of the ancient elvish kingdom of Eiellûr in the forest now known as Gulthmere. Gulthemiyer never had more than a handful of green elf settlements and was already fading when the Crown Wars began. The green elves of Gulthemiyer retreated into the deep forests rather than take any side in the brutal kinslaying wars. They were ignored and eventually forgotten by Ilythiir and Aryvandaar, with many of them using the magic of the legendary Sashelan Glass to seek refuge under the sea and become aquatic elves.
The Singing Sword is one of the few tangible remnants of Gulthemiyer. It was forged by a moon elf smith, a wandering adventurer from Keltormir, for his lady love, a Gulthemiyeri bard and priestess of Carliehn. Their fates are recorded in a dozen different songs, each with a different fate for the pair. What actually happened is known only to the gods, but the Sword survived and eventually became a prized relic of Carliehn’s followers. Legends of its doings since then are common among the wood elves of Faerûn, where it runs like a faint but persistent thread through their history, appearing at times of great crisis and minor local concerns alike. No one finds the Singing Sword – it finds them. When Carliehn’s folk are in need, the Sword finds them. When the need is over, the Sword leaves them, returning to her court in Túr Amhrán.
The sword itself is of a common type of the era – it has a long, slightly curved blade and an extended grip, making it ideal for slashing attacks. The blade is etched with ancient elvish runes that long predate the Espruar alphabet and is enchanted to shimmer faintly at the will of its wielder. The hilt is wrapped in leather that comes from the hide of a manticore, according to the tales. In truth, it has been replaced so many times that even Carliehn has lost count. The current leather is from the wing membrane of a wyvern slain by elves of the Forest of Tethir.
The Singing Sword’s powers have never been properly catalogued, but the tales told over the last few centuries indicate it allows its wielder to cast any number of bardic spells of low and medium power (nothing more potent than such enchantments as confusion or polymorph). The wielder can never be silenced by magical means and in fact often finds their voice amplified to reach those it needs to reach.
ORICHALCUM COURT
The Seldarine of Toril are widely thought to be the only elvish deities, but this is far from true. Across the Material Plane, local variations of the greater Seldarine are common, with the elves of some worlds unaware of the existence of some (or indeed most) of the elvish deities. On one world, for instance, the Seldarine includes only the following deities: Alobal Lorfiril, Corellon Larethian, Deep Sashelas, Elebrin Liothiel, Hanali Celanil, Lolth, Sehanine Moonbow, and Vandria Gilmadrith. There are also many worlds where the elves worship none of the Seldarine. One such world, its history dominated by wars between the dragons of good and evil, has but a single native pantheon worshiped by all intelligent folk. On another world, a dying one lit by a crimson sun, there are no true gods, only powerful magicians feigning divinity and aloof, amoral elemental powers, and on yet another most elves venerate their ancestors instead of worshiping gods.
One other family of elvish gods is the Orichalcum Court of Faerie (or the Feywild). Carliehn has very close bonds with this minor fey court, ancient bonds of loyalty and love that have endured tragedy beyond telling. The Orichalcum Court has three queens who share power one after the other, just as the seasons turn. They are Moliya, the Flower-in-Bloom, Maiden of Spring, Valanya, the Golden Dream, Mother of Summer, and Vahmya, the Red Goddess, Matron of Autumn. Their children are Shalya, the Forest Princess, Acarola, the Golden Prince, Rauvo, the Iron Prince, Sevinro, the River Prince and Raylivor, the Fire Prince.
Although the Orichalcum Court is all but unknown among the elves of Toril, they are not completely unknown. Carliehn summoned them to her aid during the War of the Seldarine (or as some very ancient texts from other worlds call it, the War of the Seldarines) and avatars of the Flower-in-Bloom have been known to appear alongside Carliehn’s avatars during moments of great crisis for the wood elves and their green elf ancestors, such as the War of the Golden Orcs that presaged the arrival of the sun elves on Toril.