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Wayland Smith


Wayland Smith


The story of Wayland Smith was briefly touched upon in the work On the Infinite Dark. A mortal child stolen and replaced by a changeling started a war of hatred and vengeance by the mortal blacksmith who became known simply as Wayland. In his quest to destroy the fae, the smith forged seven weapons of hatred made from the souls of fae lords. The original seven Wayland blades were Albion, Belith, Florius, Morax, Elidor, Orias, and Solas. The blades were imperfect in their creation and were attracted to each other. When the blades came together, creatures known as the Furies were unleashed. Wielding the powers of Wayland, the Furies caused the great Purging in the realm of Fae. Peon, noble and even monarch were struck down by the fury of the smith. In the Purging, the king CuChulain and the queen Mab were slain.

For a long time, the smith remained silent and plotted his continued revenge against the fae even into his death. Bound by his hatred, Wayland Smith wandered the world as a ghost and became known as the Undying Mortal. His work persisted and eventually his will and power were transferred into the magics tied to the lands of Fae after the culmination of events at the annual Queen of Hearts tournament in 1004 to the main public.

Many conflicts of fae had spilled over into the world of mortals and at the tournaments that year, Oberon was attempting to take the lands of Rhiassa and bring it closer to Fae. While many gathered and worked to combat Oberon’s plan, Wayland’s ghost walked the lands. It was during that time that a device nicknamed the “Wayland Bomb” was detonated. This device sent a shock wave of Wayland magic through the area and destroyed any fae it came in contact with. In particular it destroyed a fae named Bouquet D’Amandes and the repercussions on that are detailed in the document On the Infinite Dark and in that document’s appendices. That unleashing of Wayland magic saturated the mortal lands tied to fae. Soon afterwards Wayland magics were widely available to regional mages and those attuned to the magics of the lands.

During preludes to the Rites of War, the King Oberon and Queen Titania were opposed by the Goblin Rebellion headed by Robin G. Goblin. Robin utilized many resources unthinkable by more traditional fae, including the use of Wayland magic and Wayland blades. Bottom, the head blacksmith of the Rebellion, actively crafted Wayland blades made out of known fae heroes. Though crafting the blades in the way Wayland originally did, the flaws of the weapons were not exposed and there were no reported cases of the blades drawing themselves together and forcing the appearance of the Furies. It is unknown what became of these blades after the Rebellion, but they were assumed destroyed.

The Rites of War saw the heroes of the Realms combating the forces of Oberon as they supported the new incarnation of the first king CuChulain. Wayland magic was again used (though not sanctioned by the war leader), as it was proven to be effective and brutal in combating hostile forces and clearing the battlefield. Harsh tactics were used by both sides including Wayland magic, tearing holes in Fae and allowing Bedlam to seep in, and bane weapons/devices. The end of the Rites of War saw the deaths of Oberon and Titania, their supporting Dukes and Duchesses and countless lesser faerie creatures.

Soon after the new king and queen of Fae were crowned, the threat of Bedlam became more and more noticeable. Tools used against fae such as Fae Blades and Wayland magic were turned against bois. Because of their bane nature, Wayland’s magics also sent bois back to the realm of Bedlam.

Wayland magic lingered in the background of lands closely tied to fae with a few mortals becoming very powerful in the intricacies of using that type of magic. Wayland himself did not stay idle but continued plotting his revenge on the fae. He sought to create new weapons of terror to destroy the fae and started the construction of swords forged with the essence of Bedlam. The potential of the new weapons were realized at the Feast of Chimeron in 1010. Beings called FuryBois, wielding the power to sow dissension, were unleashed upon the Realms at a newly discovered forge used by Wayland. Indeed, the smith had many forges set up. The anvils found at that gathering were destroyed by Gaiden Shadowfyr of Folkestone, wielding the Hammer of Justice. He was eventually saved by quick thinking of his countrymen as the forge collapsed on him, trapping him inside. Gaiden was not seen until months later, but the Hammer of Justice was lost.

Wayland had other forges and continued his work with his new blades made with the essence of Bedlam. In the early spring of 1011, an assault force of adventurers sought to take the fight directly to the smith in his own fortress. This saw the unlikely alliance of two enemies: the Black Star Guild and the heroes of the Realms, working together to attack a common threat. Wayland was indeed hard at work, carefully siphoning Bedlam into his forge and working on the creation of new bane weapons. His ultimate weapon was stopped before it was created and the smith finally laid to rest once and for all. Though the Black Star Guild worked to help the adventurers, they eventually betrayed their allies as Bedlam rushed forth to consume those left in the fortress. It seemed that the Circle of the Black Star Guild would rather Bedlam destroy Fae along with everything else. As long as Fae was destroyed, nothing else mattered.

Though the Undying Mortal was indeed killed, his magic still lingers. It is unknown why this is and what it could mean for those still versed in his magics.




Created by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 05-26-11 04:38 PM
Last Modified by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 05-26-11 04:38 PM