Artifacts/AsharonsFlamebow
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Asharon's Flamebow -- by CrownedSun
Asharon Valis was one of the greatest Fire Aspect Archers of the Shogunate, renowned for his accuracy and speed -- which was said to rival all but the greatest masters of the Wood Aspect -- as well as for his stories of heroism and Valor amongst the Wyld Hunt, which he proudly served amidst. Where others feared to tread, Asharon confidently strides, and the more dangerous the situation the more he seemed to triumph. Even to this day, stories of Asharon are told in the Immaculate Order and the House of Bells, and debates rage among Houses Sesus and Cathak as to which family can claim the hero for their line. Alas, complete genealogical references dating back before the Great Contagion are difficult to come by and thus the matter is unlikely to ever be settled.
Among these legends, much is spoken of about his Bow -- cast from the strongest wood on the Blessed Isle and reinforced with Red Jade, endowed with "a Dragon's Breath", and strung with a single hair given to Asharon by an Efrit -- which the Fire Aspect crafted himself, and which has been lost for centuries ever since the Great Contagion. The powers of the Bow are many; rumor is that it does not need arrows, but instead whenever the string is pulled back a fiery arrow of Dragons Flame is formed. The exact story of Asharon's death, and the loss of the bow, is told by many.
Most common of these stories, told by the Immaculate Order and passed on throughout the Realm, states that he was among the Legions of the South when the Contagion killed 9 in 10 and the Fair Folk rode like waves over the Dunes of the South. He and his Brotherhood stood fast against the approaching Legions, acting as skirmishers and raiders for the remnants of the Legions, staying back to fight the Hordes even when all seemed turned against the Dragon-Blooded Host and Creation seemed doom. It was his words, his compelling fiery aura, that keep the Legionnaires from deserting as the group was forced to fall back. The stories tell of him standing atop the battlements of a forgotten and nameless Fort, drawing back and firing his bow time and again, fiery bolts sheering through wave after wave of approaching Cataphracts. Even when the waves of the Fair Folk spread even closer, he remained at his post, sending waves of flame down to meet the Fae even as they stormed the gates. As Chaos ripped asunder a hole into the fort, he leaped down with a hail of meteors and opened up a hole so that the men who had been caught unprepared could retreat into the main fort.
Here, the tales grow uncertain -- the Immaculates tell that he stayed upon the main ground of the Fortress, what remained of his Sworn Brotherhood at his side, even as the Fair Folk rushed through their gates. They came in four by four, and as they did he and his men lashed out with arrow and Daiklave and cut them down. More holes were ripped in the very wall, and the numbers of the Fae continued to wash over them, but they did not retreat nor falter. Firey arrows flew from his bow, even as the Fae grew close enough that he could smell their sweet breath. He ducked under their gossamer swords, even as he pulled back the string of his Flamebow to unleash more devastation. One by one, the Brotherhood fell, and though the exact order of their sacrifice is not known most agree that Asharon was the last to die under the blade of the Fae Lord who took the Fort.
Yet, in their sacrifice, they had accomplished much -- the men had gathered their ranks and their numbers, raided the armory of artifacts and weapons, and then -- emerging just in time to see their hero fall -- raged into the courtyard with such fury that they pushed back the Fair Folk and began their withdrawal back toward the Blessed Isle. Yet, they did not recover the Bow, and to this day it's exact fate reminds unknown; some posit that it remains in the nameless fort where Asharon fell, while others claim it was stolen by the Fae Lord who killed him.
Artifact ••• Red Jade Short Powerbow Accuracy +3, Damage +3, Rate 3, Range 300 yards Dragon's Flame Arrow: +4L, and 4L fire damage. Requires: Strength 3; Commitment: 7
