Created by a circle of archmages and Highpriests of Putalra ages ago, this artifact was intended to fight the demons the goblins had taken to raising in their fight against the elves. It could exert control over and in the right hands banish these demons. After the Three Races War, the elves of the Weslien forest abandoned their cities, retreating into the forest. The remains of the circle traveled from Virinthan to the newly established village of Virtrila with the stone, and it has since sat in a shrine there.
It is rumored, that following the death of Putalra, the elven goddess who lent her powers to the stone, the bloodstone has been perverted, gaining both more power and a malicious awareness. The elves will not speak of this, and noone else has been able to study the stone to find out.
Forged and enchanted by the greatest dwarven runesmith ever known, these seven swords were presented to the chiefs of the seven great tribes of man at the start of the Three Races War. They were meant as a token of the alliance between the humans and the dwarves. Only three of the original seven swords are still in the hands of the chiefs' heirs. Two were lost during the Three Races Wars, when their wielders were slain. A third was stolen, right from the audiance hall of the Duke of Girenn, and a fourth, Richtus Tirone's sword, remains in the hands of the elves, who refuse to return it.
Between the equisite craftsmanship of the dwarven runesmith, and the powerful enchantments of the runes, the swords are extremely effective weapons. Slicing through armor like a hot knife through butter. The swords have their own peculiarities, but since they are rarely used anymore (The only time the King of Belfiad touches his sword is at his coronation, at other times tradition demands it stay, unmolested above his throne. Of the three swordbearers, only Grandmaster Percen Licol of Bravnair still uses his sword with anything approaching regularity. Licol wears his whenever he rides to battle. His advisors warn him that he must be more careful that he doesn't lose it, but Licol feels that it is far more of a waste to let it sit at the chapterhouse gathering dust.) it is unknown how diverse or potent their secondary powers are.
When Rorana Slyphewind marched to war against the goblin hordes of the demon-lord Ak'nar Thad, she carried with her a number of magic items as befitted her station as an archmage. One of these was a magical chain necklace. It was relatively unremarkable as a trinket of one of her power, providing protection from spells, enhancing the wizard's own spellcasting abilities and deflecting the physical blows of her enemies. Upon Rorana's death, her attendants were astonished when the necklace burst into 20 pieces of varying length. Scholars who examined the chains found each piece held a magic-aura mainy times stronger than the original necklace. The Loremasters of Virtinthon carefully placed the chains in place of honor, ready to distribute them when their power was needed.
During the sack of Virinthon, in the Three Races War, the chains disappeared from their resting place, and not all have yet been recovered. Most of those that are known are held by wizards in Belfiad, though a few have been returned to the elves. Several of the current bearers of the chains have reported sensing a lingering intelligence hiding in the depths of the chain. Elven scholars speculate that these intelligences are shards of Slyphewind herself, clinging to this world in a desire to protect her people.
When the world was young, and the gods walked freely about the land, the goddess Menaia sought out all the knowledge the world could teach her. As she realized that books and research could not teach her all she wished to know, she retreated to the unspoilt nauture of the forests to meditate. There she spent many years among the faeries and fey. The tales of her time among the satyrs are still popular to this day. She was fond of taking the form of a female satyr, as it delighted the others to no end. After her years in the woods, she sought to leave her newfound knowledge to her followers, but found written word could not contain it. Instead she composed the knowledge and wisdom of the fey into song and taught that to her followers. To keep these songs uncorrupted by the years she also put each into a magical stone, that would sing when warmed by the hand of a lover of knowledge. The exact number of stones is unknown, but at least 30 have been confirmed and there are many other songs attributed to her for which no stone is known. The priests of Menaia hold these stones as among the most sacred of items, and carefully guard the ones they own (though they will teach the songs to any who ask). Other of the stones are owned by nobles, or powerfull wizards. Many have been lost for ages. Other than the sound of Menaia's voice, they are not known to have any other magical effect.