Seven Swords of the Smith Anza

[Zerocool80]

Story​

The eye is caught the mind entranced by the gentle ripple of flames over a well forged piece of iron. The forging of the sword comes not form the hand but the heart. A smith pours his soul into every work from the lowly plow to the proud blade. To create a smith you must take a man, and force him to learn his craft at the feet of his master before he begins to walk. Only then can he give himself over completely, only then may he fall in love with the flame kissed steel.

Anza did not descend from a long line of craft folk instead the blood of great noble’s flowed through the veins. But like Buddha sex would not sate Anza, great food would not fill Anza, and great works would not inspire Anza.

The path of Anza the sword smith is not a straight path it involves great tragedy and suffering and perhaps growth. The path of Anza is written in the blood of the people of the land in the ashes of its great cities. The path of Anza is the road of sorrow which is a slow and long path few are willing to walk, fewer still survive.

Born in the crystal cathedral in the city of Astoria in the kingdom of Aquitaine on the world or Arth Anza was destined for great things. He was not the only child the first child or the last child but by his thirteenth summer he was the last child. The family Anza was fouled by a blood curse that all male children shall die before there thirteenth birthday. The curse wrought on the rulers by the last member of a family of tyrants who had ruled the city of Astoria.

So at the age of thirteen Anza was set to rule, yet how had he live when all six previous sons had died. Simple, born in secret Anza was hidden never to know the fate that awaited him, secreted away to a far of land. Arth is a mostly barren world surrounded by ice and in turn encompassing a great fresh water sea.

Anza was sent from the east most end to the west most end beyond the isles of shadow and the sea of blood. The land of Mercer was among the most savage of the lands of Arth were the value of a man’s life was counted in gold. One of the few lands to produce slaves Mercer was among the poorest lands of Arth.

Post 1​

Like most people in mercer Anza carried no weapons for they would only mark him as a threat. Armed he would either be labeled as something that should be either feared and avoided or quickly crushed like a bug. Without any fighting skill the only thing a weapon would be good for was as a bribe. So he carried none not even a simple dagger or length of rope nothing that would mark him apart.

The best disguise was none at all, to appear as if you were no one nothing of any value or substance. Not many would look at for a cross dresser when looking for a famous sword smith fewer would look at a woman. It was not hard to imagine him self as a women to hid him as a child the nuns had dressed him so. Over time even his body had seemed to morph into the shape of a woman.

The silk dress was bought in the Pearl islands of a tramp steamer bound for the Kingdom of Astoria. No one had given him a second look when he bought the fabric and had it made up from his measurements. To anyone who knew him he was simple Lamia a Cochin (a woman who accompanied high class men as window dressing). Right now he was on his way to a mysterious client. The client was a well known Kingpin in the underground drug market who often dabbled in slaves caught abroad.

“Lamia maybe some time you can give me a private performance” yelled a man from the top floor of the magistrate’s mansion. It was hard to keep a secret like his when the offers were so pervasive. All Cochin were registered with the ministry only there were ways to get around it such as buying an old license. The re up did not even require and inspection just a copy of the contract and a sizable fee.

The ship was large a War Galley built in Astoria one of the largest ports on the sea of blood, a sea named for the deep red color. It was over a hundred feet long with three banks of rows and two ballista’s. “The Captains ax’specten you” spoke a dirty man slurring his words over a good dose of spiced peach rum.

That sword it was the first thing he saw as long as a tall mans leg and shaped like half a drum stick it was black and as big as life. “You are a might occupied with my sword Cochin” what the kingpin needed with one he would not know. A Cochin was not like a whore they did not perform sexual acts. More like a geisha they were prized possessions that could raise or lower a man’s status.

The shadow sword seemed to veil the kingpins face in a dark cloud the body covered in loose fitting clothing. “Many questions you might have of me but yee must know I have no need of yee it was me men that did it”.

Anza prepared to leave only the ship was under full steam he tried not to swallow as the peer began to vanish. “looks like yee is party of thee crew better get into some better rags” the kingpin spoke before vanishing below decks. The deck began to sway with the waves and Anza had a sinking feeling things could only get worse form here out.

pm me with ideas where we can take this