The lay of Forseti’s Blade

Deep within the dark reassess of our history were once the Magistrates of Forseti their role within our land was to be beyond question, beyond suspicion, and beyond temptation. They lived a life of servitude to the people of Norsca but in the same vein were held in high regard. They were our judges and our arbiters, they were the ones that would pass judgement on the evil doers and the traitors. They were the ones who would listen to the cry’s of injustice from the down trodden, and speak as their advocate. And they were the ones who hear the differences and disputes of those who could not find peace. They would listen to the evidence weigh it, and deliver arbitration that would not be questioned.

They took for themselves two symbols the first with which they could be identified, was a Blade. This was chosen for its ability to carve away the dead information given to them and to cut its way to the heart of the problem. The second was a set of scales. These were a symbol of taking the actions of the person and weighing them against his soul. The history of these scales can be found within another piece of text entitled the scales of Justice. Or Forseti’s scales.

Magda the old was the wisest of the Magistrates, and he was responsible for the creation of Forseti’s blade. He spoke to the elves in Alfhiem so they say and such was his wisdom that he himself had been the only Human to give council to the elves. Magda in return asked nothing more than the creation of a blade for only they had the ability to produce such a blade that never lost its sharpness. It was kept within the walls of the Hall’s of Forseti and presided over every decision made in trial. Word spread of the blade and of its edge. They said “keen enough to take the whiskers from a man’s face and cut the lie from his tongue”.

Now within the halls of Forseti lived an acolyte called Groin. He had made a name for himself as a great speaker and none could stand against his persuasion for long save Magda himself or even Forseti. Groin was likely to take Magda’s place when he at last went to reside with Forseti. Now Groin was not evil. Not in the true sense, he would have been discovered long before.  But he craved power and would go to any lengths to bring about his advancement. Groin used the backs of others to further his needs had gone so far as to manoeuvre two of his fellow magistrates into awkward positions where he had been able to get them dismissed, he would then slip into their vacated positions.

After many years Groin had become the right hand of Magda and relaxed only a little thinking it only a matter of time before Magda passed unto the hand of Forseti. Within a year Groin began to feel the passage of time. Magda was well past the normal time allotted to men and Groin began to feel cheated, he felt it was his turn to hold Forseti’s blade and to preside over the greatest of trials. He was the greatest Speaker possibly more so than Magda. And he was destined to sit with Forseti after his turn holding the blade.

Groin began to plan and scheme. One day Groin went to Magda in his great study and asked of him

“ Oh master how is it thy body withstands the test of time when the eldest of men would have died two score and ten years past”?

“Ah my first pupil”. Magda began. “Such as it has been spoken by Forseti himself that no keeper of the blade shall die from the passage of time and from my time with the Elves only shall I be slain after first solving a riddle that is unanswerable”.

As I said earlier Groin was a great speaker and none could stand before his Persuasion. With great subtlety he asked of Magda

“But surely a riddle could be broken master what is so special about this one”? Magda not normally a boast recited his riddle to Groin.

“Only when I am neither indoors nor out, neither walking nor riding and with a knife that was a month of Sundays in making can I be hurt”. Groin Feigned relief saying “ this is truly a riddle that will never be solved we can rest easy in the knowledge you will be with us for a long time”.

First Groin who in his studies as a young man had spent time with the smiths and craftsmen began work on the knife while the others were in church. The rest of his spare time was spent working out how to break the riddle. Once the knife was finished it was a great work of art and looked not unlike Forseti’s blade such was his covetousness of it. Groin hid it about his person and began the second part of the plan he had formed. Groin managed to persuade Magda to take the most contorted bath of all time. My studies have not been able to glean how Groin managed this feat, other than to say Magda must have taken leave of his senses. Never the less Groin took a wash tub and placed it by the river, he then built a shelter over the bath with an ox stood to one side. While Magda was about to step into the bath with one foot on the back of the ox and one toe in the water Groin let fly with his knife striking Magda in the side.

Magda screamed and to groins amazement turned into an eagle and flew away. Groin was both fearful at what he had done and elated that he would now be the keeper of the blade.  Groin ran back to the Hall and cried out that an accident had befallen the old man and they must search for him. The Other Magistrates and guards looked three leagues up river and three leagues down but could find not a single hair from the body of Magda.

On the fifth day Groin with a group of guards came across a woodsman and asked “have you seen the body of an old man near the river”? “No” replied the woodsman “But I will be sure and keep my eyes open, if I pass one you will be the first people I shall tell. That is my promise to you”.

The other Magistrates with a heavy heart returned to the Halls of Forseti and set about beginning the rites that would make Groin keeper of the blade. These took a whole month to prepare Groin began to worry about what he had done, never before had he killed anybody and that rested ill with him he began to fear Forseti’s blade and refused to touch it during the ceremony to install him as the high magistrate. Over the next year Groin became even more dark and brooding and would spend long hours looking at the blade but he never once dared touched it out of fear for what he had done. and what it may do to him. He began to become a reclusive, his brethren thinking he was morning the loss of Magda. His sentencing and arbitration began to become punitive and spiteful. People began slowly to try and settle their own problems often resulting in bloodshed.  The lower magistrates would now sit at the trials with the blade sitting on the throne and they sitting at its right hand. But half-empty courts listened to the words spoken by the magistrates. This marked the beginning of the end of an era.

Mean while, an injured eagle flew far down stream, his terror and pain all that kept him moving. When he had become too weak to continue he came to rest in a tree above a woodsman who was fishing near by. The man saw the injured bird and wooed it out of the tree with his magical arts, he rapped it in a cloth and placed it in his basket and set off for his lodge. He as soon stopped by a group of men who asked if he had seen an old man by the river. He truthfully replied that he had not and would tell them if he happened to cross one there.

Once back at his lodge man with magic arts returned the eagle into its true form. Magda. Who by now was nought but skin and bone. Magda having spent so long as an eagle had become very timid and withdrawn. The woodsman first made a poultice to heal the wound in Magda’s side, he then gave him food, which Magda wolfed down, and lastly the woodsman gave Magda a robe to keep him warm. It was a month before Magda spoke a single word and fully through autumn before Magda spoke in sentences. Once Magda was truly himself again the men talked long into the night when Magda was able, about philosophy, the gods and of magic.

The woodsman one day asked of Magda his life and if he was displeased with it and would he change anything? Magda simply replied No. “are you not bitter to the man who has done this to you”?

Magda replied “I hold no anger for the man who has done this but he has done a great wrong to the people of Norsca and has to be judged by Forseti for his crime”. The man said he would like to see the halls of Forseti and he would accompany Magda back to the Halls of Forseti and offer what aid he could. A year and a day Magda spent with the woodsman his wound never healed but nor did he die from it. On that day while Magda sat out side of the woodsman’s lodge feeling the sun on his face when he came to a decision. It was time for him to return to the Halls of Forseti and reveal the evil of Groin. The woodsman appeared from the sedge and knew at once that it was time. not a word was spoken so close had the two men grown. The woodsman man walked with Magda to the river and fashioned a coracle from reeds big enough for two and with his arts raised waves with white horses to propel their boat up stream.

Once at the great hall the Woodsman called for the horses to bring down the shelter that still stood. With the power only available to the breaking surf the wave came down and the shelter was dashed asunder the coracle landing with the merest bump. The two men came to the gate of the great Hall and demanded entry. When the guards refused the woodsman walked forward and again with his arts opened the doors by simply asking of them “Open to me for you know it is the right thing to do”.

The woodsman now walked to the doorway and looked upon the guard who had been set to hold them on the instructions of the high magistrate Groin. As soon as their gaze fell upon the woodsman the guards fell to their knees and wept. The woodsman beckoned Magda to his side and with a commanding tone in his voice Magda had not heard before but knew at once ordered the guards to escort them to Groin. Groin on hearing the commotion hid behind the throne at the back of the hall. Once in his presence Magda drew himself up whilst in obvious pain and had Groin brought before him. 

For the evil that you have done to me I forgive you my son but for the evil you have done to the people of Norsca that cannot be undone I give to you that which you most desire. Magda’s hand rose high Forseti’s blade appeared in his fist and down it plunged into the breast of Groin. Such was the power of the blow Groin was split open his entrails looked like that of blooded eagle in flight. The woodsman at this took off his disguise to reveal himself as Forseti. “I mark you such that when you get to Nifflehiem my cousin Hel shall know of your treachery”.

All within the hall heard the tortured scream of the departing Groin Turning to Magda Forseti said “your time here is over, my son, you have truly earned your right to sit with me in Glitnir. For now we will take back the blade until one comes who has the honesty and judgement to carry my blade”. Magda turned to his brethren and said “go my friends take the library and keep it safe go to Tain and hold it there One will come who will care for these works. His name shall be one of anger but he shall be true of faith and not in keeping with his name”.

With that Forseti and Magda walked to the doors of the great hall disappeared as if the doorway for an instant opened to a different place. Over the next ten years the order fell apart without the blade. Some of the order moved most of the library to Tain. Some though went out into the wilderness and deposited a few books within the great nomadic library. Within fifty years the order had completely broken and by a hundred few even spoke of the magistrates and even fewer still knew of them.