Summer-Forge
Forced to relocate to their current home a generation before, a clan of hill dwarves thought nothing of the lower hills to the east of their settlement. Nothing, that is, until a creeping evil made its way into those hills and the undead poured out—for those were no hills, but barrows, crypts from centuries before. Songs are still told of the dwarves’ struggle, even lifetimes later, and how a cleric of the goddess of smiths was taught how to forge the vibrance of the summer sun itself into a powerful weapon: the first summer blade.
The dwarves were able to hold their settlement and drive back their foes, but the undead still harried their descendants, annually getting stronger as the days became shorter. The holiday and its stories have spread through the hills since then, and while the undead threat has slowed, few dwarves relish being unprepared. The day of the summer solstice, then, certain dwarven holds celebrate the successful creation of new summer blades. While these blades are made of metal instead of sunlight, such weapons are powerfully enchanted against the dwarves’ most dangerous foes. They are highly prized, and less than one smith in a dozen who attempts a crafting succeeds.
Preparation to make a summer blade begins by constructing a shaft from the surface down to the smith’s forge. This must be carefully made to ensure a shaft of sunlight on midsummer’s day falls directly into the smithy on the day of the equinox. A week before the solstice, the crafting begins, accompanied by dwarven rites and blessings, and requires all the skill and materials to craft a +2 weapon. These must be performed every day until the summer solstice when, at precisely noon, the heated blade must be quenched in the sunlight. Only then does the smith know if they have succeeded, as a successfully crafted blade cools instantly and gives off light as bright as day (as if the target of a daylight spell) for the next 48 hours. Those that fail are still left with fine blades, some of which are +1 or +2 weapons, but while there is no dishonor in failure, there is certainly no glory.
As dusk falls, smiths who have crafted a blade bring their creation to the grand hall of the hold. Priests of the dwarven gods place their own blessings on the blades as they enter, and legend holds that without these the power of the weapons would fade. By tradition, the blades are then gifted to the ruler of the hold, who dispenses them as marks of favor and support to his allies and officers. The smith is then celebrated with a great deal of merry-making and drinking, which continue until the blades cease glowing.
A smith may choose not to gift the blade, but few of those who rule are forgiving of such public embarrassment.
Game Mechanics
Only a lucky few are granted the chance to bear the following weapon.