Eclipse Itself

The Eclipse Itself is the name given to a legendary sword supposedly dating back to the Mythical Age (thus a true Relic). The blade is said to be so black, light falls into it.

Lore

According to the legend, the Eclipse Itself was forged as a counter to Echbaldham, and is part of the opposite of trio of swords. This would make it one with the Sword of Shadow and the Sword of Lies. However, it is not mentioned (nor indeed, is any existence of an opposing trio of relic swords) in the Book of Lore. While passing mentions of Shadow and Lies are made, there is no indication that a counterbalance to Echbaldham existed.

The earliest mentions of the Eclipse Itself come from the Age of Darkness, in several oral histories. This is, coincidentally, where most of the information about the Sword of Shadow and Sword of Lies hail from. H.P. Galactis posited the origin of these myths as some inherent need to balance dark and light. He theorized that the people living in the earliest part of the era were only a few generations removed from the cataclysmic fall of the Eladamri civilization (then simply called Ancients). They had to assimilate the loss of their great civilization somehow, and the closest allegory was the tales from the age of Myth. In many ways, the Fall of Roads was much like the Breaking of the World, as if they were living through it all over again. Galactis, however, commented, at the time, the peoples needed to view light and dark as equal opposed forces to justify their own recent losses, and, "People need to fear the darkness, to hid from the power of the light."

Appearances

Throughout the Mage Wars, many powerful enchanted swords were claimed to be the Eclipse Itself. In fact, this is the true origin of the name. Prior to the First Chaotic Period, it was known as "The Sword of Eclipse" in line with the other two swords. So many different warriors claimed to have it during the war(often contemporaries of each other), that the 'true' Sword of the Eclipse had to be given special recognition. Hence the name of "The Eclipse Itself" meant to refer to the actual weapon and not a copy.

Unfortunately, no known examples of swords believed to be The Eclipse Itself survived the Mage Wars for later study. The closest possibility is one particular black sword in The Arsenal of Freedom, but its style and markings indicate it is of a late Marconian design. Called simply The Black Sword, it is historically unusual, but of a fairly well-established providence.

It has been theorized that, real or imagined, the perception of the existence of such a legendary sword brought about the end of the Mage Wars. Atayan tradition accepted as fact that an opposing triad of mythical swords had existed in ancient times. From the Atayan perspective, if someone did have the Sword of Eclipse, then the only possible counter for it would be Echbaldham. As such, they devoted themselves to creating Echbalder.