There is no deadlier weapon in all the world than the Sword of Khaine, called the Widowmaker and the Godslayer, forged by the smith-god Vaul and given over to Khaine, the elven god of murder. It rests upon a black altar at the heart of Ulthuan, and its call has haunted the high elves since the dawn of their history.
Whosoever draws the blade becomes the mightiest warrior of the age, invincible in battle and unmatched in the art of slaughter, but the sword exacts a terrible price. It drinks away the wielder's mercy, wisdom, and love, and kindles in their place an endless thirst for killing that cannot be slaked while a single foe yet lives. The first to take it up was Aenarion, the first Phoenix King, who wielded it to save his people from the hordes of Chaos and in so doing doomed his bloodline and cursed the world. Ever since, the wisest of the elves have counselled that the sword remain sheathed, no matter how dire the hour.
For to draw the Widowmaker is to risk everything. Its bearer might shatter an entire army single-handed, yet the murder-lust it inspires spares neither friend nor foe, and it is bound to the great Vortex of Ulthuan in ways the mages themselves barely comprehend. Should the sword ever be raised in earnest again, some fear it would herald the final war and the ruin of all things. It is, in the end, a weapon that wins every battle and loses the soul of whoever dares to master it.
The armoury continues
