Late Kethari Military Short Sword

A weapon that tells the story of decline. As highland tin sources dried up, Kethari smiths stretched dwindling supplies thinner. This sword would have bent in combat against a properly alloyed blade. The Late Kethari military fought with increasingly inferior equipment.

Inscription

Keth-ari-an thal-un gol-an bel-esh keth-na. Thal-un kov keth-an thulen sha-na.

/keθ.aɾi.an θal.un gol.an bel.eʃ keθ.na. θal.un kov keθ.an θulen ʃa.na./

Translation

“The blood-offering of the Kethari people's craftsman burns in the copper. The craftsman speaks unyielding from the seven flames.”

Interlinear Analysis(click to expand)

Form	Gloss	POS
Keth-ari-an	flame.people-GEN	noun
thal-un	craft-AGENT (craftsman)	noun
gol-an	copper-GEN	noun
bel-esh	blood-sacrifice (ritual offering)	noun
keth-na	burn-PRES	verb
thal-un	craft-AGENT (craftsman)	noun
kov	seven (sacred)	numeral
keth-an	flame-GEN	noun
thulen	hard/unyielding (obsidian-like)	adjective
sha-na	spirit-PRES (speaks/invokes)	verb

Script: top-to-bottom, right-to-left

Description

A short sword from the final decades of the Kethari Dominion. The blade is noticeably softer and more porous than earlier Kethari bronze — metallurgical analysis reveals a tin content of only 3.8%, far below the 10-12% of peak-era weapons. The edge shows heavy re-sharpening, suggesting this weapon was kept in service far beyond its normal lifespan.

Scholarly Analysis(click to expand)

This artifact is central to the Kethari Collapse debate. Dr. Vasquez-Mori argues it exemplifies the resource exhaustion that doomed the Dominion. Dr. Okonjo notes that similar degraded weapons appear across the entire region, suggesting the tin shortage affected everyone equally — meaning it cannot explain why the Kethari specifically collapsed while neighbors survived. The truth likely involves multiple factors.

Provenance(click to expand)

discoverer: Graduate student Liam Chen
discovery date: 2019-06-03
condition notes: Blade bent at 15-degree angle. Heavy corrosion on lower third. Handle wrapping deteriorated.
excavation team: Ashenmere Institute Field Team 1
discovery location: Defensive wall rubble, Temple District, Kethport