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Description
Xillia wielding her rare and powerful weapon.

I decided to make it much brighter than in the previous image, and experiment with actual light emitting from the weapon. Yes, it is basically a lightsaber, because they're cool.

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BACKGROUND ON MAGIC SWORDS AND HOW THEY WERE CREATED

The Empire salvaged many magic secrets from its conquered enemies, integrating them into its own society.

The capitol had street lamps powered by undying magic flame. And the Imperial Legions had intricate communications systems, based around magic scrolls that could record images and sounds.

Magic was integrated into everyday Imperial life. And still, the Empire was one of those middle ground societies, not as heavy a user of magic as others that preceded it.

For example, freelance mages were not a thing in the Empire. Under Imperial law, regular citizens could only practise magic in private, and very basic spells at that.

Servants of the Imperial Pantheon were permitted access to more powerful, mid-tier spells. For example, Priests of the Temple of Magnus (the Imperial God of War) were permitted to study offensive magic, with spells such as fireball or lightning bolt being a mainstay.

However, the rarest and most powerful spells were taught only to members of the IMPERIUM ARCANUM, the exclusive wing of mages in direct service of the Emperor. As such, these spells were rare, virtually unknown outside of the Emperor's inner circle.

One example was MAGIC SWORDS. These were made exclusively for the Praetorian Guard, the Emperor's elite bodyguards. The magic swords of the Praetorians crackled with purple energy, the colour of Imperial royalty. They were able to cut through stone and steel with ease.

Very few outside the IMPERIUM ARCANUM knew how to make such a spectacular weapon.

Xillia, one of the last Dark Elves from a forgotten civilisation, figured it out after decades of research.

Description
Xillia wielding her rare and powerful weapon.

I decided to make it much brighter than in the previous image, and experiment with actual light emitting from the weapon. Yes, it is basically a lightsaber, because they're cool.

- - - -

BACKGROUND ON MAGIC SWORDS AND HOW THEY WERE CREATED

The Empire salvaged many magic secrets from its conquered enemies, integrating them into its own society.

The capitol had street lamps powered by undying magic flame. And the Imperial Legions had intricate communications systems, based around magic scrolls that could record images and sounds.

Magic was integrated into everyday Imperial life. And still, the Empire was one of those middle ground societies, not as heavy a user of magic as others that preceded it.

For example, freelance mages were not a thing in the Empire. Under Imperial law, regular citizens could only practise magic in private, and very basic spells at that.

Servants of the Imperial Pantheon were permitted access to more powerful, mid-tier spells. For example, Priests of the Temple of Magnus (the Imperial God of War) were permitted to study offensive magic, with spells such as fireball or lightning bolt being a mainstay.

However, the rarest and most powerful spells were taught only to members of the IMPERIUM ARCANUM, the exclusive wing of mages in direct service of the Emperor. As such, these spells were rare, virtually unknown outside of the Emperor's inner circle.

One example was MAGIC SWORDS. These were made exclusively for the Praetorian Guard, the Emperor's elite bodyguards. The magic swords of the Praetorians crackled with purple energy, the colour of Imperial royalty. They were able to cut through stone and steel with ease.

Very few outside the IMPERIUM ARCANUM knew how to make such a spectacular weapon.

Xillia, one of the last Dark Elves from a forgotten civilisation, figured it out after decades of research.