The Key of Fire

When the Great Strife ended, the victorious Gods of Consent chose to punish the leaders among the defeated Gods of Coercion by imprisoning them. A prison was fashioned, and a key was made to seal that prison. To safeguard that key, it was placed into a small chest locked by two more keys fashioned by the powers of different gods. The chest was then magically morphed so it would not be recognizable, and was hidden away. The two keys were also morphed into other forms to hide their true purpose, and were given by the gods to mortals in a manner intended to keep them safe.

This is the tale of one of these: the Key of Fire.

Crafting of the Key

It is presumed that Forgemaster Goranin of the Duagnar used his mastery of the channel of primal Earth energy to call into being the perfectly crystallized but uncut ruby from which the key would be fashioned. Then, using primal Fire energy as striking and polishing tools, he shaped the key into its needed form. At the same time, he fashioned the lock which the key operated out of adamantine and the dust of the ruby removed during polishing. Magic placed into the lock ensured that its tumblers, coated with ruby dust, would remain fused in place until they sensed the touch of their "mother stone". Thus, the lock was unpickable; openable by the Key of Fire and no other. This lock, and one just like it mated to the Key of Air, would protect the Adamantine Key for all time.

The Key in the Lore of Cartyrion

After the Astralar imprisoned the Gods of Coercion, Forgemaster Goranin, the crafter of the prison and the keys, kept the Adamantine Key - the one that could open the prison door. He would hide, he claimed, where none - mortal nor Astralar - would find it. The key of Air was given to Berdea of the Alevar, and the Key of Fire was given to Prominion of the Humanar for safekeeping. These two discussed the keys, and realized that they were not safe if left in the heavens among the Astralar. To ensure their protection - and to ensure they would likely never be brought together in one place - they devised a plan. They would reshape the keys into objects that they would gift to the rulers of the Humans and Elves - two figures who were prominent in their actions to conquer the mortal forces of the Gods of Coercion.

Prominion reshaped the Key of Fire into a perfect star ruby. He then appeared, in resplendent avatar form, in High Sovereign Caleran's court and presented him with the ruby - setting it into the Crown of Ancelin. Prominon knew that this crown was worn only on special occasions and was otherwise guarded in the Crown Jewel Vault deep beneath the High Sovereign's palace. This was the best guarded place in the Human world. Prominion impressed upon Caleran the importance of keeping the crown, and hence the key, safe, as gifts such as these from the Astralar were not to be treated casually. No hint was ever given of the true nature of the Key, nor of the fact that it had a mate - the Key of Air - somewhere else in the world.
And thus, for the past two thousand years, the Key was safely hidden and protected. On special feast days in Elderkeep, it would be hidden in plain sight worn on the head of the High Sovereign, but otherwisee it was locked away and alertly guarded.

Until it wasn't...