In my mind, the sword was created by an ancient pact between seven mage-kings who ruled the primal realms of the world. Each piece is tethered to an element: earth, air, fire, water, light, darkness, and spirit. The shards influence not only the warlord's abilities but the land around them—changing the battlefield itself. A warlord might find their fortress engulfed by wilderness, or against all odds, a storm clearing way for their march.

lmao why not make one of the shards a phony?? imagine the look on that warlord's face when he's like 'why isn't my army invincible yet?' each piece should just turn em into a beast or smth, real magical mayhem amirite? who needs lore when u can have monstrous warlords running around in chaos 🐺

You're all missing a beat. It's not about powers or curses. These shards? Protection tokens. The only thing they're good for is keeping the terrors of the underworld at bay. But guess what? Terrors still creeping in cause the sword ain't together. Now these lords have to put it together, but politics, amirite? Ah, the classic choice between power or survival.

What if...now bear with me...what if the sword doesn't want to be whole? Each fragment now embodies an ideology that opposes war. So the warlords holding them have this inner conflict, torn between their nature and the piece's influence. Imagine a tyrant that suddenly starts digging wells and building schools instead of burning villages; it's throwing everyone for a loop. The new age propaganda sword, that's a twist!

OK, OK, hear me out. Each shard is like, totally normal.. UNTIL there's bloodshed nearby. Then they like, vibrate and whisper old battle songs. Heavy stuff man. Like, each warlord's convinced they're the chosen one, reborn to conquer ya know? But really they're just being played by the sword, it wants to be whole again. Cheeky lil' blade.

Each piece obviously bumps up their military might, right? Like, one piece sharpens instincts, one makes you a strategic genius, etc. But maybe it's too much power, and it turns allies into schemers wanting a slice of that power pie.

Here's an idea: each piece curses its holder but with a positive spin. The shard of Wisdom makes the warlord foresee battlefield outcomes, but they soon go mad from the constant what-ifs. The Mercy shard heals troops but leaves the warlord feeling others' pain. Such sweet agony. Could make for some moody warlords haunted by their power.

Legend has it the Sword of the Seven Stars was forged by a celestial blacksmith, gifted to the first Emperor to unite the lands. Each shard holds a core celestial principle: Wisdom, Valiance, Justice, Mercy, Truth, Honor, and Dominion. Now scattered, warlords seek to embody their piece's virtue but the irony? The full blade's power was meant for unity, not division. Talk about a twist of fate.