Item from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams
Sorrow — a sword of witchwood and black iron that should not exist, forged by a grieving Sithi prince using forbidden magic that killed him, named in the moment he struck down his own father.
Ineluki created Sorrow during the siege of Asu'a by smuggling black iron — anathema to the Sithi — into the city and feeding it to witchwood trees. All but one tree died. Using the ancient Words of Making and the High Smith's Hammer, he forged the surviving wood and iron together. The heat of the forbidden spells warped walls, cracked air, and killed dozens of Sithi and mortals. He named it Jingizu — 'Sorrow' in Sithi — after striking down his father King Iyu'unigato, who had commanded him to unmake the blade. The name is perfect: the sword is grief weaponized. Elias receives it through Pryrates' ritual on Thisterborg and it slowly destroys him — draining his vitality, feeding his paranoia, connecting him to Ineluki's will. The sword doesn't just cut flesh; it cuts sanity, hope, warmth. It's the most dangerous object in Osten Ard, and it's sitting in the High King's hand.
A fusion of witchwood and black iron — the iron runs through the pale witchwood like dark veins, like blood frozen in wood. The blade seems to drink light rather than reflect it. It radiates wrongness — a physical sensation that makes nearby people uneasy, nauseated, cold. Touching it without preparation is described as touching grief made solid.
Also known as: Jingizu, Sorrow