[@MrDidact] The sword itself was damaged in the siege of Bloodstone. The last Pirate Lord to hold the blade was inadvertently crushed by collapsing rubble, and his sword was cracked by the weight of the rubble. Aerion was lucky enough to have read about the swords of old, and quickly snagged it before anyone else, and continued on with the rest of the campaign.

As for the hopes of larger Geo-political scheming and maneuvering, its early in the game, and who knows what could happen. Plus, with so much land, well, who's to say that anyone would miss a few ruined castles and manors?

[@kingkonrad] Is a great roleplayer, and he would make a fine addition to the group.