The Day of Fire was the event immediately preceding the Silence, and was blamed for the Ancients no longer speaking to the people of Enroth. Before the Silence, the Ancients often spoke to the mortals, magic was freely available, and the Heavenly Forges created wonderful magical items and terrible weapons. Some bandits raided an Ancients' armory and took one of these weapons, but where stopped by the local authorities, and the weapon ended up in the hands of Alan, the mayor of Aliant. He held onto it for safekeeping.