Addendum

The real taste of today is legs. Enchanted greaves are simply one manifestation of that. Remember that asymmetricality is not only permitted but encouraged these days.

Trends Cross Over Years

Pawned: Power ribbons.
Donned: Enchanted greaves.

Shaping Up

You've heard of round worlds and you've heard of flat worlds, but have you ever heard of ribbon-like worlds? Probably, followed by ". . . seemed like a neat idea but I couldn't think of anything that it would do for the story." That kind of thinking is why we haven't colonized the sun yet.

Addendum

Axes work great though. They don't even have to be empyreal axes or enchanted in any way.

Lyric Explanation

Remember that song about "tie a power ribbon 'round the old oak tree?" That's how you begin ensorcelling a tree in such a way that it will sheathe itself in empyreal bark, a material capable of producing shields and helmets impossible to overcome with profane arts.

Grappling with Style

1) Ribbon tied around hilt
2) Ribbon tied around glove holding hilt
3) Ribbon tied around blade
4) Sword is an extended ribbon

It's hard to pick the right look, but whichever you choose, carry it through.

Addendum

Does all that mean there should be at least one character clad entirely in power ribbons? Yes.

The Many Powers of Ribbons

Obviously you can have special ribbon handed down through centuries which must be won in a fighting tournament, and obviously there might be orders of fancy warriors marked by ribbons infused with magic which not only confer powers but allow the wearer to be tracked, but don't forget about collections of nanomachines which resemble ribbons which respond to their owner's thoughts, either because of a neural implant, psychic powers, or technology subtler yet such as monitoring muscle contractions.

Trends Circulate Like Magma Beneath the Crust

Rotted: Non-evil empires.
Allotted: Power ribbons