Latest revision as of 22:52, 24 April 2005

Vajrakira

Artifact •••
Speed +3 Accuracy -2 Damage +0L Defense -3
Commitment: 4 motes, but it has some powers even when un-attuned.
(These stats do not include a magical material bonus. Vajrakira can be made from any magical material.)

Vajrakira is a name for a type of dagger specifically enchanted to transfix the power of the inhabitants of Malfeas. They can be forged from any magical material, and given that their power is useful even in the hands of the unExalted it has been theorised that they may be able to be manufactured from mundane materials as well. However, no experiments along those lines have ever borne fruit. The following description is of one example of a vajrakira, and while others vary in their specific details their elaborate decoration and general powers remain constant.

In the hills several days south of Chiaroscuro there is a small village where they still practice the ancestor worship so heretical to the Realm. The village shaman traffics regularly with the dead, and as part of his dealings has received a nameless soulsteel vajrakira. It has a thick triangular blade that is sculpted as emerging from the mouth of some kind of serpentine monster. Atop the back of the monster, forming the handle of the dagger, is a scultpure of the six-armed god of the blade engaged in sexual congress with a skull-faced woman. Deep in its heart the blade craves a name, but until someone who knows the dagger's true value retrieves it from the shaman who uses it in ignorance of its powers, it remains nameless and quiescent.

Powers
A vajrakira's powers take effect when the dagger is impaled in a demon. This requires a successful attack roll doing at least one health level of damage. Once that has been achieved, the wielder can keep hold of the dagger and withdraw it for another strike, or release the dagger and allow its magic to wedge it in place. All of the vajrakira's powers work for anyone - including the unExalted - unless they require the expenditure of essence, in which case they only work for essence-users who are attuned to the blade.

• While impaled by a vajrakira, a demon suffers a dice pool penalty to all physical actions equal to (10 - the demon's Essence score).
  
• Also, any denizen of Malfeas impaled by a vajrakira has all their movement speeds halved.
  
• Finally, once impaled in a demon, the vajrakira cannot be removed except by an essence-user who is attuned to it (who can reflexively will the blade to detach itself at any time). The blade mystically bonds to the demon's essence, and worms its way deeper into the demon if the flesh it is impaled in is torn away.
  
• Essence-users may reflexively pay 5 motes to fully paralyse a demon for one round (or about three seconds outside of combat).

As a final note, it has been recorded that second-circle demons show some resistance to the powers of vajrakira. This resistance seems to vary in strength and effect from demon to demon. No one has ever tried striking a third-circle demon with a vajrakira - or if they have, no records survived.

Comments

I knew the Art Institute was good for something. Heh. Incidentally, Morpheus says he'd make this a level 2.
~ Shataina

I think I'd make it level 2 for mortals, level 3 for Exalts - the power to fully paralyse demons is pretty potent, since it's reflexive. You paralyse the demon, then dice its defenceless ass with normal attacks. And the Art Institute RoXxOrS. - Falcon

Man, I think something in, like, your gravitational field makes me even flakier than usual. I didn't notice than only mortals can use it; my bad. It's totally a lv3 in that case. (also, I misrepresented it to him, so his opinion which I hid behind has been retconned.)
~ Shataina

Eh? It's not only for mortals, it just happens to work for them as well. It's most potent power can only be used by Exalts and others with an essence pool.

You know what I meant. Shut up or I'll mock your grammar.
~ Shataina