FrivYeti/JudgementsRuin
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Judgement's Ruin
Orichalcum Daiklave, Artifact 3, Commitment 6
Speed 5, Accuracy +3, Damage +8L, Defense +2, Rate 3
In the middle First Age, a Twilight artificer forged a powerful daiklave as a present for the Dawn Caste warmaster Five Prayer Hadichas. The daiklave, Glorious Judgement, was designed to feed from Hadichas's desire for truth and purity, and to strengthen his arm. He took it gratefully, and it became his primary tool.
Unfortunately, as the Great Curse overtook Hadichas, his desire for justice gradually became an overwhelming bloodlust, and this madness crept into the blade. Its light dimmed, the golden sheen of its blade gradually tinted dark red with the blood that stained it so often, and it grew hungry.
After Hadichas's death, the blade vanished for centuries. When it reappeared in the hands of the Anathema Jochim in R.Y. 578, as he led an uprising against the Realm. In his hands, the blade glittered with crimson and gold, and the Realm called it "Judgement's Ruin". Jochim accepted the name, and wielded the daiklave to great effect against the armies of the Realm. When Tepet Arada finally slew him in R.Y. 585, the blade was taken to the Realm's secure armories, to never be used again. But in recent years, it has vanished. Perhaps it is seeking its old master...
In addition to its base statistics, Judgement's Ruin hungers for blood. Once drawn, it cannot be sheathed until it is used to kill someone. If the wielder puts it down, he is overcome with an unstoppable compulsion to pick it up again. A Willpower point can be spent to ignore this compulsion for a single action. In addition, anyone who draws Judgement's Ruin has their Compassion reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1) until it is sheathed again, and has his Valor increased by 1 for the purposes of rolls to avoid responding to challenges or insults.
However, the sword's bloodlust has serious advantages, as well. As long as the sword's damage is not completely ignored (by effects such as Hardness or Adamant Skin), it cannot deal less than its wielder's Essence in levels of post-rolled, post-soak damage. If fewer successes are rolled, simply apply the character's Essence as damage successes.
It is faintly possible that a pure-hearted wielder of Judgement's Ruin might reawaken the sword's ancient power. If this occurs, the sword will develop new capabilities, based on the soul of the new wielder.
