WeaponsOfJade
Weapons of Jade
Blood of the Ascendant
- Artifact •••
- Red Jade Grand Daiklave
Though it once had a different name, there soon arose a legend around this ancient blade of the First Age. Every man who wielded it grew famous and powerful, a hero of the Realm. But every man who wielded it was doomed to die a glorious death on the battlefield. It soon became known by its current name as its blessing... and its curse, became abundantly clear.
The Blood of the Ascendant is a dark colored blade. Long, thick, and straight, it has no crossgaurds, and it's blade is the black of coals, with thin grooves of red sliding up its length. It battle, the faint red of the grooves and the hilt seem almost to glow like the inner depths of coals.
At the wielders option, he may gain on any single roll, a number of dice equal to his reputation. This does not count against the normal limitations applied to charm dice caps. Additionally, this costs the player nothing.
However, everytime that the player chooses to do this, the ST should note it. At any point, chosen by the ST, the blade will exact a terrible cost. After the character has been successfully hit, the attacker can gain an amount of damage dice, post soak, equal to the amount of times the power has been used. This damage cannot be mitigated in any way. After this (assuming the player survives), the "debt" is payed, and he may start to accumulate a new one.
Sharp Whisper:
- Artifact ••
- Blue Jade Daiklave
Most Dynast blades are heavy and powerful, emphasizing damage over grace. Sharp whisper is an exception. Crafted for courtiers and duelists, it is a long, slim blade, with an elegant hilt. It is a pale blue, and many marvel at the beauty of the blade, as well as the keeness of its edge.
But it is the tongue of the wielder that is made most dangerous through this blade. The wielder's taunts and derisions are made almost physically painful, and almost always enrage the opponent.
To activate this power, the wielder must feed a number of motes into the blade, not to exceed his socialize. He then makes a Manipulation + Socialize check. For each success, the target of his derision is at a -1 to his dice pools for the turn. This amount cannot exceed the amount of essence spent.
White Dragon's Splendor:
- Artifact ••
- White Jade Reaver Daiklave
Fashions in weapon design changes over time, and there was a period during which very baroque, ostentatious blades were popular. Several examples of this style of blade can be found throughout the realm, but this is the most well known.
The ivory white daiklave has a long, wide, curving blade, and a basketed hilt that is encrusted with numerous jewels. Indeed, gems of all sorts, and of the most expensive kind, sparkle all across the hilt, and upon some places on the blade itself. Further, the blade has not one hearthstone socket, but three: one on the pommel, one on the front of the basket hilt, and one on the rear of the blade itself.
Further, the gems are there for more than decorative purposes. They channel the essence of the hearthstones in a more effecient way. While the user cannot gain more essence from hearthstones than 2x the rating of the highest, for each hearthstone set in the blade beyond the one that the wielder is gaining essence from, he may draw an additional, single mote every hour.
For example, if the wielder had three level 1 hearthstones in his blade (the level of the stones isn't important), and a single, level 3 hearthstone in a bracer, he would gain 9, rather than 6, additional motes per hour.
The gemstones can be removed from the blade. There is enough stones to generate three, temporary resource 3 purchases. Each use of the gems in this way reduces the essence recharge rate the hearthstones in the blade provide by one.
Midnight Star Razor:
- Artifact ••
- Blue Jade Reaver Daiklave
It is said this blade has existed since the usurpation, that a patron of the nothern star crafted this very blade for a mighty Terrestrial Exalted who slew the Anathema at her behest.
The blade itself appears very simple. A long, flat blade with a single sharp angle at the tip, and no cross gaurds, it is constructed from the darkest blue jade, such a deep blue as to be almost black: the color of the night sky.
The only decoration on the blade comes from an inset of star metal in the hilt and the blade. This takes the form of a small glyph on the blade, and a curling design on th hild.
It is from this star metal that the blade draws its power:
The Midnight Star Razor will never botch. Any roll involving the weapon that bothces is considered a simple failure instead.
The only way for this blade to botch is if it tastes of innocent blood. This blood does not have to be the lifes blood of an innocent. A simple drop from the pinprick of a foolish boy who doesn't know better is enough to sully the weapon. At least once, the blood of an innocent was secretly painted onto the weapon to damn the wielder.
If the weapon has tasted of innocent blood, it will botch a single, horribly important roll at any point chosen by the ST. The only way to evade this fate is to journey to the lands of the north, and under the starlight sky, beg for the forgiveness of the stars. If the pleading is accepted, a quest will be given to the wielder to expunge the stain. This quest is determined by the gravity of the sin. If the user knowingly slew an innocent, it will be a grave quest indeed. But if it was a mere, simple accident that involved no pain or death (such as the boy pricking his finger, or a betrayal by an outside force), then it will be simple indeed: perhaps a quest to give a child a small gift of jade, or some such minor task.
The amount of star metal in the blade is very, very small, just enough to funnel the innate magics of the jade in this way. For the purposes of attunement and bonuses, it is a jade weapon, not a starmetal one. To be explicit, it gains a +3 speed, NOT +2 damage, and Siderial must attune to it as though it were Jade, not Starmetal.
