Artifacts/Trithne

Torturous Knives of Cecylene

Vitrioline Tiger's Claws

Artifact: •••

Commitment: 1 Lethal Health Level, 4 motes of essence.

Profile: Spd +2 Acc +3 Dam +5L Def +2 Rate 6

The Knives of Cecylene are a pair of Tiger's claws, made of Vitrioline and forcibly mounted onto the user's hands. They look like a pair of razor-thin wires coming out of a small, wirey cage that wraps around the wielder's hand gripping it tightly enough to dig into the skin. Whisps of green vitriol smoke follow the wires, showing a clear trail of their path when in combat. (Attaching the Knives causes a 1L penalty that cannot be healed until they have been removed.)

In addition to the typical abilities of Vitrioline weaponry, the Knives have a secondary effect made by merging demon-charms with the effects of Vitrioline, which causes any wounds inflicted by the Knives to burn with the intensity of the mad green sun of the Yozi's prison. Any time the Knives cause damage, each health level lost is shifted down by one level. So, 0 becomes -1, -1 becomes -2, and -2 becomes -4. After that point, the health level can drop no more.

For example: If the Knives caused 3L damage to someone with HL 0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/In, their 0 would shift to a -1, then 2 -1s would shift down to -2s, meaning they would now have -1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/In, and the those three levels are still taken as lethal damage.

These last for up to the wielder's Essence in days, and heal at their new rate, not their original rate. When determining wound penalty, take the worst penalty dictated by checked off boxes.

Comments

Vitrioline is taken from the DBSInfernalExalted splat, as I thought of this while designing an Infernal antagonist mentally. However, I see no reason that a Soulsteel version wouldn't exist if the ST wanted one, but not using Infernals.
Also, the normal ability of Vitrioline is to add 1 to minimum damage after soak has been applied. - Trithne