CleboArtifacts
Moonstaff of the Hidden Tree
A Moonstaff is an improved quarterstaff, with one crescent-shaped blade on its tip. As such, it inflicts lethal damage instead of bashing. This particular Moonstave was created by a Lunar for his Solar lover in the First Age. She was a very skilled close-combat tactician. The Solar, named Tiriana, Master of Staves, Sorceries and Spirits used the Moonstaff to great success and survived the first wave of the Solar purge. She hid walking the scavenger lands, posing as a shaman or immaculate monk with a great deal of success. Finally, when the Dragon-Blooded found her, she fled to Denandsor, where she took her last stand. She cursed the entire city to eternal nausea and discomfort. Tiriana fought bravely and tactically brilliant, bringing down all her pursuers before her own curse became her own demise. Today, their corpses of her enemies have long since been looted and crumbled to dust and the city completely abandoned because of the curse. In her waning last moments in life, she hid the Moonstaff in the city library garden, and instructed the Golem constructions to guard the city until she could be replaced with a suitable Solar champion. The Golems will not continue to fight a Solar that shows proper skill with the staff, sorcery and spirits, or if her reborn soul returns to Denandsor and shows the Golems his or her giant silvery wolf anima banner. Instead, they will invite the Solar to the Library Garden, and offer the keys to the city of Denandsor, along with the responsibility of taking care of the City and its population. The Moonstaff's powers are three-fold, one for each area of mastery of Tirana.
The first power lies within its metal construction. Being made of both moonsilver and orichalcum, it has three forms. At the cost of 1 mote (spent reflexively), the Moonstaff can become two smaller scythes, one long Moonstaff with a terribly sharp blade, or a mundane-looking wooden staff. This change can only be made before the wielder's first action and can only be used one per turn. The three forms have the following stats:
Ordinary staff</b>\ Speed +8 Accuracy +3 Damage +5B Defense +3 Rate 3 (Piercing Damage)\
<b>Moonstaff</b>\ Speed +6 Accuracy +2 Damage +9L Defense +2 Rate 2\ Requires: Strength <b>••
Scythes of the Crescent Moon</b>\ Speed +1 Accuracy +2 Damage +5L Defense +3 Rate 5\
The second power concerns sorcery. The staff can aid its wielder to store essence motes, and it can store (permanent Essence)2 motes of peripheral essence. When the essence is used, the wielder's anima banner appears to come from the staff. The stored essence must be filled by the wielder and can be used for anything except attuning to other items. These motes are accessible reflexively regardless of the form the staff has.
The third and final power involves interaction with spirits and elementals. Spirits and elementals find its smell of essence very alluring, and they are much more likely to become friendly towards the wielder. Often they wish to hold it, and smell it from a closer range. In effect, the wielder gets a dice bonus of 2 interacting socially with elementals and spirits.
Moonstaff of the Hidden Tree contains two hearthstone slots at the ends of the staff, or in one scythe each, and costs 6 motes to attune.
