PLLanet/Artifacts
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Level Four
Iairos, Soulsteel Dagger
Speed: 4
Accuracy: 4
Damage: 5L
Defense: 3
Commit: 8
Iairos is a glossy black dagger, with a serpentine edge that ends in two points: one at the tip of the blade, and one that extends parallel to the hilt. The hilt is wrapped in black leather, and it bears an orichalcum cap at the end where the pommel should lie. Although it features both orichalcum and soulsteel in its manufacture, it only provides a magical material bonus to a Solar or Abyssal; other entities may attune at normal cost, but may not force full attunement. Solars attuning to Iairos receive the orichalcum bonus, with Abyssals receiving soulsteel. A Day or Night caste may add both, as reflected in the statistics above.
The dagger holds within it a deep well of essence. It holds up to a maximum of 80 motes, but may not exceed the Exalt's peripheral pool. These motes are only available for one function - to pay the cost of the Night or Day caste anima power. Both functions of the anima power may draw motes from the blade; he may spend 10 motes from the blade's reserves to lessen his chances of tracking or detection, or draw the doubled portion of a muted charm's cost from the pool. The dagger's reserves may only be refilled through the draining of Essence, and not by any other means.
As a full round action, the attuned wielder may press the blade to the skin of a victim, draining twice as many motes as his Essence would normally allow (An Essence 2 Night, for example, may drain 4 motes in one round in this manner). Combat mote theft is unaffected. These motes may be added to either the Exalt's pool or to the dagger's, but they cannot be split. Excess motes that would bring either the character or the item over its maximum are lost.
Example:
Laughter in Madness, an Essence 4 Day caste Abyssal, has 46 motes in his peripheral pool. The dagger's mote pool is capped at the same. He wishes to assassinate Johnny Come Lately, a God-Blooded upstart who is meddling in his Liege's affairs. He activates Noiseless Phantom Style (4 motes) and draws another 4 from the blade to mute the charm's effects on his anima. Having stealthily approached his target, he uses Stifled Cry Exercise (spending 1 mote and drawing another from the blade) and uses Iairos to stab him twice - once for each kidney. At Essence 4, he drains 4 motes with each attack, for a total of 8. Laughter in Madness elects to refill the blade rather than his own reserves, but as he has only used 5 motes from the dagger the other 3 are lost, feeding Oblivion (as is only proper).
