SlipNine/ShroudOfIronShadows
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Shroud of Iron Shadows (Artifact ••••)
- 1 Hearthstone Slot (Shadow Sewing Stone)
- Spd +4, Acc +4, Dmg +5L, Def +4, Rate 4 (-1 to all in sunlight)
- Magical Material Bonus: Acc +1, Mote Drain
The Shroud of Iron Shadows is a unique, specialized artifact weapon crafted by the best of the dead for none other than whoever is to have the Artifact. Moonsilver tattoos of a great Lunar shapeshifter, shadows and stone from the deepest levels of the Labyrinth, black water from depths of the Sea of Shadows and the ghosts of the underworld's best spymasters were collected and forged into this shapeless soulsteel shadow of infinite depths.
The Shroud of Iron Shadows bears a single Hearthstone slot somewhere in its amorphous mass which must always contain a Shadow Sewing Stone or it goes intert, a useless piece of soulsteel silk. When one attunes to the Shroud, it flows as its master commands with but a thought-- though she must be touching it to do so. Used to power the Shroud of Iron Shadows in this way, the Shadow-Sewing Stone may still be used to craft shadows as normal.
The Shroud of Iron Shadows may be shaped into most forms reflexively requiring a Manipulation+Craft(Shadows) roll to which the Shroud gives one automatic success (Therefore covering simple or often used forms without a roll). Typically, all combat forms are standard difficulty, while doing something special, beautiful, or complicated with the shroud will carry a higher difficulty. Shaping the Shroud of Iron Shadows while in combat is reflexive and may be done as many times per turn as the weilder wishes-- one could make four parries in a turn with the Shroud imitating four different weapons without penalty.
The Shroud of Iron Shadows may be used as a weapon in almost any form with the above stats regardless of practicality, the mutability of the Shroud makes up for any obvious deficiencies of form or function, allowing the weilder to parry as easily with a felhound as she might a Rapier. The Shroud of Iron Shadows may be shaped into a protective form, be it Soulsteel Armor or wispy threads of shadow which catch and turn blades, however such shapes are still treated as weapons-- they may be used to parry, but do not increase the weilder's soak. No matter its form, the Shroud of Iron Shadows is always considered readied.
The Shroud of Iron Shadows uses the higher of Melee or Brawl for all attacks and parries by default. Martial Arts may be used if the Shroud is in an appropriate form for the Martial Art style, or if the player can BS the Storyteller into believing it is. Storytellers should err on the side of style in this-- it is perfectly acceptable for a Tiger Style practitioner to use her Martial Arts skill by forming the Shroud into an actual Tiger to fight alongside her; she could not, however, user her Martial Arts score to fight using a Sword or Raiton. Archery and Thrown are not applicable for use with the Shroud in combat.
The Shroud of Iron Shadows, is made up of shadows slightly different than those described in the text of the Shadow-Sewing Stone-- the Shroud of Iron Shadows has the texture of silk but the consistency of Soulsteel. Visually, the Shroud is as dark as void at rest, while use tends to bring the haunting faces of trapped souls to the surface. It retains the near weightlessness of shadows for the attuned but otherwise have the mass and inertia of Soulsteel. The Shroud of Iron Shadows becomes thin and wispy in strong light, but will never fade away. In daylight conditions, the Shroud of Iron Shadows loses one dot from each of its statistics.
Feeding the Shroud of Iron Shadows one's blood (Simple action, 1 willpower and 1L unsoakable damage), the Shroud comes alive. If its form has a a mouth, it gnashes hungrilly, wanting blood, otherwise it tends to first grow a mouth-- or several-- then gnash and growl. This adds +1 to all its stats, an extra +3L to damage, and if the weilder is Abyssal, any blood or flesh the Shroud consumes is as if it were consumed by the Abyssal herself-- she regains one mote of essence for each health level dealt. This effect is in addition to the normal Soulsteel mote-stealing effect. If the Abyssal knows Blood-Feasting Technique or any other charm which offers alternative uses for consumed flesh and blood, they may be used in conjuction with this ability.
- (Thanks go to Ikselam for the Shadow-Sewing Stone and many others.)
