Jukashi
Four Thousand Club
Almadar
Artifact 5
The primordial war almost destroyed Creation, and the tragedies it left in its wake were innumerable. And yet, the Exalted took what gains they could from their victory. From it they gained their demon servants, the secrets of sorcery, the knowledge that the Yozis held. And, in one of the war's many battles, a Solar and Lunar pair stole a fang from the mouth of the Ebon Dragon himself. It is this same fang that became the bladed tip of Almadar, the Dark Spear.
Once, it was a thing of elegance, the haft a delicate meshwork of orichalcum and moonsilver, long and straight as light itself but graced with flowing curves and spirals, sweeping upwards to encircle and capture the base of the fang itself, a shard of uttermost shadow that appeared as a moving hole in Creation's substance. It was a representation of the mastery of the Exalted over the Yozis... or, so was intended. Over the thousands of years since then, it has become warped and twisted, the orichalcum buckling, as if the fang has been striving to escape, while the moonsilver has shifted into rougher, more aggressive lines to keep the weapon whole and the primordial fragment contained. Despite this, the spear remains as deadly- perhaps more so- as it has ever been.
Almadar has the curious quality of needing a master. In absence of its original owner, it will accept even a mortal as its wielder, and those Exalts who have come into its ownership have learned it is often best left that way, for the spear has subtle influence over its owner and it is best not given to one with much power of their own.
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Speed 5; Accuracy +3; Damage: +8L/12L; Defence +2; Rate 2; Range 30; Mins: Str 2; Attune 10; Tags: 2, L, R, T
Almadar counts as both an orichalcum and moonsilver weapon, gaining the material bonuses appropriate to the user. In addition to the normal method of mote commitment, it can also be attuned by the expenditure of 2 temporary willpower every day. It possess a single hearthstone slot. When thrown, it deals Piercing damage.
Qualities:
Shadow Pierce:
If Almadar strikes something's shadow, it deals damage as if it had struck the corresponding part of the shadow's owner. In conditions of no shadow (that is of omnidirectional light, of no light or when shadows are too small, such as noon) this is useless and the spear must be used as normal, but when a target does cast a shadow it can reduce their DV by one to four, depending on how far or large their shadow is being cast, and allow strikes from a considerable distance. If Almadar is left stuck through the shadow, the target will also be pinned as if the spear were used to affix them to the surface on which the shadow rests.
Shadow Walk:
If the owner of the spear expends a dot of willpower, Almadar can turn any shadow into a deeper, void-like gate through which they can step and emerge through another shadow. The time taken to traverse the distance is the same as it would normally take the user to move through Creation; they simply make the journey through a different realm of existence... the body of the Ebon Dragon.
So long as the character brings no strong source of light with them, the primordial will probably not notice their passage. The character may breathe, and they will find a surface beneath their feet on which to walk, or run, or a substance through which they can swim or fly; they cannot see anything, however, except subtle "folds" in the darkness around them that represent shadows in their own world, and through which they can exit again. Distance and direction correspond (roughly) to that in Creation.
Return:
A Solar or Lunar who is attuned to the weapon may mentally command it to return to them: it will sink into a pool of shadow, which will then move across floors, walls and other surfaces until it reaches their side and returns to being a spear.
Awaken:
By spending a dot of willpower and providing either five motes of essence or five health levels' worth of blood, Almadar's owner can awaken the fragments of primordial will that remain in the Ebon Dragon's fang. For the rest of the scene, it will burn with a strange anti-light that makes dark shades strong and bright colours pale and grey, and possess a mighty vigour as it thirsts for vengeance against the living and the dead of Creation. It gains +5 to Accuracy and Damage and deals Aggravated damage to servants of the Incarna while in this state. It will not harm its master, but for the duration of its awakening they will hear echoes of the Ebon Dragon's not-voice whispering in their ears, tormenting them with knowledge and tempting them with its advice; they must resist periodical social attacks as decided by the Storyteller. The fang is not really alive, but its original master was a being beyond comprehension, and the difference can seem slim.
It is probably a very bad idea to use Almadar's shadow-walking power while it is Awakened. No-one has ever tried it. Each time the spear is Awakened, its form changes a little more, twisting further from its original shape.
Artifact 5
The primordial war almost destroyed Creation, and the tragedies it left in its wake were innumerable. And yet, the Exalted took what gains they could from their victory. From it they gained their demon servants, the secrets of sorcery, the knowledge that the Yozis held. And, in one of the war's many battles, a Solar and Lunar pair stole a fang from the mouth of the Ebon Dragon himself. It is this same fang that became the bladed tip of Almadar, the Dark Spear.
Once, it was a thing of elegance, the haft a delicate meshwork of orichalcum and moonsilver, long and straight as light itself but graced with flowing curves and spirals, sweeping upwards to encircle and capture the base of the fang itself, a shard of uttermost shadow that appeared as a moving hole in Creation's substance. It was a representation of the mastery of the Exalted over the Yozis... or, so was intended. Over the thousands of years since then, it has become warped and twisted, the orichalcum buckling, as if the fang has been striving to escape, while the moonsilver has shifted into rougher, more aggressive lines to keep the weapon whole and the primordial fragment contained. Despite this, the spear remains as deadly- perhaps more so- as it has ever been.
Almadar has the curious quality of needing a master. In absence of its original owner, it will accept even a mortal as its wielder, and those Exalts who have come into its ownership have learned it is often best left that way, for the spear has subtle influence over its owner and it is best not given to one with much power of their own.
---------
Speed 5; Accuracy +3; Damage: +8L/12L; Defence +2; Rate 2; Range 30; Mins: Str 2; Attune 10; Tags: 2, L, R, T
Almadar counts as both an orichalcum and moonsilver weapon, gaining the material bonuses appropriate to the user. In addition to the normal method of mote commitment, it can also be attuned by the expenditure of 2 temporary willpower every day. It possess a single hearthstone slot. When thrown, it deals Piercing damage.
Qualities:
Shadow Pierce:
If Almadar strikes something's shadow, it deals damage as if it had struck the corresponding part of the shadow's owner. In conditions of no shadow (that is of omnidirectional light, of no light or when shadows are too small, such as noon) this is useless and the spear must be used as normal, but when a target does cast a shadow it can reduce their DV by one to four, depending on how far or large their shadow is being cast, and allow strikes from a considerable distance. If Almadar is left stuck through the shadow, the target will also be pinned as if the spear were used to affix them to the surface on which the shadow rests.
Shadow Walk:
If the owner of the spear expends a dot of willpower, Almadar can turn any shadow into a deeper, void-like gate through which they can step and emerge through another shadow. The time taken to traverse the distance is the same as it would normally take the user to move through Creation; they simply make the journey through a different realm of existence... the body of the Ebon Dragon.
So long as the character brings no strong source of light with them, the primordial will probably not notice their passage. The character may breathe, and they will find a surface beneath their feet on which to walk, or run, or a substance through which they can swim or fly; they cannot see anything, however, except subtle "folds" in the darkness around them that represent shadows in their own world, and through which they can exit again. Distance and direction correspond (roughly) to that in Creation.
Return:
A Solar or Lunar who is attuned to the weapon may mentally command it to return to them: it will sink into a pool of shadow, which will then move across floors, walls and other surfaces until it reaches their side and returns to being a spear.
Awaken:
By spending a dot of willpower and providing either five motes of essence or five health levels' worth of blood, Almadar's owner can awaken the fragments of primordial will that remain in the Ebon Dragon's fang. For the rest of the scene, it will burn with a strange anti-light that makes dark shades strong and bright colours pale and grey, and possess a mighty vigour as it thirsts for vengeance against the living and the dead of Creation. It gains +5 to Accuracy and Damage and deals Aggravated damage to servants of the Incarna while in this state. It will not harm its master, but for the duration of its awakening they will hear echoes of the Ebon Dragon's not-voice whispering in their ears, tormenting them with knowledge and tempting them with its advice; they must resist periodical social attacks as decided by the Storyteller. The fang is not really alive, but its original master was a being beyond comprehension, and the difference can seem slim.
It is probably a very bad idea to use Almadar's shadow-walking power while it is Awakened. No-one has ever tried it. Each time the spear is Awakened, its form changes a little more, twisting further from its original shape.
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