Twilight Hammer

Threads: 7
Spell Defense: 13

The Twilight Hammer is a solid metal halberd. It's surface is reflective as normal metal, but rarely reflects its current surroundings. The weapon is very heavy, and requires strength 2 steps higher than a common halberd to wield properly.

Rank 1

Cost: 300
Key Knowledge
The wielder must learn one Name of this weapon.
Effect
The wielder's Strength is increased by one Step while actively wielding the Twilight Hammer.
Parakarma:The wielder may spend a Karma point to alter the difficulty number for any Test. The modifier is the Thread Rank subtracted from the result of a Test with Step equal to the Thread Rank and is used to reduce the difficulty number for the test. Note that this can increase the difficulty number as well.

Rank 2

Cost: 500
Key Knowledge
Effect
Warp Wave:For a cost of 2 Strain, the wielder may sweep the blade in an arc and an astral distortion will travel directly away from the wielder in the shape of the arc for about 10 yards per Thread Rank. Any target contacting the distortion will receive astral Warping Damage as though he or she had just raw cast a spell of Circle equal to the Thread Rank. Additionally, any spell that is cast when the wave hits has its Effect Step boosted by the Thread Rank and any spell in effect that is contacted by the wave risks being disrupted--the caster makes a Spellcasting Test against the spell's original casting difficulty plus the Thread Rankorthe Twilight Hammer's Spell Defense plus the Thread Rank, whichever is higher, failure indicates the spell is cancelled. Neither Spell Defense nor Mystic Armor have any effect on the Warp Wave.

Rank 3

Cost: 800
Key Knowledge
?
Effect
The wielder's Spell Defense recieves a +1 bonus and the Wielder's Strength is increased by 2 Steps while actively wielding the Twilight Hammer.

Rank 4

Cost: 1300
Key Knowledge
?
Effect
Retributive Strike:Any time the wielder is struck by a physical attack while wielding the Twilight Hammer, she may choose toimmediatelyspend a Karma point to note the attacker's Attack Test result and activate the Retributive Strike power. Once activated, the wielder's next Testmustbe an Attack Test aimed at the entity who dealt the blow, and the wielder may not skip an opportunity to make this test. This ability may be cancelled prior to the Attack Test by making a successful Willpower Test against the attacker's Attack Test result. When the Attack Test is made, the wielder uses the attacker's Attack Test result for her Test result (but may add her own Karma or other special modifiers to the result if she is normally allowed).

Rank 5

Cost: 2100
Key Knowledge
?
Effect
Disruption:In brandishing the Twilight Hammer (but making no tests using it), the wielder may cause the astral space surrounding her to distort

Rank 6

Cost: 3400
Key Knowledge
?
Effect
Astral Rift:For 1 Wound (and the appropriate damage) the wielder may sever the barrier to astral space. The wielder must cut himself with the Twilight Hammer and the slash a bloody arc in the air. The blood will stay in a line in the air and blaze with an eerie flame as the blood line separates into a tear. This tear allows free access to and from astral space. The blood surrounding the tear does not dry but slowly flows down the tear, as though dripping off the bottom but the blood vanishes as it leaves the tear. The blood holds the rift open, so as it flows away the tear will seal. Adding more blood (not necessarily the wielder's) to the rift will allow it to persist longer and the wielder may inflict additional Wounds on himself to increase the size of the tear. The rift cannot be controlled or closed in any other way.

Rank 7

Cost: 5500
Key Knowledge
The wielder must learn the one true Name.
Effect
The wielder's strength is increased by 4 Steps while actively wielding the Twilight Hammer. The wielder may concentrate (and succeed on a perception test against the Hammer's Spell Defense) to know the source of the current reflections on the weapon's surface. The wielder may even control the source of the reflections, but requires an Extraordinary Success on a Willpower Test against the Hammer's Spell Defense. Also, the Retributive Strike effect can be used to retaliate against attacks made against any entity connected to the wielder by thread magic.

The Twilight Hammer has been through several very significant events, and each time has been Named. All the Names are used to refer to it (by different people), and all are equally meaningless. In fact, the weapon was originally crafted by a mad Weaponsmith, who spun an unpredictable fate upon the weapon and gave it one true Name which it would carry above all others. It is unknown whether he ever spoke of this name to anyone, or if they cared what meaning his mad ramblings might hold.

(parakarma) C, a Journeyman infamous for his unpredictable behavior, traded for the Hammer. When he himself was betrayed, he swore nothing of his would ever serve their wishes, and Named the hammer Spite.

(wave) In a petty quarrel between two powerful mages that had severely escalated to a rage filled duel, the mage A drew raw astral power to himself, and into the weapon and threw the formless energy upon his enemy. The flux radically altered the spell B was casting and both of them were destroyed. Little was left beside the Hammer, and one of the surviving onlookers called it cursed, and Named it ____.

(retribution) A man mortally wounded fighting a quite vile horror, spread the blood from his wound, mixed with the horror's own foul fluids, on his weapon and made a final retributive attack on the horror, cursing it for what it had done to his people.

(disruption) The Hammer was claimed from the remains

(rift)