When Red Strife Artificer exalted, she claimed she would one day be the greatest smith in Creation. When her weapons brought about peace and order in a turbulent time, she claimed the need for her skill would someday pass. When she met her future wife, she swore to never forge another weapon again. When the ancient nephwrack Malevath devoured her wife’s soul, Red Strife Artificer broke her promise and returned to her forge.
For 10 long years, Red Strife Artificer made blade after blade, always unsatisfied with its result. The daiklave must be powerful enough to stop death itself, and so its foundation was orichalcum. However, her work was cut short when Malevath slew the exalt in her sleep. Inhabiting her corpse, Malevath saw potential in the unfinished blade and sought tutelage from her Deathlord master, Cascading Waves of Ire. Together, the two added soulsteel to the weapon to give it the slaying power of death itself.
After years of tutelage, while working on the weapon in Red Strife Artificer’s forge, Malevath was ambushed by a Wyld Hunt from the Realm, who destroyed the terrible nephwrack. Steady Granite brought the unfinished weapon back to the Blessed Isle and spent years studying the blade. After finally understanding the blades ambitious intent, Steady Granite continued work on the blade. A masterpiece to begin with, the Dragon-Blood brought stability by adding white jade to the grip of the sword. The effort of contributing to such a potent artifact cost her the best years of her life.
Eventually, the blade was passed on to her apprentice, who lacked the innate brilliance to add to such an intense weapon, an artifact which had begun to impress its need to be complete and to kill upon whoever touched it. Thinking it finished enough, the young apprentice brought it with him on his first battle, which was sadly his last. The anathema Ivory Hooves slew the young Dragon-Blood and took up the weapon, immediately recognizing its incomplete nature. Retreating to her home, she worked the weapon further. She saw a hunger in the weapon’s desires and added green jade filigree along the length of the blade to sate it.
Finally, she gave the weapon to her mate, a twilight who turned out to be the reincarnation of Red Strife Artificer herself. He remembered the daiklave’s origin and marveled at how it had evolved since its inception. He spent 2 more years finishing the blade, tempering it in the fires of sorcerous essence and aligning the differing aspects of the blade with its perfect killing intent. In honor of the numerous contributions to the daiklaves creation, he dubbed it Hundred-Forged Conclusion.
The reaper daiklave Hundred-Forged Conclusion is narrow and slightly curved, with both orichalcum and soulsteel amalgamated into the blade. It has 2 hearthstone sockets, one on the pommel, and one in the blade itself. It is a marvelous creation in that it can be attuned by any exalt to varying degrees, and it enhances the wielder’s inner desire for violence.
An exalt who attunes to Hundred-Forged Conclusion gains +1 die on all join battle rolls. This reaper daiklave will only open itself to an exalt that dedicates a large portion of their life to killing, dueling, or physical combat in general. If they do not have at least a Minor positive intimacy towards violence in some form, the blade is silent and the evocations of Hundred-Forged Conclusion remain locked to them. Those who do maintain such an intimacy feel the blade’s internal need for bloodshed. It is not a joyous desire, but one of solemn duty and purpose. It is a weapon of war and simply put, the daiklave must kill. If the blade goes an entire story without shedding the blood of a worthy foe, it will lock its evocations to the user, refunding the experience. Lost evocations must be relearned. If it goes two stories in a row, Hundred-Forged Conclusion will de-attune itself to the exalt until they slay a worthy foe in fair combat in the blade’s presence.
For the purposes of evocations for Hundred-Forged Conclusion, the value associated with an Intimacy towards violence, combat, or killing is 1 for Minor, 2 for Major, and 3 for Defining.
Cost: 5m Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-Only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None
The reaper daiklave is a tool of combat and Hundred-Forged Conclusion excels at it. More than that, the sword basks in its wielder’s love for combat and channels it into a blow that strikes true. Slashing at their foe and activating Dutiful Denouement creates a Decisive attack, taking the exalt’s Intimacy towards violence and enhancing the strike. If damage is dealt by the attack, add an additional -1 wound penalty for a number of the target's turns equal to (Intimacy's strength). The damage that caused the penalty is considered Aggravated for the purposes of healing effects until the required turns have passed.
When the wielder slays a non-trivial foe with Dutiful Denouement, they gain motes equal to (Intimacy’s strength) of their love for battle.
Special Activation Rules: Dutiful Denouement is learned automatically the first time the exalt slays a worthy foe in open combat with Hundred-Forged Conclusion
Cost: 4m Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-Only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Dutiful Denouement
Hundred-Forged Conclusion is a tool of death, and it will abide no other purpose. The reaper daiklave exults in the slaying of a foe and hits harder. Decisive attacks enhanced by A Worthy Death add up to (Intimacy’s strength) threshold successes from the attack roll in dice to their damage pool.
Hundred-Forged Conclusion rewards its wielder for fulfilling its nature. If this evocation enhances Dutiful Denouement and the attack kills a non-trivial foe, add (Intimacy’s strength) to the exalt’s initiative upon returning to base.
Cost: 4m Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: A Worthy Death
The blade is a tool of unstoppable power, and not even the might of the gods can stop it. Should the exalt wielding Hundred-Forged Conclusion cross a god in his travels, this blade will cut it. Clash attacks supplemented by To Cut A God gain (Intimacy’s strength) bonus dice. Magic effects from the target that inflict penalties upon the exalt’s attacks are negated up to (Intimacy’s strength) points. Finally, this evocation allows the attack to hit dematerialized spirits, although it does not confer the ability to see them.
If used to enhance Dutiful Denouement, the attack ignores (Intimacy’s strength) Hardness to determine if the attack deals damage.
Cost: 4m Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: To Cut A God
Hundred-Forged Conclusion is a tool of magic, crafted from a variety of magical materials. It resonates with the natural energies of the Creation as well as those of the gods. On its path to battle eternally, the daiklave will cut through all obstacles, no matter their source. Successful Withering attacks enhanced with Cancel the Prophecy that target foes who have gathered sorcerous motes will cut away (Intimacy’s strength) sorcerous motes from the sorcerer’s pool. Successful Decisive attacks will cut away (Intimacy’s strength x 2) sorcerous motes. Alternately, the exalt may choose to cut away the target’s own motes instead should they possess one, starting with Peripheral essence and moving on to the Personal essence afterwards.
If Cancel The Prophecy is used to enhance Dutiful Denouement and the attack hits, the exalt may cancel 1 active non-permanent charm or evocation up to (Intimacy’s strength x 2) in mote cost.
Special Activation Rules: Only Solars, Abyssals, and Dragon-Blooded who attune to Hundred-Forged Conclusion can unlock further Evocations beyond Cancel The Prophecy.
Cost: -- Mins: Essence 4
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Cancel the Prophecy
The exalt knows that the daiklave is a tool of a warrior, one who dedicates their life to war. Hundred-Forged Conclusion will only bond with one who has similarly dedicated their life, but such a bond strengthens both wielder and blade. Learning Strength In Violence permanently upgrades the bonuses from the exalt’s Intimacy for violence to 2 for Minor, 3 for Major, and 4 for Defining.
Cost: (+5m, 1wp) Mins: Essence 5
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Strength in Violence
Hundred-Forged Conclusion was designed as a tool with one purpose, to kill anything. The exalt who forges the ultimate bond with this daiklave can unlock its most fearsome and uncanny evocation, channeling its ultimate power into a single strike. Everything Dies is an upgrade to Dutiful Denouement making the attack unblockable and undodgeable without the use of magic. This evocation can only be used once per combat.
If every evocation of Hundred-Forged Conclusion is used with Everything Dies in a single Decisive strike, and the exalt holds a Defining intimacy towards violence, the attack deals Incalculable Damage unto its foe, ensuring their demise. This final effect can only be used once per story.