Shadow Crystal Axe of Ornust (Enchanted Battle Axe):

There are a handful of crystalline weapons which are known to exist which are not believed to have been created by the Elven Alchemist named Eldron. Nobody really knows who might have created this axe with some scholars suggesting that the weapon may have been created during the great war between the Elves and the Dwarves.

The axe only bears the name of Axe of Ornust because a warlord by the name of Ornust is the first one to be known to have wielded the weapon. In addition, he is believed to have wielded the weapon for a couple of decades. In some cases, the axe is known simply as the “Axe of Ornust” while other scholars just call it the “Shadow Crystal Axe.” As far as known, he never said where he actually got the axe and his own history is cloaked in mystery.

Ornust himself is believed to have lived almost a thousand years ago. The stories that survive about him do not paint a nice picture of him, willing to do anything in order to gain power. One of the stories tells about him having his troops skewer everybody in a village on pikes after he invaded it. Other stories tell of his soldiers raping and pillaging as they went.

Several of the other wielders of the axe are said to have been just as evil as he seems to have been although few to have inflicted as much carnage as he is said to have caused. Still, not all of the wielders are believed to have been monsters. In fact, one of the wielders is believed to have been a female knight who slew Ornust and several others have been well known heroes of light.

Unlike the enchanted crystal weapons made by Eldron, the axe is not a single piece. Instead, the axe head itself appears to be made from a dark crystalline material which appears similar to smoky quartz. Single bladed, the blade itself is extremely sharp and seems to never dull. In fact, there is no signs of any wear at all on the blade. In fact, there are no signs of tool marks at all on the blade making most scholars believe the weapon was made by magic.

Unlike the axe blade, the handle does tend to wear out. The handle has been replaced many times over the centuries with the latest handle being made from the yellow wood of the Eastern Territory forests. This handle actually is fairly old. Even though the yellow wood is ten times tougher than normal wood, the wood shows signs some signs of wear from the many hands who have wielded it. The wooden handle has been also painted black several times although the paint tends to flake off over time.

The weapon itself is exquisitely balanced, equal to some of the finest weapons made by Dwarven weapon crafters. As one might expect, the axe blade itself is enchanted to be indestructible and would most likely shatter if it was not enchanted. The weapon also inflicts greater damage than one might expect from a normal weapon, even one of the finest Dwarven crafting. Finally, whenever the weapon is wielded against an opponent of good alignment, whether supernatural or not, the weapon inflicts twice normal damage.

Weight: 4.6 lbs (2.0 kg). Length: 2.75 feet (0.8 meters).

Damage: 4D6+6 for Hand to Hand attacks (+Strength, if applicable) - The battle axe also inflicts double damage against targets of good alignment (scrupulous and principled.)

Bonuses due to Quality: +4 to Damage (Included Above), +2 to Initiative, +2 to Strike, and +3 to Parry.

Enchantments:

Additional Damage: inflicts an additional 1D6 per strike.
Double Damage to Good: Weapon inflicts 2x damage to those of Scrupulous or Principled target. Normal damage to targets of any other alignment.
Indestructible: Cannot be destroyed by any means except for possibly in the hands on an alchemist.

Cost: Sells between 80,000 and 120,000 Gold.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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