Demon Heart (Holy Sword of Evil):

The captive screamed in terror. A beautiful maiden, chained hands and feet, draped over the granite altar. Just ripening into womanhood, the daughter of an important lord with many having made oaths of fealty to. His daughter and only heir kidnaped by demon priests. Not having been trained as a warrior, she had been an easy target once her women guards had been overcome. The blood of many ancient warriors running through her veins, the prefect gift to the demon lords who the priests worshiped. Untouched, the very embodiment of goodness to be perverted into evil

All around her were figures in black robes. The ritual began, a slim blade making tiny cuts, intimate cuts. At first the cuts were tiny but this was not to continue. The maiden fought more than the priests expected but that was all for the better. She screamed, hoping that someone might hear her call, but the temple was deep underground and there was no hope. The same slim blades began flaying the skin of the maiden, destroying the once lovely woman, leaving only horror in its wake. Slowly, her voice grew hoarse but the once lovely figure survived until the end. Maybe she was held to her fate by supernatural forces or maybe it was the blood of warriors coming to the front..

The high priest intoned the words to the ritual which would seal her fate. His prayers to his demon lord got ready approval. The high priests heart burned in the glory of the high ritual. It was time for the climax of the ritual. The high priest pulled a larger, heavier blade, and stabbed under the sternum. Flesh parted like it was paper and her life's blood flooded out of the mortal wound. His hands reached in under the rib cage and pulled out the still beating heart. It pulses in his hand as it weakened.

While the heart was still beating, two priests soaked a blade of steel into her flowing life blood. The death magic joined with her blood, infusing into the blade through the ritual. In her state, halfway between child and woman, her magical energies would never be stronger. Something from the dark reached to grab her soul. The sword was not a work of art but a simple tool for butchery. The sole exception was the skull which was the center piece of the hand guard. Not bound into the blade, instead the soul shattered to join blade with the evil demon essence, a new weapon in the fight against good was forged.

The lifeless and mutilated body was forgotten.

Demon Heart is a lesser holy weapon but, unlike most, it is dedicated to evil. Specifically, the blade is bound to the forces of evil, demon lords and princes. No one knows if it is dedicated to a specific demon lord or the lords in general. Even thought it is not a greater holy weapon, it should still be feared when carried in the wrong hands. The sword is of comparatively recent origins, less than a hundred years, compared to many holy and unholy weapons. The blade has been carried by priest, dark knight, witch, and assassin alike. The possessors seem to delight in the blade being used against those who are truly good although there is little honor in those who have carried the blade. In its history, the blade has been used against friend and foe. It often has found its way into a new owner's hands through a dagger in the back.

The blade is described as being very plain with nothing in the way of artistry on it, a true weapon of butchery. The sword is a simple straight blade with only the simplest of guard and hand grip. The only exception is that a skull design is worked into the hand guard of the sword. Still, the weapon is forged as if a master swordmaker made the blade, having incredible balance. Often known as a Bastard Sword, the sword is a hand and a half weapon, usable with either one hand or two. No one today appears to know if it was the originally color or if it was stained by the blood infused into it, but the blade is black with a very slight red tinge to it. The red tinge to the matt blade is more felt than really seen.

For powers, the blade has the ability to inflict great damage both to normals and supernatural. Like most holy, and unholy weapons, the weapon appears to be close to indestructible. While the blade could theoretically be used by those of good as well as evil, the fell aura prevents those of good from wanting to possess the weapon for any length of time. As well, there is rumor that the weapon is cursed. The curse seems to manifest in two ways. The first is an extreme hatred for good where the possessor of the sword will focus on a being seen as good and attempt to kill them, usually in as gruesome manner as possible. Depending on the nature of the own of the weapon, they might just directly slay the person or make take their time with a subtle plot. Still they normally want to soak the weapon in the blood of the victim. The second one is that the owner of the sword developed a suspicion of everybody around them either wanting to steal the sword or murder them. Of course, the way the sword seems to pass hands, this suspicion is probably warranted.

Basic Statistics:

Damage:

Weight:

Length:

Bonuses:

Powers:

Virtually indestructible and never dulls
Glows with a blackish-red halo of energy when drawn and registers as magic.
Adds +5% to all prayers to one's deity.

Special Abilities:

Damage Bonus: Weapon inflicts 2D6 additional Damage (S.D.C. in S.D.C. worlds and M.D.C. in M.D.C. worlds).
Monster Slayer: Inflicts normal S.D.C. damage +6 points to human and mortal foes, but does double damage to supernatural beings and creatures of magic. It does S.D.C. in S.D.C. worlds and M.D.C. in M.D.C. worlds.

Curse:

Hatred of Good: The possessor (If evil) of the sword grows to hate all which is good. As time goes own, the owner of the sword will have their hatred grow stronger and stronger. They will enjoy the act of killing the good and innocent, defenseless or not. Often the owner of the sword will target a specific individual. They will also slowly come up with new ways of killing their victims although almost always involving the sword. Those of Aberrant alignment will have +3 to save against the temptation (Save vs Magic) and often will attempt to discard the weapon. Anarchists are similarly effected although with no bonuses to save. Repeated actions through the temptation of the weapon will alter alignment to Miscreant or Diabolic. Those of good alignment, including unprincipled, have to save against magic (12 or greater) in order to retain the weapon.
Suspicion: The owner of the sword often gets suspicious feeling about those around him or her, including allies. These suspicious feelings often include either that person wanting to steal the sword or kill the wielder. The possessor must save against magic or suspect a person. Of course the owner of the weapon will usually take what they consider the most expedient approach, which means murdering them before they get you. Those of Aberrant and Unprincipled alignments get +2 to save and those of Scrupulous and Principled alignments get +4 to save. They are also much less likely to kill the person who they believe is plotting against them.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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