The Judge

"In life, there are typically only two people who are allowed to judge you. The Gods, and your own conscience. Well, your conscience has clearly been off the clock too long, and I don't reckon the Gods wanna look your way either.
So, allow me to introduce the third option."

Some nations have mighty blades that've been passed down the line of kings. Some have repositories of knowledge millennia old. Some merely have the land and its people, but that's good enough. Boncly, fitting its rough and wild nature has a legendary gun.
It wasn't always a gun, The Judge was originally a Longbow of immense power and durability, crafted by Boncly's Lone God ages ago. Originally used by the Centaurs that populated the nation, then by the native Ocre people of the land, and now by the modern people of Boncly, the item has stayed consistently within the hands of the nation's children. It has taken the form of a sword, a dagger, an axe, a grimoire, a staff, and most recently a bolt-action rifle.
No matter the form, The Judge is an item that is equal parts weapon and test. It has the power to injure only the wicked-hearted, leaving other targets unharmed, and can force people to tell the truth and reveal hidden objects, all on top of its immense power and magical enhancements. But, in order to truly access all of that, one's heart must be pure and one's mind must be focused only on the safety of other people and the greater good. Of course, you can have a heart of pure malice to give that sheer focus and edge, but The Judge reads action and intent in the same breath, and while one with a malicious purity can use its power, they'll also damage themselves in equal measure in doing so.

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Mechanics & Inner Workings

The Judge takes on the form of whatever weapon its wielder uses best, so its internal mechanisms are always changing with the wielder and with the times. Currently, it's taken the form of a bolt-action rifle, luckily wielded not only by an expert marksman but also a skilled gunsmith, allowing it to be used with maximum efficiency.

Manufacturing process

The Judge, in its original longbow form, was made from the spine of The Lone Gods' most faithful follower and dearest friend, cut down by selfish outsiders. After The Lone God manifested for the first, and last, time to eradicate the threat, it gave the bow its enchantments that mark it today. It could only be used by someone with a pure heart and mind for the benefit of others, not in rage as it had done. It was then sent off into the world to find its worthy host, and the cycle began.

History

The Lone God was not always alone. There used to be a family of gods in Boncly, but they each fell victim either to the machinations of fate, the gods of other lands, or the Anti-Theos all divinity struggles against, leaving the one previously known as The Youngest God as The Lone God. But, they did not despair for too long, as they had the people of Boncly to keep them company, the Centaurs of the ancient forest.
They didn't know how to really be a god just yet, so they did their best to listen to prayers, give people reassurance, and flex the divine blessing or two when they could. Despite their lack of knowledge, they still had their faithful. The most faithful among them was a young man by the name of Metztli, who was kind and patient, and only ever prayed for the sake of others. It was he who the Lone God manifested to when they worked it out, and the pair became close friends and talked for ages, even as Metztli grew old and weathered.
The Lone God would've wept for their friend when he passed but would take joy in seeing him live a full life. Unfortunately, things cannot even go according to a god's plans sometimes.
One day, a group of humans from the east, the land that is now the hills of Agartha, made their way into the ancient forest of Boncly, and upon hearing of the holyman who cavorted with a God, they demanded that he call them. Knowing that they had cruel intentions for the god that was still so young, Metztli refused, no matter what, taking cut after cut from the trespasser's blades, as they laughed about collecting the Centaur's blood for its supposedly magical properties.
Eventually, Metztli did indeed pray. But he did not pray for the Lone God to save him. Instead, he prayed that he could show the outsiders the true way of the values he represented and that he would stay safe and joyous for millennia to come. It was during this prayer that the trespassers got tired of waiting, and decapitated Metztli while he prayed.
In their rage from losing their dearest friend, the Lone God could not honor that final prayer. The Lone God did manifest as the trespassers went to harvest Metztli's blood, swatting their swords away with a brush of their hand, and scattering their courage just as easily. As the group ran, the Lone God made sure that Metztli's soul ushered on quickly, and that he would return in a happier life. But first, he had work to do.
Taking the spine of Metztli, the Lone God crafted it into a longbow, the likes of which had never been seen. From his friends' ribs on the humanoid front of his body, he crafted one arrow for each trespasser who ran through the woods. Standing from the river where Metztli gave his final prayer, he slowly drew back and fired each arrow one by one. In a matter of seconds after firing, the arrows carved impossible paths through the air, spinning and drilling through the skulls of the trespassers. Slowly, painfully, unforgettably.
Yet, when all was done, and the last arrow was fired, the Lone God felt no joy in what they had done. No satisfaction or even resolution. They just felt empty without their dearest friend. And so, they performed three acts of penance. First, they turned the rest of Metztli's body into beautiful flowers that would spread all throughout the green areas of Boncly, even to the present day, later known as Moontears.
Second, they transformed their bow of vengeance into a beautifully smooth bow of justice, enchanting it to only be usable by someone with as valiant and noble a heart as their friend, and only to serve the purposes of justice and peace as they would've wanted. Finally, after sending the magical bow into the world, they retreated from the mortal plane, ascending beyond where they could ever physically be reached. While the Lone God would still answer the prayers of their faithful, they would do so from the high seats of other gods, not on a personal, manipulatable, level.
From then on, The Judge would move from host to host, hero to hero, serving them well and flying to the next one upon their wielder's death. Each time as it grew a new understanding of justice and righteousness, would also grow in form, turning into all various sorts of weapons. It would always be used by those who wished to protect the people of Boncly, from the Centaurs hunted for superstition into hiding, to the Ocre people subjugated by the Dwarves of Agartha, it's always been wielded by the people for the people against those who would oppress them.
In the modern day, it is wielded by Governor Jacob Morrison, the leader of Boncly. A brash yet righteous man who has always held the safety and well-being of Boncly and its citizens first and foremost, starting from a humble childhood of farmers to a proud yet defiant military career, topped off and continuing with an equally defiant yet admirable political career. Ever since his military days, The Judge has been there, making sure he stays on the right path, and doesn't lose sight of what he's fighting for.

Significance

The Judge is not only a historical weapon, dating all the way back to the pre-agarthan antiquity of Boncly, but it's also an effective and notable one. For someone to properly wield The Judge, they must be of clear mind and direction, and to prevent it from backfiring that mind and direction must be to serve the greater good. No matter what form it takes, for an opponent to be struck down, it must be wielded by someone of worth and character, one that the people of Boncly can truly trust.

Item type

Weapon, Ranged

Creation Date

Unknown

Rarity

There has only ever been one Judge, and it has passed from worthy hand to worthy hand over the generations, taking the form the wielder could use it best.

Weight

12 lbs

Dimensions

32 inches long, 5 inches tall, 2 inches wide

Base Price

Priceless

Raw materials & Components

No science, ancient or modern, has been able to discern what The Judge is truly made of. For the most part, people are content to see it as divine and leave it at that. It always seems to be made of pure white wood, with any metallic pieces or accents taking on a shimmering gold hue to it. Other than that, it's composition and the true nature of the pieces that make it up are entirely alien to the modern person.

Tools

Since its current form takes the shape of a bolt-action rifle, The Judge can be examined and repaired using gunsmiths tools. While it's divine nature means that it doesn't have to undergo much maintenance, it's still not entirely used to firing bullets, so Governor Morrison makes sure to treat it carefully.