Manifold Edge

The Manifold Edge is a unique enchanted dagger said to be forged in a mythical epoch where the rules of space and dimension were radically different to those understood to govern the modern era. Said to be comprised of pure force-energy despite its mineral appearance, the wielder of the Manifold Edge can swing, thrust, or throw the weapon to strike with the force of five attacks simultaneously.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The Manifold Edge has a numer of unique properties that differentiate it from other arcana-infused weapons. The blade never seems to chip, grow dull, or require stropping (see Materials & Components). When used against incorporeal threats, such as ghosts, the Manifold Edge strikes true despite the aetherial nature of these creatures. Once picked up by a wielder, the blade will always return to that wielder's hand unless it is sheathed or otherwise intentionally stowed by the wielder.
When used in melee against physical targets, the blade seems almost to draw itself into the attack, multiplying the force of the strike by roughly an amount equivalent to the number of shards the wielder has collected (see Manufacturing Process). When thrown, this propery manifests in a unique way. The blade fragments back into its constituent shards, one for each of the wielder's attepted throws, each of which independently seeks out the wielder's intended targets; even if the targets have concealed themselves behind obstacles, the shards will jink to strike them so long as they are within 50ft of the wielder. After striking, each shard of the Manifold Edge will shoot back to the user as though borne through the air on invisible threads of force, re-merging with the others in the thrower's hand and made ready for another throw.
It is believed that the Manifold Edge is somehow attuned to the mental state of its wielder. If the wielder dies - but not if he or she chooses to voluntarily pass on the weapon to another - the Manifold Edge will shatter once more and the shards will disperse into the world as they did at Syntelius Horn's death (see Rarity). Whether this is an effect of the weapon imparting some sort of arcane radiation into the body of the user, causing an explosion when the wielder's will dissipates, or whether the weapon might do this because of some sort of intelligence innate to itself remains unknown. In the rare cases where two wielders of Manifold Edge fragments have fought one another, the wielder in possession of more shards is immune to the seeking and increased penetration effects, but not injury by the weapon by dint of it still functioning as a dagger; should both wielders hold the same number of shards, then both wielders are immune to these effects in equal measure.

Manufacturing process

The methods used in the Manifold Edge's construction remain the subject of much speculation, but the manner in which it might be returned to its full strength is somewhat better understood. When two fragments are brought together, they 'meld' into one another without an apparent increase in mass or volume. With each fragment unified in this manner, the refractive index of the blade's material (see Materials & Components) increases significantly; when whole, it is said that the Manifold Edge was as dark and radiant as a moonless night, sucking ambient light into it like the depths of the ocean.

History

The Manifold Edge is believed to be cosmic in origin, its shape and 'bismuth crystal' geometric flourishes resembling no known historical cultures even to scholars predating the New Generica period. Oral traditions in the Crystal Wood hold that this mythical weapon may have come down to the first humans in the core of a geode that crashed down to Generica as a meteor in the distant pre-literate past. From there, the blade passed between wizard-priests for hundreds of years before finally finding its way into the hands of the mad mage Syntelius Horn. Upon Horn's death, the blade was shattered and the fragments scattered across the face of Generic for the first time.
In the intervening centuries, one or two fragments of the Manifold Edge have found themselves into the hands of individual bandits, warlords, or others willing to seek them out and put them to grisly use, but no other seekers have since managed to find and unite all fragments over the course of a single lifetime. The wielders of the Manifold Edge tend to meet unfortunate ends, generally as a result of overweaning hubris or lust for power; for this reason, some have suggested that the Manifold Edge may bear a sort of 'siren's curse,' calling out to avaricious men only to lead them to their inevitable deaths.

Item type

Weapon, Other

Rarity

Originally, the Manifold Edge was a singular weapon, but it was shattered into five idential shards when the ancient hero Augustus Rand thrust it into the magically-hardened corpus of the mad mage Syntelius Horn over 500 years before the beginning of the New Generica Period. The arcane energy released from Horn's body at the moment of his death vaporized Rand and left a mile-wide crater in its wake, but it also scattered the five shards across the face of Generica.

Raw materials & Components

A single shard of the Manifold Edge appears to be a long, tapered blade made of some sort of bluish-purple glass with a very low index of refraction. Stars and nebulae may sometimes be glimpsed swimming beneath the surface, and it is said that this effect is amplified in proportion to the number of fragments reunited. Despite its vitreous appearance, the Manifold Edge has the heft of wrought iron when held in the wielder's hand. The blade does not ever seem to get dull or show signs of damage even after repeated strikes against hard surfaces; it may very well be that the Manifold Edge is actually a sort of persistent arcane 'construct,' not a material object as its feel and appearance might suggest. Legends hold that the weapon was forged from pure lines of cosmic force that merely take the form of a blade for the convenience of the user - perhaps even a blast of arcane energy somehow frozen through magical artifices predating even the oldest Lunar glyphs.