Atrax

Atrax is a legendary atgeir which was used to seal a demon on the world of Gothurgard thousands of years ago. The weapon passed through numerous hands over the intervening millennium, though it has been missing for the last 300 years at the least.

Physical Description

Atrax is an atgeir, composed mostly of blackmetal. It consists of a 7' long blackmetal pole, with a red gold pommel that appears similar to a spider foot at the base. At the head the weapon splits into two tines, on which is attached a red gold socket which looks similar to a spider (albeit one with only four legs). The socket holds a blackmetal broad-headed double-edged spear blade 14" in length on the top, while the bottom holds a long, thin vial which sits between the tines and can be removed. Anything placed into the vial will slowly seep down a small channel that runs down the center of the blade. The vial is traditionally filled with poison.

History

A thousand years ago, an inexperienced but powerful sorcerer poured his wild magic into a summoning circle. Expecting only to summon a minor demon, the sorcerer instead opened a massive gate, allowing a gehennan named Atrax to step through. The massive demon, taking the shape of a twisted goliath spider, snapped his jaws around the sorcerer instantly, killing him and slamming the gate shut. Only a few weaker drudes and gibberlings managed to sneak through, meaning Atrax was among the most powerful creatures to walk the face of Gothurgard. Why the sorcerer had attempted to summon a demon was unknown; Atrax never cared to find out and the sorcerer's lair was destroyed as Atrax burst forth from it unto the world.
Atrax immediately began gathering power, assembling a cult around himself. They began by conquering the surrounding land, usurping the Eternal War toward Atrax's ends. Atrax provided a potent venom to his followers, who injected a diluted version of it into new initiates into the cult. Many died, twisting in horrible pain, but those who survived found themselves overcome with a violent, terrible rage. This rage made them virtually indestructible on the battlefield, enabling them to shrug off even the most dire wounds. These rages would last for days, allowing the warriors to cut down hundreds of foes in the Eternal War before falling.
Despite the risks, stories of these berserkers brought scores of followers to Atrax's cult seeking glory in the Eternal War. For nearly a century, the influence of Atrax grew, his cult gaining in followers as they expanded across the realm. Atrax himself continued to grow in power as he devoured the souls of those who failed his trials or were brought before him as a sacrifice. Soon it seemed Atrax would rise in power to rival the gods themselves.
His reign of terror was finally brought to an end by a demon hunter named Úlfablóth. Wielding an atgeir he had forged himself, Úlfablóth had slain 999 demons with the weapon, soaking its blade in their blood. He vowed to make Atrax the 1000th and made his way to the demon lord's palace. He fought his way through the berserkers, slaying dozens while taking nary a scratch. Finally, he came before the great demon. The two fought, their clash destroying the palace around them. Eventually, Úlfablóth struck a fatal blow, sinking his atgeir into the heart of the demon. As the demon breathed its last, its essence was consumed by the atgeir, greatly empowering it.
However, Úlfablóth had suffered his own grievous wounds in the fight. Atrax's poison coursed through his veins, finally bringing him low. He fell to the ground, dead but a hero, having sundered the power of Atrax's cult. The demon's followers held out for a few years, mostly surviving by further diluting their reserves of his poison, but eventually they were wiped from the realm.
Atrax's followers attempted to destroy the atgeir, but were unable to. It eventually came into the hands of the leader of a band of shield-maidens, who wielded it for several years. The weapon was given the name of the demon it slew and seemed to have absorbed some of his power. The weapon then drifted in and out of history, falling into a variety of hands, often those who eventually befell tragic ends.

Atrax

Weapon Legendary

Atrax functions as a glaive +3 at its simplest, but when a vanquisher attunes to the weapon, they unlock other powers. The save DC for Atrax's abilities are 15.
Force of Personality. While wielding Atrax, you may add Atrax's Charisma bonus (+3) in addition to your own Charisma bonus to the save DC of any kensei abilities you use.
Arachnid. Atrax functions as a cloak of arachnida, except the web spell may be used 3 times per day.
Inject Poison. When you hit a target with Atrax, the target must make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 poison damage and be poisoned for an equal number of rounds. While it is poisoned, the target suffers 1d6 points of poison damage at the beginning of its turn.
Spider Swarm. You may cast Insect Plague once per day, except the locusts are spiders instead.
Demonic Release. As an action, you can summon a vestige of the demon sealed within Atrax to your side to fight for you. The demon uses the stats of a goliath spider. If the vestige kills a foe, it devours the victim's soul if the victim was CR 15 or level 15 or higher. It gains a +1 bonus to its Charisma for each soul it consumes. This bonus is reduced by 1 per day it does not consume another soul. The vestige remains for up to an hour or when dismissed. Once used, the demon cannot be released until you finish a short or long rest. While released and until you take a rest, Atrax functions only as a +3 glaive.
Sentience. Atrax is a sentient atgeir with a 13 Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, and 16 Charisma. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and write Common and Abyssal.
Personality. Atrax wishes nothing more than to free itself from its prison in the atgeir. To these ends, it attempts to force its wielder to release its vestige from the weapon to slay those with powerful souls. The vestige then devours the souls, feeding the power to Atrax. The weapon believes that if its vestige consumes enough souls and power in a short enough time, it will be able to break free of the weapon and reform its body. Whenever fighting a foe of CR 15 or level 15 or higher, Atrax demands its vestige be released from the weapon. If refused, it comes into conflict with its wielder and repeats its demand if it succeeds. Should the wielder still refuse, the weapon will try to take control of their body and release its vestige.
Destroying Atrax. The atgeir can be destroyed by submerging it completely in a universal panacea for 10 years. At the end of this period, the demonic spirit will be destroyed and the atgeir will dissolve. The universal panacea will be turned into black sludge which then transforms into 10 black puddings.
Alternately, should Atrax's Charisma reach 30, it will have gained enough power to break free from its seal. The atgeir will explode in a shower of poisonous shards and Atrax will manifest in the area.

Type	Damage	Damage	Range	Properties
Martial Melee	1d10+3 / 1d10+3	Slashing