In the Darkness there is Truth
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Personal weapon for Libertas.
Image Source: Here.
Canon Link: N/A. Pandemic.
Primary Source: Sith Sword,https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sith_sword Sith Alchemy, Pandemic.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Darth Libertas.
Affiliation: Darth Libertas.
Model: Azgroh the Blade of Unbinding.
Modularity: No.
Production: Unique
Material: Alchemised Songsteel, Svolten Rhyolite, alchemised Terentatek leather. The souls of sacrificed plague victims.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Sith Sword.
Size: Large
Weight: Heavy
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Standard features of a Sith Sword. It resists lightsabres and deflects blaster fire. However, while it blocks lightning, it does not store and release it on contact.
- Very sharp and durable.
- Alchemised Songsteel.
- Imbued with Force Plague.
- Alchemised Terentatek Leather.
- Extremely durable and sharp. The alchemised Songsteel has an impressive durability and strength. The weapon has been designed to withstand wear and tear. It can cut even under extreme stress and withstand lightsabre strikes. It will never shatter or break due to damage. Use of high-quality Svolten Rhyolite gives it a permanently sharpened edge. Thus the edge of the sword will never dull.
- The weight and mass of the blade gives it greater kinetic energy in combat, allowing the wielder to deliver heavier blows than a lightsabre would. A strong two-handed slash allows the user to put more strength into the blow, potentially knocking an opponent or their weapon aside. The length of the blade can also give the wielder a reach advantage.
- Force Plague enchantment. When the blade wounds an enemy, it saps their stamina and vitality. The effects are cumilative, so they stack up with each successful strike. It acts like a fast-acting toxin, debilitating victims over time. Lesser effects can include vertigo, crippling migraines, nausea, convulsions, difficulty walking, blurry vision, hearing impairment, dangerously elevated body temperature, vomiting and similar. There is a strong potential for hallucinations and mental illusions of the dead that were sacrificed to create the blade, assaulting the focus and concentration of the victim.
- The hilt grip is covered in alchemised Terentatek leather. Terentateks are highly resistant and in some cases immune to Force powers. Libertas is not good enough an alchemist to fully replicate this effect, and it is not her intent anyway. However, due to the Terentatek hide it is impossible for an opponent to use telekinesis to manipulate the sword. For instance, if Libertas launches an attack, a foe cannot use the Force to suddenly redirect the blade away from them or hold it in place. Likewise, they cannot use the Force to pull it into their grasp. The leather is also resistant to lightsabres.
- The sword is a creation of Sith alchemy and sorcery. Thus it has a dark side aura. This makes it easy for other Force-wielders to sense the blade, making stealth very difficult. In short, it is a weapon for a Sith warrior, not an infiltrator or assassin.
- Force Light can damage or destroy the sword.
- It loses all supernatural qualities when inside a Force suppression field such as those generated by a Ysalamiri.
- Sith Swords are heavy and this weapon is no different. Songsteel is light, which decreases the weight a bit. However, this can only go so far, and mainly keeps the weapon at a weight that's practical to use in combat, but still heavy due to its size and the alchemisation process. Indeed, the dark taint inside the sword seems to demand a strong wielder. It requires a wielder of significant strength to use effectively. Libertas meets this criteria since she is a cyborg. But unlike the typical lightsabre the weapon has a lot of mass and is thus slower in combat. For the same reason, it is less effective at deflecting blaster fire than a lightsabre would be, especially if it israpid-firing and/or coming from multiple directions.
- Its cutting power has its limitations. It is strong against personal armour but unlike with a lightsabre, it cannot cut through a blast door such as Qui-Gon did, nor can it be used to melt through a solid wall or vehicle plating.
The creation of Azgroh the Blade of Unbinding is connected to a pandemic that broke out in Lower Coruscant a few years ago. The plague was created by a think tank called the Galactic Sustainability Trust. Ostensibly it was a benevolent, non-profit organisation that was dedicated to the betterment of the Galaxy and the prevention of a new Dark Age. However, its methods to protect galactic civilisation and sustainability were...unconventional, if one wanted to use extreme euphemism.
The trust believed that periodic cleansings were necessary in order to keep overpopulation in check. Big cities such as Coruscant needed to be purged of 'superfluous' life. Of course, a select elite would be protected. To this end, the scientists weaponised Scurrier’s Disease. The illness was common on Tatooine, where it was carried by rodents, but it rarely spread beyond the desert planet. It typically caused fever, coughing and aching joints, but often subsided, though it could be fatal for the immunocompromised or elderly. However, the think tank developed a far more lethal strain of the disease.
However, their test subject escaped and released the virus prematuraly before they could manufacture an antidote to protect the 'worthy'. Soon the already overflowing, understaffed and underfunded clinics of the area were being flooded with patients. Enyo Typhos got involved because this happened to occur in her bailiwick. So did her new associate, Darth Libertas, a Rogue Sith Lord. While Enyo worked with a Zeltron scientist called Farah to track down the source, Libertas dealt with crisis management. The outbreak of the virus had caused chaos in many districts, gangs were at each others' throats and more and more people were getting sick. The existence of some would be prioritised. The infected would be quarantined. Those deemed beyond saving would be euthanised or used to run tests in order to save the rest.
Once the Iron Fist Consortium was able to take down the bioterrorist cabal and co-opt its resources, the cure itself became a weapon. Libertas was no humanitarian, but a ruthless Sith revolutionary with a saviour complex. In her view, those who survived this calamity would be the stronger for it, for they had been tested in fire. The Blade of Unbinding was born in these days. It was created by sacrificing a number of plague victims. Thus the weapon was baptised in murder and unholy rites. The sacrifice of the plague victims, as well as other dark rites, have enchanted the blade with Force Plague. This makes it a potent debuff should a strike succeed, potentially giving the wieder an advantage in melee combat.
It was suggested to Libertas that she enchant the blade to give it a corrupting effect on its victims. However, she rejected this idea as it contradicted her belief in choise and choosing the Dark Side because of its philosophical methods. Corrupting someone's moral and spiritual health assumed that the Dark Side was like a virus which converted its host without really any choice in their part. This postulatd that a dark-sided Force-wielder was a slave to a demonic power they did not control. Libertas did not believe that and thus rejected the notion. Like a typical Sith Sword, the blade provides protection against lightning. However, it merely dissipates it, instead of storing and releasing it on contact. The reason for this is that Libertas is a Cyborg, so playing with lightning would be dangerous for her.
The blade was made out of Songsteel. Not only would this allow it to still resist lightsabre strikes if it was deprived of its preternatural qualities, it also kept the weight down somewhat, as Songsteel is a very light material. However, the alchemisation process, size and the sheer amount of metal used still makes the sword heavy. Using an inherently light material as base just keeps the weight practical. The hilt has a crossguard design and a pommel. Not only do the crossguards offer hand protection, they theoretically allow the wielder to trap a foe's lightsabre, as they have also been alchemised. The grip is covered in lightsabre-resistant, alchemised Terentatek leather.
