In the Darkness there is Truth
The Ring of Dominion
Image Source: http://www.markdefrates.com/images/lotr1.jpg
Intent: To create a powerful yet balanced toy for Sumiko as she assumes the mantle of the departed Darth Shadow. While it offers several advantages, these are intended to be balanced out by weaknesses and unfortunate side-effects. This writer was somewhat inspired by the Rings from Lord of the Rings and the Chain Veil from Magic the Gathering, though this device is less powerful.
Development Thread:
Power Vacuum Sumiko and [member="Illyria"] unlock the puzzle box containing the ring.
Ring of Fear The ring's capabilities are tested during a mission on Taris. Sumiko fully embraces the dark side and becomes a Sith.
Prologue Solis Ortus: Subtly affecting Sumiko's behaviour.
Manufacturer: [member="Darth Shadow"]
Model: Not Applicable
Affiliation: Sumiko Tanaka
Modularity: No
Production: Production: Unique
Material: Alchemised gold, alchemised onyx gemstone
Strengths
Weaknesses:
Description:
The ancient Sith created many marvellous artefacts of tremendous power to further their agendas. The Ring is one of them. It was forged by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Shadow almost five thousand years ago, when Emperor Vitiate held dominion over the Empire, before the Sith returned from the shadows and invaded the Republic in the Great Galactic War.
As was typical for an aspiring Darth, Shadow desired power and coveted the throne, wrongly believing that the 'omnipotent' Emperor was a fraud. To further his machinations, he became a prodigious student of Sith alchemy and sorcery. After her slew Darth Karsax, his master, and ascended to the Dark Council, he began to his plans into motion. To this end, he sought to create an artefact that he believed would give him an edge over his peers and enable him to ascend to a position of preeminence in the Sith Empire.
Like with many Force-users, pride was his driving passion and ultimately his downfall. Due to his position as one of the highest Lords of the Empire, he had access to arcane tomes, devices and test subjects in form of slaves. Moreover, he was often dispatched on missions as an agent of the Dark Council, which included secretly visiting the worlds of the hated Republic that the Sith would one day seek to conquer. Among things, this included secret trips to Korriban and Taris. It is believed that he encountered both Rakghouls and Nekghouls on the latter, which gave him materiel to study. While he pretended to be loyal servant of the rarely seen Emperor, he began to craft the ring.
In the process, he tricked some of Karsax' former acolytes into helping him, then proceeded to sacrifice them, along with some slaves. Thus the ring was created through a combination of forging, human sacrifices and alchemical imbuement. The blood and the life force of those he considered to be lesser beings were used to empower it. Finally, the Darth went a step further by infusing the ring with a small portion of his soul. This meant sacrificing some of his power by splitting a part of his essence off, but made the artefact stronger. He also created an alchemised, almost unbreakable Cube to guard his ring and ensure that it would not fall into the wrong hands.
Unfortunately for Shadow, he was not able to enjoy his spoils for long, for he was imprisoned by Vitiate after a failed coup. The 'Immortal Emperor' locked the Darth in an oubliette. This was supposed to be a cruel and unusual punishment, but actually ensured that the renegade would outlive his ruler. The Cube and thus the Ring were lost for ages, passing from curio to curio, until Shadow awoke from his slumber and recovered them. Since then, he kept both items close to his person. As the Galaxy slowly arose from the ravages of the Dark Age, he made use of the ring when he sought to create an army of intelligent zombies. He probably intended to use his artefact to keep them obedient. However, this plan was thwarted by Adril Tythorin and Siobhan Kerrigan, then still Jedi, ironically after their blood had been used for his vile experiments.
This marked the beginning of the brutal rivalry between Shadow and Siobhan, which would go on for many years and lead to many tragedies until the Sith Lord's apparent death at the Dark Jedi's hand. The Cube, which contained the ring, ended up in the hands of Shadow's erstwhile apprentice and ally Illyria and Sumiko Tanaka. With the help of the Sith sword Souldrinker, both were able to unlock the puzzle box and discover the ring, which Sumiko promptly appropriated. Whether it will be a boon or the downfall of the very prideful Atrisian sorceress remains to be seen.
The ring itself is composed of alchemised gold, with a similarly alchemised onyx gemstone. While it is worn, it enhances the user's connection to the Dark Side. The wearer can draw upon greater reserves of strength and wield the dark power more effectively. It can also be used to take control over Sithspawn such as Rakghouls and Zombies and bind them to one's will. Such abominations created via the ring are also more intelligent and less like mindless abominations that attack anyone on sight with reckless abandon and little cunning. It also slows down the wearer's aging, though this does not translate into eternal youth. However, these benefits are also a double-edged sword. The more it is used, the more it starts to burn out the wearer, corrupting their appearance and intent. This is a gradual process that does not happen overnight, but it makes prolonged use dangerous.
Moreover, the artefact is sentient and, like any living thing, hungers. Unsurprisingly, it does so in a rather dark manner since it hungers for the life force of the living. Unless fed, it will be feed upon the wearer's life force and it becomes more and more demanding as time passes. While someone who belongs to a race that has inherently strong mental defences has a better chance of resisting the ring's mental influence, it is still corrupting.
Perhaps most importantly, due to being endowed with a piece of Shadow's spirit it has a will of its own. It will absolutely not tolerate a light sided user and actively seek to harm or betray them. Neutral Force-users and those who 'walk the fine line between light and dark' fare little better. It will only accept someone who has fully embraced the Dark Side without any moral scruples. The ring is able to communicate both with the wearer and anyone who's nearby via telepathy. If it has concluded that the wearer is unworthy, it may aim to persuade others to kill its present wielder.
It generates a strong dark side aura that makes it difficult to remain hidden while wearing the ring. Moreover, the wearer will feel fatigued after removing the ring from his or her finger. This can obviously be awkward during a battle, if say one's ring finger is cut off by a sword or blown away by an explosion's shockwave. Obviously the ring cannot be used within a Force nullification bubble, such as the one generated by a ysalamiri.
Primary Sources: N/A. Slightly inspired by the following artefacts from Star Wars and outside of it.
Syn Talisman
Dreypa Talisman
Chain Veil
Rings of Power
Image Source: http://www.markdefrates.com/images/lotr1.jpg
Intent: To create a powerful yet balanced toy for Sumiko as she assumes the mantle of the departed Darth Shadow. While it offers several advantages, these are intended to be balanced out by weaknesses and unfortunate side-effects. This writer was somewhat inspired by the Rings from Lord of the Rings and the Chain Veil from Magic the Gathering, though this device is less powerful.
Development Thread:
Power Vacuum Sumiko and [member="Illyria"] unlock the puzzle box containing the ring.
Ring of Fear The ring's capabilities are tested during a mission on Taris. Sumiko fully embraces the dark side and becomes a Sith.
Prologue Solis Ortus: Subtly affecting Sumiko's behaviour.
Manufacturer: [member="Darth Shadow"]
Model: Not Applicable
Affiliation: Sumiko Tanaka
Modularity: No
Production: Production: Unique
Material: Alchemised gold, alchemised onyx gemstone
Strengths
- Power of Darkness: The ring is saturated with arcane power. Thus it allows the user greater connection to the Dark Side, allowing them to call on greater reserves of strength. This is especially useful for abilities which are channelled such as Drain Life or Choke. A user can use the Force for longer and with greater strength by channelling their power through this ring. Monstrosities created through alchemy tend to be more intelligent and able to follow commands when one draws upon the ring to create them, though this is a double-edged sword!
- Be my thrall: The ring projects an aura of compulsion that forces Sithspawn creatures such as Rakghouls, Zombies and Nekghoul to bend to the wearer's will and obey their commands, turning them into thralls. The user can employ the ring to direct them over a distance, but this is tiring over a prolonged period. It is not designed to compel apex beasts such as terentateks or a Leviathan.
- Enhanced life span: As long as they are connected, the ring slows the aging of the wearer. However, it does not grant true immortality. Over time, the effect becomes more taxing to sustain.
- Unbreakable: Like with most alchemised items, the enchanted metal makes the ring virtually unbreakable by conventional means. However, Force Light, if strong enough, will cleanse the dark side from it. It goes without saying that while say a grenade cannot destroy the ring, it can blow off the finger wearing it.
Weaknesses:
- Insidious: Dark Side artefacts give great power, but often at a price. The ring is not a simple tool that will obey whatever command its wearer gives it, for Shadow infused it with a fragment of his black soul. Thus the device has a will of its own and reflects the personality and evil psyche of its forger. Thus it will try to corrupt and direct its wearer, steering him or her along the path it desires. A wearer who does not act in accordance with what the ring wants will discover that the artefact is treacherous. One can never be sure the ring might not turn on its wearer if there's someone worthier available, or try to dominate them subtly. This includes generating feelings of rage and paranoia. Though the ring allows for greater connection and channelling of the Dark Side, this comes at a severe cost. Prolonged use of the ring will start to sap the life force of the wearer, draining their vitality and will away. The more it is used, the more it starts to burn out the wearer. Bottom line, even the most malevolent of users cannot fully trust the ring.
- It hungers: The ring was given power through a blasphemous ritual that required the sacrifice of slaves before Shadow endowed it with a piece of his soul. To maintain its power over an extended period, the ring needs to be fed from somewhere. Draining the life force of sentient beings and feeding it into the ring can charge it. But if it is employed in a prolonged manner without recharge, the wearer may be fed on by the ring, which acts like a parasite. The more he or she draws upon the power of the ring, the more taxing it will be. Extended use will also make the wearer more vulnerable to the suggestions and influence of the ring.
- Darkness permeates everything: The ring manifests a very powerful dark side presence. The dark side energies generate an aura of unease, which can affect nearby light siders. While this can have a positive effect in combat, it also makes it extremely difficult to utilise abilities such as clouding one's presence in the Force. This does not only apply if one wears the ring on one's finger, simply having it on one's person (e.g. in a jacket pocket) suffices. Since it acts like a beacon, using this artefact on an operation to say infilitrate a location filled with Jedi is pretty much impossible.
- You have no power here: Obviously the ring will not function in areas where access to the Force has been blocked. Standing in a ysalamiri bubble will render it powerless until the offending lizard has been killed or the wearer has stepped out of the zone. The sudden loss of power can not only be disorientating, but painful for wearer.
- Burn the unclean: While the alchemised metal is virtually unbreakable, several powerful Light Side Masters could disenchant it with Force Light, turning it into a piece of jewellry that looks pretty, but has no powers. Even if a strong blast of Light does not cleanse the ring during combat, it will complicate using it by making use more taxing and the sentient artefact hungrier. Moreover, it will operate at reduced efficacy if utilised in an place strong in the Light Side.
Description:
The ancient Sith created many marvellous artefacts of tremendous power to further their agendas. The Ring is one of them. It was forged by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Shadow almost five thousand years ago, when Emperor Vitiate held dominion over the Empire, before the Sith returned from the shadows and invaded the Republic in the Great Galactic War.
As was typical for an aspiring Darth, Shadow desired power and coveted the throne, wrongly believing that the 'omnipotent' Emperor was a fraud. To further his machinations, he became a prodigious student of Sith alchemy and sorcery. After her slew Darth Karsax, his master, and ascended to the Dark Council, he began to his plans into motion. To this end, he sought to create an artefact that he believed would give him an edge over his peers and enable him to ascend to a position of preeminence in the Sith Empire.
Like with many Force-users, pride was his driving passion and ultimately his downfall. Due to his position as one of the highest Lords of the Empire, he had access to arcane tomes, devices and test subjects in form of slaves. Moreover, he was often dispatched on missions as an agent of the Dark Council, which included secretly visiting the worlds of the hated Republic that the Sith would one day seek to conquer. Among things, this included secret trips to Korriban and Taris. It is believed that he encountered both Rakghouls and Nekghouls on the latter, which gave him materiel to study. While he pretended to be loyal servant of the rarely seen Emperor, he began to craft the ring.
In the process, he tricked some of Karsax' former acolytes into helping him, then proceeded to sacrifice them, along with some slaves. Thus the ring was created through a combination of forging, human sacrifices and alchemical imbuement. The blood and the life force of those he considered to be lesser beings were used to empower it. Finally, the Darth went a step further by infusing the ring with a small portion of his soul. This meant sacrificing some of his power by splitting a part of his essence off, but made the artefact stronger. He also created an alchemised, almost unbreakable Cube to guard his ring and ensure that it would not fall into the wrong hands.
Unfortunately for Shadow, he was not able to enjoy his spoils for long, for he was imprisoned by Vitiate after a failed coup. The 'Immortal Emperor' locked the Darth in an oubliette. This was supposed to be a cruel and unusual punishment, but actually ensured that the renegade would outlive his ruler. The Cube and thus the Ring were lost for ages, passing from curio to curio, until Shadow awoke from his slumber and recovered them. Since then, he kept both items close to his person. As the Galaxy slowly arose from the ravages of the Dark Age, he made use of the ring when he sought to create an army of intelligent zombies. He probably intended to use his artefact to keep them obedient. However, this plan was thwarted by Adril Tythorin and Siobhan Kerrigan, then still Jedi, ironically after their blood had been used for his vile experiments.
This marked the beginning of the brutal rivalry between Shadow and Siobhan, which would go on for many years and lead to many tragedies until the Sith Lord's apparent death at the Dark Jedi's hand. The Cube, which contained the ring, ended up in the hands of Shadow's erstwhile apprentice and ally Illyria and Sumiko Tanaka. With the help of the Sith sword Souldrinker, both were able to unlock the puzzle box and discover the ring, which Sumiko promptly appropriated. Whether it will be a boon or the downfall of the very prideful Atrisian sorceress remains to be seen.
The ring itself is composed of alchemised gold, with a similarly alchemised onyx gemstone. While it is worn, it enhances the user's connection to the Dark Side. The wearer can draw upon greater reserves of strength and wield the dark power more effectively. It can also be used to take control over Sithspawn such as Rakghouls and Zombies and bind them to one's will. Such abominations created via the ring are also more intelligent and less like mindless abominations that attack anyone on sight with reckless abandon and little cunning. It also slows down the wearer's aging, though this does not translate into eternal youth. However, these benefits are also a double-edged sword. The more it is used, the more it starts to burn out the wearer, corrupting their appearance and intent. This is a gradual process that does not happen overnight, but it makes prolonged use dangerous.
Moreover, the artefact is sentient and, like any living thing, hungers. Unsurprisingly, it does so in a rather dark manner since it hungers for the life force of the living. Unless fed, it will be feed upon the wearer's life force and it becomes more and more demanding as time passes. While someone who belongs to a race that has inherently strong mental defences has a better chance of resisting the ring's mental influence, it is still corrupting.
Perhaps most importantly, due to being endowed with a piece of Shadow's spirit it has a will of its own. It will absolutely not tolerate a light sided user and actively seek to harm or betray them. Neutral Force-users and those who 'walk the fine line between light and dark' fare little better. It will only accept someone who has fully embraced the Dark Side without any moral scruples. The ring is able to communicate both with the wearer and anyone who's nearby via telepathy. If it has concluded that the wearer is unworthy, it may aim to persuade others to kill its present wielder.
It generates a strong dark side aura that makes it difficult to remain hidden while wearing the ring. Moreover, the wearer will feel fatigued after removing the ring from his or her finger. This can obviously be awkward during a battle, if say one's ring finger is cut off by a sword or blown away by an explosion's shockwave. Obviously the ring cannot be used within a Force nullification bubble, such as the one generated by a ysalamiri.
Primary Sources: N/A. Slightly inspired by the following artefacts from Star Wars and outside of it.
Syn Talisman
Dreypa Talisman
Chain Veil
Rings of Power
