The Five Viziers' Staffs (Artifact N/A)

These five unique starmetal staffs were crafted by Queen Nephtys and the Five Maidens during her first years of rulership, to serve as tools in the hands of her most trusted advisors. The Maidens select one member of each Caste to assist the High Queen with her decisions about the future of Creation. Each staff harmonizes with one particular Maiden and only the selected Sidereal can attune to the artifact for a cost of 10 motes. Once the Vizier attunes himself, he gains a second Motivation equal to his Maiden’s one and the Intimacies: Creation (Protect) and Queen Nephtys (Loyalty). Should the High Queen die or give her position to someone else, the Intimacy shifts accordingly. These second Motivation and Intimacies are magically protected for as long as the Sidereal is attuned to the artifact and cannot be eroded nor altered by any means. All Five Viziers’ Staffs have a socket for a single hearthstone.

The relics offer great powers and benefits to their users, as follows:

• At the end of each scene in which the Vizier fulfills an aspect his second Motivation, he makes a Conviction roll to recover willpower. This can only happen once per scene.

• By reflexively spending 8 motes the character can open a communication channel with any or all other Viziers and to the High Queen if she’s attuned to the Crown of Thunders. This channel lasts for a scene, although it can be terminated at will by any of the participants.

• If the Sidereal touches a single spell or demon (or unit of demons in Mass Combat) with the staff and reflexively spends 30 motes, they suffer the effects of Adamant Countermagic or Adamant Banishment (respectively). Demons are only affected once by the Banishment, but the Sidereal can spend 5 motes (or 1 lethal health level) per every -1 internal penalty he wants to impose on the demon’s roll.

• Their most simple and basic use, the Five Viziers’ Staffs can be used has a starmetal Wrackstaff that inflicts aggravate damage on Creatures of Darkness as a Holy effect. The staff is also a Fated Weapon, pulling the blessing and wisdom of the Maidens on every strike. If the weapon inflicts damage on a creature outside fate, that being is brought into fate for the rest of the scene. All attack rolls made with the Staff against a being it has brought into fate are made at a default target number 6 while the target remains so.

• The character adds 5 dices to every Ability or College roll that directly supports his second Motivation or that directly helps to significantly protect Creation. This does not count as dices added from Charms.

• The Vizier words become unnatural mental influence that costs one willpower to resist (or add one to an already existent cost, maximum 5) while he’s acting on behalf of the High Queen or trying to accomplish his second Motivation.

• With a reflexive expenditure of 2 motes (uncommitted) or 1 willpower point the Sidereal vanishes his Staff to Elsewhere. Recalling it takes another reflexive action and costs the same. He loses access to all the Staff’s other benefits during this time.

Finally, each Staff grants a unique capability to his user, to better reflect the individual nature of each Maiden:

• Golden Staff of Journeys: As swift and quick as Mercury, the Sidereal can vanish in an instant and reappear somewhere else. The character can reflexively disappear and reappear up to (Essence) miles away per every willpower point spent. A yellow aura, equal to an expenditure of 16 or more motes of Peripheral Essence, surrounds him for a few seconds before and after he disappears. He doesn’t have to know her destination, but if he doesn’t, he will arrive at a random spot. The Staff will never transport the Sidereal to a dangerous place (like a magma pit) by accident. In combat, the character can activate this on Step 2 of attack resolution in response to an attack, although he doesn’t disappear until Step 10 ends, which means he and his opponent has to resolve at least the first attack on a flurry as normal. He can also activate this effect while touching someone to teleport him instead of himself. In combat, this use is activated on Step 7, but it takes full effect only after Step 10 ends. These effects are vulnerable to Adamant Countermagic.

• Cerulean Staff of Serenity: The Sidereal is a follower of Venus teaching, so he knows that people only need something to care about in order to be happy. After touching a target, or in Step 7 of attack resolution while in combat, the character can reflexively spend one willpower point to grant the target a single positive Intimacy the Sidereal has. This unnatural mental influence costs five willpower points to resist. Once attached to the target’s consciousness, the Intimacy is magically bounded for (Essence) years, when it becomes a normal Intimacy. During this time, if removed, the Intimacy appears again the next time the character sleeps or after a week, which comes first. Acting against this magical Intimacy for a scene costs one willpower point.

• Crimson Staff of Battles: Those who face Mars in battle don’t just fight with fearless opponent, but also with the strength of a thousand soldiers. Her Chosen are not different. The Sidereal can reflexively spend two willpower points in order to be surrounded by a crimson halo similar to an expenditure of 16 or more motes of Peripheral Essence for the rest of the scene. He gets a Magnitude equal to his Essence and adds half that amount, rounded up, to his Close Combat, Damage and Armor Ratings. If he’s commanding a unit in Mass Combat, they use the highest of the character’s or the unit’s bonuses plus one. The unit also gains Drill 5 and perfect Morale, as Mars’ blessing roots upon their hearts.

• Viridian Staff of Secrets: None understands better than Jupiter that some knowledge is better to be forgotten. Her Chosen are not different. After a successful attack, the character can reflexively spend a willpower point on Step 7 of combat resolution before resolving damage. If he does so the attack does not inflict damage, but the victim is render unconscious for (Sidereal’s Essence) hours as a Crippling effect. The Sidereal then chooses an event on the target’s life with any time frame, from “the last two minutes” to “all your life”. The target permanently looses those memories. Once the memories are gone, nothing can bring them back. The Sidereal can spend an additional willpower point while activating this effect to absorb all the memories he erase from the target’s mind, although he can’t retain more than (Intelligence) days of memories from a single use of this power.

• Violet Staff of Endings: Ending a life it’s not always pleasant, but it’s something the Chosen of Saturn must learn to endure in order to keep the correct functioning of the universe. If the character hits a mortal, magical extra or Incapacitated creature with the Staff, they automatically die as a Shaping effect. Against other creatures, the character can reflexively spend a willpower point on Step 8 of combat resolution causing the final damage to be doubled. This ensures that the attack inflicts at least (Essence) levels of damage. If the target has an Essence score lower than half the Sidereal’s Essence (rounded up), they suffer instant death instead as a Shaping effect. Spirits killed by the Staff may suffer permanent dissolution if the Sidereal wants so.
In Mass Combat the character doubles the final health levels of damage inflicted on Step 8 after Soak if he targets a unit composed of mortals or magical extras as a Shaping effect. His attacks will always reduce the unit’s Magnitude by one at the bare minimum.
The character may choose that anyone killed by his Staff suffers a quiet and painless death. If he does so, their soul automatically enters Lethe, leaving no hungry ghost behind. It is rumored that targets smell the unique perfume of flowers that only grow on Saturn’s Sanctum while experiencing their most treasured memory on their last seconds of existence.

Should the Vizier die the staff instantly vanishes and appears next to its Maiden who can choose someone else to replace the fallen Sidereal on his duties. No force lower than Adamant Sorcery can stop the staff’s teleportation power. Even if momentary impeded, the staff will vanish as soon as it has the opportunity to do so.

Weapon Stats:
-Speed 4; Accuracy +3*; Damage +7L*; Defense +2; Rate 3; Tags 2, M, P, R
-Speed 4; Accuracy +3*; Damage +15B*; Defense +2; Rate 3; Tags 2, M, R
*Starmetal bonus already applied