Mishka Larraq
Farmer's Daughter
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To create a new and interesting weapon and expand the range of products made by workshop
Image Source: God of War
Canon Link: NA
Primary Source: Soul-Steel, Chaab'kad
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: House Larraq Plate and Blade
Model: Chaab'gaid "Fear Shield"
Affiliation: Closed Market
Modularity: Moderate (Size, shape, style, exc)
Production: Semi-unique
Material:
- Imbued Mandalorian Steel/Electrum Alloy Handle with Precognition Rune Engravings
- Imbued Mandalorian Steel/Electrum Alloy Body with Force Barrier Rune Engravings
- Scaled Bes'runi Plating
Classification: Shield
Size: Medium
Weight: Average
Resistances:
- Blasters: Very High
- (Melee) Kinetic: Very High
- Lightsabers: Very High
- Other: NA
- Glows faintly
- Darkside Force Imbuement
- All resistances reduced to "average" while nullified
- Bladed Edge
- Can produce a Force Barrier effect
- Minor Precognition Effect to aid non-FU in blocking incoming attacks
- Strongly emits the emotions of Fear and Panic
- Emits spikes of emotion and memory flashes when impacted
- Emits bursts of energy when impacted (Kinetic, Electric, or Thermal)
- Strikes against the bladed edge do not produce an energy discharge
- Strongly emits the emotions of Fear and Panic
- Emits spikes of emotion and memory flashes when impacted
- Reverts to a weakened state while within a Force Nullification field
- Loses lightsaber resistance when within a Force Nullification field
Deigned along the same lines as Witchbane Shields and Chaab'kad blades, Chaab'gaid shields (which literally translate as Fear Plate) are weapons intended for those who plan to get close and personal with a force user (be they Sith, Jedi, or Witch) and face them on their own terms. The shields, made of two different forms of enchanted Mandalorian Steel, are most infamous for their ability to constantly emit powerful emotions and memories of fear and death that force users find distracting. These shields are also known for their ability to emit powerful bursts of energy when struck, which make them particularly interesting weapons during melee combat.
In light of the mystic properties of these shields, their construction is rather simple by modern engineering standards. The bulk of each shield is made of a solid, flat disk of alloyed metal (Mandalorian Steel and Electrum). On the front of this disk, a layer Soul-steel plating is secured. Above this, another layer of alloy is added in the form of a boss (the domed center-point) and several sections of engraved ribbing. While the boss and ribbing go a great way towards improving the overall structural integrity of the shield itself, they are primarily designed to control the shape and direction that energy is discharged from the shield when the Soul-steel plating is struck. With this structure in place, the shield will produce its signature energy discharge regardless of if the the soul-steel itself is struck, or any other section of the shield's face is struck (as the kinetic impact is transferred to the soul-steel plating underneath).
Thanks to the carefully designed shape of the shield, the energy discharge produced by these shields is only ever directed forward in a 135-degree angle away from the shield's face. While the shape and specific angle of discharge is highly dependent upon the strength and direction of impact to strike the shield, the discharge is usually proportional to the initial attack and is naturally focused in that direction. During melee combat, this provides an immediate and threatening counter-attack whenever the shield is struck. When used to block ranged attacks, this typically does little more than provide a visual flare of light that can be used to put off the aim of the attacker.
And as useful as both those capabilities are in combat, they are not the only special properties of Chaab'gaid. The Euk'gar/Electrum alloy is also imbued with the Manda in a manner not entirely dissimilar to that of bes'runi, and grants the entire shield a level of durability and protection entirely beyond what Mandalorian Steel alone could achieve. Etched into the face of this alloy are rune engravings that bless and enchant the metal and the shield itself with an additional mystic property. However, this added enchantment only presents itself when a particularly strong attack impacts the shield. Once such a blow does impact the shield, a brief and powerful shimmering shield of gold-yellow energy bursts into existence just millimeters ahead of the shield's face, protecting the wielder of the shield from the worst of whatever attack triggered the effect.
The last surprise afforded by these unique weapons comes from an entirely different set of rune engravings along the handle that runs along the center of the shield's interior face. These runes, or so they say, effect the wielder of the shield itself and bless them with the will of the Manda, granting them just enough subtle insights into the flow of combat to allow the wielder to more effectively block attacks that their natural reaction time alone would not have sufficed for. While this is a minor and sometimes overlooked attribute of the shields, many believe it to be a crucial aspect when defending themselves from the lightning-quick flurry of attacks that force users are renowned for.
When these shields are used by force users, this precognition effect does little to help the already intuitive capabilities of such wielders. The energy barriers ability, though, becomes much more useful. Capable of using their mystical abilities to interact with Chaab'gaid shields in a way no normal individual could, a force user can control when and how the energy barrier presents itself. Through their mystic ways, a force user can utilize these shields to produce a temporary wall of protective energy, or could choose to produce a sphere of energy around themselves. However, such feats are rare occurrences as the extreme and erratic emotional discharges and flashes of memories that flow from these shields constantly (and spike every time the shield is struck) are incredibly distracting to force users and, unless very careful preparations were taken, would make using such a weapon more of a hindrance than an advantage.
