Approved Melee Weapon Nightspike

[Laphisto]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: A rugged, combat-ready Kiev'arian sidearm dagger — legendary in feel but engineered for practical use as a frontline one-handed weapon.
• Image Source: Chat GPT
• Canon Link: N/A (original setting material)
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: Kiev'arian lore / Black Flame Forge concepts (user-provided worldbuilding)

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PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Black Flame Forge of Elda'mir (ceremonial smiths commissioned by the Silent Flame sect).
• Affiliation: Saul Whesai after winning it from an auction
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: N/A
• Modularity: No
• Production: Unique
• Material: Kov'dra edge (light-absorbing/Force-resistant finish), Phrik spine, skyvine-leather grip, bone-dust/ceramic composite pommel, Songsteel inlays on the ricasso.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Dagger
• Size: Small (blade ≈ 25–30 cm; overall ≈ 40 cm)
• Weight: Light — optimized for fast draw, parry, and one-handed use

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SPECIAL FEATURES

• Silent Draw: Integrated grommeted sheath and songsteel ricasso reduce audible draw to a near-inaudible whisper (benefits ambushes, boarding actions, and sudden counters).
• Piercing Core: Narrow, forward-tapered geometry reinforced by the Phrik spine optimized for penetrating armor seams, joint gaps, and weak points of combat suits.
• Kov'dra Edge : kov'dra along the edge resists energy erosion and micro-nicking on contact with energy blades.
• Force-Dampen Trim: Inlaid kov'dra filaments ground short-range Force prescience within ~1–2 meters of the blade, slightly reducing anticipatory advantages of Force-sensitive opponents in melee.
• Songsteel Ricasso Markings: Small Songsteel inlays on the ricasso function as a maker's oath and can be read by Kiev'arian ritualists to verify provenance.

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STRENGTHS

• Optimized Sidearm: Fast draw, excellent in one-handed defensive/offhand roles, and ideal when closing to sub-sword range.
• Anti-Force Edge: The Force-dampen filaments grant a marginal tactical edge against Force-sensitive foes in close quarters — enough to disrupt a reflexive parry or precognitive twitch.
• Durable & Reliable: Phrik reinforcement and kov'dra lamination make the blade exceptionally resistant to battlefield wear; edge retention is superior to ordinary daggers.
• Penetration: Profile and reinforcement favor thrusts that exploit armor seams and joints — effective against lightly armored troopers and combat suits.

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WEAKNESSES

• Short Reach: As a dagger, it loses to polearms, swords, and ranged combat unless the wielder closes distance.
• Limited Supernatural Effect: Nightspike offers tactical advantages rather than outright supernatural powers — it does not heal, siphon life, or grant Force abilities.
• Restricted Dampening: The anti-precognition effect is small in scale and duration; powerful Force users will still dominate unless surprised or outnumbered.

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DESCRIPTION
Nightspike was born in the forges of Elda'mir during the height of Kiev'ara's martial golden age, long before the world fell under the shadow of the Rakata. Unlike ceremonial or god-marked artifacts, Nightspike was designed as a soldier's companion a weapon meant to live on the hip of commanders and shock troopers alike, ready for the brutal press of close-quarters combat. Where the Kiev'arian longswords symbolized honor and ancestral duty, the dagger embodied survival: quick, silent, and merciless.

The blade was forged in the Black Flame Forge using techniques passed from master to apprentice for centuries. Its kov'dra edge was laminated to withstand not only the weapons of flesh-and-blood enemies, but also the strange, unnatural energy arms already whispered of in foreign wars beyond Kiev'ara's borders. The Phrik spine ensured it would never break under strain, while the skyvine-leather hilt provided steady grip in the blood-soaked churn of melee. Each dagger bore the faint bone-dust seal of the Silent Flame sect, a mark that to Kiev'arian warriors was both practical guarantee and sacred oath.

In the wars of the outer frontiers, Nightspike became known for its uncanny silence: the draw was soundless, the strike fast, and the edge true. Shock troopers carried them into the thick of sieges and boarding actions, where the dagger's compact size excelled in the crush of shield lines and the narrow passageways of enemy war machines..

Nightspike's legacy was not one of legend but of practice. It was the weapon soldiers trusted when their great warblades shattered or when the enemy pressed too close for sweeping strikes. It stood for discipline, precision, and the stark reality of war.

Though countless were forged, only a few were issued to elite cadres and fewer still survived the annihilation of Kiev'ara. Today, Nightspike stands as one of the last echoes of a world that prepared for war even before its final, desperate stand.

Ricasso Inscription (Kiev'arian):
"Steel the hand. Keep the edge. Honor the silence between strikes."

 

[MANIAC]

Laphisto , Saul Whesai

Very cool, enjoy it.

Approved.