Matt the Radar Tech
ꜰɪxɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ʀᴀᴅᴀʀs ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴜꜰꜰ
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Create a unique lightsaber, his magnum opus, used only by Darth Excidium.
- Image Source: Flickr | Original Image (heavily edited by Excidium)
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Lightsaber
- Manufacturer: Darth Excidium
- Model: N/A
- Affiliation: Darth Excidium
- Modularity: Limited; crystals can be replaced, power cells cannot be recharged and must be replaced on depletion.
- Production: Unique
- Material: Aurodium hilt grip, Electrum detailing, Guerrerite plating and button finishes, lightsaber components, injection system components.
- Classification: Lightsaber
- Size: Average
- Length: Hilt - 35 cm | Blade - 85 cm (shoto blade)
- Weight: Light
- Red Etaan Crystal
- Longer hilt for additional components and handling
- Ornate hilt design with Sith runes
- Shortened blade of 85 centimeters
- Non-Dimetris Circuitry
- Concealed poison injection system
- Biometric Hilt Sensors recognizing Excidium's hand-print
Darth Excidium had sought knowledge and information his entire life. It was an obsession. Anything that offered insight, from tomes to Holocrons, were studied in fine detail and put to perfect memory. Decades were spent honing and perfecting arts, sweat and blood poured into pursuits of the mind and body, all in the need to reach beyond limitations. Along with mastery of the Dark Arts, also came the prowess to perform great feats of ritual and relic creation. Many failures, many successes, but ultimately lessons and experience learned with the sole purpose of achieving the heights attained by powerful Sith Lords of the past - to create items of such power and capability, that in time would become legends unto themselves... and with the reclamation of the Temple of Pain, and access to the endless knowledge and powerful resources it contained, Darth Excidium had reached one such level.
It was the creation of his lightsaber, Siqsa-kaar; ancient Sith for 'Keeper of Demons'.
Over countless years, Darth Excidium had studied many texts and Holocrons, learning of ingenious methods of Sith constructing lightsabers. Of particular interest was the evidence that supported the benefit of a shorter blade when utilizing Form III (Soresu) lightsaber combat, as displayed by several individuals in the past including Darth Zannah. The longer weapon hilt, which allowed for additional components, also offered a wider hand grip for faster control and quicker pivots of the blade. Further study of more recent designs alluded to methods for combating Cortosis, a fundamental weakness in most lightsabers, but through the inclusion of non-dimetris circuitry was overcome. Wanting to focus on his strengths, by maximizing his combat effectiveness in Form III combat use, Excidium began construction of his magnum opus utilizing resources of The Sith Empire, the Dark Forge, the alchemy lake and the knowledge available to a Sith Lord dedicated to what he now did.
The process began with smelting a beautiful ingot of Aurodium. The metallic compound was colorless, simply sparkling as light refracted from its liquid surface. Using the Dark Side, Darth Excidium began to pour his essence and influence into the ore, forcing the substance to become part of his presence in the Force. After a full day, the ore had altered, imbuing with the Dark Side and become a dark gray in color, while maintaining speckled highlights of its original form. With his mastery over telekinesis, the Sith Lord created the hilt, the cylinder brought forward from his mind, perfectly shaped and made for his own hand. Allowing it to continue to soak up dark energies from the alchemy lake, Excidium went on to the next task.
Next was the internal components. Using knowledge of previous lightsaber designs, Excidium expanded upon them, using the longer length of the hilt to create circuits that could adapt to energy surges or drain. Self-contained charges, dispersion boards, and non-dimetris circuitry were simple to create, each wire and connector in its rightful place. Much to the Sith Lord's chagrin, he was unable to allow space for waterproof casing, lacking the hilt size for a dual-contained crystal system - not when he planned on incorporating his previous concealed hilt trap, the poison injection system. Much like his previous lightsaber, the injection system (that was filled with Sith poison) and subsequent biometric scanning sensors were easily applied. The method for refilling required that the lightsaber hilt could be unsealed at the base, poison compartment removed, and then replaced; this also meant additional components such as a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse weren't possible, due to the space being used by the injector. Excidium estimated there was enough poison dosage available for either two humanoids, or a single large humanoid. If anything applied pressure that wasn't Darth Excidium's hand - including allies - it would activate the injector, sending the deadly poison into the victim's bloodstream.
The final touch was the application of Sith Runes. This cast a Sith spell of bonding to the weapon, which was applied three times a day for seven days, while Excidium fasted throughout the process. Using the Force, Excidium painstakingly and excruciatingly molded the liquid ore, each twist and shape perfection, through willpower and concentration. To maintain his standard of perfection, Excidium repeated endless incantations and rituals, focusing his mind, body and Force energy to the sole purpose. When the rune ritual was complete, the lightsaber was infused with Excidium's presence and Dark Side power, the item gaining a presence within the Force unto itself, permeating the surrounding area with a noxious and decaying sensation of the Dark Side... and it was truly a wonder to behold.
By the end of the seventh day, the item had consumed a rich harvest of souls, becoming soaked in dark side energy and becoming attuned to Darth Excidium alone.
The final step was housing the Etaan crystal, honing it to Excidium's essence, and merging his presence with the beautiful stone. After an additional four days of fasting and drenching the deep-red, flawless crystal, and ensuring no damage or fractures appeared, it was finally ready. And as soon as Excidium used the Force to house the mighty crystal, placing it gently and securely in its visible hilt housing, the weapon was sealed and created. A thing almost living, the Sith Lord reached out a quivering hand, gripping the new lightsaber as though it had been held a thousand times, and with a wave of familiarity and pride, the perfectly-tuned and synchronized blade erupted, and bathed its owner in a bright crimson glow...
Siqsa-kaar was born.
Strengths:
- Standard Properties: Can cut through many materials with relative ease.
- Etaan Crystal: Causes a deep thrumming when the blade is emitted, and causes a near-deafening crack and light flare when contact is made with other blades. Due to excess resonance energy in the blade, the etaan crystal also causes other blades to bounce back on contact, while blaster bolts absorb some of the latent ambient-resonant energy and become more dangerous when redirected at a target.
- Sith Runes: Painstakingly and intricately etched into the hilt using a ritual of Sith Alchemy, the lightsaber projects dark energy at a short distance, making those in close proximity feel dizzy and nauseous, as though affected by the Malacia skill.
- Concealed Injector: Has a concealed injection system that contains highly potent Sith poison, and activates when unable to scan owner's hand with biometric hilt sensors, piercing with several deadly needles to inject poison directly into the bloodstream.
- Non-Dimetris Circuitry: Allows resistance to cortosis, and instead of shorting out the blade, it blocks instead.
- Even Less range: the blade is even shorter than normal lightsaber blades (considered Shoto), resulting in further decreased range. This length cannot be adjusted.
- Force Aura: Due to the dark side energy emanating from the Sith runes, the weapon can be sensed with the Force, making concealing Excidium's presence - while in possession of the weapon - all but impossible.
- Limited poison supply: The hilt contains enough poison for up to two standard humanoid doses, or a single large humanoid dose. Unusable until refilled, which takes time and care outside of combat.
- Simple Biometrics: To save on components and energy, the injector has one print in the biometric sensor, Darth Excidium's, and thus has no method of determining friend or foe.
- Not Waterproof: No function underwater.
- Resistant Materials: Some materials, like Phrik and Beskar, are resistant to the blade of a lightsaber.
- Energy Consumption: With excess in energy output from the Etaan crystal, the power-cells of the weapon require more frequent replacement than more standard crystal counterparts.
- No Recharge: Due to limited space in the handle, there are no recharging ports; so expended power-cells must be physically replaced.
- Solid Projectiles: Lightsaber blades are weaker at blocking solid projectiles (slug rounds, etc).
