Specialist
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a unique Beskad for Faison Kelborn.
- Image Source: Link
- Canon Link: Beskad
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
PRODUCTION INFORMATION- Manufacturer: Clan Kelborn
- Affiliation: Faison Kelborn
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Beskad
- Modularity: No
- Production: Unique
- Material:
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS- Classification: Beskad (Sword) - One & a half hander, “Bastard” Sword
- Size: Large
- Weight: Average
SPECIAL FEATURES- Reach: The blade length for this weapon is nearly 4-feet (approximately 1.2 meters)
- Acute Balance: Skjölonír is long, and has a distinct weight to it common in weapons forged from Beskar. This affords the ability to more easily break through blade guards and defensive postures, without overly weighing down the weapon.
- Two-Edged: Unlike more common variants of Beskad weapons, Skjölonír is razor-sharpened on both the front and back edges, with the back edge mainly focused on the upper half of the blade
- Dense Smelting: Although not officially dated to a specific year, Skjölonír is a legendary blade dating back several millennia. It was made during a time where the craft and artistry behind the forging of a bladed weapon was considered unmatched to today’s standards. As proof of this, Skjölonír is among a few blades forged in such a way wherein the beskar is folded upon itself and hammered into a compact collection of layers. While the blade appears no ‘thicker’ than your typical beskar blade, the truth is that it has multiple layers of reinforcement, rendering the weapon nigh-indestructible from conventional means.
STRENGTHS- Guard Breaker: (Reference ‘Acutely Balanced’ above) As noted above, Skjölonír is near-perfectly weighted and balance to grant it to the ability to strike and counter with relative ease, while also affording it the heft needed to break through guards or shielding maneuvers from opponents.
- Beskar Breaker: Due to being forged almost entirely from pure Beskar, Skjölonír is able to effectively pierce and penetrate through Beskar’gam; making this a deadly weapon against other Mandalorians.
- Bygone Design: Skjölonír harkens back to a simpler time; to an age prior to the level of technology we currently have today. While some might assume this would limit the usefulness of this weapon, the truth is it has withstood the test of time. In truth, it’s simplicity is one of its greatest strengths, as there is very little that could befall this weapon to prevent it from being used to its fullest potential, save for purposeful deconstruction.
- Heroic Weapon: While not among the most noteworthy of weapons from its age, Skjölonír is still a storied weapon with a legend of its own. This grants it a reputation amongst more well versed students of Mandalorian history (even moreso with those more familiar with Clan Kelborn) at the very sight of her, giving her an intimidation factory amongst Mandalorians that more common weapons simply do not have.
- Versatile: With the above features in mind, Skjölonír is a very adaptable and versatile weapon. She can be wielded one handed as with most beskad, or two handed like a longsword. She is deadly when used in thrusting-type attacks, or quick slash attacks. In the hands of a skilled swordsman, she is capable of truly devastating levels of carnage.
WEAKNESSES- Reach: While it could be considered an advantage for a sword to afford its wielder longer reach, it can also be a liability. With an overall blade length of 4-feet, Skjölonír provides its user with this advantage. However, it comes at the disadvantage of becoming rather ‘clunky’ to use in closer quarters, such as in ranges were a shorter sword or dagger would be more appropriate. This is not a fatal flaw at all, but the wielder must know this and be familiar with the proper way to compensate.
- ”Two-edged Sword”: While it is accurate to say that she possesses literally two sharpened edges; with the ‘rear’ edge mainly focused on the upper half of the blade - this can metaphorically be a ‘two edged sword’ (or unintended consequence) to the wielder who may otherwise be unfamiliar with the use of two-edged weapons. Compounding this is the fact it is also forged from Beskar. While the legendary metal has saved many a Mandalorian Warrior from injury, Skjölonír is particularly effective at piercing/penetrating Beskar’gam. Should a warrior use this weapon without proper technique and blade awareness, Skjölonír could be just as deadly within their hands as it would be without.
- Heirloom: Although beskad weapons are not exceedingly rare, this particular one is one-of-a-kind. From its unique construction from artisans long since dead, to the sentimental value it holds - Skjölonír cannot be easily replaced if lost or destroyed.
- Still a Blade: While heads and shoulders superior to your average bladed weapon, Skjölonír is still a bladed weapon. While it can cut through/penetrate beskar & other types of metallic alloys with relative ease, it still cannot match the sheer cutting power of a lightsaber; which can carve through almost anything as easily as a hot knife through butter. The blade still needs to maintain an edge, and while Beskar is known for its ability to hold an edge better than almost any other metal in the galaxy, it still requires the maintenance common to a bladed weapon regardless.
- Spartan: Although it is a highly prized and effective weapon, the fact remains that Skjölonír is a simple weapon compared to more modern advances in bladed technology, which features an increased prevalence in energy field utilization, vibration attenuation, etc. What you see, is pretty much what you get.
DESCRIPTIONWhile it does not possess the name recognition of other weapons, such as The Darksaber, or notable bladed weapons used by bygone force users, Skjölonír is a highly prized and famed weapon within Clan Kelborn. Its initial conception is unknown, but it is thought to have been made in the days of The Old Republic, by a chieftain of one of the smaller subclans. While it has never been looked upon as a mantle to be possessed by the Alor of Clan Kelborn proper, the owner and wielder of Skjölonír has historically been viewed with a level of respect and reverence that stands a cut above that of a normal member of the Clan.
It is generally understood that the warrior who wields this blade is one of legend, who wields it because they have earned it through blood, sweat, and tears. Despite this, the worthy have not always been those who have possessed this blade, as fathers tend to bequeath their prized possessions upon their children. It was during this time in which, combined with the perception by a significant minority of Mando’ade that beskar was too dangerous to be used within bladed weapons, Skjölonír faded into obscurity and was lost to time in the years leading up to the Galactic Civil War.
It was eventually found by members of Clan Kelborn in the year 89 ABY, wherein it assumed its rightful place amongst its people. It was during this time that its perception changed slightly, and it became an heirloom to symbolize the rightful ruler of notable branches of Clan Kelborn, if not the main clan itself. In more recent history, the weapon belonged to a figure known as Vardek Ro’tall Kelborn, the father to
Faison Kelborn
, who was slain amidst the purges that preceded the Mandalorian’s collective rise to support the Sith Empire in their dark crusade to enslave the galaxy. In the aftermath, the blade was lost to the chieftain’s family, falling into the possession of his killers who joined the ill-fated cause of the dark practitioners of the force. In his ongoing quest of self awareness and to reconnect with the legacy of his father, Faison Kelborn has embarked upon a quest to restore Clan Kelborn to its rightful place. It is in this pursuit that Skjölonír has arisen from its brief period of obscurity, with the scion of Clan Kelborn intent on reclaiming the birthright of his family once again, and to unite his people from the ashes.
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