Success or Death.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide unique set of lightsabre crystals for Darth Ophidia's personal weapons.
- Image Source: Mineralmasterpiece.com via Pinterest
- Restricted Missions: N/A.
- Primary Source: Wookiepedia: Synthetic Lightsabre Crystals.
- Name: T13D91: Eye(s) of the Satwas.
- Manufacturer: [member="Darth Ophidia"].
- Homeworld (optional): NA.
- Production: Unique (Crystals to power a set (two) of lightsabres).
- Affiliation: Darth Ophidia.
- Modularity: No.
- Material: Compressed carbon, various trace elements, the Force, and shattered bits of soul.
- Classification: Crystal (Synthetic).
- Weight: Lightweight.
- Quality: N/A.
- Color: Dark red, specked with black.
- Inherently tainted.
- Lightsabre-applicable.
- Life-Stealer.
- Wounds spirits.
- Synthetic.
- Inherently tainted: Upon touching the Eye of the Satwas, a chill goes down one's spine as one feels its inherent dark taint. Over time, this taint may spread to affect a keeper or wielder*1. The effect of the taint brings the user closer to the dark side of the Force by bringing out their negative emotions. For someone already in alignment with the dark side, it does little except keep one on the path. For a lightsider, it is a key to powers dark and unimaginable (Aka: A fall).
- Life-Stealer: Inflicting violence with the Eye of the Satwas draws vitality from the victim and transfers it to the wielder, giving her an addictive rush of power. The negative emotions swerving inside the crystals are transmitted into the blade and creates an effect much akin to Force Drain, triggered upon contact with a foreign body that is inhabiting a soul.
Physical injury is required activate the drain-effect. - Spiritual Malice: Due to the residual bits of malignant spiritual energy remaining in the crystal, the draining effect harms spirits touched by the crystal or a blade powered by it.
- Synthetic: The product does not occur naturally, but is crafted through an arduous process of compression and meditation that is hard to replicate with exact results. When used in a lightsabre, it will produce a bright red hue with black specks blooming at the blade's base. Blades powered by synthetic lightsabre crystals are also generally seen as 'stronger', and has a small chance of interrupting the flow of an opponent's blade and shut it down, aka: Breaking it.
Strengths:
- Lightsabre Applicable: When cut and polished, the gemstone is applicable for use in a lightsabre, which gives the following effect:
Life-Stealer: Creatures harmed with a blade powered by The Eye of the Satwas may find themselves weakened with each successive strike as it "drinks" from their life-force. The siphoned life-force is transferred to the blade's wielder, empowering her spiritually and physically with each successive wound or kill. - Synthetic: Blades powered by a synthetic crystal have a small, but existing chance of "breaking" another blade with a powerful strike.
[*]Corrupting Touch: Due to its profane origins, the crystal will drain and thus harm spiritual beings such as demons, sith spirits, and force ghosts upon touch. The same effect applies to a blade powered by it.
Weaknesses :
- Tainted Core: The Eye of the Satwas' tainted nature attracts scorn and disapproval from those of a "good" persuasion. A Jedi or similar force-user would feel the dark taint upon touch, or in proximity if wielded. In addition, the bright red blade this crystal produces is generally a giveaway in terms of the wielder's Force-alignment. The taint also causes the following mental ailments:
Bloodseeker: A weak or emotionally unstable force-user may be corrupted by the negative emotions in the Eye of the Satwas Prolonged exposure may make the wielder more aggressive and confrontational. A weak-minded wielder will slowly turn to madness*1. - Morbid Fascination: Force-sensitives in prolonged exposure to the crystal, may find themselves becoming increasingly obsessed with the dead and the suffering of others *1.
[*]The Price of Power: Much like the dark side itself, the invigorating effect of hurting others with a blade powered by this crystal is addictive and requires great self-discipline to reign in.
[*]Salt the Wound: The draining effect is triggered by physically injuring one's opponent. If she can't hit, it will have no effect.
[*]One of a Kind: Due to the complicated process of synthesis and the exotic materials used, successfully recreating the Eye of the Satwas would be very difficult, if at all possible.
[*]Nope-Field: Force nullifying effects (Voidstones, Ysalamiri fields, and misc Force-nullifying effect) will negate the Eyes of the Satwas' drain ability. Force Light will suppress the effects, while a direct blast of Force Light (to an exposed crystal) will harm the crystals themselves.
DESCRIPTION
The Jedi say the crystal is the heart of the lightsabre; this one one case in which they are not incorrect. This is why Darth Ophidia opted to create a corrupted core to her weapons of choice. She begun a series of experimental crystal-growths. While most failed, one particular specimen exceeded all expectations.
The specimen was created after Darth Ophidia found a number of force-sensitive beings frozen in carbonite by the cult of a Sith Lord who met his untimely end before he could unfreeze one of the beings and transfer his consciousness into it. Now, the Pale Assassin was in possession of the carbon-frozen bodies. Rather than having them unfrozen, which would be a risky process after all this time, she decided to have them pulverised into a fine carbon dust. This dust made up the raw-material for her experiments in crystal creation.
The carbon was put in a special geological compression chamber, each batch set to various degrees of pressure and heat to create a variety of crystals. While the compression chamber worked on forming the crystals' structure, Darth Ophidia personally meditated upon the product to infuse it with the dark side of the Force. What made the T13D91 so special was that, during her meditation, its creator was able to preserve the spiritual remains of the beings whose body she had pulverised. These residual bits of soul were broken down, corrupted and forcefully infused in the crystal. It was an arduous and time-consuming process, but after weeks of trial and error it yielded a deep red crystal: The Eye of the Satwas.
Unsure of what such a crystal would be capable of, Darth Ophidia ran a series of tests. First, she tested the crystal's integrity and determined it to be suitable for a lightsabre blade, however no more potent than the regular synthetic crystal. Then, she proceeded to chart the behaviour of living creatures exposed to its presence. Generally, she could observe increased aggression. In more intelligent creatures, she could add sadism and a morbid fascination with the dead to the list. She determined the effect to be upon the individual, and not a radial effect.
The most interesting observation came when it was given to a forceful being. While the weak-minded forcers were eventually driven mad, those of a greater mental fortitude were seemingly able to withstand the madness and hardness its power. Thus, Darth Ophidia believed she too would sustain its power. Ophidia did, however, note that previous wielders of the crystal became envious and the current wielders were unwilling to give it up. She was forced to terminate a number of test subjects in order to finally retrieve it. She dismissed this as a mere enhancement of their ambition, neglecting the crystal's addictive properties.
Pleased with the results, Darth Ophidia had the Eye of the Satwas cut and polished into two crystal shards suitable for her lightsabres (Effectively turning the Eye into Eyes). When used in a lightsabre, the blade produced is a vibrant red hue with black specks blooming near the emitters. The specks were determined to be a harmless visual effect.
Clarification:
*1: Corruption and/or madness will not be enforced and exists entirely as a story-element for those who wish to use it as such.
Sources:
Wookiepedia: Force Drain
Wookiepedia: Synthetic Lightsaber Crystal
