Derisive Umbaran
- Intent: To bring a canon artifact up to factory standards and give everyone a nice resource to metagame from.
- Image Source: Wookiepedia
- Manufacturer: Ludo Kressh
- Model: Gauntlet
- Affiliation: Darth Adekos
- Modularity: No
- Production: Unique
- Material: Unidentified alchemized metal, gold, rubies, the tears of crippled orphan children
- Classification: Gauntlet
- Size: It's a Gauntlet
- Length: It's a Gauntlet
- Weight: It's a Gauntlet
- Quality: 3 (Inactive), 11 (Active)
Behold, the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. It is an artifact as terrible as the name “Kressh” would imply. Be wary, noble citizen, for the horrors and powers of the gauntlet are oft too much for the smallfolk of the world to comprehend.
The artifact was constructed by Ludo Kressh for his son, Elcho Kressh. Ludo regarded his son very highly as the future of the Sith. So much so that Ludo toiled day and night for some great period of time perfecting the intricate magicks of the gauntlet, which he dubbed the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. The gauntlet was given to Elcho upon the death of his father. Elcho brought it with him into his exile and wore it rather frequently during his rise to power. He was also wearing it when his stomach ruptured, killing him.
From there, the Gauntlet changed hands many times over the course of history. “Why?” You might ask. “Because the people wearing it died repeatedly.” I might answer. Despite the fact that the gauntlet provided immunity to most direct attacks, there were still ways to circumvent it. One individual who wore the gauntlet was exposed to poisonous gas. Another was shot from many meters away by a snipe he did not know was there. A third was distracted by a Jedi illusionist into attacking a target that was not there and promptly stabbed to death as a result.
At which point the gauntlet fell into the hands of the Jedi Covenant. The Covenant whisked it away to their safe house where it remained for many years before a man called Haazen had use for it. Haazen ordered the gauntlet be brought to him and wore it for the final forty-five minutes of his life. Haazen used the gauntlet’s power to kill several Jedi as well as withstand direct vollies of turbolaser fire. That was until an apprentice by the name of Zayne was able to trick him, slicing off the arm holding the gauntlet and fleeing. Without the gauntlet, Haazen perished in the ensuing turbolaser barrage.
Because it had worked out so well the first time, the Jedi took back custody of the gauntlet. They stored it in a temple on a moon labeled called Draay 2. It was here that the gauntlet remained in storage for centuries before being disturbed during the height of the Clone Wars. A duo of Jedi and some clone troopers were dispatched to secure the gauntlet against any attempts to retrieve it by Count Dooku. They were able to retrieve it, but unfortunately had to do battle with some Mandalorians to keep it. During the battle, the temple collapsed in on itself. The Gauntlet and a Clone trooper that had been wearing it, Glitch, were presumed lost.
That was until Glitch emerged from the ruins unscathed with the gauntlet attached to his wrist. Glitch knew that the gauntlet was far too powerful to be left in the galaxy and opted to dispose of it. Unfortunately, since he was an idiot, his disposal method of jamming a rock into the gauntlet and throwing it into a river didn’t work out in the end. Centuries later an obscure cult tracked down the gauntlet using equally obscure divination rituals. After several days of rigorous diving, they recovered it. And then they lost it to their competing cults.
Again, the gauntlet changed many hands and many people. Because they all kept dying. Because the gauntlet was not as expansive in its protection as they would have liked. One of its wearers was killed in her sleep. One was driven to insanity via mentalism and leapt from a skyscraper. One went toe to toe with a Shi’ido Dark Jedi Master, which managed to overpower the gauntlet’s defenses and literally strangle the wearer. The Shi’ido died too and the gauntlet was then collected by his disciple, but that’s hardly the point.
Years later, it was recovered by the Sith Empire and stored in a nice vault on Dromund Kaas. This vault was then emptied by Sith librarians to transfer to Rudrig. The Gauntlet was among one of the things stolen when Sith Lord Velok and accomplice Dissero emptied the Rudrig vault and put its contents to auction. It was then picked up by disparaged Sith Lord Darth Kryptus.
During a confrontation between the pair, a man by the name of Adekos was able to convince Kryptus to fight without the gauntlet. In the middle of the battle, Kryptus vanished without a trace, but left his gauntlet behind. The gauntlet was recovered by the barely-conscious Adekos and remains in his custody even today.
POWERS
There are two main abilities that are endowed to those who wield the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. One is the ability to prevent those who do not receive their consent from touching or harming them. The second is the ability to lob powerful Force Blasts on a whim.
Whenever something approaches or attempts to touch the wearer without their consent, a large web of energy appears. This web shares a similar appearance to crimson-colored Force Lightning, but displays other anomalous properties, such as not being injurious to the wearer. The energy web that appears from the gauntlet typically does so in proportion to what it is defending itself from. If a gnat were to attempt to land on the wearer without his consent, a singular threadbare arc would emerge from the gauntlet and summarily zap the gnat. When defending from a turbolaser volley, the web becomes far more expansive.
Small, fragile objects that attempt to touch the wearer are usually disintegrated. Large, sturdy objects are usually deflected. This web is also capable of absorbing and deflecting energy projectiles- up to and including turbolaser and ion cannon blasts. The Gauntlet has also been used to prevent telekinetic grips from being formed on the wearer. Slugs, too, have been seen to be deflected. Despite being Force Dead, the Gauntlet can deflect and destroy Yuuzhan-Vong and their assorted projectile weapons.
Humans, near humans, and humanoids that attempt to physically engage the wearer with a melee weapon are often subjected to electrocution at the hands of the web, which handily prevents the weapon from touching the wearer. This electrocution typically lasts no more than a few seconds and ends when the gauntlet blasts them away, generally to the tune of several dozen feet. The electricity involved is not of the same strength as regular Force Lightning, but can still be quite painful or lethal to the unprepared victim.
The second ability is seldom the main reason the gauntlet is sought out but a handy little addition regardless. The same energy that the gauntlet uses to defend the wearer may also be used offensively. The wearer may direct powerful Force Blasts towards any target of his choosing. The strength of these blasts is often proportional to how long the wearer of the gauntlet spends charging it up. Without any charging, the Force Blast is equivalent to little more than an abnormally powerful Force Push that also results in some negligible electrocution. If the user were to spend upwards of ten or fifteen minutes charging the blast, it would be capable of tearing apart durasteel and blasting holes through duracrete.
LIMITATIONS
Of course, like anything in the galaxy, the Gauntlet is not perfect. There are several ways to bypass its protective effects. I will now list them all in excruciating detail.
Please put on your 3D glasses now.
- The Gauntlet cannot defend against Mentalism. This should be inherently obvious. Attacks like Force Fear are intangible and cannot be perceived by the wearer. As such, the gauntlet does not impact the effectiveness of these attacks and the wearer is as vulnerable to them with the gauntlet as he is without the gauntlet. Likewise, if the wearer is convinced that he is being attacked by something that is not there (a la White Current or similar illusion), the Gauntlet will react to it and potentially leave him vulnerable to attack from another avenue.
- The Gauntlet cannot defend against deception. If the person wearing the gauntlet is not aware of an attacker, he cannot establish whether or not that individual has his consent. This leaves him still vulnerable to sneak attacks and assassination attempts. If the wearer is unconscious or dazed, the chances of the gauntlet reacting to attacks are lessened. If the wearer is not expecting to be attacked by the person in front of him, or has already given his consent, then the weareer is especially vulnerable to that person.
- The Gauntlet cannot defend against gaseous or liquid substances. Another thing that should be inherently obvious. While the Gauntlet may be able to protect the wearer from being crushed under the weight of a tsunami, it will not prevent him from getting wet. In fact, due to the nature of the web that protects the wearer, soaking him in water would increase the risk of him mistakenly electrocuting himself every time the gauntlet’s powers are called upon. The Gauntlet can also not be used to prevent the wearer from inhaling gas.
- The Gauntlet can be suppressed. As with most Force-based artifacts, the gauntlet does not function within the confines of a Ysalamir’s force-negation bubble. Due to the vast amounts of power permeating the gauntlet, it is also vulnerable to a Force Power called Force Suppression. Depending on the skill level of the suppressor, the gauntlet can be deactivated for a significant amount of time. An apprentice may be able to deactivate it for two or three minutes. A knight, two or three hours. A Master, two or three days. The more specialized an individual is in Suppression, the longer the period of time possible.
- The Gauntlet can be overpowered. Well, obviously it can be overpowered. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been reported before I’ve actually done anything wrong. This means in the sense that an individual of significant strength and size may be able to overpower the gauntlet’s defensive energy web to land a hit with a melee weapon on the wearer. These are, again, large creatures of great size and strength that are being referred to. Humans, near-humans, and humanoids need not apply, though specialized armor would no-doubt be helpful.
- The Gauntlet must be worn. In order for anyone to gain the gauntlet’s powers, it has to be worn on the forearm. Not on the leg. Not strapped to your back. Not glued to the back of your skull. The gauntlet hardly appreciates your attempts at improvisation. The gauntlet also must be worn on the outside of any clothing or armor. Otherwise the web will tear apart your clothing or electrocute you in your own armor. Not a pretty display. It also cannot protect other people besides the one wearing the gauntlet. Though simply holding the gauntlet in your hand confers partial protection, it would result in the electrocution of the person holding the gauntlet every time it attempts to “protect” them from something.
