ZEITGEIST Bladebound Magus in Zeitgeist

[rhythmist]

I'm starting up Zeitgeist for some of my friends, and one of them will be playing a Bladebound Magus. I've been turning ideas over in my head for how to handle his Black Blade. Since it is a Black Blade I feel like it makes sense to have it be related to, or caused by, witch oil in some way. Either the blade is formed completely from witch oil somehow, or it ends up coating and infusing an existing weapon. I was also thinking that the witch oil in question would have already absorbed a soul, and that soul would become the personality of the blade. Since the campaign background says it only takes an ounce of witch oil to absorb a soul, the latter makes more sense to me.

The Bladebound gets their black blade at level 3, which is supposed to happen near the end of book two. Witch oil plays a key part in several scenes in book 2, but I'm not seeing any parts where the black oil has actually absorbed souls, other than the bleak golem. Perhaps if the player strikes and/or deals the killing blow to the bleak golem and then some of the witch oil from the golem infuses itself into the player's blade?

At that point, there are two interrelated questions: what is the blade's mission, and specifically what soul becomes the blade? The obvious mission would be to help slay Nicodemus the Gnostic, which would imply that the soul being absorbed knows about him. The players aren't supposed to really find out about Nicodemus until book 4 though, which might imply that the Black Blade's soul has amnesia and slowly recovers memories over time.

That's about all I have so far. Any ideas or comments would be welcome though.

 

[efreund]

Just a quick brainstorm: what about if it is a shard from Nem? (The plane of ruin that is only seen as a black dot in the night sky.) That way you can tie into the planar-theme which runs strongly through the campaign, without giving away any of the plot secrets (like Nicodemus would).

The special mission could be generically related to the will of Nem, that it wants to keep the planes separate, and it would therefore have a special hatred toward summoned creatures and the Gidim. It would align strongly with the Aegis faction in book 7, for example. It's passions would flair up strongly in the climax of book 3, and again against the Wayfarer Lantern in book 4, it would go ballistic at ObCon in book 7, and rightfully view the climax of book 9 as the end of the world. I don't know how book 12 pans out yet, but that would be another time for the sword to flair up.

Later you can reveal that the special soul involved is one of the original orc shamans who performed the Axis ritual: specifically the one who established the connection to Nem. This can be incrementally revealed, starting in book 3 when you visit the first ziggurat, and again in books 6, 7 and 10 as the ancients figure into the screentime.

Obviously, things get dicey when Nem is removed from the configuration after book 9, but that can be part of the fun.

As for when your PC acquires the blade: have him find a black masterwork sword on Axis Island, and I'm sure the PC will get the hint. It then comes into its proper power a few levels later. Just a mild stretch of the rules.

 

[hirou]

PF sure has some tasty classes. Some thoughts in no particular order:

• apart from witch oil, there is a second soul-related substance, which is Needlewire - a mysterious liquid, which allows Nicodemus to possess any person upon injecting, which McBennin could in theory have some supply of. The mechanism of this hasn't yet been explained, and having a part of soul of main villain right in the blade of the hero can be problematic, but this could lead to interesting interactions
• speaking of prominent souls, there was one noble and just Green Knight Dame Melissa Gallot (with skill bonus to "breaking things"), which accompanied king Lorcan Finn on a quest to eradicate the witches of Cauldron Hill (see "Bonds of Forced Faith"). Green Knight of the crown cannot be killed at night, but this wouldn't prohibit her soul beeing trapped in some witch oil flask... As a twist, the flask would actually be in possession of Harkover Lee and be given to PC as a symbolic gift.
• actually the first scene that I've thought of, imagine Nicodemus killing the body of McBennin and trying to carry off his soul... only to have a tiny bit of it trapped into that one special sword of the hero, which happened to be nearby (or, on the opposite, quite away from the court, but in the direction Nicodemus is travelling). This may explain "soul amnesia" (it's only part of the soul), can provide some information on Ob and in adventure 7 McBennin will finally rejoin the party in full.

 

[rhythmist]

All good ideas, thanks!