Hmm... how does one destroy an artifact that can kill royalty and summon bebiliths?

[Emperor Valerian]

Ok... my players need to stay out. That means you, drag n fly, and you, carnage.
















Alright. I've got a China based setting going, and things are running nicely, except I've set something up in my campaign, and I don't know how to resolve it.

One of my PCs is hauling around with her an evil artifact... a dagger, to be more precise. Basically at this point I have all its effects figured out; it functions like a +5 dagger, and randomly inflicts a spell from the BoVD on the person it strikes (so far, enemies have been accidentally snatched away by a bebilith from Alert Bebilith, and killed by Gutwrench). I've ruled the PCs so far have been able to keep their alignments (CG and CN) as both of these uses were accidental against foes threatening to kill them... and the displays (as they were intended) have convinced the PC carrying the device that it needs to be destroyed, the sooner the better (The other one has reasons for possibly keeping it, beyond his CN alignment).

In addition to all this, I also told them that this weapon is the only weapon that can break through the collective protections that the scholarly bureaucracy puts on the person of the Emperor (I've replaced real confuscian scholars with wizards, and clerics only come from sects based on Chinese buddhism). Now the CN PC feels he's the rightful Emperor, but that's a completely different tale.

Anyways, my quandry has come up when last session the PCs decided they'd head to towards the capital city and the chief Academy of Wizards to find a solution to this. So they're going to be expecting answers... and right now I have nothing, other than the few happy things they'll have to clear away to gain the scholar's trust.

My question is that now that I have this awesome/awful/utterly evil artifact, what instructions do I give them on how to destroy it? I'd like it to be something memorable and fitting in with the China-like setting, but right now my brain is running on fumes, and I can only come up with the stereotypical "Take it to the big holy mountain and say some mumbo-jumbo."

Help?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Ideas off the top of my head

- have it swallowed by an Ancient Gold Dragon
- find in the Celestial Bureaucracy the record that proves that the dagger does not really exist
- find the Sheath of the Void, which dissolves blades that are placed in it
- Climb the highest peak and cast in on the Chan Tchei comet, which comes around only every 500 years
- Use it to defeat an angel / a demon, which will destroy it
- Trick the evil spirit in the dagger to leave the weapon and possess a creature, which will be mortal


AR

 

[Saeviomagy]

How about: Simple divinations and many legends etc claim that it must be used to kill the false emperor. In reality, since it's an evil artefact, it must be used to kill the true emperor. At which point it's purpose will be fulfilled and it will simply cease to exist.

 

[Klaus]

Since its parimarily a "kill the nobles" item, I'd say it can be destroyed by the yin to that yang: a peasant.

Find a peasant that has never, ever suffered under the yoke of a noble and have him snap the dagger (such a stroke completely bypasses all hardness and does damage equal to the dagger's hit points).

 

[Plane Sailing]

"Crushed underneath the foot of the humble ant" is a nice traditional one which gives them an answer which doesn't mean anything to them at the point they recieve it, but leaves you room for revealing something neat later.

And as I said, it is traditional...

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

You can always use the 'destroy it at the place of it's making' trope.

For complications you could add a certain time and/or a certain item/person required to destroy it.

Perhaps an innocent child (of royal blood?) needs to strike the blow at full moon on a certain month. The location is the hidden fortress of chinese non-union ninja equivalents. Could make for a lot of adventuring?

I really like Altamont Ravenard's ideas - Celestial Bureaucracy in particular!

 

[domino]

Give it to one of the Celestial Dragons to deal with. Or one of the royal family. Let them worry about it.

Or just get a good old fashioned disintigrate spell.

 

[Doug McCrae]

With the power of love.

Possibly by means of a love-powered laser or some such.

 

[tarchon]

It must be used to stab the King of the Bebiliths.

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Heh... I love the bebilith idea... Heh... that's just evil...

That, or combining some of the ideas here, what if they have to get a child of the royal family to stab a false emperor with it (there's five people claiming the throne in the game... all major nobles, protection up the wazoo...)... or they have to get a child of the royal family to stab the Bebilith King...