Shears of Winter
Description
A rod and a one-handed axe are the most common combination for the Shears of Winter. They are usually both made using metal taken from the same mine, and then the hilt and the shaft of the implement worked with dragonbone. Many wielders make a point of keeping a small amount of shattered tempest jade on hand to keep their weapon and implement smooth, polished or sharpened as appropriate. Their common name arises because the weapon and implement are often marked with the rune Yoorn, sometimes called the Shears, which symbolises ending.
When using these arcane weapons, the magician-warrior usually touches the pair together, drawing destructive magic out of the weapon and then unleashing using the rod (or more rarely, wand). They are equally adept at blasting shields to splinters or ripping even magical weapons into shards, occasionally with a thunderous detonation.
Similar to the Jade Hammers, the shears of winter allow a magician to cast a unique offensive spell, in this case one that shatters enemy weapons and armour. Attempts to duplicate this feat with magical energy alone have so far been unsuccessful. Indeed, it has proved so far impossible to make an implement that can create this effect - the closest any artisan has come is the Witches' Hammer, a rod which still requires the wielder to have mastered the spell repel and has a limited ability to unleash its power rather than granting the freedom to smash shields or break weapons at will.
Rules
- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand. You must be wielding both the weapon and the implement to use the set's magical properties.
- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.
- Effect: You may cast SHATTER as if it were a two-mana-point offensive spell.
- Materials: Crafting the Shears of Winter requires eight measures of dragonbone, three ingots of green iron, three ingots of tempest jade and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.