The Spine of Thorns
There are weapons that kill. There are relics that rule. And then there is the Spine of Thorns - a crown-turned-blade forged from the vertebrae of a forgotten monarch who died begging not for life, but for memory.
The Spine is carried like a staff, yet when swung, the bones twist into a serrated arc of ivory thorns. Wounds caused by the weapon do not bleed; instead, they sprout barbed fragments that crawl deeper the longer they remain. Some victims have been found days later, impaled from within by their own veins, transformed into statues of thornflesh.
Properties
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Crownform: If worn around the neck or brow, the weapon reshapes into a circlet of bone-thorns. In this form, it amplifies the bearer’s authority, but every command given costs 1 Stamina.
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Thornseed: Any critical strike plants a fragment in the enemy’s body. Removing it requires ritual cleansing or self-mutilation.
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Memory Price: The Spine demands tribute. Each time it is used to kill, the wielder loses one personal memory - sometimes trivial, sometimes vital.
Lore
The Spine is said to have belonged to the Last Thorn-Queen of Rhavess, whose throne was grown from living brambles. When her kingdom fell, she fused her own body with the throne in desperation. The conquerors cut her down, but her spine refused to rot - until scavengers shaped it into a relic of power. To this day, the weapon hums faintly with her unfinished coronation.
For the Player
The Spine offers unmatched brutality, but its true cost is narrative. What will you trade to keep wielding it? A childhood memory? A lover’s face? The meaning of your Oath? To carry the Spine is to let the world slowly forget who you were.
For the Storyteller
Introduce the Spine as a cursed treasure or inheritance. Its allure should tempt the players with authority and savagery, but its memory-price ensures every swing is a decision. Over time, let the wielder’s companions notice changes: a friend forgetting their name, a map no longer showing their birthplace, a journal missing entire chapters.