Midnight

Midnight is a blade of unknown origin, found by Hyacinth Knight during a vision quest in 1985 on Earth, in the Chihuahuan Desert. In its inert form, it appears to be a blade of obsidian, with a smooth--but not quite flat--blade and an irregular, organically-shaped hilt that suits the human hand quite well. It is weightier than obsidian, and not quite the same shade--it is a perfect black, quite glossy, with a bluish-purple hue to its reflections. It has an extremely sharp, near-monofilament edge, and, while almost entirely rigid, it is extremely resilient.

Hyacinth's analysis using cutting edge tools (for her time) in the labs of Paradox, Inc. have shown the object to be comprised of an unknown alloy of various elements, in an amorphous, complex structure that is unlikely to be naturally-occurring. The weapon has superior characteristics to even titanium alloys, although theoretically, under enough strain, it would shatter. Said characteristics make it more than capable against other melee weapons; it can reflect almost all force of a bladed weapon swung with super-human force, damaging the weapon without suffering a scratch. It is even capable of deflecting low-caliber bullets. Hyacinth has yet to test the weapon against high-caliber bullets or explosives, both for fear of ruining it, and because such tests are academic at best--one does not deflect an explosion.

Frustratingly, the weapon's abilities do not end with its physical characteristics. It is imbued with an unexplained ability to sense the will of its wielder, who, assuming they are aware of its powers, can call upon it with a silent effort of will to activate certain powers. Hyacinth is aware of the following abilities:

• Change Form: At-will, free; the weapon changes form into any other melee weapon of appropriate size for the wielder.
• Null Strike: At-will, 1 Mana, augments a melee attack; in addition to normal damage, the weapon dispels a magical effect on contact (Melee check opposed to caster's Spellcraft).
• Anti-Magic Zone: At-will, 1 Mana/rd, emanation 2; all magical effects are blocked at the perimeter, which extends through solid objects to form a complete sphere. Such forces may remain active within the barrier, if they originate within it and do not leave. The barrier does not interact with physical forces, except:
  • It blocks highly charged particles, such as plasma and ionizing radiation (tested up to 500 rads). It blocks the propagation of all electromagnetic fields (so no WiFi or cell inside the bubble). It does not block EM-neutral particles.
  • It blocks gravity waves. If you let go of something in the bubble, it won't fall until the bubble comes down. Since the effect is an emanation, it is possible to jump while the bubble is active, and fail to accelerate toward Earth due to the bubble's effect, which travels with you as long as you hold the blade. With typical jumping force for a well-trained athlete, it is possible to jump upward 50 ft in a single round by using this technique. (Better have a plan for when the bubble drops).