Spear of the Unbeliever

Production Information

 * Manufacturer: Presumed to be an ancient Sith Lord known as Darth Apophis, possibly acting under the orders of Darth Marr. Some alternative sources dispute this, claiming the spear to be a much older artifact, possibly created by the legendary Darth Malak, although this theory is unconfirmed and the general consensus amongst Sith scholars remains that the weapon dates back to the time of the Sith Empire under the Sith emperor Vitiate. This ancient and horrifying weapon was recently recovered by the Sith Lord Darth Tacitus from an unknown location
 * Affiliation: Closed-Market | Darth Tacitus
 * Modularity: No
 * Production: Unique

Technical Specifications

 * Material: Unknown Alchemized Metal - Although the composition of the metal used in the spear's construction remains unidentified, research has concluded that the metal itself holds no special properties and is theorized to be some kind of Durasteel analogue, or alloy and the weapon's remarkable properties are entirely derived from the alchemical rituals that led to its creation


 * Classification: The Spear of the Unbeliever is, for all intents and purposes, an irregular and unusual spear of unknown design, altered, or possibly entirely forged through obscure and arcane Sith alchemical methods that have been lost to time
 * Size: Average - The Spear of the Unbeliever features some kind of telescopic mechanism which allows it to fold in on itself, enabling it to be holstered and carried much more easily. There is no visible lever or button by which this mechanism is operated and it can only be activated by a mental command from its bonded wielder, however since the spear can not be dismantled to access this mechanism, its inner workings are unknown. When fully extended, the spear is 1.98 meters long, including the bladed spearhead
 * Weight: Heavy

Arcane Telescopic Mechanism
The construction of the Spear of the Unbeliever features some kind of unknown telescopic mechanism that is activated by a mental command, in order to either fold, or extend the weapon to its full length. When folded, the spear is short enough to be holstered in a scabbard, allowing for easier carrying, although in this configuration, all of the weapon's special abilities become inert, the only exception being its resistance to lightsabers.

It should be noted that not only are the exact inner workings of this mechanism unknown, but the spear also features no visible seams of any kind, not even at the points where the shaft of the weapon retracts into the hilt, although molecular scans have revealed a tiny, microscopic gap between the hilt and the shaft, which allows the latter to retract or extend. Aside from that, all evidence seems to point towards the spear being forged of a single, contiguous block of metal, which is an impossibility in and of itself, given the weapon's telescoping ability and the obvious layered structure of the artifact, each layer quite obviously forged through different methods and then somehow fused with the others, although the method by which this was done, as well as the reasons for it, remain unknown.

Soulbound
The Spear of the Unbeliever features another notable and unusual characteristic in that the weapon "binds" with its wielder, enabling only that individual to actually use it until its current owner's death at the hands of an enemy, occurs. Ownership of the weapon then passes to the individual who killed its previous owner, however, if that individual does not claim the weapon, then it will bind to the next Force sensitive being who activates it. This transfer of ownership does not occur if the weapon's current wielder undergoes the process of Essence Transfer, or some other method of resurrection, requiring the permanent and irreversible death of its current owner to occur, before it can be claimed by a new master.

Strengths

 * Soul Reaver: The most infamous, feared and remarkable ability of the Spear of the Unbeliever, is how it does damage to its victims. The wounds inflicted by this ancient and arcane Sith artifact are not just physical in nature, but spiritual as well, which can cause excruciating and unnatural pain to those struck by it, pain which can linger for as long as several weeks, until the injuries heal. More horrifically, those killed by this weapon do not just suffer physical death, but their souls, or essence, are destroyed as well, although this effect only applies if the spear delivers the actual killing blow and not if the victim succumbs to injuries inflicted by it, some time later. This ability also extends to non-corporeal beings such as ghosts, as well as undead creatures
 * Toll The Hounds: In addition to being capable of the horrific atrocity of destroying a living being's soul, the Spear of the Unbeliever is also capable of summoning three spectral, wolf-like creatures known as the Ghoul Hounds. These spectral creatures can not physically interact with the material world or any living beings in any way, shape or form, but they can be utilized as a psychological weapon, or as scouts, of sorts, as they have the ability to range a short distance away from the spear, up to approximately thirty meters and are capable of transmitting information back to the spear's wielder by telepathic means. The means by which this summoning is performed is by tapping the ground three times with the butt of the spear
 * Soulbound: The Spear of the Unbeliever bonds to its wielder through unknown alchemical and sorcerous means, allowing only one individual to unleash and utilize its horrific and abominable powers. Once bonded, the spear can only be passed onto another through the act of killing its current owner, although that death has to be irreversible
 * Lightsaber Resistant: The ancient Sith artifact's least notable attribute, which is likely also one shared by most other items produced through the forbidden arts of Sith Alchemy, is its lightsaber resistance, a passive ability which is retained even when the Spear of the Unbeliever is folded in on itself and "inactive"

Weaknesses

 * Punishment For Your Sins: Despite this ancient weapons immense and terrible power, few individuals have ever chosen to wield it, although many have sought it out and tried. The reason for this, is that, when activated by extending it to its full length, the weapon constantly inflicts horrifying and excruciating pain onto its wielder. Those who have possessed it, have described feeling like "being ripped apart from the inside out a thousand times a second, an unending moment of death which stretches on to infinity"
 * You Keep What You Kill: The ancient artifact's immense and terrible power, coupled with the method by which ownership is transferred, have been noted to attract terrible violence upon its owners, caused by those who seek to depose the spear's current wielder and claim it for their own. Ownership of this weapon puts its wielder under the constant risk of being attacked by other unscrupulous individuals who desire this artifact, the cycle then repeating itself. With few exceptions, all of the spear's previous owners have suffered a violent end, which has led some Sith scholars to suspect that the weapon may be cursed
 * The Searing Touch of Light: In spite, or perhaps because of, the ancient weapon's nature and remarkable abilities, the Spear of the Unbeliever is temporarily rendered completely inert by the cleansing power of the Lightside of the Force and the presence of a Lightside Nexus, or the use of Force Light upon it, forces it to fold in on itself and become inactive and harmless, somehow even dulling the sharp edges of its deadly spearhead. The removal of this Lightside presence will cause the spear to regain its horrible abilities over time, however this process can take several weeks, during which the weapon is completely unusable. It is theorized that several Jedi Masters, working in unison and with the aid of a powerful Lightside Nexus, can permanently destroy this horrible weapon, although this theory has never been tested
 * Song of the Damned: The horrific and immense power of the Spear of the Unbeliever can not be concealed, casting an immense and horrible shadow in the Force, which can be felt by other Force Sensitives in a way that has been described as a wrongness, or aberration on the very fabric of reality, a stain upon creation itself. This makes it impossible for the ancient weapon's wielder to evade the gaze of other Force Sensitive individuals and move around undetected

History
"And with strange aeons even death may die"​ Within the long and bloody history of the Galaxy, a history often marked and traumatized by the eternal conflict between the followers of the Light and the disciples of the Dark, a sort of arms race has developed between those engaging in this never-ending struggle. From this tug-of-war in which all sides involved constantly seek to gain the upper hand over their opponents, have emerged a number of items that have become the stuff of myth and legends.

Both the followers of the Lightside and the Darkside of the Force, have created such artifacts that became part of their legacy, sometimes out of a desire to gain an advantage against the opposite sides and at other times, simply as means to rid themselves of their rivals, this latter practice being far more common amongst those who take for themselves the mantle of Sith and embrace their teachings.

Although those who created these ancient relics are long gone, faded into myth and history, these artifacts which they have left behind, are highly coveted and sought after, great resources and effort often being expended for their acquisition. From holocrons containing ancient and secret teachings, to weapons of terrible power, there are many such artifacts in the convoluted tapestry that is the story of the Galaxy and there are always adventurers and brave, or malicious souls who seek them.

One of these ancient relics of the Darkside, is the ancient Sith weapon known as the Spear of the Unbeliever. Although somewhat obscure, the immense and horrifying power of this weapon, has insured that there has never been a shortage of ambitious Sith who sought it, or concerned Jedi who wished to destroy it in order to prevent such an abomination from being unleashed upon the Galaxy again.

The exact origins of this ancient and mysterious weapon are shrouded in mystery, although most Sith scholars agree that it was most likely crafted by a Sith Lord known as Darth Apophis, one of the followers of Darth Marr, from around the time of the Great War. And the story associated with its creation, is a truly gruesome and horrific one, a most vile atrocity being the means by which this abomination of a weapon, was forged.

According to the commonly accepted version of events, the forging of this weapon began after the return of the Sith emperor Vitiate, under his new identity as Valkorion, possibly on the order of Darth Marr himself, although this is mere speculation, as few records and documents pertaining to the spear's creation, have survived into the present, if there were any more, to begin with. Whether Darth Marr was involved in the forging of this artifact, or not, he would not survive long enough to witness the completion of its construction, as the spear's creator reportedly worked for almost a hundred years to forge it.

The exact alchemical rituals and methods by which the Spear of the Unbeliever was forged, are unknown and have been lost to time, as Darth Apophis did not leave any records explaining his techniques, or at least none that have yet been discovered. It is, however, generally believed by Sith scholars who have studied this artifact's history, that its creation involved the gruesome torture and eventual massacre of an entire planet's population, including Apophis' own wife and children in an abominable and unholy ritual which stretched out for a century.

An alternative version of events describes the weapon as being much older and attributes its creation to Darth Malak, Revan's apprentice, although this version has since been dismissed by Sith scholars, due to numerous inconsistencies and a lack of evidence and it has been suggested that this origin story was most likely made up by one of the spear's owners, possibly in an attempt to gain political legitimacy through a fabricated connection to the renowned Dark Lord.

Following the death of Darth Apophis, the spear disappeared for a time, only to reemerge some time later during the age of Darth Bane, being known to have been possessed by one of Skere Kaan's followers up until the destruction of the Brotherhood of Darkness and the beginning of the Rule of Two, disappearing again in the wake of that massacre on Ruusan.

In the centuries that followed, there were no more mention of the ancient spear, although this is likely due to the secretive nature of that era's Sith and it is highly plausible that the weapon has been in the possession of at least several Sith Lords. With the ascension of Darth Sidious, known to the Galaxy as emperor Palpatine and the dawn of the first Galactic Empire, the Spear of the Unbeliever fell into the Dark Lord's hands, as it would later be discovered in one of his vaults, some time after his death, by one of the followers of Darth Krayt.

After that, the Spear of the Unbeliever changed hands several times, most often through violent means that resulted in the previous owner's death, until the advent of the Gulag Plague, when the ancient weapon was, once again, lost. Because of its abilities, the weapon has been coveted and sought after by several disciples of the Sith ways, some of whom have offered rewards for any information that would lead them to its location. This has led to several fakes being created, by enterprising, though uneducated smugglers and criminals, at least in matters related to the Force. Unsurprisingly, each of these attempts has been easily discovered, leading to the forgers suffering gruesome fates for their attempted deceit.

The Spear of the Unbeliever is forged from an unknown metal, although it is presumed to be some kind of Durasteel alloy and all of the research conducted on the weapon, has concluded that the metal itself has no inherent special properties and that all of the weapon's abilities are derived from the alchemical ritual used to create it. Interestingly, although it seems that all of the weapon's components were forged out of the same block of metal, the process by which these individual sections were forged, differs, the weapon being built in 'layers', which have then been fused together by some unknown means.

The weapon, which takes the shape of a nearly two-meter long spear when fully extended, has no visible seams whatsoever, the only gaps in its construction being located at the connection points of the shaft and the hilt, which allows the weapon to fold in on itself like a telescopic quarterstaff, although even these gaps are so flush with the spear's shaft and so precisely machined, that they can not be seen with the naked eye, being visible only under a microscope. The spear features no discernable buttons or levers of any kind and the telescopic mechanism is, instead, activated by a mental command from its wielder. Since the spear can not be dismantled, the exact workings of this internal mechanism remain unknown to this date.

Interestingly, electron microscope scans have revealed that the surface of the spear is covered in millions of microscopic Sith runes, some of them of ancient and early design, suggesting that some of the rituals used in the weapon's creation, might date back to the earliest days of the Sith. The scholars who have studied the spear, have concluded that these runes could have only been engraved through Sith alchemical techniques and some have since suggested that the whole spear may have been forged entirely through Sith Alchemy, the metal somehow coerced into its final shape. While this hypothesis would certainly explain many of the unanswered questions regarding its construction, such as the lack of seams, it remains unconfirmed.

However, as remarkable as the spear's physical properties may be, they are completely eclipsed by its unnatural attributes. Aside from the fairly common property of lightsaber resistance, the Spear of the Unbeliever features several other notable abilities which set it apart from most common and regular Sith weapons present throughout the galaxy. Injuries inflicted by this weapon are not merely physical, but of a spiritual nature as well, each wound inflicting damage upon the soul of the spear's victim, most often causing excruciating pain that can last for weeks at a time, although these wounds have never been known to be permanent, unless the victim is actually killed by the spear itself.

The weapon's most terrifying and abominable ability is revealed when the ancient relic delivers the killing blow upon its victim. In instances where this has occurred, the victim has not only suffered physical death, but also the complete destruction of the soul, a monstrous and incomparable atrocity which, coincidentally, also makes any means of resurrection, such as Essence Transfer, impossible, which was probably the reason for the spear's creation in the first place, as it is speculated that it was originally intended to be used as a means to permanently kill Vitiate. It should be noted, however, that for this to occur, the killing blow must be delivered by the spear and if the victim survives and merely succumbs to injuries caused by it, later, then this destruction of the spirit does not occur.

Most likely an unintended side effect, the main reason very few throughout history have actually wielded this weapon, is the fact that it also inflicts horrible pain upon its wielder, whenever the weapon is activated by extending it to its full length. The sensation has been compared to being endlessly torn apart and hanging between life and death in an eternal moment of torment and this is likely an echo of the unspeakable atrocity through which the spear was created. This has meant that few have had the fortitude and sheer will to actually wield the weapon, despite many attempting to.

Another unintended side effect, comes from its bonding process, through which the spear becomes bound to its owner and unusable by anyone else. Likely intended as a means to deter thieves, it has resulted in ownership of the weapon only being transferable through the current wielder's death, which has led to many instances where those who possessed the spear, have been assassinated by others who coveted it. If unclaimed by the killer of its previous master, the spear will remained dormant and inactive, until it comes into contact with the first Force wielder to pick it up, at which point it will bond with that individual.

The spear's final notable attribute, is its ability to summon a trio of spectral, wolf-like creatures called the Ghoul Hounds, which are presumed to have been created from the souls of the wife and children of the weapon's creator. These spectral hounds can not physically interact with the world around them and thus, can not inflict any harm, although they are used as a psychological weapon, demonstrating that the wielder has mastered the spear and managed to overcome its penalties, a remarkable feat in and of itself, given the price it exacts from those who use it. These 'hounds' can, however, be utilized as a kind of short-range scouts, being able to venture forth as far as approximately thirty meters away from the spear itself and can relay information back to the weapon's wielder by means of telepathy.

As it is often the case with such abominable artifacts, its mere presence casts a heavy and baleful shadow in the Force, an unmistakable signature that has been described as a highly disturbing 'wrongness', which makes it impossible for the wielder of this weapon to pass by another Force Sensitive unnoticed. Additionally, due to its nature as a weapon of the Darkside, it fares poorly in the presence of the purest expression of the Light.

The mere touch of Force Light, or the presence of a Lightside Nexus, will render the weapon completely inert, forcing it to fold in on itself and its edge to become dull, turning the dreaded spear into a completely harmless hunk of metal. This effect can last for several weeks, until the weapon slowly regains its unholy properties and it is theorized that several Jedi Masters working in unison and utilizing a powerful Darkside Nexus, can completely destroy the spear, although this theory has never been tested.

Although believed to have been lost during the Gulag Plague, the Spear of the Unbeliever has recently reemerged in the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Tacitus, who has been seen wielding this weapon several weeks after the Confederate campaign against Tanaab. How this weapon came into the possession of the Sith Lord, is currently unknown.