Astraea, the Firstborn Cosmos

Astraea, the Firstborn Cosmos

Weapon (longsword or greatsword), artifact (requires attunement by a spellcaster)

 

Forged in the aggressive, serrated silhouette of the mythical Sword of Kas, this weapon is a singular masterpiece of the multiverse. The hilt and crossguard are sculpted from flawless, glass-smooth black and green volcanic obsidian, pulsing with deep emerald veins. The blade itself is forged from a finite cosmic ore that was completely exhausted during its creation. The surface of the steel does not reflect its surroundings; instead, it holds a living, moving window into the deepest reaches of the night sky, complete with twinkling stars and a shifting aurora borealis that bleeds seamlessly into the green hilt. 

 

Sentience. Astraea is a sentient item of true neutral alignment, possessing an Intelligence of 18, a Wisdom of 14, and a Charisma of 14. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder, its voice sounding like the deep, echoing ring of a crystal bell. It views mortal conflicts with cosmic indifference, valuing absolute balance and momentum above all else.

 

Dynamic Relationship. Astraea forms a living emotional bond with its wielder. As your relationship strengthens through deeds of cosmic balance, the auroras on its blade pulse with a warm, comforting glow. If you routinely violate its trust or disrupt cosmic equilibrium, the stars on the blade grow dim, the steel turns freezing cold to the touch, and it may refuse to obey your commands.

 

Random Properties. The artifact possesses the following random properties from the Dungeon Master’s Guide:

* 1 minor beneficial property (e.g., You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill)

* 1 major beneficial property (e.g., Your Intelligence score increases by 2, up to a maximum of 24)

* 1 minor detrimental property (e.g., Your physical appearance changes slightly; your eyes reflect a faint, swirling green aurora when you cast a wizard spell)

 

Guided Trajectory. This weapon possesses the thrown property with a range of 20/60 feet. When thrown, you do not roll an attack using your own physical trajectory. Instead, Astraea uses its own cosmic senses to steer itself through the air toward the target. Attacks made with this weapon ignore half cover and three-quarters cover, and you do not suffer disadvantage when throwing it at long range. Immediately after the attack resolves (hit or miss), the blade loops through the air like an autonomous boomerang and returns safely to your open hand.

 

Shadow Harvest. When you reduce a creature of any Evil alignment to 0 hit points with this weapon, the target dies instantly as its soul is torn away and cleansed of its identity. At the start of the next turn, a Shadow (see the Monster Manual) rises from the corpse. The shadow is under the absolute command of Astraea, rather than the wielder. The sword uses these shadows to protect you or enforce its will. You can have a maximum number of shadows controlled this way equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). If you create a new shadow that exceeds this limit, the oldest shadow immediately collapses into harmless gray dust.

 

Singular Creation. The cosmic material used to forge this blade no longer exists in the multiverse. Astraea is completely one of a kind and cannot be duplicated, replicated, or remade by any mortal or magical means, including the Wish spell.

 

Destruction. Astraea is impervious to all physical damage, spells, and planar environments. It can only be destroyed if it is taken to the exact, empty coordinates in the Astral Plane where its foundational cosmic ore was originally harvested. There, a mortal must cast a Wish spell, choosing to voluntarily surrender the blade's starlight back to the universe. If done, the sword dissolves into a permanent, harmless aurora across the astral sky, gone forever.

 

Currently in possession of Io, for safe keeping, until the wizard who forged it returns (which will happen in approximately three hundred years).

 

Proficiency with a Longsword allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.

Notes: Ranged Weapon Attack: Slashing, Versatile, Sap