Item: Briar

Briar was formed ages ago by the Eldest when they tore from Nyrissa's mind and spirit her capability to love, then solidified this emotional energy into a sword. They entrusted Briar's safe keeping to the Lantern King, who mischievously kept moving the sword from world to world, always near to the regions Nyrissa was focused on but always hidden from her so that he could privately enjoy the delicious irony that the thing she sought so ardently was always kept just out of reach.

When first recovered by the PCs, Briar is a +3 greater striking cold iron bastard sword, but its additional powers remain dormant. These powers can be awakened as the PCs progress through Chapter 10. The process of awakening Briar requires that the weapon be present when First World blooms are defeated or when powerful creatures from the First World are slain-Briar need not be the weapon that defeats a bloom or slays a monster, but it must be in the immediate area (within 500 feet). Defeating a bloom or slaying a 17th-level or greater monster from the First World- including all creatures closely associated with a bloom-gives Briar a Sharpness Point. As it accumulates these points, it gains additional powers, as detailed below.

Once Briar gains the capability to speak, it can relate to its partner the sad tale of its creation, including the fact that it was created by the Lantern King using Nyrissa's capacity to love. Briar knows that without love, Nyrissa is as good as dead, and it suspects that only by being used to slay Nyrissa can it be returned to her soul. It doesn't know about the Lantern King's additional machinations, the nature of the Apology, or Nyrissa's reasons for attacking the Stolen Lands, and as such doesn't realize there is another method to be reunited with the nymph queen-see the end of Chapter 10. The first time Briar is brought within 30 feet of Nyrissa, it automatically gains enough Sharpness Points to reach 20 points.

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1 Sharpness Point Briar becomes a +3 greater striking shifting cold iron bastard sword.

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4 Sharpness Points Briar becomes a +3 major striking shifting cold iron bastard sword. It gains the Intelligent trait, becomes chaotic neutral, and gains the following statistics.

Perception [[/r 1d20+30 #perception]]{+30}, normal vision and hearing within 30 feet

Communication empathy (partner only)

Skills First World Lore [[/r 1d20+30 #First World Lore]]{+30}, Nature [[/r 1d20+28 #nature]]{+28} Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +3 Will [[/r 1d20+30 #will save]]{+30}

Activate 1 (command)

Frequency three times per day

Effect Briar casts Oaken Resilience on its partner.

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8 Sharpness Points Briar becomes a +4 major striking shifting cold iron bastard sword. Its statistics improve as follows.

Perception [[/r 1d20+32 #perception]]{+32}, normal vision, darkvision, and hearing within 60 feet

Communication speech (Aklo, Common, and Sylvan)

Skills First World Lore [[/r 1d20+32 #First World Lore]]{+32}, Nature [[/r 1d20+30 #nature]]{+30} Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +5 [[/r 1d20+32 #will save]]{+32}

Activate 1 (command)

Frequency three times per day

Effect Briar casts a 4th-rank Oaken Resilience on its partner.

Activate R

Frequency once per day

Trigger Briar damages a plant creature

Effect Briar draws moisture out of the plant creature's body, dealing 10d10 void damage (DC 39 Basic Fortitude)

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14 Sharpness Points Briar becomes a +4 major striking shifting cold iron bastard sword. Against denizens of the First World, it also functions as a Vorpal weapon. Its statistics improve as follows.

Perception [[/r 1d20+34 #perception]]{+34}, normal vision, darkvision, and hearing within 120 feet Communication speech and telepathy (Aklo, Common, and Sylvan)

Skills First World Lore [[/r 1d20+34 #First World Lore]]{+34}, Nature [[/r 1d20+32 #nature]]{+32} Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +7 [[/r 1d20+34 #will save]]{+34}

Activate 1 (command)

Frequency three times per day

Effect Briar casts a 6th-rank Oaken Resilience on its partner.

Activate R

Frequency once per day

Trigger Briar damages a plant creature

Effect Briar draws moisture out of the plant creature's body, dealing 12d10 void damage (DC 41 Basic Fortitude)

Activate R

Frequency once per month

Trigger Briar's partner would die

Effect Briar casts Breath Of Life on its partner.

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20 Sharpness Points Briar becomes a +4 major striking shifting cold iron vorpal bastard sword. Its statistics improve as follows.

Perception [[/r 1d20+36 #perception]]{+36}, normal vision, darkvision, and hearing within 60 feet

Communication speech and telepathy (Aklo, Common, and Sylvan)

First World Lore [[/r 1d20+36 #First World Lore]]{+36}, Nature [[/r 1d20+34 #nature]]{+34} Int +6, Wis +6, Cha +9 [[/r 1d20+36 #will save]]{+36}

Activate 1 (command)

Frequency three times per day

Effect Briar casts an 8th-rank Oaken Resilience on its partner.

Activate R

Frequency once per day

Trigger Briar damages a plant creature

Effect Briar draws moisture out of the plant creature's body, dealing 14d10 void damage (DC 43 Basic Fortitude)

Activate R

Frequency once per month

Trigger Briar's partner dies

Effect Briar resurrects its partner. The partner returns to life with full Hit Points and the same spells prepared and points in their pools they had when they died, but still suffering from any long-term debilitations of the old body. The target is also permanently changed in some way that shifts their appearance slightly toward that of Nyrissa's, such as a green streak in the hair, a few thorny growths on the body, or a slight greenish cast to their skin.

Activate R

Trigger Briar's partner Strikes Nyrissa with Briar for the first time in a round

Effect Nyrissa must make a successful DC 50 Fortitude save to resist being Stunned 1 (Stunned 3 on a critical failure). Briar's partner gains a +4 item bonus to all saving throws against Nyrissa's spells for 1 minute.

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Destruction The Lantern King can will Briar's destruction if he chooses. Alternately, defeating the Lantern King's aspect causes the sword's destruction. Once Briar is destroyed, Nyrissa regains the capability to love once again, but what she does next will depend on how the PCs treated her-assuming she survives. If Nyrissa is slain, Briar immediately loses [[/r 1d6 #sharpness points]]{1d6 Sharpness points}. It can never again gain Sharpness points, and it continues to lose more at the rate of 1d6 every 24 hours. Once Briar's Sharpness points drop to 0 in this way, the sword is destroyed.