- Artifact Classification
- Mu, Xi, Iota, Upsilon, Omega
A rugged, velvet-lined wooden case, worn from years on the trail, adorned with a tarnished silver emblem of a thorned rose. Inside, the velvet is a deep, weathered crimson, cradling six perfectly crafted darts. The darts are sleek, iron-tipped, with polished hickory shafts and raven-feather fletching. They feel unnaturally balanced, as if made for the wielder’s hand.
Powers
- Unerring Strike: The darts hit with uncanny accuracy, seeming to bend fate to land true.
- Spirit Piercing: Wounds both flesh and spirit, leaving a dark, ink-like stain that spreads like crawling barbed wire. This mark saps the victim's vitality over time, causing fatigue and weakness.
- Seeker’s Curse: Whispering a name before throwing causes the dart to relentlessly pursue that individual, bypassing obstacles and tracking up to a mile.
- Gambler’s Grace: Whoever owns the case becomes unnaturally lucky at games of chance, consistently winning against the odds. Cards flip favorably, dice roll true, and fortune smiles.
Drawbacks
- Shared Mark: Each time a dart is thrown, a similar ink-like mark appears on the wielder’s skin, growing darker with repeated use. As the marks spread, the wielder becomes increasingly fatigued and plagued by shadowy visions.
- Insatiable Risk: The owner's luck in gambling breeds an unshakable compulsion to keep playing, convinced that fortune will always turn in their favor. Each loss dulls their sense of caution, and the addiction worsens the more the darts are used.
- Bound to the Thorns: If all six darts are used without being recovered, the wielder risks becoming a restless spirit—cursed to wander the plains, seeking the lost darts to reclaim their soul.
- Dart Retrieval: The curse can only be slowed by recovering and rehousing the darts in the case, but even then, faint marks remain—a permanent reminder of the wielder’s choices.
History
Silas "Lucky" Thorn was a gambler with a notorious reputation, always winning whether at cards or in a gunfight. One night, in a dusty frontier town, Sheriff Elias Blackthorne cornered Silas, determined to end his reign. Before they could draw, a stranger appeared—a man in black with ember-like eyes. He offered a wager: a game of cards to settle their feud. The prize—a set of finely crafted darts that never missed their mark if a name was whispered before throwing.
Silas, confident as ever, won the game and claimed the darts. The stranger warned of a bond that could never be broken, but Silas dismissed it. Later, Blackthorne caught up with Silas again, and during their final duel, Silas threw one of the cursed darts—just as Blackthorne shot first, killing him on the spot. As Silas lay dying, the Raven-Eyed Devil appeared again, offering Blackthorne the same deal: power, accuracy, and luck—at the cost of his soul.
Blackthorne accepted and soon became consumed by his newfound fortune. Luck followed him at the card table, and he became a cardsharp, spending his nights gambling and losing his reputation. His addiction grew, and he began to welch on his debts, convinced his luck would turn. One night, cornered by his debtors in a rundown den, his fortune finally failed. They shot him dead before he could reach the case.
When the dust settled, the case of darts was gone—vanished without a trace. Some say it found a new owner, while others believe it returned to the Raven-Eyed Devil, waiting for the next desperate soul. The legend of Ktsini Thorns lives on—a warning of power, fate, and the price of luck.