Abat-Ne

From PathfinderWiki
Abat-Ne, the Blackstone Mace
(Magic item)

Aura (1E)
Caster Level (1E)
10th
Type
Slot (1E)
Weapon
Origin
Affiliation
Source: The Slave Trenches of Hakotep, pg(s). 71

Abat-Ne, more commonly known as the Blackstone Mace, is an intelligent light mace topped with a magical ebon stone.1

History

To celebrate an alliance with the fledgling Tekritanin League, pharaoh Jetrieti III of Osirion gifted the Tekritani warlord Simret a fist-sized chunk of the same stone used to fashion the capstone of the Pyramid of Masks, tomb of Jetrieti I. The stone's magical properties purportedly made its wielder undefeatable.1

However, the stone also had a sentience of unknown origin but fanatical devotion to the preservation of Osirion and its interests, with debating theories suggesting the intelligence was either spontaneously created or imbued by Jetrieti III from a specific person. Regardless of its origin, the mace's intelligence refers to itself as Abat-Ne.1

Simret had the stone bored and mounted onto a simple wooden handle and wielded it in battle against the Jistka Imperium, culminating in her victory at the Battle of Red Sands. The mace was then passed down over generations of chieftains, all of whom pledged their loyalty to Osirion.1

The mace's current whereabouts are poorly known, though as of 4714 AR rumors suggest an unnamed warlord active in the Glazen Sheet wields a mace resembling Abat-Ne.1

Personality

Abat-Ne communicates telepathically to its wielder in Ancient Osiriani and is xenophobically motivated to alert its wielder against anyone it detects as having not being born in Osirion. If foreigners are near, the mace — ignorant of the person's intent or actual threat — demands that its wielder drive them away, or to kill them if it believes they are a potential threat to Osirion. If used to attack a person born in Osirion, even if that person poses a threat to Osirion, the mace's magical properties cease to function until convinced that the act was in service to the nation.1

When not being arrogantly and violently xenophobic, the mace repeatedly recounts stories about how it led past wielders to victory in battles.1

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Tim Hitchcock. “Lost Treasures of Ancient Osirion” in The Slave Trenches of Hakotep, 71. Paizo Inc., 2014