Axe of Doom

## Further Description

A magical axe created by Polaris, the North Star, to split his second-in-command Hades into two weaker Constellations (known today as Atlas and Elysium). When not held by its creator, it appears as a handle with shifting patterns of white light that imitate the night sky. When in use, or held by its true master, energy pours from the handle and coalesces into a large, radiant, weightless axe head, at least three feet long and about as wide. When used against larger creatures, the axe head will grow to match the target’s size.

Under normal circumstances the Axe is kept hidden away in a secret ruin whose location is lost to time, but Polaris can summon the Axe to himself at any time should he deem it necessary.

## Current and Previous Whereabouts

### Polaris

The Axe of Doom was originally owned by Polaris, but was sealed away in a ruin after it was used to split Hades in two.

### The Binturian Party (Specific Members Unknown) (10,016 A.B.)

When the stars fell once to the Material Plane, the Binturian Party travelled to K’Vesten to free the captured Constellations. Upon her release, Elysium forced Atlas to fuse with her to become their original whole: the violent but powerful Hades. He enacted swift vengeance upon Empress Amity, but proceeded to wreak havoc upon Temporis himself. In order to defeat him, the Binturian Party went to the ruin where the Axe of Doom is held, retrieved it, and used its power to defeat Hades and split him back into his two halves. Over the course of this battle the Axe may have changed hands dozens of times, but this is not known.

### Amirynn (10,016 A.B. - 10,017 A.B.)

The then-Binturian Amirynn was charged to carry the Axe of Doom after its use against Hades. Knowing it would only work once in her hand before it disappeared (either back to its ruin of origin or to Polaris himself), she bided her time waiting for the perfect opportunity. The time finally came when she joined the Courier Pigeon Initiative, a Dilghaoan expedition to an Archipelago far beyond the Worldline, and used it to exterminate the Shoggoth species.

## Capabilities

Though the Axe was originally made to split Constellations and other powerful entities, it is still a formidable weapon able to harm even the strongest of gods. In the case of all mortal creatures and planar creatures, and even many progenitor deities, a single strike from the Axe of Doom would prove instantly fatal.

Barring extenuating circumstances, usually involving the will of Polaris himself or perhaps a being greater than even he, the Axe of Doom can only be used by any single creature once, ever, before it returns to its previous home. It cannot be destroyed, except perhaps by an Elder God.

## Creation

The Axe of Doom was made by Polaris in the ancient past, using his own innate powers.

## History of Use

### Splitting Hades

Polaris used the Axe of Doom to split Hades into two new forms: Atlas and Elysium.

### Splitting Equis

Polaris used the Axe of Doom to split Equis into two incomplete halves, Luce and Caligus, before imprisoning both in a Binturian ruin where they could not reunite themselves.

### Attacking Death (C. 9,016 A.B.)

When Death threatened to eradicate the Constellations while arguing with Polaris, Polaris responded by summoning the Axe of Doom and attacking Death with it. Though not enough to kill Death, the attack was substantial enough to sever Death’s face from his body and leave only the skull beneath.

### Splitting Hades Again (10,016 A.B.)

The Binturian Party used the Axe of Doom to split Hades back into his original two halves.

### Shoggoth Genocide (10,017 A.B.)

In order to bring peace between the Dilghaoans and the native Kobolds, the Binturians agreed to exterminate the Shoggoths (thereby justifying the reduction in breeding rates that the island protector would magically and mystically impose on the Kobold population preventing them from overpopulating Orelisle and safeguarding peaceful negotiations). In their quest to do so, the third Shoggoth they came upon summoned all their brethren - the entire Shoggoth species - into one single form to destroy the Binturians. In their new, combined form, the Shoggoths were all one being, and the Axe of Doom could destroy them all at once.

Amirynn dodged between flailing tentacles and her fallen or futilely-fighting comrades, flying up to the Shoggoth conglomerate’s peak and bringing down the massive head clean through the creature’s body and destroying it. The Axe of Doom disappeared after this.

### Destroying Night’s Barrier (10,019 A.B.)

Night briefly imprisoned Polaris in the Astral Plane when her demands were not being met. Polaris could have dispelled Night’s barriers at any time, but deliberately chose to wait until the Binturian Party arrived to do so. He summoned the Axe of Doom to destroy the barriers surrounding him, both as a show of force and as a dramatic entrance.

## Further Information

* The Binturian Party
* Constellations
* Death
* Night
* Penskruingman
* Polaris
* Shoggoth