Sword Arm

“When you really believe that using sword can kill people, that's when you will be subject to the law of the sword, "those who use the sword will die by the sword.” ― Toba Beta, Betelgeuse Incident: Insiden Bait Al-Jauza

Created and Written by Khali A. Crawford

The term "Power" gets thrown around in the Seven Seals Legendarium from time to time and stands apart from Magic or other forms of abilities. Magic is the root of almost all powers and abilities within the Legendarium (save for genetic mutations, racial traits, and augmentations of course) and Magic is only possible via the Soul, thus, all powers and abilities are derived from the Soul. While Magical Energy may quantify how much Magic a Mage can use at a given point in time, Power is the culmination of their knowledge of Magic, their magic abilities, their raw physical strength, their wisdom, and their mental power. In a sense, when characters within the Legendarium say Power, they are referring to an abstract idea, the enrichment of the Soul which in turn enriches everything the Soul can do, thus increasing their magic abilities greatly.

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Dharma, a term as ancient as the stars themselves, encapsulates the concept of living in harmony with one's true self and purpose. It represents the alignment of one's actions, choices, and intentions with the intrinsic essence of their being. Adhering to one's Dharma is to embark on a journey of self-discovery, embracing the unique path etched into one's existence. In doing so, individuals unlock the dormant potential within themselves and tap into the wellspring of their inner strength. Just as a star, radiant and undaunted, shines at its brightest when it follows its destined course through the cosmos, so too does a mage's power reach its zenith when in sync with their Dharma. To live by one's Dharma is to enrich their Soul and to enrich the soul is to gain more Power and to gain more Power is to increase the strength of your Magic overall.

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Now to discuss Sword Arms, which are metaphysical weapons, meaning weapons, items, or tools that have a physical form as well as an Astral Form and a Mental Form, allowing them to be wielded in dimensions and spaces other than the physical one. Sword Arms are created by beings and manifest a portion of their Power, a slice of their very Soul. Sword Arms are distinctly different from normal weapons or tools that are enchanted with Magic or empowered to have metaphysical qualities. Sword Arms are full manifestations of a Mage's Power, the physical form of something so abstract and elusive, ideas made real. Sword Arms contain exactly the amount of Power that they were made from and certain attributes can be imprinted upon them.

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From this explanation, a Mage might question why they would ever want to decrease their own Power. Why not just keep it all to themselves and forego the Sword Arm entirely? There is no one answer and what answers exist are different to different degrees for each Mage. Some Mages may wish to enter Realms where beings of a certain Power > x are not permitted entry, and thus they weaken themselves to exist there. In this same vein, some Mages will possess various Magical Forms or Evolutions, they may tie these transformations and the power associated with them to a Sword Arm. Thus, when they call upon the Sword Arm, they can immediately transform and gain a Power boost. Sword Arms may also be employed to restrict the strain on the mortal form. The Soul is boundless but the body is not, push it too far, and it will burst, but safely deploy and separate large parts of your power and you can wield it safely when needed. You can also acquire Sword Arms of other Mages and add their Power to your own. There can be any number of reasons or situations that creating a sword arm is needed, but it depends on the Mage.

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Demonic Arms and Holy Arms

Sword Arms created by Holy or Unholy beings will differ from mortal Sword Arms. To start off, these higher beings can create Sword Arms that dwarf even the greatest of Mortal Sword Arms. This is in part due to the nature of their Souls being fundamentally different as opposed to Mortals, and because they can be imbued with Holy and Unholy Energies. These Energies are a form of energy that only exists naturally in the Holy and Unholy Multiverse.

• DEMONIC ARMS are effective against Sword Arms and Super Effective against Holy Arms but Less Effective against Demonic Arms
• HOLY ARMS are effective against Sword Arms and Super Effective against Demonic Arms but Less Effective against Holy Arms

Mortals without the blood of Holy or Unholy beings can only wield Sword Arms while half-bloods can wield them but only full-breeds can create and wield them. Demonic beings cannot wield Holy Arms and Holy beings cannot wield Demonic Arms, as Unholy Energy is the inverse of Holy Energy (a negative x a negative is a positive) and the vice versa is true as well. Diloutted Arms are Sword Arms that have been infused with Holy or Unholy Energy, such as a Holy Arm becoming a Corrupted Arm as a result of Unholy Energy and an Unholy Arm becoming a Purified Arm as a result of Holy Energy. Corrupting or Purifying significantly decreases the Power and effectiveness of the Arm in question.

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The only exception to these rules are the Nephilim, the hybrids who were cast from the mold of both Holy and Unholy beings, they are the only beings in existence who can correctly join Holy and Unholy energies together perfectly within their bodies to create Equilibrium, infinite energy. Thus, they can wield Demonic and Holy Arms without issue and without Corrupting or Purifying them. They are also the only class of beings can can create the Perfect Arms, Sword Arms that possess an Equilibrium of Holy and Unholy energies. Such Arms stand above the sum of their individual parts exponentially and can prove fatal to any being. They are normally far outside the range of possibilities for Mortal beings, even half-breeds. The Perfect Arms also work to a 100% effectiveness everywhere in the Omniverse, as opposed to Demonic Arms, which operate to 50% effectiveness outside of the Unholy Multiverse, and Holy Arms which operate to 50% effectiveness outside of the Holy Multiverse. Imbalanced Arms (Corrupted Arms and Purified Arms) operate to variable effectiveness anywhere in the omniverse.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

• Internal Storage

Sword Arms can be stored physically but most Mages will typically go for storing the weapons metaphysically within their very being to be summoned at a later time immediately.

• Power Amplification

When Power is subtracted from the Soul of a Mage into a Sword Arm, their net total Power decreases, but once they employ the use of said Sword Arm, their net total Power is more than the sum of it originally. For example, if a Mage had a Power of 10, but they lost 3 of it to make a Sword Arm, they have 7 net total Power, but once they wield their Sword Arm, their net power would be more than 10. This only applies to Mages who are wielding their own Sword Arms, when wielding the Sword Arms of other Mages, the increase in Power is linear and flat. Additionally, Power that is not your own cannot be fully integrated back into your being effectively.

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Sword Arms, the Expression of Power

Sword Arms are metaphysical weapons, meaning weapons, items, or tools that have a physical form as well as an Astral Form and a Mental Form, allowing them to be wielded in dimensions and spaces other than the physical one. Sword Arms are created by beings and manifest a portion of their Power, a slice of their very Soul. Sword Arms are distinctly different from normal weapons or tools that are enchanted with Magic or empowered to have metaphysical qualities. Sword Arms are full manifestations of a Mage's Power, the physical form of something so abstract and elusive, ideas made real. Sword Arms contain exactly the amount of Power that they were made from and certain attributes can be imprinted upon them.

✦

From this explanation, a Mage might question why they would ever want to decrease their Power. Why not just keep it all to themselves and forego the Sword Arm entirely? There is no one answer and what answers exist are different to different degrees for each Mage. Some Mages may wish to enter Realms where beings of a certain Power > x are not permitted entry, and thus they weaken themselves to exist there. In this same vein, some Mages will possess various Magical Forms or Evolutions, they may tie these transformations and the power associated with them to a Sword Arm. Thus, when they call upon the Sword Arm, they can immediately transform and gain a Power boost. Sword Arms may also be employed to restrict the strain on the mortal form. The Soul is boundless but the body is not, push it too far, and it will burst, but safely deploy and separate large parts of your power and you can wield it safely when needed. You can also acquire Sword Arms of other Mages and add their Power to your own. There can be any number of reasons or situations that creating a sword arm is needed, but it depends on the Mage.

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Item type

Weapon, Melee