Puretek
| Puretek | |
|---|---|
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| Technology | |
| Invented by | Ailor |
| Used by | Ailor |
| Common uses |
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| Rarity | Uncommon |
Puretek is a branch of recently produced weapons which have been used effectively in hunting Abberrants. They have produced a whole generation of avid users and enthusiasts, with some even becoming symbols of purity movements. At their basis, Puretek weapons are ranged weapons, miniaturizing cannon technology into hand-held devices but using much safer trigger mechanisms and different ammunition. Because of their relatively recent invention, Puretek weapons aren’t universally used by state militaries yet (or even widely produced) to the point where states couldn’t even use them in formal regiments. Despite this, Puretek is increasingly being used in military units serving the Synod, as well as specific creature hunting agencies like the Darkwalds and other Werebeast or Vampire hunting leagues. Further development of Puretek to include non-abberrancy affecting mechanics promises a bright future for those investing early, or assisting in the development of more Puretek advancements.
History
Puretek was developed by a group of zealous intellectuals, reverends and purists around 306 AC, and brought into formal testing in early 307 AC. Because of its extremely recent development, Puretek has not been seen publicly often, though the state is vaguely aware of their nature. In essence, a group referred to as the Purists of Saint Belliard came together with an express goal: to empower those with a desire to fight abberrancies. Curiously enough, while most anti-dimenthist movements fought solely against the Void and Exist, the Purists of Saint Belliard also fought against what scholars classify as Binral Essences, or the planar essences of Aloria itself. They believed that all concepts of essences were vile and liable to mutation, and as such desired to find some way to fight anything that wasn’t “pure” in their eyes (meaning, not having any type of infestation, mutation, or otherworldly or unnatural ability, besides the Will of Faith).
The Purists of Saint Belliard are as such regarded with much suspicion, given that they distrust even the Synod’s favored Witchbloods, and any other person who claims to fight fire with fire by using Essences to combat the misuse of Magic. The Purists contacted the Imperial Palace, which divulged parts of the schematics for the Qadir weapons provided to them, after which they also approached a number of Dwarven guilds and Darkwald Knights. The exact process of the first prototype built remains a mystery, but rumors circulate that it had something to do with a Unionist Relic from the Cathedral of Tirgovisten in the capital of Tirgunn. With a couple of successful and consistent results, the schematics were spread among the guilds associated with the Purists of Saint Belliard, who started producing more. It is speculated that a few hundred Puretek weapons exist in circulation, with the vast majority held by aberrant hunters like the Darkwalds, but with private individuals also gaining access in some cases. Some nobles have even chosen to brandish a Puretek sidearm, as owning or wearing one could be seen as a status symbol of conservatism, even if they are unused and used simply as a decorative piece. Sometimes, imitation Puretek weapons are also worn by more commoner or poorer ultra conservatives, who might not be able to afford an actual Puretek weapon.
Procurement/Construction
Puretek weapons are produced by the Guilds of Belliard, which are a rather expensive and difficult to reach group of forges united together under conservative ideals. These stores usually bar anyone except good, upstanding and faithful Ailor into their shops, but will happily produce Puretek weapons if the price and arguments are right. Each Puretek weapon is forged in such a manner that certain Unionist Blessings deny their operation by anything that is considered impure, or has any form of mutation, trait, ability or abberrancy produced by Void, Exist or even Planar Essence, with the exception of Racial Abilities (though in all cases, using Racial Abilities temporarily disables Puretek weapons).
Characteristics
Physical Characteristics
Puretek comes in two forms, Quarter Puretek and Demi Puretek, both ranged weapon equivalents. Quarter and Demi Puretek are constructed in a very similar manner. They both feature an engraved barrel, usually made of a compound metal that can either appear like Blacksteel or regular Steel, but is actually neither, remaining largely a mystery kept by the approved forges. The only difference between a Quarter and Demi Puretek is the length of the barrel, where the Quarter Puretek shoots smaller quicksilver ammunition. Quarter Puretek barrels are somewhere between 14 and 17 inches and fire a projectile defined as a Quartershot, which is roughly a third of an inch in diameter. A Demi Puretek on the other hand has a barrel measuring at least 26 inches in length, which fires a projectile defined as a Demishot, which is roughly a fifth of an inch in diameter, but is four times as long as the quartershot, thus being twice as heavy, and is generally designed to be used at longer ranges. Some Demi Puretek have naval scopes attached to the top to allow for more precise aiming, but these are usually limited to so called Crackshot Puretek Shooters, which use Puretek to take down opponents in waiting from long distances.
Puretek handles or grips can either be made of engraved wood, Silver, or some other metal, with some even having golden engravings on them. The handles or grips tend to be inconsequential to the actual weapon, and are shaped custom to the preferences of the wielder. The most curious part of Puretek weapons are firing pieces, usually fitted on the back of the barrel near the trigger on the grip. The exact design, or indeed how this piece can recognize that the wielder is not “pure”, remains a great mystery. The firing piece from the outside appears like a solid block of elegant metal, with a variety of smaller mechanical components sticking out, as well as some Sanktist scriptures engraved on the side, representing the blessings.
Ammunition
Silver Bolts
Puretek can fire an additional type of ammunition besides quicksilver called Silver Bolts. Silver Bolts actually appear identical to crossbow bolts, and they are practically identical in every way. Silver Bolts are loaded without a gunpowder satchel in the front by sticking the bolt in with the back end first and sliding it in. The difference in firing requires the wielder to attach the loading pin to one of the mechanical hooks on the firing piece, after which they must pull this backwards, which will produce strain on the wielder as well as the weapon. This pulling motion winds up the internal striking mechanism, turning Puretek essentially into a bow-like weapon where the Quarter Puretek operates similarly to Small Bows, while Demi Puretek operates similarly to an Anglian Longbow, with the same firing times. Silver Bolts have no special mechanics or anti-aberrant mechanics. They are simply just that, crossbow-like bolts shot from a weapon that is repurposed as a bow-like weapon. This ammunition is often used in a bind when non-abberrants are attacking the wielder.
Quicksilver
Quicksilver appears like solid metal objects, whereas Quartershot appear like spheres, and Demishot appears like a long cone with a pointy tip. Quicksilver ammunition, much like its name applies, appears like silver, but is in fact not made of silver, with the exact nature of the compound barely understood. Somehow when firing Quicksilver will exit the barrel in solid form, but rapidly shift into a semi-liquid state as it travels through air. It will remain in its original shape until hitting its target, after which it will splash and stick for a few seconds, before dissolving into thin air with a smoky fizzle. Quicksilver Quartershot can penetrate clothing and leather armor, but not armor, shields, or barriers. Demishot has a reinforced metal tip allowing it to pierce through armor, but not shields, maintaining enough momentum to hit someone but not pierce their skin.
Firing
Puretek has a number of useful ammunition types, the most commonly used being quicksilver. The Belliard forges sell the ammunition in bulk, meaning that despite its secretive nature, ammunition is easy to find. In order to fire, the device must be loaded with the appropriate ammunition. The exact process is to insert a small gunpowder satchel (usually wrapped in some thin paper) in the barrel, and to push this satchel down with a pin that is usually attached to the bottom of the barrel. Then, a bullet is dropped into the front of the barrel (which should fit snugly), allowed to roll down the barrel, after which the wielder should pull a small flick switch on the side to lock it in place for firing. After this, the wielder can aim and pull the ignition trigger, which will ignite the gunpowder satchel (which is actually not used to fire the projectile, just trigger the quicksilver’s own properties), after which the projectile leaves the barrel in the direction of the target. It takes a few seconds to properly load a Quarter Puretek, while a Demi Puretek can take upwards to half a minute to load (but delivers a considerably heavier punch). All Puretek ammunition (when it concerns gameplay mechanics) are counted as projectiles in the same vein as bow arrows. In both instances of Silver Bolts and Quicksilver shot, the weapon produces an audible gunpowder bang, with a small puff of smoke produced when Quicksilver is used.
Quicksilver does not affect those that are “pure” (as perceived by Puretek itself). Why this is the case is not publicly known, but when a person who has no special abilities, mutations, traits or mechanics outside of racial abilities is hit by a Puretek projectile, it simply splashes on them and dissolves immediately without affecting them (aside from the sensation of being spat on). When Quicksilver hits any type of person who does have these aberrancies (including even Dragonblood and Witchblood), the small area of the projectile’s splash burns without actually physically harming the skin. Being shot by several Quartershots is the equivalent of having several crossbow bolts sticking out of one’s body, while a well-aimed Demishot can seriously cripple a character depending on where it has hit. Quicksilver does not prevent casting or Magic or other abilities that require focus, but does impede its ease of use, because the person will have to bite through the pain, as if they are trying to cast Magic with an arrow in their arm.
OOC Note
Because Puretek has been developed veryrecently, a player cannot learn it in their backstory, and has to go through an IC process of learning. This does not actually require a special permission, the player simply needs to decide to convert their character into a Puretek user. The player may only exchange their current Combat_Proficiency_Category points for Puretek Combat Skill. When such a change occurs, it must be recorded on one’s Character sheet. It is up to the player to decide whether to convert all desired points in one go, or to do it slowly. If the slow process is done, updating apps is recommended in half intervals (i.e, update and re-review the app when half the desired points are reached, and then again when the final amount is settled).
Trivia
- Puretek weapons can be dyed on the outside to give them unique personalized appearances, but it is generally not recommended, since purists despise those individuals trying to stand out with these weapons.
- Because Puretek is a recent invention, these weapons are neither classified as an actual military piece of hardware, or a weapon covered by the hidden carry or noble carry laws. Essentially, there is no current law on whether wearing a Puretek is legal or illegal, which is why wielders tend to wear them visible on their belt, and most passerby’s simply don’t recognize it as a weapon.
- Puretek is not allowed to be used in any kind of way to try and test whether someone is pure or not. While you could definitely do this based on the way the lore is written, doing so is considered powergaming and liable for staff moderation.
- Shooting at point blank is not possible with Puretek. Quicksilver requires at least 4 blocks length of airtime to properly transform into its primed liquid state. Silver Bolts can be shot at point blank range, but this is extremely obvious and straining, since the wielder needs to constantly be holding the pull mechanism.
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