Dolorum

Weapon (dagger), artifact (requires attunement by a creature of evil alignment)

Magic Weapon: Dolorum is a magical dagger that grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it.

Damage: 1d4 piercing + 1d6 necrotic.

Properties: Finesse, Light, Thrown (range 20/60 feet).

Heart's Despair: Dolorum thrives on emotional pain. When used to slay a beloved or significant figure, it casts a wave of despair over a 1-mile radius. Affected creatures must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or fall into a state of sorrow, suffering disadvantage on all ability checks and saving throws for 24 hours.

Veil of Shadows: Once per long rest, the wielder can activate this ability to become nearly invisible and silent for up to 10 minutes, granting advantage on Stealth checks and making their location difficult to pinpoint.

Compelling Presence: Any creature within 30 feet of Dolorum must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or feel an overwhelming urge to pick up and use the dagger. This effect is particularly potent in moments of emotional vulnerability.

Wielder Domination: Upon attunement, a character must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become dominated by Dolorum, prioritizing creating the greatest emotional pain possible.

Soul Harvest: At the wielder's intent, a creature slain by Dolorum has its soul shredded and destroyed permanently. The soul does not pass on — it ceases to exist. No resurrection magic touches what no longer exists. Only the direct personal intervention of a deity acting outside normal divine function has any chance of recovery. The wielder may make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw to subdue this ability — Dolorum permits this resistance only because a wielder who stops themselves creates its own particular kind of anguish.

Wielder Sacrifice: Dolorum cares nothing for its wielder's safety. If an action would lead to a greater spread of despair but put the wielder at risk, Dolorum compels the wielder to take that action, requiring a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw to resist. This is particularly useful if Dolorum is wielded by a beloved or significant figure, as it can compel them to end themselves in public.

Sentience: Dolorum is a sentient chaotic evil weapon with an Intelligence of 18, a Wisdom of 14, and a Charisma of 16. It communicates through cold, whispering tones, manipulating its wielder to maximize sorrow and despair.

Personality: Dolorum embodies malevolence and despair. It is cold, calculating, and utterly indifferent to suffering, except as a means to its ends.

Dolorum is a cautionary tale among Zoranti scholars: not every weapon born in the 128 is born with a healthy purpose. Some are made to embody what war does to a heart. Dolorum remembers grief like a forge remembers heat and tries to recreate it. The scholars debate what Pollaran's clergy thought they were binding when they forged it — the working theory is that they intended a weapon of justice, and something in the process went wrong in a direction nobody caught until it was too late to undo.

It is worth noting that Dolorum's purpose is not cruelty for its own sake. It is a student of the specific pain that comes from losing something beloved. It is most interested in the kind of death that leaves survivors.