The Encyclopedia of Sanctum

Polaris (weapon)

"Cassiopeia jumps over the broken wall and gracefully lifts her hand to the strings of her bow, Polaris, autofiring phantom arrows towards more incoming sentries."

- Crimson Assassin, "Escape From The Past"

A magical ranged artillery with a sinister past, Polaris was the weapon of sentry prestige Cassiopeia Amethystine in the Fourth and Fifth Ages of Sanctum. It was known as the "bow of the north star," and it atoned for its sins in her hands.

Polaris, bow of the north star

History

Bow of the Secret Shadow

During the Third Age, the Empire of Sanctum fell beneath a curtain of hidden darkness. The seat of the empire, ruled by The Prince of Lan Sanctia, was secretly controlled by the Abyss, and the Prince himself, decay incarnate. As most know in the modern age, this false prince invited his friend, the Prince of Key Azurmian, to his table where he revealed his true notions to the only realm in the Eastlands that could truly stand strong against the Abyss.

From the Prince's counsel numbered fifty, and each was devoted to fulfilling the wishes of the Abyss and was armed for combat. Nearly all records from this time have been lost to the sea, and are known to be tedious. But one such member of the counsel was a Nymthirian named Edlethor, who was believed to have designed Polaris within the forges of Lan Sanctia, assisted by Valeonic craftsmen. Named after the northern star of the Abyss, it was clear of the weapon's sinister intentions. Yet Polaris did not harbor any abyssal energy, just pure magic dating back to its Valeonic infusions. Most of Sanctum's signature magical weapons could be traced back to the Faemen culture, and Polaris was no different.

Edlethor did not use Polaris much, as he kept within the city walls, but he learned to use it well in private. At the end of the Third Age, Polaris was used to fight against the Prince of Key Azurmian, his kingdom, and the armies of the Westlands in their short unity. It is said that Polaris slew many heroes fighting to stop the Abyss, until Edlethor fell himself into the encompassing ocean. Unlike other weapons, Polaris was unusually lightweight and eventually washed up on the shores of Valeon years into the future, where it entered the armory of Eristar's company. When Eristar and their scouts traveled north to Aestagia in Fo.A. 250, it was abandoned in the foothills of the Ateran.

Edlethor fighting the armies of Minduin outside of Lan Sanctia

The Arbalist's Light

482 years later in Fo.A. 732, Cassiopeia Amethystine of Asterbel becomes a sentry prestige and as is the rite of passage, makes a journey to the Rusted Narenthian to discover her weapon. She is accompanied by Alizarin Crymson, who discovers Rakuyo there, in a mass grave of weapons that had grown into a forest. Cassiopeia is drawn to a certain tree, and inside, she pulls out Polaris that reacts to her touch. As a child, she learned to use a bow and arrow with her father, hunting for game in the Asterwood, and it is no wonder the same weapon type drew her in. From this point on, Polaris is made Cassiopeia's weapon of choice, and she uses it in the service of Aestagia for the remainder of the Fourth Age.

In Fo.A. 747, Cassiopeia joined Alizarin on his quest to reclaim the Eastlands, bringing Polaris with her. Remaining in the Kingdom of Rakuyo after the reclamation, Polaris is given to the child of her and Alizarin's, being passed down to future generations. Not everyone preferred the bow though, and it eventually became a relic for the Crymson-Amethystine household. During the events of Sentinels of the Dead Sanctum in Fi.A. 1,527, Polaris was seen sitting high in Anori Tower, beside the desk of the academy's headmaster, Orion Amethystine.

Cassie using Polaris in Aermont

Appearance

Polaris was a sleek longbow made out of a ultralight metal from Sanctia, a marbly silver in color with wing motifs all down the limbs. The outer edges of the limbs were sharp like swords. The secondary color was blue, used in the bow's various Nymthirian engravings. When activated, Polaris would form a blue spectral string connecting the necks and the bow itself would swirl with a ghostly blue mist, sometimes in the form of feathers. When deactivated, Polaris's string would dissolve, as well as all the swirls, and the weapon would be safe to split into two blades at the grip. Because Polaris was magic, Cassiopeia had no need for a quiver but still brought one along for the outfit. Polaris was worn on her back, easier to store in two split pieces. Cassiopeia was apparently working on a way to modify her steam sheaths to accommodate the split bow blades, but could never figure it out.

Abilities

Polaris could be used like a normal bow and arrow, yes, but Cassiopeia used it with the extra style needed to excel in combat. When activated, Cassie would move her hand to the string in which the weapon would detect and manifest a spectral arrow for her to use, and that was the basic function of Polaris, having infinite ammo as long as her inner strength willed it. Shot arrows could explode in anytime in a shimmering light when Cassie clenched her hand. Hands near the arrows, she could also wave her hands in ways only she knew, to autofire arrows like a machine gun out of the bow without even touching the strings or arrows. This method could fire a couple arrows per second with no drawing back necessary, but it would cause the magic to swirl and disrupt the functioning, clouding her vision too. It was also less accurate than firing single shots. Cassie had a special attack that she only used if necessary, and that was being able to fire ten to twenty arrows out of the bow at one time, and these would home on to targets. This attack would incapacitate Polaris for a short time, though.

Cassie was known to stab Polaris into the ground and use it like a pole to swing herself about, and she could also use the bladed ends to fight like a dual wielded curved sword. Melee required the user to deactivate the spectral strings, so they would not get in the way. Polaris could be split in two by the grip and used like two swords. Cassiopeia often kept enemies on their toes by shifting between Polaris's ranged and melee modes frequently. If for whatever reason Cassiopeia wanted to use a physical arrow, it would connect with the spectral string, but honestly, what would be the benefit?