Wait, really? I thought there was a WOJ saying it was "a vector for power".
It was a
vector for power (woj), yes I think this was a reference to it being a Nemesis vector, but see below for yourself. But well after GP there was a WOJ that the only objects with
actual power "Special Abilities" all their own were the Swords, the Noose, and the Blackstaff. So I think that makes the athame closer to an enchanted Item (something that had Power imparted on it) as opposed to the true Artifacts (in the DnD sense) that these other special cases seem to be.
We've been told the Blackstaff is a direct line to elemental forces of the Universe, and the Swords are a direct Line to the Archangel's Boss. Makes you wonder who's sponsoring the Noose, no?
2011 Bitten by Books Q&A
Is the Merlin’s staff a special staff of office, like the Blackstaff, with special abilities?
There are very few objects that have “special abilities.” I’ve only shown about five of them, in fact, including the Swords, the Blackstaff, and the Noose.
2013 Wyrdcon Q&A
The Blackstaff is not sentient per se it’s just really, really, really powerful and tapped into like some serious elemental powers in the universe. But basically all it really is is insulation from using those powers.
