Witches' Hammer

Description

A Witches' Hammer channels and twists the energy from each movement, each strike, and each spell cast through it, storing a little of the energy so that it may be called upon in times of need to allow the magician to unleash the shatter incantation. With a single crushing burst of power, the battle mage tears asunder a weapon or shield. Their common name comes from their popularity with the war witches of Dawn.

These rods are usually plated with tempest jade, and often marked with the rune Mawrig (often in conjunction with Hirmok to channel and control the release of destructive energy), or the Rune of Transformation Xun. The Dawnish war witches who make excellent use of these rods to disarm and then defeat their enemies favour marking them with Verys, the Rune of Might, or with the aspect representation of a powerful magical beast such as a dragon or chimera.

In parts of the Marches this item is called a Rod of the Ram and often constructed with a ram's head or the horns of a ram at one end.

Rules

• Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod. You must be wielding this implement to use its magical properties.
• Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.
• Effect: Twice per day you can cast the shatter spell as if you knew it without spending any mana.
• Materials: Crafting a witches' hammer requires seven ingots of tempest jade, six measures of iridescent gloaming, and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“How did I beat him? Maybe it was the training, the best Holberg has to offer. Perhaps it was my fine doublet and hose, their cut so excellent as to stun his parochial Dawnish tastes as well as a blow to the temple. If you must know, though, it was the rod, that delightful little bit of Marcher trickery with the ram’s head. Yes, the one with the open mouth. If you look really closely, it’s roaring the rune Xun. I always liked that, a roaring sheep; much like the wand, really.

“Well, we started to cast, and though I did finish my casting second, he hardly had much chance to deliver the blow when I snapped his wand in two! Oh, you should have seen his face. Priceless, truly priceless, sad like a lost little duckling. He honestly tried to call foul! Ach, well, we’ll have none of that, we all agreed.

“So it was sorry, he said he was, for ever even thinking to impugn the honour of the Holberg Engineers’ Guild, and he said it through teeth gritted so tight I swear he bit off the tip of his tongue. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.”