Witches' Hammer

Description

A witches' hammer channels and twists the magic of the repel incantation, storing and enhancing it so that it can be released in a single. crushing burst of power that will tear apart a weapon or shield. They take their common name 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.

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: Rod.
• Effect: Once per day when you cast the Repel spell, you may call SHATTER rather than REPEL.
• Materials: Crafting a witches' hammer requires twelve ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of iridescent gloaming and seven 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.”