The Rumor Mill - Week 27

Literature, scrolls, periodicals, and books grace the list on week 27 of The Rumor Mill. Whether available in libraries, bought from travelling vendors, or found in ruins, the written word holds power in Beneterra. Stories teach and give hope, and yesterday's knowledge leads to tomorrow's breakthrough. Some words have raw magical power, while others change the world through inspiration or emotional influence. Words inform, delight, comfort, or enrage as only true power does.

Let's hear it for powerful words and the people who write them, gather them, and share them.

Occam's Razor

Weapon (broadsword), legendary (requires attunement)

The finest blade forged by Finn Durgin, Occam's Razor weighs less than a regular basket-hilted broadsword. Its straight, unusually thin fullered blade shows a complex Damascus pattern formed from two different grades of steel and thin layers of mithril. The basket hilt has gold and platinum woven into it, and a half-spherical diamond peeks out of a setting in the pommel. Finn's triangular FD mark is stamped at the very base of the blade.

The blade functions as a finesse weapon since the materials and workmanship make it so light and well-balanced. Its scabbard likewise sports gold, platinum, and mithril filigree in intricate detail to match the hilt and echo the Damascus pattern. Finn worked metal for a lifetime before spending two years forging and enchanting Occam's Razor, and it shows. A year later, Finn died with a smile on his lips.

Sunderscale

Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement)

This claymore's fine steel blade holds a sharp edge, but the hilt looks crudely made. The pommel features a pair of green dragon scales glued back-to-back. Other than the scales and a fuller in the blade, the hilt remains unadorned with a simple square crossguard, the sort of plain reserved for a workhorse weapon used daily rather than a display blade.

Finn Durgin forged it 630 years ago specifically to kill Dur'galad the green dragon and clear the land to found the city of Occam. He forged it in a hurry and didn't spend much time on anything except the blade, which he had enchanted to within an inch of its life. He never liked the look of the sword, but he never found the time to go back and change it. Finn's uncle Seamus Durgin wielded it as his main weapon until his death.

The Rumor Mill - Week 26

Dragons return to Beneterra, so consulting the historical record to find dragon lore for week 26 of The Rumor Mill seems appropriate. Exploring stories of good, bad, and neutral dragons throughout the world might give us hints of how the dragons may act once they fill the skies once again. Draconic artifacts and magical items haven't been created in the past 500 years, though some have survived the centuries as revered (or not-so-revered) objects in various cultures.

Let the draconic lore roll, as sages scramble to find ancient tomes and inform the world about its latest returning residents.

The Rumor Mill - Week 25

Let's dive into the annual Best of Fellport edition of the Dockside Rag for week 25 of The Rumor Mill, and we can all see what they lie about this year. They claim to poll regular readers, but we find no evidence of science nor votes involved in making these rankings. The editors and staff decide what they want to call out this year, and then they fabricate the "vote totals" appropriately. They mostly do a decent job of honorable mentions, not wanting to get on the bad side of any business, but every year at least one so-called "best" leaves the entire city population scratching their heads.

Onward to the Dockside Rag's Best of Fellport listings for Anno Urbis Conditae (AUC) 799!