The Ashford Whetstone

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Uncommon Wondrous Item
Weight 1 lb
Cost 450 gp within Hartholm, where these are workshop tools rather than curiosities. 800-1,200 gp in the Settled Lands, where they are genuinely uncommon and their daily-use value is not widely understood. A weapons merchant who grasps the reusable +1 enhancement would pay at the high end.

Magical Properties

Uncommon. A whetstone produced by Vorathem's smiths in the Kingdom of the Hart. Weapons sharpened with it retain an edge that responds to the wielder's conviction.

The Ashford Whetstone is a piece of dark grey stone the size of a hand, smooth on five sides and slightly rough on the sixth -- the working surface. It comes wrapped in oiled leather and smells, faintly and persistently, of forge-smoke and cold iron. The smell does not fade regardless of washing or storage. Hart smiths say this is because the stone remembers where it came from.

Vorathem's smiths in Hartholm produce these whetstones as part of their standard workshop practice -- they are not considered rare within the Kingdom of the Hart, where they are treated as quality tools rather than magical items. Outside the Hart, they are genuinely uncommon, and their properties are not widely known in the Settled Lands because Hartholm does not export them in any organized way. They come south and east through traders, gifts, and the equipment of Hart soldiers who have moved on to other employment.

Properties

  • True Edge: Spending 10 minutes sharpening a weapon with the Whetstone confers a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with that weapon for 24 hours. This bonus does not stack with existing magical bonuses but does apply to nonmagical weapons.
  • Conviction Strike: Once per day, when a weapon sharpened with the Whetstone deals damage, the wielder may choose to add 2d6 radiant damage to the attack. This property activates only if the wielder is acting in accordance with a clearly stated ideal or bond -- the GM determines whether the action qualifies. Vorathem's smiths would say the stone knows the difference between a person acting with purpose and a person acting with convenience.
  • Durability: The Whetstone does not wear down with use and does not need to be replaced.