I, Ad Dakhla, scribe and chronicler to the court of the Sultan of the City of Bronze, do here set down the story of the Scalding Blade or Steamsword. It is said that the metal of the blade would, upon immersion in water and the speaking of a certain command word, heat up to the point that it could cause water to steam and scald and boil. In response to my letter, the Archivist of Korton wrote that there is a tome in their collection detailing the blade’s many owners, all of whom used its scalding ability as a tool of war and assassination.

One man was boiled alive in his bath, the text asserts, while another was plied with water and then stabbed, causing a minor steam explosion. These owners, needless to say, met violent ends themselves. It is the final owner written of in the book that is of interest, though. It is said they were not a warrior but a village elder, and that they designed an enclosure for the blade such that it could heat the water of a small village. In so doing, contagion was removed by boiling, and the townsfolk there enjoyed hot running water until records cease.

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