Axe of Hurricane

The Axe of Hurricane was a compact mystical axe that increased mobility and gave each strike a chance to numb a target or call lightning. Its lightning probability rose dramatically in thunderstorms, making the perpetually lightning-lit Land Forsaken of the Gods an unusually favorable environment.

History

Purchase and bestowment

Klein Moretti bought the axe at a Beyonder gathering for 550 pounds after hearing experimentally derived performance figures. The seller warned that its mystical effects would last no more than a year. Klein carried it above the gray fog and bestowed it upon Derrick Berg, for whom the City of Silver's frequent lightning made its weather condition especially useful. (Chapter 274)

Derrick's field weapon

Derrick kept the axe within reach and used it as a practical cutting weapon, including making the small blood wound required for a ritual. He took it into the confrontation with the corrupted exploration team, where it severed Darc's flesh tendrils but produced no lightning during the City's “night.” The weapon was confiscated for inspection after Derrick's feigned loss of control and later returned. (Chapters 343, 362, and 396–400)

He subsequently carried it on City of Silver expeditions and used a lightning strike through it to damage the anomalous mural linked to the team's repeating route. By Chapter 768, however, Derrick believed it had been used too often and would likely fail ahead of schedule, helping motivate his choice of Thunder God's Roar as a replacement. No destruction or later transfer is shown. (Chapters 445–465, 667–668, and 768)

Abilities and properties

• It increased the user's agility and running speed. The corpus gives no numerical measure for either improvement. (Chapter 274)
• Each attack had a stated 15% chance to numb the target and a 5% chance to produce lightning. In a thunderstorm, the lightning chance increased to 50%. These figures came from experiments rather than a character's guess. (Chapter 274)
• Lightning was not guaranteed merely because the City of Silver frequently experienced it: a strike during its low-light “night” produced none, while a later attack coinciding with lightning successfully channeled it. (Chapters 399 and 455)
• Its supernatural effects were temporary—sold with no more than one year remaining—and heavy use could shorten that life. It remained an ordinary physical axe when no effect triggered. (Chapters 274 and 768)

Ownership and custody