Weapon (greataxe), artifact (requires attunement)

The great heirloom of the Grungiburgi tribe. According to the legends that surround it, Runewarden was made in Asgard by Heimdall with the iron from a frozen meteorite, to be wielded by Mulgi the Thunderer in his fight versus the demonic invasions during the early days of the Empire.

The double bearded head of dark steel is always icy cold to the touch and covered in beautiful inlaid runes of adamantite. The runes bear witness to the great victories by its wielders, the Wardens, starting with Mulgi the Thunderer who was the first Warden. The runes slowly change over time (a Warden has some control over this), revealing more stories. The Wardens of the axe are tasked with adding their story to the axe, as well as tell the stories of previous Wardens, keeping their memories alive.

Heimdall intended the axe and its Wardens to serve as a reminder of the past and as a way to learn from it. As generations of Grungiburgi champions passed, all of them Wardens of the axe, the traditions lost their meaning and Runewarden became a treasured although unused heirloom. It awaits a worthy champion to truly become a vessel for the stories it contains. The last true Warden died almost six hundred years ago. Seven wielders have passed since then, none of them realizing the power within the greataxe. The current wielder of the Runewarden might be the least worthy of all: Barel the Thief stole the axe from the treasury where it was kept.

Dormant

Runewarden grants the following benefits in its dormant state:

• You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
• You become proficient in History as you can read the runes that adorn the weapon.
• You gain resistance to cold damage and you ignore nonmagical difficult terrain created by ice or snow.
• The axe has 5 charges, which recharge on a long rest. When you hit with an attack using Runewarden, you can expend one of the charges to deal an additional 6 (1d12) cold damage.

Awakening the power within

Runewarden reaches it next state when the wielder uses it to defeat a great enemy or otherwise performs a feat worthy of story. When this happens, new runes appear on the axe which tells the story of this event.

This awesome mechanic is adapted from the Vestiges of Divergence by Matthew Mercer.

Awakened

When Runewarden reaches an awakened state, it gains the following properties:

• The weapon's bonus to attack and damage rolls increases to +2.
• You have read many of the stories the axe contains. You gain expertise in History.
• You gain immunity to cold damage and you ignore all difficult terrain created by ice or snow.
• Once per long rest, you can cast the Augury (opens new window) spell to gain the wisdom of previous Wardens.

Exalted

When Runewarden reaches its exalted state, it gains the following properties:

• The weapon's bonus to attack and damage rolls increases to +3.
• You can recount almost all the stories of previous Wardens by heart. You have advantage on all History checks.
• The additional cold damage now happens on every hit.
• Once per long rest, you can cast the Commune (opens new window) spell to seek the advice and guidance of previous Wardens.

A selection of the stories that Runewarden already contains (not necessarily in chronological order):

d10	Story
1	The legend of Mulgi the Great receiving the axe from Heimdall and being charged with its keeping before leading his armies through hordes of demons at the Battle of White Mountain.
2	It tells of Mathilda the Warmaiden, granddaughter of Mulgi. She laid the finishing blow to a great red dragon that had long harried her people.
3	The axe tells of the time when Brylwynn the Trickster defeated an entire orc army by luring them off a cliff edge.
4	According to the runes, Thordrum the Wanderer ventured alone into the tomb of a lich, slew it, and lived to tell the tale.
5	The tale of Raimbod the Strong, second only to Mulgi in fame among the Wardens, duelling a god - the duel ended in a tie after a week of fighting with no winner in sight.
6	The story of Reigol the Battlemage leading his tribe in conquering land from frost giants is told in excruciating detail.
7	According to the axe, Branwyne the Fearless saved the chieftain of her tribe from assassins during the midwinter feast, after she had already won the drinking contest.
8	Appearing on the axe is the story of Gwynnas the Beautiful, who promised to wed anyone who could beat her in single combat. She died unmarried at the ripe age of 172.
9	A retelling of the story of Enior the Valiant, who ventured to Valhalla itself to ask Odin to return his wife Fylka after she died. After convincing Odin of their love, Enior and Fylka lived together for another 101 years.
10	The story of how Malthus the Brave beheaded an Ultroloth with a single blow after grappling it out of the sky with a lasso made from windsilk.