This battle-axe is of an older design, almost certainly of the local human culture, and at least a few hundred years old. The head of the axe is good solid steel, somewhat discolored, though it will gain it's old shine with a bit of polishing. There are faint stylized carvings on the head, with a stump on one side and a flame on the other. The haft is some indeterminate hardwood, and the darkened and cracked leather in the grip should probably be replaced. The most notable feature are the long strips of steel lining the haft, traveling all the way from the head of the axe, along the shaft and under the leather grip, down to the butt, where they come together enclosing the haft in a cage.
The Leafkiller was created in the Unicorn Wars some centuries ago.
After the defeat of the Dark Lord of those days, for decades humanity
gathered around the greatest cities, leaving nature to claim the more
remote areas. Once men spread to the wilderness, many of the
nature-loving species did not look upon them kindly, and thus the
Unicorn Wars ensued.
Leafkiller was the work of the Baron Stengilder's court mage and his
three most trusted woodsmen, who resented how the woodland creatures
tried to stop them from dividing up the forests for human settlers.
During the war it slayed many druids, fae and animated trees, but it was
entrusted to the king as part of the peace accords. Thereafter, it
spent over a century as the prime tool for splitting logs for the royal
castle's many fireplaces, but was returned to the local barony when he
had some problems with a druid that was menacing him and had covered his
castle in vines. After the druid was dealt with, Leafkiller went back
to the job of splitting firewood, until it was stolen among many other
things in a daring orc raid over half a century ago.
Leafkiller is, indeed, made to kill creatures of the woods. Against
all animated plants as well as wood elementals or other such, it's
damage is tripled. This may also apply to any defenders of woodlands
such as druids, certain priests, elves or the fae. It does not have any
major fiery properties, but does give it's wielder some small protection
against fire, as it was often used in conjunction with burning the
woods.
Against dead wood, it gains an extra damage die (or similar smaller
bonus), which explains it's use as splitting firewood. However, this is
not a dignified use of a proper magic weapon, so if enough ones are
rolled (or whatever constitutes a fumble), it will try to strike out:
against living plant matter, those with elven or druidic ties, or in the
absence of other such things, the smaller extremeties of the wielder
themself.