Magic-related rumors [Aldarien's Magic Tome]

Here are twenty random rumors about magical items and occurrences. Grab Aldarien's Magic Tome to get eighty more!

1. There’s an entire clan of assassins who are possessed by the spirits of the dead. They were tricked to enter the Crypt of the Winds as part of the contract. That led to the unshackling of the ghosts trapped in that burial site for centuries. It’s still unclear who coined the plan to use the killers for hire - maybe it was the Red Necromancer, maybe it was someone else.
2. It's common knowledge that each seventh magical ring you’ll find will lead you to your doom. But do you know anyone who has at least one magical ring? I certainly don’t!
3. Haven’t you noticed that the City Wizard is acting strangely nowadays? That’s because the Red Larva has infected his brain. It’s slowly eating it away, taking more and more control over the poor fellow’s body.
4. The Man-Fish lives in the cave where the Acrid Jungle meets the ocean. You must place gifts in front of the cavern and back off. He’s too elusive to easily encounter him - but the attempts are well worth the effort. No one knows the passage between the Eel Crags better than the Man-Fish.
5. Dragons are unable to lie. Ones who do are either the False Dragons - powerful changelings, or are possessed by spirits or dark powers. Beware though - the carefully crafted misinformation can be entirely based on truth.
6. There's the entire Inverted Cathedral buried beneath the Forest of Ruined Columns. The Goddess of Time has cursed the temple for vile, blasphemous rituals performed there by the priesthood.
7. The Crimson Coffin Fiend was brought to the city! The procession of flagellants who arrived yesterday have his casket! Someone must get it out of the city walls before the equinox to prevent a disaster!
8. The Wizard Hunter is a wizard himself! But he rarely relies on spells - in most cases his Anti-Magical Targe and sword made of bone are enough to overwhelm any magic user he was paid to find and either subdue or outright kill.
9. There’s an ancient dwarven forge, located in the dormant volcano. It was abandoned when the magma flow went unstable. Hundreds of years later, the flow stopped and lava solidified. I bet there is still some miraculous dwarven technology left in the forge.
10. The Mushroom Gremlins dip their blowgun darts in the lethal poison. Eating the Black Amanita makes you immune to the venom. But bear in mind that it will come with a cost - a cost of severe, hyper-realistic hallucinations you experience when you eat the mushroom.
11. The Order of White Owl gathers in the small cave at the bottom of the Basalt Cliff. Each full moon they try to summon their god, with no success. I’ve stolen their Silver Claw - that’s why they are doomed to fail.
12. The Head of Saint Helfa must always be kept in the leaden box. Otherwise it will shout obscenities and cast cursed spells aimed at anyone around.
13. The strange apparitions you’ve seen in the marshes aren’t the ghosts of the drowned. They are the guardians of the Mud Queen - spirits born of her loneliness. Nevertheless, they sometimes kidnap travelers and adventurers to bring them to their mistress. And then they must entertain the Mud Queen for the rest of their lives.
14. All Unicorns have black coats and red eyes. And even though they resemble horses, they are carnivorous. And they love the taste of human flesh. And the elven even more. And they hunt in packs, using their poisonous horns to either paralyze victims or simply stab them to death.
15. The White Star is a title granted to the chosen elven royalty. They were protectors of the forests and of their people. But in our stories, they are all cursed by the ghostly glow of the Star - devoid of feelings, compassion or empathy. They all became monsters, twisted beyond recognition. Now they roam the Ancient Woodland, hunting down the ones they once called their brethren.
16. The Crone of the Gray Keep accepts the gifts of blood. She will tell you if you are destined for greatness. She always says the truth - but you should always remember that the paths of fate are twisted and that there are the Watchers. And they dislike when one wants to know anything about  the upcoming events.
17. Have you ever seen the Mark of the Serpent? The long, wavy birthmark some people of the land possess. The Assassin Prince is looking for such people. I think that he wants them to join his ranks.
18. In the past, the Great Purple Fungal Jungle was covering an entire island. But the mushrooms were overharvested due to their healing and life-prolonging powers. Now you can still find the Purple Fungi in the cold, damp glades deep in the woods. And the alchemists are willing to pay lots of gold for even one tiny cap. I don’t know how valuable the mycelium is - but I know it’s almost impossible to harvest without killing it.
19. The Head of the Council is… a head. In a jar. A royal wizard who was beheaded by his king for plotting the coup. But the sorcerer’s powers were immense - strong enough to survive the lethal blow. His remains were stolen by other members of the Secret Council - and he’s still their leader, even after all the centuries that passed since his… accident.
20. The Crimson Sky Spirits reside in the trees split by lightning. Offer them cinders, incense and mead. And they will protect you from being struck by heavenly fury - even maybe from the literal one, coming from a deity’s wrath.