Many in the realm have wondered where the influx of terrible magic items and weapons originated from: some disgruntled enchanter, bent on causing chaos, or merely an incompetent artificier with no grasp on their craft? Here is a list of some of the offenders:
Jebediah the Well-intentioned: a none-too-bright wizard with only the best of intentions, though his creations often fall short of the mark. Known for his line of faulty monster-hunting weapons.
Melisandre the Malignant: a young witch frustrated by her constant thwarting at the hand of adventuring groups, Melisandre decided to try to limit the capabilities of heroes by flooding dungeons with crappy and potentially dangerous equipment and potions.
The Unfortunate Storb: a man as well known for his love of his cat as for his lack of skill in brewing potions, Storb has been quiet in recent years. There is a rumour that a laboratory mishap resulted in the switching his mind with that of his cat Bernard.
Bartimaeus the Baffled: the one who started it all. Bartimaeus was an incompetent artificer who deluded himself about his level of skill. In an effort to make money he created Magic Bart's Correspondence Course of Enchantment, the disastrous teaching program whose result was the high number of shoddy spellcasters and artificers that populate the world.
"Loopy" Lorelai Barrow: the most recent graduate of Magic Bart's Correspondence Course, Lorelai is a young wizard of great enthusiasm for creating useful items. She doesn't understand why her creations keep going wrong, but is determined not to let failure stop her. She is convinced that she'll get the knack if she just keeps practicing.