Article:
D&D 4th ed: A Magical Sword

Everyone wants a magical vorpal blade; something that can cleave through cold iron like it was warm butter, and today this is exactly what I have for you.
Well, there is a twist of course.
The legendary blade named Parting Way has been around for a very long time, its origin shrouded in some mystery. Some say it was forged by the Titans, others that it was a gift from a God to an Angelic servant, and it could also have been the master work of a powerful artificer of a long lost Human empire.
The truth is, this weapon was a failed project that a master Teifling weapon smith kept, as he found it handy for chopping up scrap metal to throw into his smelter pots. While it never occurred to the smith that the weapon was much more than an excellent tool, his attitude changed dramatically when his castle home was besieged by a horde of undead, summoned by the arch enemy of his liege lord.
After the weapon had swept a path of destruction through the walking dead, the wise smith presented it as a gift to his liege, where it made its way from the noble's armory, to his son's hands, and on into legend.
Over the many centuries it has been lost and rediscovered numerous times, by diverse individuals, both good and evil, who have either made good use of it or found an eager merchant to trade it for a good deal of gold; because it is not an easy task to prove that this weapon is not actually a true vorpal blade.

Parting Way is not an ornate weapon, it is slightly worn but is still a sturdy, dependable falchion.
The true nature of the blade is obvious when it is swung at a tree trunk to test out the edge, and the tree is promptly severed from it's roots, but despite this supernaturally wicked edge, it is not a true vorpal weapon.
Against any living thing, including living constructs such as the Warforged, the sword is simply a +3 magical Falchion, but against any non living object or opponent, the weapon has greatly enhanced destructive power, able to slice cleanly through a blacksmiths' anvil or a length of adamantium chain with no damage to the blade's edge. The only wear and tear that is evident on the ancient falchions' steel is from all of the bones and fangs that have scratched it as it has ripped mighty wounds across countless bodies throughout the ages.