Evil Tree and Rumors

An Evil Tree guide from the Informer. And it actually contains a picture of an Evil Tree sapling, which I haven't been able to spot so far. Doesn't look like a sapling, if you ask me, though definitely very "treeish".

Now, there is one thing that irks me. I am talking about a new Barbarian Assault type of rumor that lighting fires around an evil tree lessens the reward (or tree lifespan). Every time I attempt to light a fire under an evil tree, I get screamed at by at least half a dozen players. And it is getting worse... Neither Informer, Tip.it or Marlain talks about it, nor I see anything like that in Jagex's description of the minigame. I don't think anyone can actually measure it and prove/disprove the rumor, as there are always many players working on every tree and you never know what and how much influences to the tree's destruction.

So, until I see an official comment from Jagex about the way it works, I refuse to believe this rumor and encourage you to do the same. Don't fall for it and don't be shy to get your Firemaking reward from the minigame.

Rumors in Runescape

Steve's note about a false rumor regarding the way magic dart works at Barrows triggered this post. It is amazing how these nasty things get easily replicated in an online game. Yet another proof of Runescape being indeed very close to an alternate reality. A few other false rumors I've seen/heard recently:
1. The rumor about shooting cannon in Barbarian Assault supposedly reducing team points
2. The rumor about Ring of Wealth not helping with Dragon drops
3. The rumor about having Slayer Gem in an inventory supposedly causing slayer monsters to give you more damage
I am sure there are more circulation out there. If you know about some, please, share in the comments.