First Knife

The first knife of the blood mages.
Many myths and legends surround the first blood knife. Very few of them have basis in fact and even the blood mage families aren't certain about what is fact and what is fantasy. Like all blood knives, the first knife was magically enchanted to only cause harm to its wielder. Any attempt to use the knife against another living creature would result in the same wounds appearing in an analogous place on the wielder: cuts to the arms appear on the user's arms, cuts to an animal's back appear on the user's back, etc. There are stories that the first knife could also heal wounds if the blood mage using it applied some of their own blood first to the wound and then spread it with the spine of the blade. Other stories claim the knife could only harm its wielder, not kill, but this would be out of alignment with the known properties of existing knives.
Supposedly, the original blade was made by a legendary blood mage named Roxanna Blackhand. Her family skill was rooted in the working and shaping of metal, a rare skill before her and even rarer since. Her father was a blacksmith by trade and taught her how to shape metal with mundane techniques and she learned quickly to wind her own blood spells into the metal as it was shaped. She made swords which never dulled, pots which kept themselves warm, even delicate items like shawl pins which never worked loose.
Legend says that her father was killed by an angry townsman who learned of the blood magic in their family. He confronted Roxanna's father and killed her with one of Roxanna's own swords. From that day forward, Roxanna vowed to make no blade which would ever bring harm to another person. She forged the first blood knife that very night and taught her children the secret to working the spell deep into the folds of the metal.

Manufacturing process

The blade is forged using traditional methods producing a weapon which looks much like the Damascus-style blades. The process of spelling the blade is a complicated ritual combining magical components, etched runes and blood magic. Unfortunately, the exact process has been lost to time.

Significance

The knives of the blood mages are magical, only allowing the blades to be used against the holder of the knife. The technique for forging these knives was passed down through the mage families for generations, until those families died out and the knowledge was lost. This is the first known knife forged with blood mage abilities.

Item type

Magical

Subtype / Model

blood blades

Related ethnicities

• Blood Mage

Rarity

Unique

Weight

0.46 lbs

Dimensions

9.5" long; 4.5" blade

Raw materials & Components

• weapons-grade iron/steel
• leather
• unknown magical components