"The right tool for the right job." The Hunter's Knives are a set of magical weapons that Hunters can use to combat supernatural creatures. These knives were forged with a number of supernatural techniques and enchantments that make them capable of harming most any supernatural creature they come up against.
History[]
The Hunter's Knives are thought to have been crafted sometime around the year 1830 (though some sources place it closer to 1833) by known hunter of the supernatural Jim Bowie.
Bowie, who was famous for his career as a pioneer, soldier and land speculator, was a excellent hunter (considered one of the best of his time), who hunted with a group of hunters known as the Grey Riders;they included Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Juan Riviera, Antoine le Croix, Leonardo Bianchi, Peter Foreman and riverman Tony Higgs, among others. The twelve came together after a particularly eventful Halloween in Little Rock in 1823 and hunted together on and off for years.
Bowie was a known occultist, who often acted as the ritual expert of the group. Through unknown means, Bowie managed to find Dwarven steel as well as the resources to smelt it. Gathering the Grey Riders together in his workshop in Arkansas, Bowie crafted seven knives with the power to kill almost anything, using the blood of each of his partners in the forging rituals, and gave one to each of his partners.
Over time, the knives passed on to new wielders, some were lost. The first widespread stories of the knives Hunters heard were in the exploits of Alexander Montgomery, a half-Blackfoot Indian bounty hunter who possessed two such knives during the early 1920's in the western United States. He used them to slay many monsters before his disappearance in 1936.
Lost Knives[]
Despite their magical nature and unique construction, it is possible to destroy the Hunter's Knives. The following knives are either destroyed or lost:
- Bowie's was lost shortly after his death at the Alamo.
- Higgs' knife was thrown into the Mississippi with many of his other possessions after his death in 1855.
- Foreman's knife was passed on to his apprentice in 1842 and continued to be in use until sometime in the First World War, where it was lost somewhere in Europe.
- The fate of Riviera's knife is simply unknown.
- Le Croix's knife was destroyed in a demon attack in 1967, melted in the hands of the one who wielded it.
- One knife was destroyed by a Necromancer wielding a Mace of the Howling Dead.
- One knife is known to have been destroyed by dragonfire.
Qualities[]
Usage[]
The Hunter's Knives are created from Dwarven Steel, making them virtually indestructible. The steel of the dwarves is said to be able to cut through anything, even diamon. According to legend, Thor's mighty hammer Mjolnir was made of the same material.
The knives' primary use is straightforward: to hunt supernatural creatures. Bowie made the blades using bits of iron, silver and powdered diamond, tempering it in Consecrated Water. Additionally, the knives have been enchanted with the Steelbark spell, giving the blade properties similar to wood, allowing them to kill vampires and other creatures vulnerable to wood. This incredible and extremely potent combination of metals and magic allow the knife to provide a killing blow to nearly any supernatural foe.
The most famous property that the knives possess is the ability to harness elemental energy into their attacks to harm creatures that are weak to certain elements, like Wights with fire. Only one property can be harnessed at a time.
To use this ability, one must speak a command word and the knife will take on properties of fire, ice, electricity or corrosive acid, depending on the word spoken. The known command words, which are the same for every knife, are:
- Ignus: Fire
- Frigus: Ice
- Fulgur: Lightning
- Corrosiuo: Acid
Weaknesses[]
- Celestial Weapons: Weapons forged with dwarven steel can break a Hunter's Knife.
- Dragonfire: Like most things, the Hunter's Knife can be destroyed by dragonfire.
- Higher Beings: The Hunter's Knife has no effect on deities and certain powerful fey.
- Magic: Magic can negate the knives' enchanted properties. The knife is additionally susceptible to magic in general, as well.
- Outsiders: The primary flaw in the knife is that it has no effect against Outsiders, such as Demons or Angels. Yes, the elemental energy can maybe prove helpful, but overall, it is very inefficient against such creatures. Additionally, such creatures can unmake the weapons, as was the case with the knife of Le Croix's knife: Hellfire is a potent vulnerability each knife possesses.
Known Hunter's Knives[]
Only four the Hunter's Knives are known to be in circulation today:
Erica Bridges' Knife[]
This knife was originally forged for Leonardo Bianchi, who wielded it for decades in his efforts against his many supernatural foes. This blade saw use in The War of the Dragon, World War I, and World War II when Leon served with Spooky Company. The knife was given to Jeremiah Lockheed in 1955, shortly after Leon took on Rowan as a apprentice. Jeremiah carried the knife but it didn't see much use until it was given to Erica in early 2013, when Erica and her allies were in hiding at The Farm.
Since the knife came into her possession, it has become one of her most-used weapons. It traveled to the Victorian-era and back with her, served at her side throughout the War with Clive and it remains in her possession to this day.
Edgar Nulph's Knife[]
This knife is owned by Edgar Nulph, a sorcerer and dealer of magical antiquities from Sacramento, California. It was originally wielded by known hunter Samuel Colt before it became one of the two knives wielded by Alexander Montgomery. Then it passed to a Hunter named Maxwell Earnst.
The knife came into Edgar's possession during one of his auctions in 2009 and he usually carries it with him just in case of emergencies. He once lent it to his niece Odessa but it has since been returned to him.
Percy Darby's Knife[]
Percy Darby was given this knife by his father Callum on his 18th birthday. Percy always carries the knife on him and used it to great affect during the Battle of Port Angeles and subsequently during the Final Battle. While it was nearly lost during the coming of the Earth Titan, he managed to hold onto it and he continues to wield it to this day.
Before it was Percy's, it was of course his father Callum's. It is not known how it came into Callum's possession, although Percy did imply to Erica that the knife had been in his possession for a number of generations, which suggests that an ancestor of his was the original wielder granted the knife by Jim Bowie.
Roderick Scrivener's Knife[]
This knife is wielded by Roderick Scrivener, a British werewolf and Beta of the Blackmoor Clan. It was given to him by his father William Scrivener, the pack's Alpha, when Roderick officially became Beta. Roderick is known to wield the knife to great effect and many fear him and his "magic blade". The knife was formerly William's, who procured it at some point in World War II. It is unknown how he came into the knife's possession.
Trivia[]
- The knives are considered minor magic items in the Hoffman Institute database, despite their potency as weapons and scarcity.
- Each knife's appearance is unlike the others. It is thought each knife was personalized for the original wielders, while others suggest that each knife possesses a unique ability that the others do not have, although these claims are speculative and have not been proven.
- Erica's knife is the only Hunter's Knife to have existed alongside a past version of itself: when she traveled back in time, she carried the knife while Leon wielded the past version of that exact same knife.