Basilisk-tongue

“I once met a Blessed One of Hesinde on a hill. Haggard and hungry, I asked him for food. He drew a strangely curved dagger from his belt, gazed up at the sky, and slashed at a passing bird. Before I knew what was happening, the priest was handing me a freshly killed bird. As I stared at my soon-to-be meal, he gave me the dagger and said, “Learn to wield it, and you will never go hungry again.”
-Kaya, Acolyte of Hesinde, modern

The basilisk-tongue gets its name from its sinous blade, which resembles a serpent’s tongue. Unsurprisingly, this dagger is particularly popular with Blessed Ones of Hesinde.

Its exceptional steel blade easily cuts through fur, cloth, and flesh, often without alerting the victim. Assassins commonly employ basilisk-tongues for this reason, even though these knives are almost useless against harder materials such as leather or metal armor.

“I know many mages from my homeland who carry a basilisk-tongue instead of a regular dagger, in honor of Hesinde.”

— Mirhiban al’Orhima, Tulamydian fire mage

“Unless you are a Blessed One of Hesinde, you should never be seen carrying one of these in northern Aventuria. There, the basilisk-tongue is a symbol of deceit and murder.”

— Rowena of the Transweal, Bornish cat witch

Technique	Damage	P+T	AT/PA	Reach	Weight	Length	Cost	Complexity
Daggers	d6+2	AGI 14	0/–1	short	0.5 stn 1 lbs	30 hf/cm 12 inches	50 S	complex (2 AP)

Weapon Advantage: The basilisk-tongue inflicts +2 DP in an ambush (see Core Rules, page 237).

Blessed Ones of the Nameless One receive a +1 DP bonus when fighting animals that are holy to the Twelvegods. In the hands of a Blessed One of Hesinde, the basilisk-tongue inflicts +1 DP against cultists or Blessed Ones of the Nameless One.

Weapon Disadvantage: The basilisk-tongue subtracts 1 from DP when used against armor with PRO 2 or greater.