The Story of the Reaver:

Prior to the fall of the Lich King of Bolandorr, the gnolls that inhabited the wastelands of Illantul were servants of the Lich.  Bound to him by his dark magic, the gnolls would reave from the coastal city of Tarth to the very edge of the eleven lands far to the east. Their raids involved murder, plunder, and the spirting away of young humans, elves, and dwarves to the lich’s castle, where it was said they were used in the most unholy of ways. To assist his minions in carrying out his will, the Lich king gave the leader of the gnoll armies the dagger, Reaver, which he forged with his dark magic and malic.  The blade brought unnatural stamina to the commander of the gnolls and was rumored to have bound all other gnolls to his will.  But when the king fell into darkness during the fourth infiltration of the Lich’s stronghold, his power over the gnolls was broken.  The Reaver faded from all memory for the rest of the age of the winds, only to resurface in the hands of humans some four and fifty years later.  The blade still provides incredible strength and stamina to its wielder, but remnants of the lich’s magic infect the mind and slowly drive the blade’s owner to madness. 

Actual Design and Construction:

The blade was forged by Windlass Steelcrafts using 1085, High Carbon Steel.  I completely altered the original shape of the blade with the addition of the large ricasso. On each side of the ricasso I hand etched the image of a gnoll warrior standing atop a rock bluff.  I also etched the name of the blade onto both sides, written in the dark runes of the Lich King.  The guard and the riser were fashioned from mild steel and patinaed to match the blade.  The handle is carved from Central American Katalox.  The pommel was also fashion from mild steel and covers a hidden bolt that secures the entire handle assembly. 

Specifications:

Blade length- 12 inches

Overall length-18.5 inches

Grip length- 4.5 inches

Blade width at widest point- 1.625 inches

Guard width- 4 inches

Weight- 17.5 oz

Balance Point- At the pointed tip of the guard

Sheath Construction:

The sheath was constructed with a yellow poplar wood core made specifically to fit this blade.  I lined the upper three inches of the inside of the sheath with felt to protect the blade.  I then covered the wood core with natural deer hide and hand stitched it up the back.  The deer hide was stained with a walnut leather stain to match the color of the Katalox handle.