The Story of the Black Rose:

The Black Rose first appeared during the Northern border wars, a fierce cleaver wielded by, Uthnog, the leader of the ice goblin hordes.  For decades Uthnog and his axe struck fear and brought death to both humans and elves alike.  But when a strange illness took root among the ice goblins, Uthnog and his clan faded into history.  For over a hundred years the Black Rose was as absent as the ice goblins in the lands of Illantul.  That is until an unusually warm summer brought an unwelcome thaw to the mountains of snow that had been the home of the ice goblins.  It was here that the Black Rose reappeared, when a human adventurer pulled the axe from the half-frozen remains of a goblin and subsequently sold it in Tarth for a small fortune. The blade has remained a fearsome weapon in the hands of any who wields it, but a deadly illness much like that which wiped out the ice goblins, is rumored to take hold throughout any lands where the Black Rose is used on the field of battle.   

Actual Design and Construction:

The axe head is a reclaimed single bit high carbon steel head that I ground back to clean steel and cut into its current bearded form.  Both sides are hand etched with the image of a skull wreathed in roses.   The handle is made of ash, charred black with a walnut wedge, and has a steel belly plate depicting another rose.  In the knob of the axe, I have inset brass skull and made a steel plate to cover the bottom of the knob which is also etched with a rose. 

Specifications:

Axe Head Length: 7 inches

Axe Head Width at widest point: 4.5 inches

Handle Length: 26 inches

Overall Axe length: 26 inches

Overall Axe Weight: 2 lbs 8 oz