The Story of the Kingmaker:

Rumored to be one of the three blades forged by the Black Mountain Dwarves centuries ago using shadow steel harvested from a shadow dragon, the Kingmaker is currently said to be in the possession of the Assassin’s Guild of Tark.  The blade carries the same magic as its sister blade, Shadow Dancer, endowing the wielder with the power of a shadow dragon, to blend into any surroundings making them almost impossible to see.  The Kingmaker got its name after numerous kings throughout Illantul rose to power immediately following the violent death of a previous ruler by an unseen assassin.  The tale that is frequently told in the Lazy Griffin tavern is that any man visiting Tark that is willing to part with four hundred thousand gold coins at the Assassin’s Guild, can become the next king of the province of his choosing.  It is said the strange succession takes place with the aid of a large purple amethyst set deep in the pommel of the blade, the magic from which is used to temporarily controls the mind of the slain king’s advisor, causing him to name as the new king whomever the wielder of the Kingmaker so desires.

Actual Design and Construction:

The original blade blank was forged by Windlass Steelcrafts using 1085, High Carbon Steel.   I reground the blade with a thinner profile and added a fuller and narrowing ricasso where the blade meets the guard, dramatically reducing the blade’s weight.   Both sides of the blade are hand-etched with dragon scales surrounding a decorative design containing a misty King’s crown and runes spelling out, Kingmaker, are etched into the fuller groove.  The guard is carved from brass with decorative crosses removed from each quillon.  The handle of the blade’s through tang design is carved from Costa Rican Purpleheart wood.  The spacer and the threaded pommel I carved from brass.  The pommel represents a king’s crown into which I set a 10-millimeter purple zirconia amethyst deep inside.

Specifications:

Blade length- 12 inches

Overall length-17.5 inches

Grip length- 4 inches

Blade width at widest point- 1.625 inches

Guard width- 5 inches

Weight- 14.75 oz

Balance Point-0.75 inchers in front of the guard

Sheath Construction:

The sheath is a traditional dagger design (wet formed to the blade with hand stitching down the back spine) constructed of 4-5 oz. premium veg tan leather.  The body of the sheath is stained red with black antiquing and covered with dragon scales. The throat extends two-thirds of the sheath and is stained a deep blue with black antiquing, as is the chape.