Windblade

A dull iron knife, used to affect the Gaoithe Sidhe The Faerie Winds. As the iron disrupts the flow of the Hud, they are used to control winds on ships and windships. The most common method to affect a strong wind is to hurl the blade into the whirlwind, thus dispelling it.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Wingblades are typically dull-edged knives forged of cold iron, the magic-cancelling properties of which is used to disrupt whirlwinds and the Gaoithe Sidhe, most commonly on sailing vessels and Windships. They have also found use among farmers who seek to protect their harvested wheat from the barrioù-aveldro (Whirlwinds) that often form in windswept plains.
Used in conjunction with Windrope, windblades are potent tools for manipulating the magical winds that blow across Alvez. Depending on the circumstances, these can be used to either create gaps in the wind or provide an emergency stop in extreme circumstances.
When a windblade is hurled into a strong (3 Knot) wind, the wind will disperse for a time, the air becoming still. Slashing the air with the blade has a lesser effect with a shorter duration on weaker winds (2 knot). Windblades have only a negligible effect on the weakest winds (1 knot), as they carry little magic to interact with.

Significance

The primary use of the windblade is for vessel navigation, resulting in a customary association with sailors and windriders.
Windblades that are sharpened to hold an edge have been adopted as a tool and unofficial symbol of various Bediz supremacist movements, most notably the Staunchists. Staunchists will often openly or secretly carry sharpened windblades as weapons, identification and tools of intimidation against the local Fair Tuath.

Item type

Tool

Rarity

Common, but expensive. Forgeable iron is uncommon in Alvez, but most windblades are affordable to the average sailor or windrider on their salary.

Raw materials & Components

Windblades are forged with cold iron, most commonly in the form of a knife or dagger, but scythes, swords and other slashing tools have been known to be used.
While there is no specific aesthestic to windblades, most have black hafts, either of Blackwood or wrapped in black leather strips.

Tools

Windblades require forges, typical of most weapons.