The Bane Whip is a whip which is as tough on its user as it is on its opponent. Therefore those who have learned to use it have a healthy respect for it. Though underestimated because of its humble beginnings and mostly common material, it is an incredibly deadly weapon. The Bane Whip is able to break bones, slice through flesh, ensnare items and fling. It is a weapon that is used by various people, but seems to be a popular one among women since it is dependent on deftness and timing instead of strength. Invented by the Shendar, the whip has been altered many times as it spread over Santharia even as far as Aeruillin, but nothing compares to its original form.

Description. The Bane Whip in its original form consists of corded aka'pi leather, the hide of the brown kara or ráhaz-estár skin. Finely cut strands of leather or the ráhaz-estár skin are braided together; depending on the width of the whip the material will be braided over itself to produce a thicker thong.

The Bane Whip is made up of 4 parts - handle, thong, fall and popper:

• The Handle
  The handle ranges from a palmspan to a fore. It usually has an inside of bone and the outside covered with braided aka'pi leather, kara hide or in unusual cases ráhaz-estár skin to keep its harmony.

• The Thong
  The handle leads into the thong, which is braid over itself. This part of the Whip is the one which holds the balance and control of the weapon.

• The Fall
  At the end of the thong is the fall. The narrower this strap of material is the more damage it can cause when slicing.

• The Popper
  Lastly is the popper at the tip of the fall that makes the loud cracking sound that can be used to give warning to those foolish enough to go against this weapon.

The leather or skin of the Bane Whip is tightly woven together, but there are certain areas where strippers can be added. Bane Whip strippers are the most popular change to the Bane Whip's original form. They are small needles of metal that are embedded into the thong and fall. Outside the Ráhaz-Dáth other materials are used like the hide of the baneg cow.

Varieties of the Bane Whip are as follows:

• The Aka'pi Leather Whip
  The Aka'pi Lather Bane Whip is lighter and allows better movement. It has fast movements and is well used for all techniques, though does not possess the strength and added deadliness of the rare ráhaz-estár skin.

• The Kara Hide Whip
  The Kara Hide Whip is heavier making it a more clumsy whip and not as accurate. Using the kara skin the wielder will be unable to use cutting techniques since the material is too heavy and thick to allow cutting attacks. The whip is slower than the aka'pi and ráhaz-estár. Yet, it is useful in that when it connects it is likely to be more efficient in crushing and leaving welts on its opponent.

• The Ráhaz-Estár Whip
  The Ráhaz-Estár Skin Bane Whip is the most deadly as well as the most elegant. The material is still light, but very strong, causing its speed and accuracy to surpass that of aka'pi leather. Its cutting ability is more likely to cut through thicker material and it has the added strength to crush. This type of whip is hard to tame since it is one that is very sensitive to the harmony of the user. The rarity of the skin and the deadliness of the weapon makes it one that are mainly used by those who are true Shendar Masters, because it is more capable of killing its possessor if not handled correctly.

Usage. Where the Shendar use the whip mostly as a defensive weapon, except when hunting the ráhaz-estár, its offensive qualities are highly preferred outside the desert.

As a defensive weapon it ensnares opponents by wrapping the thong around the attacker and binding their movement. The large crack made by the popper help to give off warnings which animals usually recognize as a signal to stay away. This is still popular with many humans that wander in populations that are dominated by potentially dangerous wild animals. It can grasp and fling away possible dangerous items and even be used to block.

In actual fights the whip can be incredibly dangerous. Its ability to crush bone and slice through skin makes it a formidable opponent. Because of its flexibility it is not something that can be chopped through by a mere swing of a sword since it conforms to what it goes against. One of the best resistances against it is armour since it is unable to slice through thick metal, though it can crush it to a degree and slice through thin metals.

Because of its flexibility and its reliance on skill instead of strength it is popular among many women and those who prefer a slight flashiness to their attacks. People who have little patience or endurance are unlikely to pursue the Bane Whip since its tendency to backlash and damage its owner if not used properly can cause serious damage. It takes quite some time to completely master the Bane Whip without causing damage to oneself.

Fighting Style. The Bane Whip has several different movements to cause different results. The main aspects of the Bane Whip are timing, fluidity of motion and technique. Usually held in one hand the user moves the whip in one long fluid motion. It is always important to remember that the whip goes backwards before it goes forwards. The whip has a natural tendency to grab so the user must be careful of the whip grabbing at the users body in its backwards motion.

Cutting with the whip involves finding the natural loop in the whip. Once swinging, the user does a reversal against the loop which allows the wielder to cut. It is the fall that is the major part involved in the cutting. Cutting is also a point of accuracy and involves a hard swing, which does not necessary mean a swing based on strength, but more on technique.

There are several different variants of cutting, ensnaring and targeting, but unless users are masters of the Bane Whip they would be advised not to try making up techniques of their own.

The last aspect of the Bane Whip is the strippers that are used mostly by users that are trying to perform a more torturous aspect to their skills. Strippers shred the flesh and can be used to bleed an opponent to death. They are also widely used by assassins who tip the strippers in poison. Though, an assassin that uses a Bane Whip is likely to only use it as a last resort since it's a bit too showy.

The Bane Whip if used improperly can seriously injure or even kill its possessor. Though cutting is rarely done by accident, the speed and strike of the whip will crush and crack bones or at the very least leave large bruises and welts. It is not a weapon a person would use incapacitated because once the timing is off the wielder is more likely to injure himself/herself instead of their opponent.

Origin/History. The origin of the Bane Whip begins with its cousin the Warning Whip. It was a way of herding the aka'pis and scaring off predators.

As lore has it a clever Shendar lad discovered the potential of the whip as a weapon. Lengthening the thong he saw it as a better way to fight against the wild and dangerous animals of the Ráhaz-Dáth, especially the ráhaz-estár. Unfortunately, while participating in practice of the whip he put too much force into the strike and the whip cracked open his skull.

After the Journeyon, a sister-mother of the family took some interest in the whip, going so far as to give it the name "Bane". The sister-mother recognized in the Bane Whip a sense of harmony, which could not be masterd by force. Eventually with this concept in mind she began the long trek of learning the Bane Whip, which was refined over centuries among the women of the tribe.

The result was a weapon for the matrilinear society that focused on a sense of harmony with their weapon, and put to use the strength of the female society by focusing on deftness, technique, patience and endurace. It became a primary weapon of the women in the society though most Shendar men took to it as well, for it was very productive in bringing down the ráhaz-estár.

Since the Bane Whip became popular it was only a matter of time before it became also a way of recognizing status, being made both with leather and the rare to obtain ráhaz-estár skin. The ráhaz-estár skin was found to be the best material for the Bane Whip, giving a better balance, making it lighter and more durable.

It was inevitable, that this fabulous weapon spread over the Ráhaz-Dáth. It is said, that the first who recognized its value were traders from Shan‘Thai who visited Strata. Later it was sold in Uderza and Varcopas as well, though very rarely those which contained some skin of the ráhaz-estár. It was of course copied, baneg hides were used instead of the aka‘pi skins or the hide of the northern grassland boar. Though these whips reach never the elegance of a ráhaz-estár whip, they are deadly enough.