The Jhé'vai Dagger is a small, efficiently covered knife that has revolutionized hidden weapons. This weapon is primarily used by men or women who either want to have the element of surprise on their side during combat, or people who wish to protect themselves without others knowing. The daggers are fastened onto a person’s forearms by two clasps and are hidden beneath their sleeves to be brought up only when needed.

Description. The Jhé'vai Daggers (which literally means “out [of] sight” in Styrásh) consists of a clasp that fastens onto the wielder’s forearm, a dagger, and a series of springs that - when put under pressure - will release the dagger. The clasps are made of thin metal that has been shaped to fit the wielder’s forearm. When fastened, the clasps seem to melt into the owners flesh, making them impossible to detect except for the section where the dagger is fastened. The length of the dagger is dependent upon the length of the wielder’s arm, but they usually range from a palmspan to a fore. Longer or shorter blades are available and can be switched for the dagger that came with the weapon. The daggers are kept honed to a fine point and are used primarily as a stabbing weapon. Though called a dagger, this part of the weapon is only a blade and therefore cannot be removed and used as a hand held weapon.

The way the dagger is released is similar to the mechanism inside the coorán'lóh blades. The dagger is mounted to a single spring which in turn is connected to a small metal backboard. When concealed, the spring is loaded. A small clamp holds the dagger blade in place. When the clamp is released, the spring pushes the dagger forward. The dagger is pushed through a metal loop that is slightly smaller than the base of the blade. When the bottom of the blade reaches the hole, it sticks and the blade stops moving forward.

Usage. Though originally used by the elves to compliment their coorán'lóh, the use of this weapon has expanded. Now it is most commonly used by thieves and merchants, though it is still used by the elves. The Jhé'vaí Dagger does not require much skill to use, making it deadly in the hands of even the youngest child. Though originally thought to be a thief's weapon, its use has expanded to more noble people. It can now be found on merchants and nobles, particularly women, who do not wish to scare away others. For more trained killers, such as assasins, the blade is also extremely useful. The assassin can walk up to his target, appearing unarmed and in one swift movement, release the blade to form a claw, kill the target, and reload the blade, concealing it once more along the forearm.

Fighting Style. This weapon can be used to fight in two different ways. The first, most commonly used by people untrained in combat, utilizes the element of suprise the daggers give to kill an enemy quickly, the other, more commonly used by soldiers or others who have some knowledge of combat is to use the Jhé'vaí Daggers as an extension of the wielder's arm. One can differentiate between a civilian usage of the weapon and a trained usage:

• Civilian usage
  Common people are attracted to Jhé'vaí Daggers because they supply an easy way for the owner to protect one's self and are easy to use. Usually the owners buy these weapons because they wish to keep their weapon concealed. If they are attacked, they use the daggers to suprise the enemy, allowing them to dispatch of him quickly, while the opponent's defense is still down. As the Jhé'vaí Daggers grow more common, this method of fighting grows increasingly less effective. Bandits ar no longer that suprised when they see the weapons.

• Trained usage
  The second way the daggers can be used in combat is most commonly used by those who have been trained in the usage of some other weapon or in some form of martial arts. These people do not rely solely on the enemy's suprise when the daggers appear, but rather use the weapons as sharp extensions of their hands. The two combatants can engage an unarmed attacker, using his daggers to dart past the enemy's blows and kill him with a series of slashes and stabs at the chest or head. Against an armed enemy, the Jhé'vaí Daggers can substitute a sword or other weapon by allowing the owner to engage in the usual duel tactics of thrust and parry.

Origin/History. The origins of this weapon can be traced back to two distinct races, the first, the gnomes, discovering the system of springs which allowed the dagger to be released, and the second, the elves who used the gnomish technology to create a new version of their coorán'lóh blades. A young gnomish engineer discovered the release system for the daggers when attempting to create a more advanced version of the sling. Soon, however, the young gnome became bored with his new invention and decided to move onto bigger and better things, leaving his invention behind. Many years passed, until an elf, who had come to the gnomes looking for an invention to help with agriculture, discovered the system of springs and realizing its potential brought it home to his people where it was developed into the weapon it is today.

After its creation, the weapon took a while to spread into the popularity that it has today. This is because the knowledge of the weapon was guarded selfishly by the elves. After its creation by the Tethinrhim, the use of the weapon slowly spread to the other elven tribes. After progressing this far, the spreading of the weapon was halted for hundreds of years as it made the jump from the elves to the humans. It was at this time that the use of the weapon began to flourish to its current popularity.

After being accepted by the humans, the weapon was primarily used by thieves and deemed as a low-life weapon. Not even an assassin would dare to use it because of its poor reputation, despite the usefulness that it had for their profession. However, despite its poor start, over many years the weapon's popularity began to grow, first spreading to merchants, then nobles and finally being deemed worthy of an assassin. The weapon's popularity still booms today as it continues its expansion into other races.

2nd Singing Bird 1666 a.S. Information provided by Drasil Razorfang