Johnny's Penknife

Johnny's penknife is a knife given to those assigned to the role of Johnny from the folk song, The Banks of Red Roses. It is the murder weapon featured in this story and is currently in the posession of Bane O'Rouge, the current barer of the mentioned role.

Appearance
The penknife is described in-story as being "long and sharp". It has a brass blade inscribed with words. Its handle is made of ivory and has elaborate rose carvings.

History
The murder ballad actually has its roots as what would be considered an innocent pastoral tune. However, it wasn't long before those given the honor to become its protagonist misused their privledges. The freedom to choose whom to love excluding those who already have destinies and have nearly unlimted chances to pursue their happily ever after, benefits that only a few stories offer, lead to the breaking of countless hearts and countless lives have been ruined. This has also lead to the changes in perception towards the story, turning it into a warning about the treacherous acts of rakes and runaways. The authorities needed a way to prevent further damage but they couldn't really tamper with rights they've promised to the role. That is until "the case" happened when one scottish Johnny was tried and found guilty of murdering his love. He was executed for overstepping the boundaries yet his cruel act sparked an idea. The idea was to preserve the true nature of the story by preserve this Johnny's legacy too as an extra potential ending to the story with hopes of striking fear into the hearts of his successors so they would know their place. And they have forged a weapon to serve that very purpose.

This plan unfortunately backfired, resulting in some ripper-esque killers and the reluctance of many Johnnies in later generations in forming long term relationships, backing off at the first sight of trouble, wether it's the disapproval of their families or disagreements and complications between the pair. Therefore, the worse interpretations have outshone the original.

At present,

Properties

 * The curse:This knife is infused with magic that creates hallucinations of its victims whenever it takes lives. In extreme cases, this can develop into a form of blindness, in which its wielder will fail to recognize others as who they are, instead see them as his previous victims.
 * Tracking:
 * Resurrection:

Trivia

 * This theory is based on some sources stating that the murder ballad version was a recent addition. According to MySongbook.de, it did not appear in printed form before the 1970s.