Sawtooth sabre

A Red Mantis assassin wields two sawtooth sabres.

Assassins of the Red Mantis use the sawtooth sabre as their signature weapon because it is a cruel but efficient weapon, a perfect combination for the holy assassins.

The sawtooth sabre's blade is curved like a normal sabre, but instead of a straight edge, the cutting edge is serrated, allowing deeper wounds. This grisly weapon weighs only 2 pounds and measures about 3½ feet from hilt to point, another advantage for an assassin trying to sneak into and out of a guarded area.

The sawtooth sabre is difficult to master—although those untrained in its subtleties fare well enough by simply wielding it as they would a longsword—but its light weight allows it to be wielded with finesse rather than brute strength. Many of the Red Mantis fight with a sawtooth sabre in each hand, in a style reminiscent of a praying mantis, and some Red Mantis assassins can weave the blade in a hypnotic pattern to help them kill their target.

The Red Mantis have no objection to the use of the weapon by non-members. Its presence serves as a useful reminder of the organisation's might, and since not everyone who uses one is an assassin it helps members to keep their identity secret when out of uniform. It is also the holy weapon of the clan's god, Achaekek, and featured on the flag of the Red Mantis-dominated city of Ilizmagorti.

Mantis blade

The mantis blade is a legendary sawtooth saber venerated by the Achaekek-worshiping Cult of the Mantis.