Fang of the Nosferatu

Not much about the early history of the knife is known save that it was originally a gift from Baron Urik von Kharkov to Mordal, one of his key assassins. However, Mordal betrayed Baron von Kharkov. The baron punished Mordal by locking him away and using the Fang to gradually drain his life away. After Mordal perished, the knife disappeared. It was thought that Mordal's ghost might have taken it. (See the section on the Laughing Man (Module) below for one possible interpretation of the events.)

In Hour of the Knife, it is revealed that Sodo (later through his proxies) has used the knife for decades to perpetuate his longevity through the temporary immortality induced by the Bloody Jack murders. In that module, he is betrayed by Roja, who seeks to use the dagger for his own benefit.

Special Abilities

The Fang is a +3 dagger that bestows some amount of healing through the bonus damage it inflicts. It allows shapechanging into bats or wolves. Its greatest ability is to grant invulnerability for 13 years if 6 murders are committed on 6 consecutive nights. (Using this ability is an Act of Ultimate Darkness.)

The Fang drains the emotions of its victims and imprints them on the killer. (This can cause madness in beings who are not Chaotic Evil. The blade itself is Chaotic Evil and demands to taste blood at regular intervals or it begins to drain the life away from its owner.

The Fang in the Laughing Man Module

Although it conflicts with the timeline presented in Hour of the Knife, one module in Dungeon Magazine depicted Mordal as a bandit leader and the murderer of the Laughing Man of Valachan. Mordal's ghost who is eternally pursued by the Laughing Man's ghost and is a victim of his maddening laughter.

[In this module, the Laughing Man is part of the Fang's curse, for he who carries it becomes the Laughing Man's next target, Mordal attempts to convince the PCs to take the dagger and use it to slay the Laughing Man. Mordal himself attacks those who refuse him.

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Hour of the Knife Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Realm of Terror
		Hour of the Knife - pp3,5,52 Forbidden Lore: Oaths of Evil - p29
		Hour of the Knife - pp56-58 Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Realm of Terror - pp133-134 Forbidden Lore: Oaths of Evil - pp29-320
		Hour of the Knife - pp5-6,37,56-58 Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Realm of Terror - pp133-134 Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - p83 Forbidden Lore: Oaths of Evil - pp29-30