Hook Knife of Ar

This weapon is referred to as the "hook knife of Ar"
It might also be noted that it only appears in the books in scenes taking place *in* the City of Ar
Then the large man with missing teeth seized Hup's hair and pulled up the head, to expose the throat, holding in his right hand a small, thick, curved blade, the hook knife of Ar, used sheathed in the sport of that name, but the knife was not now sheathed.
Assassin

A small, thick, curved blade
Then the large man with missing teeth seized Hup's hair and pulled up the head, to expose the throat, holding in his right hand a small, thick, curved blade, the hook knife of Ar, used sheathed in the sport of that name, but the knife was not now sheathed.
Assassin

Sheath for hook knife hangs from mans belt
About his neck he wore a rude ornament, a loose iron chain bearing, also in iron, a medallion, the crest of the House of Cernus. He had a broad leather belt, with four buckles. To this belt there hung the sheath of a hook knife, which was buckled in the sheath, the strap passing over the hilt. Also, clipped to the belt, was a slave whistle, used in issuing signals, summoning slaves, and so on.
Assassin

Male slaves fight in competition with sheathed hook knives
Sheath is coated with bluish pigment to track the strokes
Points are awarded when blue lines appear on the opponent
A "killing blow" ends the game
I OBSERVED THE TWO MEN, COLLARED SLAVES, squaring off against one another in the sand. Both were stripped to the waist. The hair of both was bound back with a band of cloth. Each carried, sheathed, a hook knife. The edges of the sheath were coated with a bluish pigment.
"These men are the champions among male slaves at hook knife," said Cernus. He scarcely glanced up from the game board at which he sat across from Caprus, of the Caste of Scribes, Chief Accountant of the House.
I heard the crack of a whip and the command "Fight!" and saw the two men begin to close with one another.
I glanced at the game board. Cernus had paid me little attention, being absorbed in the game. I had not seen the opening. Judging from the pieces and positions it appeared to be late in the middle game. Cernus was well in command of the board. I assumed he must be skilled at this sport.
A blue line appeared across the chest of one of the slaves fighting between the tables, on a square of sand some twelve feet in dimension. The line was adjudicated as a point. The two men then returned to opposite corners of the ring and crouched down, waiting for the command to fight again.
Without being asked I had taken a position at the table of Cernus himself. No one had objected, at least explicitly, though I did sense some disgruntlement at my action It had been expected, I gathered, that I would sit at one of the two long side tables, and perhaps even below the bowls of red and yellow salt which divided these tables. The table of Cernus itself, of course, was regarded as being above the bowls. Ho-Tu sat beside me, on my left.
...
There was a shout from the men-at-arms and members of the House who sat at the tables as the second slave, he who had scored the first point, managed to leave a long streak of blue down the inside of the right arm of the first slave. "Point!" called the man-at-arms, he with the whip, and the two slaves separated again, each going to their corners and crouching there in the sand, breathing heavily. The man whose arm had been marked was forced then to carry the sheathed hook knife in his left hand. I heard the odds changing rapidly at the tables as the men of the house of Cernus revised their betting.
...
There was a cry and I looked again to the square of sand and the first slave, with the hook knife in his left hand, had plunged across the sand, taking a stroke across the chest, to strike his own blue line blow at his opponent.
"Point for both," announced the man-at-arms.
The food at the table of Cernus was good, but it was plain, rather severe, like the master of the House. I had tarsk meat and yellow bread with honey, Gorean peas and a tankard of diluted Ka-la-na, warm water mixed with wine.
Ho-Tu, I noted, but did not speak to him of it, drank only water and, with a horn spoon, ate only a grain porridge mixed with bosk milk. At the wall on my right there were fifteen slave rings. To each, on furs, there was chained, by the left ankle, a bare-breasted girl about whose waist there was knotted a scarlet cord, in which was thrust a long, narrow rectangle of red silk. About their throats were matching red-enameled collars. Their lips were rouged and they wore eye-shadow. Some glistening red substance had been sprinkled on their hair. Following the meal, I understood, in the House of Cernus, is a time for the pleasure and recreation of the men. There are games and sports, and wagers and song. Paga and Ka-la-na are then, when Cernus would leave, brought forth.
"A kill!" cried the man-at-arms with the whip. I saw that the second slave, who was doubtless the better man at the sport, had slipped behind the first and, holding his head back with a powerful forearm, had decisively drawn his sheathed hook knife across the throat of the first man.
The first man seemed numb, the heavy blue streak on his throat, and slipped to his knees. Two men-at-arms rushed forward and put him in shackles. For some reason, the man with the whip took the slave's hook knife, unsheathed it, and drew it across the slave's chest, leaving there a smear of blood. It was not a serious wound. It seemed pointless to me. The slave who had lost was then led away in his shackles. The victor, on the other hand, turned about and raised his hands. He was greeted with cheers and was immediately taken to the table on my left, where he was seated at the far end of the table, before a plate heaped with meat, which he began to devour, holding it in his hands, eyes wild, almost lost in the food, to the amusement of the watching men. I gathered the feed troughs in the pens of the male slaves seldom contained viands so choice.
Now that the sport was done some Musicians filed in, taking up positions to one side. There was a czehar player, two players of the kalika, four flutists and a pair of kaska drummers.
Assassins

In House of Cernus, the loser at hook knife may be fed to "the beast"
Suddenly the girls stopped dancing, and the Musicians stopped playing; even those at the table stopped laughing and talking. There was a long, incredibly weird, horrifying scream, coming from far away, and yet seeming to penetrate the very stones of the hall where we enjoyed ourselves. "Play," ordered Ho-Tu, to the Musicians.
Obediently the music began again, and again the girls moved to the music, though I could see they did so poorly now, and were frightened.
Some of the men laughed. The slave who had won at hook knife had turned white, sitting far below the salt.
"What was that?" I asked Ho-Tu.
"The slave who lost at hook knife," said Ho-Tu, pushing a large spoonful of porridge into his mouth.
"What happened to him?" I asked.
"He was fed to the beast," said Ho-Tu.
"What beast?" I asked.
"I do not know," said Ho-Tu, "I have never seen it."
Assassin

A slave winning his freedom at hook knife
This night, I had been pleased to note that none of the slaves who had come out poorly in their contests had been shackled and led through the door. The slave who had won at hook knife the night before, I observed, was again eating at the foot of the table. The collar had been taken from his throat. I gathered he might now be free. There was a whipping strap looped about his belt, and in the belt, sheathed, was a hook knife, the hilt buckled down in the sheath, as was the case with that of Ho-Tu.
Assassin

Ho-Tu, Master Keeper in the House of Cernus, had once been slave and had won his freedom at hook knife
"Long ago," said she, "Ho-Tu was mutilated, and forced to drink acid."
"I did not know," I said.
"He was once a slave," said Sura, "but he won his freedom at hook knife. He was devoted to the father of Cernus. When the father of Cernus was poisoned and Cernus, then the lesser, placed upon his neck the medallion of the House, Ho-Tu protested. For that he was mutilated, and forced to drink acid. He has remained in the house these many years."
Assassin

Contests of hook knife, among others in evenings amuse men of the House
Here and there, down the hall, I could see slaves hurrying in one direction or another, depending on the location of their feeding quarters. I could also see members of the staff moving about, and could hear doors being closed and locked.
"All right," I said, "let us eat."
There were various matches in the pit of sand that evening. There was a contest of sheathed hook knife, one of whips and another of spiked gauntlets.
Assassin

Attacking for the throat
In the same instant the hurled knife struck a chest behind us and I had rolled over throwing my legs under me, trying to draw the sword from my sheath, when Ho-Tu, running, hook knife in hand, leaped upon me, the curved blade streaking for my throat; I threw my left hand between the knife and my throat and felt the sudden hot flash of pain in my cut sleeve, the sudden splash of blood in my eyes, but then I had my hands on Ho-Tu's wrist, trying to force the knife back, and he, with his two hands, leaning his weight on his hands, his feet slipping on the floor, stepping on the square of silk, pressed down again toward my throat.
"Stop it!" cried Sura. "Ho-Tu, stop!"
I pressed up and then, knowing his full weight was on the knife, I suddenly ceased resistance, removing my counter-pressure, and rolled from under him. Ho-Tu fell heavily on the floor and I slipped free, rolled and had the sword from my sheath, standing.
Assassin

Threatened to be used in the removal of a tongue
I saw Cernus in his chair, who smiled down at me. Beside me stood a man with pliers and a hook knife.
"Do not raise your voice during the sale," said Cernus, "or your tongue will be cut out."
Assassin

Many wounds open from slashes of hook knife
His manacles were removed and a naked hook knife was thrust in his trembling hand.
"Please oh mighty Cernus!" he whined. "Show mercy!"
The slave whom I had originally seen victorious in the sport of hook knife sprang to the sand and began to stalk Portus.
"Please, Cernus!" cried Portus as a long line of blood burst open across his chest. "Please! Please! Caste Brother!" he cried, as the slave, swift, eager, laughing, struck him again and again, with impunity. Then Portus tried to fight but, weakened, unskilled, clumsy, he stumbled about, being again and again streaked with blood, no cut mortal. At last he fell into the sand covered with blood at the feet of the laughing slave, quivering, whining, unable to move.
Assassin

Suggested to use to remove a womans ears and nose
"Give her a hook knife," said Cernus to one of the men near him.
A hook knife was pressed into the hands of the mutilated girl.
She looked at the knife, and then at the bound Hinrabian, who shook her head slightly, tears in her eyes.
"Please, Melanie," whispered the Hinrabian, "do not hurt me."
The girl said nothing to her, but only looked again from the hook knife to the bound Hinrabian.
"You may," said Cernus, "remove the ears and nose of the slave."
"Please, Melanie!" cried the Hinrabian. "Do not hurt me! Do not hurt me!"
The girl approached her with the knife.
"You loved me," whispered the Hinrabian. "You loved me!"
"I hate you," said the girl.
She took Claudia's hair in her left hand and held the razor-sharp hook knife at her face. The Hinrabian burst into tears, hysterically weeping, begging for mercy.
But the pot girl did not touch the knife to the Hinrabian's face. Rather, to the wonderment of all, she let her hand drop.
"Cut off her ears and nose," ordered Cernus.
The girl looked on the helpless Hinrabian. "Do not fear," she said, "I would not injure a poor slave."
The girl threw the hook knife from her and it slid across the tiles.
Claudia Tentia Hinrabia collapsed weeping at the feet of the guards.
Cernus rose behind the table on the dais.
Assassin

Throat cut with hook knife
In passing again through the hall of Cernus I encountered Flaminius. "Ho-Tu," he said.
I followed him to the chamber of Sura.
There Ho-Tu, with his hook knife, had cut his own throat, falling across the body of Sura. I saw that he had first removed from her throat the collar of Cernus.
Flaminius seemed shaken. He looked to me, and I to him. Flaminius looked down.
"You must live," I said to him.
Assassin