# Wounding someone with a red-hot blade



## Ireth (Dec 14, 2015)

In many of my WIPs I have Fae of various sorts being wounded with iron blades, which are extremely dangerous to them. An iron or steel blade, regardless of base temperature, treats Fae flesh as if the metal is red-hot. Other magical issues (such as iron poisoning) aside, I'm curious as to how exactly that would work. I imagine such a wound would be cauterized instantly, and so a lot of bleeding is unlikely. But what if the knife were twisted in the wound, or it was a slashing wound meant to rip open a Fae's throat?


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## NerdyCavegirl (Dec 14, 2015)

I imagine if you twist the blade, it's damage things deeper than the heat can reach. As for slashing the throat, I'm sure there'd still be some bleeding, as it also depends on how long the blade is in contact with the flesh. But a slit throat is a slit throat. The windpipe would be blocked and the brain would have no blood supply.


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## TheKillerBs (Dec 15, 2015)

If it acts like red-hot iron on Fae flesh, then you really don't need to stab, or even apply any sort of force to cause extreme, even deadly, amount of damage; simple contact will suffice. Iron glows red at about 700Â°C (or about 1300Â°F), which is roughly about the same as the cooler kinds of lava.


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## Ireth (Dec 15, 2015)

Wow, I didn't know that. XD I guess I'll have to rethink things, story-wise. I don't want the MC to kill my villain the first time she hits him (not hard, just a glancing blow) with an iron frying pan. That'd end the story right in chapter one! Or at least turn it into a very different story, one that I'm not interested in telling.


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## TheKillerBs (Dec 15, 2015)

You can still keep that scene. A glancing blow with a red-hot frying pan can be deadly depending on where it hits, but it won't necessarily be lethal. If you hit the arm or shoulder, then that arm will probably be useless but your villain would survive and presumably get it healed into some semblance of working order.


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## Ireth (Dec 15, 2015)

Well, the arm in question would have clothes on, which would dampen the effect of the iron (the red-hot effect only applies to bare skin/flesh, and clothing would be unaffected since there's magic involved).The MC in question is a teenage girl, so she doesn't exactly have the combat skill necessary to do serious damage. The Fae in question could dodge out of the way enough to avoid anything lethal, but I do need him hurt enough that she can flee him temporarily and the injury doesn't impact the rest of the story too much, as far as his mobility or anything goes. As it stands now, she hits him in the jaw, which knocks him out for a short while, but he's very soon able to catch up and kidnap her.


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## NerdyCavegirl (Dec 15, 2015)

Yeah red hot iron to the face could quite possibly be deadly. xD Would death affect this character's mobility?


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## Asura Levi (Dec 18, 2015)

I imagine aiming the firing pan at his head, he would defend with his hand, maybe punch it away, but get his hands badly damaged in the act. No hands, he wouldn't be able to act against the MC. 
I further imagine the scene of him falling on his knees attempting to hold his hand (dunno if realistic but have seen this kind of scene plenty of times) but unable to do so, as both hands were wounded.


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## Ireth (Dec 18, 2015)

Asura Levi said:


> I imagine aiming the firing pan at his head, he would defend with his hand, maybe punch it away, but get his hands badly damaged in the act. No hands, he wouldn't be able to act against the MC.
> I further imagine the scene of him falling on his knees attempting to hold his hand (dunno if realistic but have seen this kind of scene plenty of times) but unable to do so, as both hands were wounded.



The problem with that is, he needs to be able to use his hands afterward. I can't damage them too badly or parts of the story won't work. Especially when he succeeds in kidnapping the MC once he catches up to her again.


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## FifthView (Dec 18, 2015)

Ok, silly question time.  Does hair work like clothing, or does Fae hair react the same way Fae flesh reacts?


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## Ireth (Dec 18, 2015)

FifthView said:


> Ok, silly question time.  Does hair work like clothing, or does Fae hair react the same way Fae flesh reacts?



That is a very good question, and something I never had reason to consider before now. XD I'm not sure it'll come up at all, but it might be good to think about.

In any case, I'm probably going to downplay the "red-hot" part and just say "hot enough to burn". Effect's still the same. Lots of pain is basically what I'm going for.


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## FifthView (Dec 18, 2015)

Ah, I'd asked because she could still hit him in the head if his hair came between the pan and his face, if it's long hair, or she could hit him over the head (on the top) where the hair is.


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## Ireth (Dec 18, 2015)

FifthView said:


> Ah, I'd asked because she could still hit him in the head if his hair came between the pan and his face, if it's long hair, or she could hit him over the head (on the top) where the hair is.



It does, and he's also wearing a mask in the scene (it's Halloween). So that might work. But she's not tall enough to hit him over the top of the head -- she's 5'8" and he's 6'4" barefoot, and he's wearing boots.


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## MineOwnKing (Dec 18, 2015)

Not sure how much you would have to edit, but maybe the iron could work like Kryptonite does on Superman. 

Taking away magic powers and or breaking down the physical strength of the Fae.


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## psychotick (Dec 18, 2015)

Hi,

I think you need to consider the physics of heat transfer to an extent. In order to burn heat has to be transfered from the hot object to the cold one. The amount of heat that is transfered will depend on a number of factors. 

The amount of surface area that is involved. Being hit by a fry pan that smashes into the face and covers a lot of skin will cause more burning than being slashed by a sword which concentrates all its energy in a very narrow slit. 

The time that the contact lasts. A glancing blow is like to cause only a minor burn. Holding the man down with the frypan on his face may cause extensive burning.

The heat differential. Being touch by a burning hot thousand degree flame for a second will burn more than being touched by a still hot but only one hundred degree say cigarette tip.

Cheers, Greg.


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## Ireth (Dec 18, 2015)

psychotick said:


> Hi,
> 
> I think you need to consider the physics of heat transfer to an extent. In order to burn heat has to be transfered from the hot object to the cold one. The amount of heat that is transfered will depend on a number of factors.
> 
> ...



*nod* That's true, but there's also room to fudge things a little with magic. We are talking about Fae, after all. ^^


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## TheKillerBs (Dec 18, 2015)

This doesn't actually have anything to do with the problem at hand, but do your Fae still bleed red? I ask because our blood is red due to its iron content.


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## Ireth (Dec 18, 2015)

TheKillerBs said:


> This doesn't actually have anything to do with the problem at hand, but do your Fae still bleed red? I ask because our blood is red due to its iron content.



Nope, they bleed blue. I figure since they have no iron in their blood, copper or cobalt makes up the difference.


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## Miskatonic (Dec 19, 2015)

Even if a wound is cauterized it is still at risk of a massive potential infection. All cauterization does is stop massive bleeding if there are no alternate solutions. Even if the bleeding stops you can bet that there is a likely chance that the person will die within a week or so from the infection. 

Cauterizing wounds in movies and books is basically a way to show the reader/viewer how tough the character is.


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## Ireth (Dec 19, 2015)

Miskatonic said:


> Even if a wound is cauterized it is still at risk of a massive potential infection. All cauterization does is stop massive bleeding if there are no alternate solutions. Even if the bleeding stops you can bet that there is a likely chance that the person will die within a week or so from the infection.
> 
> Cauterizing wounds in movies and books is basically a way to show the reader/viewer how tough the character is.



Good to know. It won't be a problem in my story, though; the iron poisoning I mentioned above is a much worse issue that kills the wounded Fae in a matter of minutes. None of them are lucky enough to have an antidote on hand when they're injured.


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## TheKillerBs (Dec 19, 2015)

Ireth said:


> Good to know. It won't be a problem in my story, though; the iron poisoning I mentioned above is a much worse issue that kills the wounded Fae in a matter of minutes. None of them are lucky enough to have an antidote on hand when they're injured.



How does the iron poisoning work and how does the Fae kidnapper avoid it? I'm assuming the frying pan to the face doesn't poison him, since you are saying none of them have an antidote on hand when they're injured.


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## Ireth (Dec 19, 2015)

TheKillerBs said:


> How does the iron poisoning work and how does the Fae kidnapper avoid it? I'm assuming the frying pan to the face doesn't poison him, since you are saying none of them have an antidote on hand when they're injured.



Iron is anathema to the Fae. It's uncomfortable to be around, burns their skin as described above, and it's deadly when it gets into their bloodstream. Stab wounds with iron or steel knives, or even pricks with steel pins that break skin are sufficient to poison a Fae. Bashing wounds like the aforesaid frying pan don't do more than burn. If Ariel had stabbed him with a pin or a nail, then he'd be toast. And that would break my story. XD


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## DMThaane (Dec 20, 2015)

What about iron power? Would that be enough to burn and poison as they breathed it in or it fell on their skin or does it need a certain concentration? I'd assume the iron in human blood somehow isn't a danger or else he'd be risking a very unpleasant wedding night.


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## Ireth (Dec 20, 2015)

DMThaane said:


> What about iron power? Would that be enough to burn and poison as they breathed it in or it fell on their skin or does it need a certain concentration? I'd assume the iron in human blood somehow isn't a danger or else he'd be risking a very unpleasant wedding night.



Iron powder would be uncomfortable too, but I haven't worked out how much. I imagine it's still less practical than simply stabbing a Fae with a knife. The iron content in blood just makes Fae ill, and if they happen to ingest it it makes them vomit. Exposure to it via sex isn't a problem; human/Fae couples are quite common, and if it were an issue I'm sure they would have stopped by now. XD

The one exception (mostly) to this is Redcaps, whose enchanted caps allow them to handle iron and even wear it without a qualm -- as long as they wear their caps. Take it off, and they're as hurt by iron as any other Fae. Redcaps are also less affected as other Fae by the iron in human blood, since that's what they use to dye their caps in the first place.


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## psychotick (Dec 20, 2015)

Hi,

Odd question - do they not eat red meat since the red blood is full of iron? Liver /spleen would be even worse.

Cheers, Greg.


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## Ireth (Dec 20, 2015)

psychotick said:


> Hi,
> 
> Odd question - do they not eat red meat since the red blood is full of iron? Liver /spleen would be even worse.
> 
> Cheers, Greg.



Some do, some don't. There are some Fae who actually survive on blood alone, like Baobhan Sith. (Which I guess I should've mentioned above under exceptions, but it just occurred to me.) In any case, I imagine they do all they can to take the blood out of their meat before they eat it. Cooking would probably fix it to an extent.


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