AN INTERESTING SUBJECT.
I HAVE NO INFORMATION ON WHAT SORT OF DAGGERS WERE USED BUT SUSPECT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN EASILY IDENTIFIED BY THEIR MARKS BUT A FAIRLY STANDARD FORM. THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN HAD MOST OF HIS SUCCESS THRU YEARS OF PLANNING AND THE PLACEMENT OF HIS ASSASINS IN THE SERVICE OF HIS VICTIMS. IN SOME CASES THE CHILDREN GREW UP TOGETHER ONE TO BE A RULER AND THE OTHERS TO BE IN A POSITION OF TRUST WHERE THE QUICK THRUST OF A POISONED DAGGER WOULD BE POSSIBLE. I WOULD DISREGARD THE IDEA OF THROWING A DAGGER FOR AN IMPORTANT ASSISINATION AS TOO MUCH CAN GO WRONG, UNLESS THEY JUST WANTED TO SCARE AND NOT KILL. AN UNEXPECTED STRIKE FROM A TRUSTED AID BEING MUCH MORE SURE. THE PLAN WAS TO RULE ALL THE ROYAL FAMILYS IN THE AREA THRU THE TERROR OF ASSASINS, SEVERAL TIMES THEY SHOWED THAT THEY COULD KILL THE VICTIMS AT WILL WITHOUT ACTUALLY DOING IT. I ASSUME ALL THE ASSASINS CARRIED SOMETHING TO IDENTIFY THEM AS THEY WERE USUALLY KILLED QUICKLY AFTER THE ASSINATION AND THE OLD MAN WANTED TO MAKE SURE HE GOT CREDIT. SO A DAGGER MAY HAVE BEEN HIS CALLING CARD BUT I COULDN'T SAY FOR SURE PERHAPS ANY GAURDS DAGGER OR SWORD WOULD DO WITH A BIT OF POISON TO MAKE SURE OF SUCCESS.
I FOUND IT INTERESTING THAT THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS A CLASSMATE OF OMAR KAYAM AND ANOTHER WHO BECAME A HIGH OFFICIAL AND THE 3 MADE A AGREEMENT THAT THE FIRST TO SUCCEED WOULD HELP THE OTHER TWO. THE ONE GOT POWERFUL FIRST AND GAVE OMAR AND HASSIAN GOVERNMENT POSITIONS, OMAR WROTE THE RUBIYAT AND ENJOYED LIFE. HASSIAN ABUSED HIS POSITION AND TRYED TO OVERTHROW HIS FRIEND AND TAKE HIS PLACE HE WAS THROWN OUT AND LATER HAD HIS ASSASINS KILL HIS FRIEND. ITS BEEN YEARS SINCE I DID ANY REASERCH AND I HAVE FORGOTTEN MOST BUT YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING SUBJECT, GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN
