A blade utilized by William of Greenbury. The sword is extremely sharp and able to cut through goblin steel with ease. This is attributed to the fact that the sword was crafted from an angel's feather. Anything sliced by the blade can never be healed, leaving lasting wounds on opponents. Often described as having a "keening" sound when swung.
Role in PGTE[]
Used as the sole weapon of William of Greenbury in his role as the Lone Swordsman, which he used to kill many Praesi soldiers and inflict irreparable scars on at least two villains. Hakram Deadhand got that name by losing a hand to the Penitent's Blade, which had to be replaced with a necromantic prosthetic since "things cut by that sword remain so." William also freed Akua Sahelian's Stygian slave-soldiers by cutting their cursed collars with it.
It was eventually turned into a tool to summon an Angel of Contrition during First Liesse. However, since this involved planting the Blade in an altar and leaving it there, Catherine Foundling was able to claim the sword and thus avert the summoning by invoking the myth of the Sword in the Stone. After the angel summoning was prevented, Catherine took the sword as a trophy, since it appeared to have been reduced to a normal sword. However, the Penitent's Blade reactivated some time later, a which point Catherine broke it and scattered the pieces.
When Arthur Foundling became the Squire, he told Catherine he had been dreaming of a shattered, sunken sword, and asked if she had had that dream when she was the Squire. Catherine recognized that the dream was of the broken Penitent's Blade, and that the Choir of Contrition was trying to stake a claim on Arthur. She warned him that the sword was better left where it lay, which he heeded.