Like any other sword, Dawnbreaker consists of a leather hilt, a straight crossbar, and a sharp 30 inch blade. A line of runes carved into the metal runs up the center of each side of the blade, which is how the sword was bound to its magic. The centers of the sword blade and hilt are slightly darker than the rest of the blade, which marks where the sword's glow emits from.

The name "Dawnbreaker" comes from the sword's magical affinity for detecting the creatures of the night.

Whenever the sword is near a creature that is in any way affecting by night, (such as werewolves, vampires, demons, ghouls, or banshees) the dark sections on the crossbar and blade of the sword glow with the light of dawn, exposing the beast. It is extremely useful for when some form of these beasts are hiding among humans or stalking the sword's wielder.

When glowing, the blade of the sword becomes extremely hot, as if heated over a fire to the point of melting, to any night creature that it touches. This has no effect for any normal human or other creatures.

This enchantment comes with a price however. For the exact amount of time that the sword glows, its wielder must spend that amount of time as a Landvaettir in the Eretejva Tundra after their death.

The exact time when this blade was created has been long forgotten, but it is widely believed to have been forged late during the Age of Wonders or early in the Age of Expansion.