Weaponry

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Not to be confused with Weapons (Professions).

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Weapons are designed or used to inflict bodily harm on other organisms. Throughout the ages, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and all other races have created weapons to kill or maim others. While design varies from time period to time period or race to race, weapons still play a prominent role in society to this very day.

Melee Weaponry

Warhammer

Warhammers are weapons meant to deliver the full force of impact on the enemy, even if he is wearing heavy armor. They consist of a handle made of either wood or metal and a metal head. The length could be as big as a polearm, used by infantry against cavalry, or short enough to fit both hands, meant for use in close quarters or on horseback. Using the head of the warhammer, a person could transmit the full force of his blow, even if the enemy wore heavy armor. He could use the spike to grapple a target's armor or shield, or even use it to penetrate spots where the armor was thinner. They could also use the spike against cavalry, either by grappling the reins or piercing the legs of a horse.

Mace

Maces are weapons meant to cause bludgeoning damage, perfect for opponents with heavy armor. It consists of a handle made of wood or metal and a head of stone or metal. The handle could be as short as two or three feet, to sizes large enough to be used with two hands. Depending on the size, they can be used either by the infantry or cavalry. They were used to deliver the force of a blow even against heavy armor. Some maces were outfitted with flanges meant to dent or even penetrate armor.

Arming Sword

Arming swords are one-handed swords with a double edged, straight blade. The blade was around twenty eight to thirty one inches. The hilt is composed of a one-handed grip, a cruciform guard and a pommel meant to keep the hand from sliding off. It weighs around two and a half pounds on average. Arming swords are either used as a side weapon, or by soldiers who prefer to rely more on their speed than their power, allowing for quick attacks to be carried out. Arming swords are also the blades mostly related to the Knights of Old, used in Knighthood ceremonies. Due to the fact that the weapon was to be used with one hand, it was quickly used along with a shield for a balance between defense and offense. It allows both thrusts and cuts, although ineffective against heavy armor.

Longsword

Longswords are two-handed swords with a double edged, straight blade. The blade could go from thirty three to fourty three inches. The hilt is composed of a two-handed grip around six to eleven inches in length, a cruciform guard and a pommel meant to act as a counterweight for the blade to be used more fluently. It weighs around two and a half pounds, up to four pounds. The long sword is a balanced weapon, allowing for powerful strikes without losing speed. It can be used for both cutting and thrusting. The long sword is the weapon most frequently used by the humans, followed by the elves. While its cutting capabilities are ineffective against heavy armor, it can still be used with thrusting successfully, provided the user has the necessary skill and experience. Many nobles have longswords as family heirlooms, passed from one head to the next. There are also ceremonial long swords, for various social and regal events.

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A Zweihander Flamberge

Zweihander

Zweihanders are large two-handed swords with a double edged, straight blade. The hilt is composed of a two handed grip around nine inches in length, a cruciform guard and a pommel to serve as a counterweight. The entire weapon could be at least five long, some reaching up to seven feet length. It weighs between four to seven pounds, heavier than other blades. A most notable part of this weapon is the ricasso, a part above the guard that is unsharpened and usually wrapped in cloth. Some ricasso had parrying hooks to protect the hand and some blades even featured metal rings meant to protect the wielder's hands even more. It's range and striking power are superior to any other blade, although using it sufficiently requires great skill. A notable use of the Zweihander is against pike formations. Due to it's sheer size it has been noted to be used like a polearm sometimes and it is carried like one, for a sheath is useless when the blade is as big or bigger than it's wielder.

Rapier

The rapier is a slender sword with a sharp point. It is around fourty inches in length and weighs around two pounds. The blade can either be sharpened on one, two sides or sharpened only to the tip. It is primarily a thrusting weapon, although it can still cut, but not to the degree of thicker blades. The hilt is composed of a one-handed grip, a pommel to stop the hand from slipping and a very intricate guard. The guard is usually a crossguard surrounded by intricate metal rings or with a cup guard above. The rapier is used to deliver quick thrusting strikes against the opponent. However, the blade width is rather thin, not meant to defend the wielder through parrying against other heavy blades. Thus, it is advised to be used against a small shield, or a dagger, to allow for some offensive capabilities as well. While considered a weapon for dueling and for ciivilians to defend themselves, it has been accepted by the wealthy classes and worn alongside intricate uniforms.

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Two warriors fighting with polearms.

Battle Axe

A battle axe is a weapon specifically used for combat. Battle axes are usually not meant for chopping down wood or hard abuse, though some are specifically designed to do so. Their blades are thinner than normal axes to allow for better cutting of flesh. Axes can weigh from one to seven pounds and range from a foot, up to five feet. They can be small enough to be thrown and big enough to be used two handed. The handle is made of either wood, metal or a mixture of both, while the head is all metal. Some axes hold spikes meant for piercing enemy defenses.

Polearm

A polearm is generally a term when the head of the weapon is outfitted on the end of a long staff, usually made of wood. Each polearm type has a specific name, such as halberd, pike, bardiche or war scythe. Most polearms were first used by levy forces, who took their every day tools and fitted them on a long staff. Through the years, it has also become the weapon of choice of many standard militaries due to its effectiveness. The most common polearms are Halberds, where an axe head is outfitted on the staff, or a pike, where a spear head is outfitted. Pole weapons became popular due to the striking power they could release, being effective against both infantry and cavalry due to being able to penetrate defenses.

Ranged Weaponry

Recurve Bow

A recurve bow is a type of bow with limbs that curve away from the archer when unstrung. It can store and deliver more energy, thus providing more speed to the arrow when shot and more power. It is much shorter than a longbow, thus it is prefered for use atop horseback or in environments where large weapons are cumbersome. However, a recurve bow releases a lot of noise, thus it is not a choice for those who prefer silent killings from a distance. The shape also puts a lot of strain to the materials used, to the point where an inexperienced fletcher could make an unstable bow. Recurve bows make a great weapon for a training archer since they require less strenght to use that a longbow.

Armors

Legendary Weapons

  • Bane of Arthropods
  • Sword of Horen
  • Axe of Krug
  • Falchion of Malin
  • Staff of New Beginnings
  • Sword of Respiren
  • Hammer of Urguan
  • Golden Lance of Xan

Random Tidbits

  • A flamberge is a sword with an undulating blade style. These types of swords could cause unwanted vibration which slowed down blades during clashes, although they were mostly decorative.
  • Ceremonial swords are much heavier than normal blades. A ceremonial Zweiahnder can weigh up to ten pounds!
  • Due to their immense strength, Orc weaponry is considerably heavier than those of other races, but can generate much more power in their hands.