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Post by Harndon on Jan 28, 2019 16:18:13 GMT
So, this thread kinda does what it says on the tin, but here's what to do: - Choose 5 time periods from your nation's history
- Select 1 piece of armour/wargear and 1 weapon/tool for each time period
- Describe/post pics/generally have fun!
- (Please include spoilers so everything is a bit less congested.)
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Post by Harndon on Jan 28, 2019 17:45:02 GMT
Antiquity (c. 4200 BCE - c. 250 BCE) Armour Harndonian Lamellar Lamellar armour in Harndon was mostly made out of hide or laminated wood, with holes punched through the hexagonal peices and sewn onto a cloth backing. Cheaper and quicker to construct than chainmail, a Harndonian armourer could make a vest a day if they were skilled enough. This armour, although simple, provided fairly impressive protection from blows and strikes, as well as being light and maneuverable.
Tool/Weapon
Kolfden Kolfden are, simply put, heavy hunting spears. With broad, barbed heavy blades (that are sharpened on the insides of the barbs), used to tackle some of the more... entertaining of woodland denizens, the kolfden can also be used to slash, hook and peirce through armour and around shields. Due to Harndonians not having any real kind of professional military force, when the tribe is called to war, tribesmen grab whatever weapons they can. Due to the prevalence of hunting and gathering as a stable food source for pretty much all of the tribes of the period, this kind of hunting spear was very widly used, by tribesmen from both the lowest and highest echelons of society. Kolfden were usually made of stone, horn, bone or bronze.
Iron Age (250 BCE - 500 CE)
Armour Bethtali Lamellar
Named after the merchant-adventurers who used them, bethtali lamellar - whilst similar in construction the vests used by poorer tribesmen - are full-body, with bronze, bone or wood plates on the upper legs and arms. A helmet with a close-fitting face mask was worn as part of the armour, making the wearer incredibly well protected, considering the lack of iron used in armour in this period. Weapon Kalgatha The followers of Sister Fire devote their time to alchemy and fire constructs, with the most famous of their concoctions being Kalgatha: a combustible, sticky liquid brewed from plant sugars and extracts, very similar in application to nahptha. It is normally held within a clay pot with a fuse poking through the top. Once lit, contact with an object or person causes the clay pot to break, showering the enemy in burning, corrosive liquid that seeps through armour, defences and flesh. A deeply unpleasant weapon.
Texts from the Temple to Sister Fire at the site of the 5 Temples recorded that this discovery was a mixture of happy accident, and very-much-not-happy accident: the druids were attempting to create a plant-based alternative to a candle when the mixture exploded, covering the 3 working on it in flaming, corrosive liquid that couldn't be removed from their skin or clothes. Unsurprisingly, they died. Horribly.
Medieval Era (500 CE - 1500 CE)
Armour Iron Armour Even amongst the derevashi, iron armour had simply been unobtainable since the start of the iron age: iron in Harndonia was so rare, and the import costs so high, that iron was only ever used for high-status tools and weaponry. The majority of the populace used bone, stone, copper, horn or bronze. Those high status enough to acquire armour better than a hide or wood lamellar vest would own more extensive and higher quality lamellar constructed from horn and/or wood, or, in some cases, bronze.
It was around the turn of the millennium that import prices started to fall, due to the supply in the surrounding regions increasing. This meant that more derevashi and chiefs could afford the still-not-insignificant cost of constructing iron armour. Therefore, for the more powerful tribes, each chieftain could evolve their personal retinue to more of a hard-hitting heavy cavalry force than previously, which no doubt made quite of few of their days.
Weapon/Tool Zherahagadi Kalgatha (in a very intensive, and somewhat dangerous process) can be tweaked and solidified during its initial manufacture to produce a similar effect to gunpowder. This invention was named Zherahagadi: literally, "fire-rock", for its dark grey, hard, crumbly texture, a lot like certain types of sedementary rocks. The Dark Ages (1500 CE - 1906 CE)
Armour Hide Vest In the guerilla warfare and constant flight that defined this period, the armanents became much simpler and more utilitarian: not much point in having a suit of iron lamellar if a bullet can punch straight through it. A hide vest provides some protection against a cut or shrapnel, but little more than that. Reinforcing straps - or bandoliers that contained bullets; cumbled zherahagadi; or kalgatha - were often worn over this.
Weapon Vosna Upon the invention of gunpowder, the druids researched the various different uses of black powder. One of the more popular uses were Vosna (small, musket shot-like pellets filled with a solution of Kalgatha and zherahagadi), fired out of hand mortars at unsuspecting foes. The devastation that can be caused is sufficiently satisfying, especially when firing over defences: when the pellet hits a target, the heat caused by the imapct ignites the zherahagadi, creating a violent explosion which sprays ignited kalgatha a fair distance. Confederation (1906 CE - Present)
Armour/Gear Quera Bodygear A Quera's body gear is made up of light, manoeuvrable body armour (constructed from plant-derived polymers); a dark, camouflaged cloak, with the Harndonian flag on the right shoulder; an extensive but compact first-aid kit; the signature black bandanna and black knee-high boots; and a communications device strapped to a lower arm. Weapon Vaguerao-Zhaf
The Harndonian-made Vaguerao-Zhaf (roughly translates to Forester-Rifle) is a bolt action rifle akin to a sniper rifle, renowned for its reliability, strength ("punching power" - it has been known to punch through heavy tank armour) and accuracy, with a relatively small cartridge due to the large size of the ammunition
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