Gear of Interest

There are several specialty weapons in the Saga that are explained in further detail here. The greater empires, namely the Perilleans and later the Yonian States, possessed the resources and skills to manufacture sophisticated weaponry in sufficient quantities to equip their troops.

X-Bow

(Quad-shot Bows)

X-bow referred to a handheld four-shot counterbow invented by the Perilleanic Empire, first used by the Fire Rider Knights (meusars).

The weapon got its name from its four pairs of limbs installed in X-shape, generally made of high-tensile steel similar to the highest quality sword blades. As the name states, the limbs were installed pointing forward instead of back, and the string loops were attached with small pulleys. This allowed the bow to have several times longer pull length than a conventional crossbow, producing significantly more energy.

The weapon was designed to pierce plate armor using long, thin drawn steel bolts, and indeed, it was one of the few weapons readily capable of stopping plate-armored foes. While a short bow could be faster to use, the quad bow had significantly more energy and could be used to loose four bolts consecutively without the strength and skill needed to operate a manual bow.

The weapon was cocked with a lever jack operating a ratcheted spindle in the weapon's frame similar to that of a modern farmer's jack, allowing cocking all four strings at once, a task that would otherwise require a very high gear ratio winch and/or a very strong archer.

To fit all four triggers, the designers simply incorporated two grips and two sets of dual triggers to the weapon at a 90-degree angle, the other grip pointing to the right. A front grip was installed for holding to allow the limbs to flex without hitting the user's hand.

Being such complicated and intricate weapons requiring high-grade steels and precision handcrafting, they were exceedingly expensive and could only be used to equip top elite troops. The material used for the bowstring was originally Helithean vine, but after colonizing Ionia, windsilk was preferred as the stronger option.

The Yonian States quickly established the capacity to produce X-bows for its own needs in all different variations.

Counterbow ballistae

Counterbow ballistae referred to heavy siege bows that had a wide variety of designs, from the very simple, basic single-shot reverse crossbow to the pinnacle of design, Heavy Quad Counterbow, essentially just a huge quad bow, often mounted for mobility, usually on chariots, carriages, ships, or simple carts pulled by infantry crews.

Counterbows were used in a variety of ways, from launching simple heavy bolts to pierce structures and armor to payload ammo, most commonly incendiary - a pottery charge inserted into the tip of a missile, filled with oil and lit before firing at structures, ships, foliage, or troops.

Stacked bolts were a type of ammunition used against infantry attacks. The stacks could contain up to twelve arrows or bolts, producing high effectiveness against infantry charges.

Thunderblades

Thunderblade was a term describing a sword in the hands of a Secret-Keeper acting as a lightning conduit. There were two means to ignite one: either during a thunderstorm, or attaching a particular powerstone to the blade acting as an energy well. Using lightning weapons required immense concentration from the Secret-Keeper and would result in quick fainting if not careful.

Types of weapons

Any sword could be used as a thunderblade during a thunderstorm. A powerstone could also be attached to any bladed weapon. Both would work with odd metallic item (e.g. chandelier), though the effectiveness would be severely diminished.

Smaller bladed weapons, usually daggers or stilettos were called sparkblades.

Common swords were generally disposable in the purpose as the blade’s temper would be ruined and most often the edges dulled and the blade simply warped or even outright melted. Ordinary swords could take fiery red to orange heat before noodling.

Purpose-built thunderblades with powerstones embedded to the crossguards were made from a special meteoritic alloy called duran, which was air-hardening and could take golden-white heat before noodling.

Function

With these, any bladed weapon could create an immensely strong ionized field that could be controlled with the Secret. Focusing this energy would result the light-arcs to ignite with a loud SNAP between the crossguard and the tip of the blade, very quickly coiling around the blade, forming a blindingly bright lance of thunderfire hotter than the sun. The use of these weapons could be seen and heard from miles away. The typical sound report would resemble a ZAP-BOOM, with hard, punching slapping sound followed by deep rolling thunder. Smaller sparkblade bolts would resemble a ZAP-BANG.

The extremely high energy and frequency made the superheated plasma flow along the blade’s surface, but the immense heat would still heat the blade glowing-hot within seconds, resulting into drooping and melting altogether. Thunderblades were not a persistent weapons, but rather a flash-and-loose – type of device.

Combat variety

The most common form of combat with the blades was not melee combat, but using them as slings to unleash thunderfire in a concentrated form. The user could sling the plasma arc at a high rate, and it would collapse into what can be described as a fist of thunderfire reaching speeds up to a thousand feet per second with ranges up to several hundred feet.

Typical thunderblade bolts could punch a fist-sized hole through twenty inches of wood and split apart entire trunks. Full-sized bolts would leave little when hitting a body. Sparkblade bolts were powerful enough to severe limbs.

Thunderwhips were another form of combat, when the lightning arc could be gapped to the target continuously for a brief period of time.

Lightning energy could be used into defensive formats as well, including stopping, deflecting and returning missiles and simply blasting off foes.

The least used method was cutting with the blade, but an ignited thunderblade could without trouble sear through armor and foes.

Saginair Rangers operated thunderblades as their main weaponry primarily in their ranged format.

Paper Armor

Paper Armor

One of the more peculiar inventions of the era was paper armor. Variations of natural fibers had been used in several places, but in dire need and lack of better options, the Yonians equipped their common army with paper armor made in situ from wood, which was in endless supply at the Highlands.

The Ikharonian Republic had mastered the manufacture of wood paper (Sil. limpur), a skill that was brought to life by a few selected relegate slaves who taught the skill to the workers, establishing a papercrafter's guild.

The paper armor needed a lot of fine-tuning to make it durable and ergonomic, but the end product worked sufficiently well to become the main armor of the Yonic regional troops and later the imperial army. The armor consisted of scale-like stacked paper blocks bound together with yarn, forming an interlinking scale armor.

Dipped in tar, it produced lightweight full-body armor that offered plenty of protection, and the inch-thick torso blocks were even able to stop quad bow bolts. The armor also proved to be resistant against sparkblade bolts, as it absorbed the thermal energy, unlike steel plate, which melted and gave way.

The armor also had the benefit of being both breathable but warm during cold seasons - and the fact that it was lighter than water could be a matter of life and death to marines, as steel armor would cause one to sink immediately.

In later eras, the technology was perfected by pressing the paper thinner and tighter, further increasing protection. Combination armor became the gold standard. It used a base of paper that was reinforced with steel plates, windsilk, or even spider silk.

Dragonpowder grenades

Dragonpowder (Sprk. Sparkhoul) was an arcane form of high explosive originating from Hellornia containing a mixture of volcanic salts. It was used in grenades by Hellornians.