Yanim counterbow

The counterbow was a crossbow with limbs installed pointing forward instead of backward. While slightly more complex, this had many benefits, including multiplied draw length, which could minimize the mass of moving parts, thus increasing the energy of the bow. There were many bows with draw length almost equal to the full length of the weapon.

With mechanical advantage, the bow was also easier to reload as the force was distributed over longer range. These weapons also had better balance.

The X-Bow

(Four-shot bow)

The X-bow referred to a personal four-shot counterbow invented by the Palpuric Empire, first used by their Fire Rider Knights (meusars). While complex and expensive, it provided superior firepower as a vanguard weapon.

The weapon got its name from its four pairs of limbs installed in an X-shape. 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 X-bow was one of the few weapons capable of piercing plate armor. Where a common short bow was cheap and faster to use over longer timespan, plated foes were nearly unstoppable to such troops; however, the X-bow, using flat and square-headed bolts, could punch clean through even better armor plates.

The Palpuric Empire equipped its shock troops, meusars, with these weapons, and they became universally recognized and feared. A team of six knights could unleash two dozen bolts in seconds, and the troops utilized this shock tactic as their primary attack method.

The Yonians paid close attention to Palpuric weapons technology after the Revolutionary War. During Pax Yanakhon, mass production methods were perfected primarily by Andalarrath Corporation-owned weaponeer guilds, and the initial unit cost of 20 gold selers (about 14 000 USD today) was squeezed down to seven, with some lower quality non-guild copies trading as low as 3.

The X-bow became a weapon of choice for Private Guardian and Knights Companies, wealthy mercenaries, even individuals. The Yonian States equipped its vanguard troops with them. It gained iconic status, being immediately recognizable amongst other weapons.

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

To fit all four triggers, the designers 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 circular sear actuated by cam pins controlled the four sears, allowing the weapon to be triggered only in a specific order.

When cocked, the bolts are pushed in through the slots on the sides of the weapon. A leaf spring retainer keeps the bolts in place, so the weapon can be carried cocked.

A front grip was necessary to allow the limbs to flex without hitting the user's hand.

Technical specs

Most parts of the weapon were lost-wax cast from bronze and worked to final specifications by skilled craftsmen. The top grade weapons' limbs were made from folded brimmboric steel, but the trigger parts were cheaper case hardened steel, as were the rivets.

The stocks and grips were made from jagolinewood. The Perilleans used Helithean vine for the strings, but after colonizing Ionia, windsilk was preferred as the stronger option. Yonians always used windsilk; tests with anduran were made, but it was found to stretch too much.

The X-bow was 540mm long and weighed 4.3kg when loaded. Different models were made over the years, most notably a longer, 840mm variation designed for improved penetration, and a two-man heavy X-bow almost 1.2 meters long and weighing over 20 kilos, designed to shoot stacked arrows.

Heavy Quad Counterbows used similar technology.

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 CRACK-BOOM, with hard, punching slapping sound followed by deep rolling thunder. Smaller sparkblade bolts would resemble a CRACK-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 sever 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 was one of the more unusual military inventions of the era. Armor made from layered natural fibers had appeared in several regions, but during the Revolutionary War, the Yonians turned it into a mass-produced standard issue born from a shortage of conventional armor materials.

They developed the armor from wood paper (Sil. limpur), which could be manufactured locally from the abundant forests of the Highlands. The method originated in the Ikharonian Republics and was introduced to Yonian production by selected relegate slaves who taught the process to local workers. This led to the formation of dedicated papercrafters’ guilds.

Early paper armor required extensive refinement before it became durable, flexible, and practical for soldiers in the field. The final form consisted of stacked, scale-like paper blocks bound together with yarn into an interlocking scale pattern. The blocks were treated with tar to improve toughness, water resistance, and durability.

The armor was light, comparatively cheap, and well-suited to mass manufacture. On impact, the layered paper compressed, bunched, and absorbed force rather than simply splitting open. This gave it unexpected stopping power against cuts and piercing weapons, although it remained less effective against heavy blunt trauma. The thickest torso scales, measuring up to an inch, could stop an X-bow bolt under favorable conditions.

Paper armor also performed better than steel plate against sparkblade bolts. The layered fiber was a great insulator, unlike metal, which readily conducted and melted through.

Its low weight made it valuable for marines and river troops. Unlike steel armor, it did not immediately drag a soldier underwater if they fell from a ship or bridge. It was also warmer in cold seasons while remaining more breathable than many forms of metal armor in hot weather.

Paper armor was also strategically significant because it freed large quantities of metal for weapons, tools, fittings, engines, and other military equipment.

Paper armor became standard issue for Yonian legionaries during the late Revolutionary War. In later periods, the technology improved through tighter pressing, thinner layering, and more consistent treatment. Higher-end composite armors were manufactured from layered windsilk or spider silk, with hard steel inserts added at critical points to improve protection.

Paper Armor

Dragonpowder

Dragonpowder (Sprk. Sparkhoul; Sil. Rasakhul-thurkh) is a high explosive originating in Hellornia. It is made from a mixture of volcanic salts through a process known only to the Elite Argom guild.

The recipe is Hellornia’s most closely guarded technical secret. Over the ages, small samples were obtained by Meuriorian knight-detectives and by the Yonian States' rangers, but none is known to have reproduced the compound or determined its composition beyond being "a mixture of volatile volcanic salts and sulfur".

Dragonpowder is used primarily in grenades carried by Elite Argom agents, dragon riders, and leatherean riders.

Dragonscale Armor

Dragonscales are rare outside Hellornia and the Grand Mountains, the only regions where dragons are known to live and shed them. Because supply is limited and collection is dangerous, loose scales have long served as a high-value trade good in dragon-inhabited cultures.

Individual scales vary greatly in size, from pieces no larger than fish scales to plates as broad as a dinner dish. Most are lightweight and partly translucent. Under direct light, they often produce iridescent hues according to their natural coloration. When struck, they ring with a tone between glass and metal.

Dragonscale is tough, heat-resistant, and highly resistant to thunderfire. These properties make it suitable for armor, especially where protection against fire, extreme heat, or thunderfire is required. However, full dragonscale armor is exceptionally rare due to the difficulty of acquiring enough matching scales.

Its use remained largely confined to Hellornian and Vaskitic cultures. Outside those regions, dragonscale was more often known as a legendary material, a collector’s object at best.

Qatamazur Wasp Needles

Qatamazur wasp needles were taken from Colossar wasps. The finger-long, thin needles contained a toxin that caused quick muscle relaxation of the victim, but leaving them completely conscious and able to feel everything. It was used as a less-lethal weapon, and for robbing high value targets.