THE
CROSSBOW |
Description. The Crossbow is a missile weapon with approximately the same range and accuracy of a typical bow, however, fired on short distances Crossbows can hit their targets with much more force than ceretain bows.
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However, this weapon is very
slow to load and usually has quite a high poundage. It has a drawlength of
approximately three and a half
palmspans. A Crossbow consists of a small bow (prod) mounted on a wooden
plank and uses small kinds of arrows called bolts (one
fore or less long). The Crossbow was developed by the
elven tribe of the
Jhehellrhim around 2000 b.S.
before it spread over the whole Sarvonian
continent and became a standard weapon of warfare. The
Jhehellrhim
mainly used the Crossbow for hunting big animals,
but it was also an often seen weapon in the Third
Sarvonian War when the city of Carmalad was besieged and the
Jhehellrhim
assisted atdefending it (though they were unsuccessful). In general the
crossbow became very common as a defensive
weapon during such sieges, but it is also often used by assassins, who profit
from its precision on short distances.
In addition to the typical Crossbow there are some special versions of this
weapon, among them three special R'unorian
types:
The Heavy
Crossbow
The first special type of Crossbow is the "Heavy
Crossbow",
replacing the wooden plank with a metallic shaft and an improved firing
mechanism. The Heavy Crossbow uses the same bolts as the
lighter version.
Certain Heavy Crossbows are
also equipped with that strong strings and bows that
it is only possible to span them
with special tools. This makes them even slower to
reload but gives the bolt this much
punch that it can pierce any armor on a considerable great range.
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R'unorian Infantry Crossbow
This variety was developed in R'unor around
the year 700 b.S. The Crossbow is a slightly elongated variation on the
standard heavy crossbow, the major diffrence being that these models were
actualy two crossbows stacked on top of each other, alowing the bow to fire
both shots simutaniosly or seperately.
R'unorian Naval Crossbow
More of a small balista than a Crossbow actually these weapons are also
enlarged versions of the heavy crossbow that take four
fores metal shafted arrows,
usually with the head coated with pitch and set alight.
R'unorian
Cavalry Crossbow
Very much similar to the Infantry Crossbow except with three bow mechanisms and
a harness so it can be fired one handed. The R'unorian Cavalry Crossbow also it
is slighly longer ranged than typical but only by a few
fores.
Usage. The bolts are
fired
similar to a bow. However, the string
holding the bolt is wound back and
has a much greater draw weight
than a normal bow has, which results in the fact that the bolt
can be fired in much greater speed and force - over a short distance that is,
but the energy of a bolt drops quicker than an arrow of a longbow e.g.
Furthermore the precision of a Crossbow is better
than that of a bow because the bolt
is more or less fixed on the
plank, and isn’t held in hand, which isn't as physically
exhausting. However, reloading and targeting the
Crossbow takes much more time as the same procedure at a bow.
Fighting Style. The
Crossbow is often used from fortifications/walls because of the long
reloading time, which makes it not very
helpful at quick assaults. Usually light Crossbows are used from behind the infantry lines,
protecting the archers and the infantry. The Triple
Crossbow is often fired on a group of enemies. The best protection against the
extreme force of Crossbow bolts are
shields the size of a man, for example tower shields.
Origin/History.
As has been already mentioned the Crossbow was developed
by the elven tribe of the
Jhehellrhim around 2000 b.S.
Who originally constructed the very first Crossbow is unknown,
but it was simply a slightly improved version of a bow,
consisting of a plank and a typical
short bow, tied together. It is known that
later on Elan, a human from the tribe of
the Kyranians improved the
weapon and made the “bow” part
of the plank frame (around 1700 b.S.),
which was a major improvement for the whole construction.
After this, the used materials (bolts and weapon mainframe)
were further improved and finally the "Triple
Crossbow" was developed
by a Tharanian inventor, whose name unfortunately isn't traded.
By now all of the
mentioned types of Crossbows
are used all over the continent.
Information provided by
Artimidor
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