IX. SWORDS
A. HAND AND A HALF
SWORDS
Hand-and-Half Swords are any sword that can be wielded
with either one or both hands. Born to combat
dwarven plate in the Age of Blood, Hand-and-Half Swords are often
cut-and-thrust type weapons. They are very popular
anywhere plate is commonly used due to their versatility. The ability to thrust
into the joints or other openings in plate through any underlying mail and being
able to cut through mail and any lesser armours makes the Hand-and-Half Swords a
dangerous and popular weapon. Colloquially, the
Hand-and-Half Sword can also be known as the "Longsword", "Bastard Sword",
"chó'scál" in Styrásh
or many other names.
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B. ONE-HANDED SWORDS
Probably
the first thing to pop into the mind when thinking of a
'sword', One-Handed Swords are the most common type of
sword in the world. A cutting and/or thrusting weapon,
One-Handed Swords have a nearly infinite range of styles and variations. All
swords have a blade and a hilt; most hilts feature a
guard, a grip, and a pommel. From the falchion to the
Helcrani shortsword to even the
Erpheronian broadsword and everything
in between, this weapon sees variants in almost every
culture worldwide. One-Handed Swords are also known colloquially by many names,
a few of which are the shortsword, arming sword, war
sword, or even the
elvish term "cár'scál".
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C. TWO-HANDED SWORDS
Far and
away the largest of the swords, Two-Handers can be
nearly as tall as a grown human male. This
type of sword often came into war-time usage to defeat
lines of spearmen and for shock troopers, capable of cleaving entire limbs off,
if unarmoured. From the Korweynite Claymore to the
Whirlwind, Two-Handers are often spoken
of with a hushed respect, as their sheer size makes using them require special
training. Properly trained, however, a warrior wielding such a weapon
can strike faster and harder than the blade's size would suggest. Two-Handed swords
in the world come in various styles, and with various names. The term "great
sword" or Styrash "estár'scál" can also be used to refer to Two-Handed
Swords.
Two-Handed
Swords are often seen as simply massive swords that are
too slow to be effectively wielded. On the contrary, they’re some of the most
efficient swords, their size and weight making them
capable of cleaving plate and instilling fear in others. The Two-Handed
swords came into popular wartime usage when plate
armour was developed and cavalry was being stopped by pikemen. The men wielding
greatswords would charge into a unit of pikemen and lop the heads off the pikes,
then proceed to shatter the line so the cavalry could charge in. Off the
battlefield, the Two-Handed Swords became popular due to their reach and the
ability to half-hand the weapon, shifting it from a
slashing to a thrusting weapon and back.

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