WEAPONS The men do not leave their house unless they are armed. While at home, their weapons are always close at hand. They are often hung on the wall behind their couch. They will be hung a foot beyond the reach of their slave whose ankle would be chained to the couch. While out, they wear their cloaks so as to keep their sword arm, commonly the right arm, free. The men will wear a master belt. Pouches and other items such as a sword will hang from this belt. Even if unarmed, this belt will hold a knife. Luck signs may be carved into the leather of the belt. Some believe this belt received its name from the fact that it is sometimes used to discipline slave girls. Tarl thinks this is an unlikely origin. A sword belt may also be worn, slung over the left shoulder. An axe belt is also common. It too is worn over the left shoulder and descends to the master belt. The axe is then slung over the left shoulder, so the axe head sits behind your head and to the left. The Gorean word for axe is the same as the Earth word. The axe of Torvaldsland is a large, broad ax, with a single curved blade. It has a hammer-like back, of hardened iron. There are many tricks in the use of the axe such as feints, short strokes, using the handle to jab and punch, etc. The axe wielder generally only needs to land one blow to win a battle. In Torvaldsland, it is regarded as clumsiness to have to strike a foe more than twice with the axe blade. If you can maneuver behind the ax, you can meet it. That requires excellent speed and timing. Raising your axe in your right hand is a salute in Torvaldsland. Bows are common in Torvaldsland. They use a short horn bow, formed of pieces of split tabuk horn and bound with sinew. The bow uses short, heavy arrows. It lacks the range and power of the longbow and crossbow. But, at short range, such as within one hundred and fifty yards, it can administer a strong strike. It does have the advantage of being more manageable in close quarters than other types of bows and is easier to fire through an oar port on a ship. Thus, the raiders of the northlands prefer such a weapon while they are on their ships. As for armor, the men of Torvaldsland use shields and helmets. Their shields are commonly wooden and round. Their helmets are conical with a nose-guard that can slip up and down. At the neck and sides of the helmet there usually hangs a mantle of linked chain. Such helmets may also have horns, similar to the helmets of the Earth Vikings. Bog iron is common in Torvaldsland but it is inferior to the iron of the south. Thus, bog iron is primarily used in the creation of agricultural tools. They prefer their weapons to be made of southern steel so they trade for such weapons or the iron to make their own. |