ON THE ARSENAL AND PANOPLY OF GEB

As mortals struggle against each other across Geb’s body, there are two broad distinctions in their implements of war. In much of the north and the eastern Islands, mortals are armed as they have been for ages. A bronze blade can kill much the same as polished steel, particularly when bolstered through magical means. The old ways suffice, particularly for the sorts of conflicts common to these regions. It is in the south and west that mortal cunning and natural philosophy are turned to the grim pursuit of killing ever more efficiently. Great wars raged over open expanses there, with first the mortals of Geb and then the soldati invaders seeking to stack charnel piles ever higher. The North and East The Suzerainty dominates the north, but is hardly uniform in its armament. Warriors in jungle backwaters go about their bloody business with simple spears and weighted clubs. Particularly heavy examples with bronze heads might better be described as maces, but will lack the flanges of modern designs. The Strong Arms set the standard for the well equipped warrior of the area, armed with spears using bronze leaf-blade designs, javelins, and khopeshes. Skirmishers use short bows, as ranges are limited by jungle foliage. Heavy infantry units will be armed in a manner more reminiscent of the ancient reavers of Kato Ophios, with epsilon axes in a variety of sizes and weights. Bronze, leather, and exotic hides predominate in personal defense. For the least of the Suzerainty’s armies, a leather skirt with toughened belt or apron protects the abdomen and thighs, and tall shields of wicker or hide are relied upon to safeguard the rest of the body. For the more favored of the Dynasts, scale armor has been the final word in protection for thousands of years, with more advanced designs appearing only during the tumult of the wars in the south. Mail has been a sore point for the Suzerainty, as the jungle climes are unkind to fine steelwork, but new finishes and materials from the Jewel Cities have allowed greater proliferation. Iconic to the Strong Arms are conical helmets of bronze, with militia forces making do with versions of padded linen. It is worth noting that among more irregular forces, a greater variety of weapons can be found. Death cultists of various denominations each favor their own implements of violence. Slender stabbing daggers, particularly paired, represent the fangs of the gods, anointed with poison to slay those who offend the divine. Zeelites manufacture deadly knives, swords, and glaives of obsidian, some with wooden shafts, others entirely composed of the volcanic glass. The warriors and templars of the City of Sacrifice are even arrayed in armor of the glossy black material. The peoples of the Islands hew much closer to ancient weaponry augmented with simple magics or special materials. Wooden javelins, spears, and clubs predominate, some with stone heads often demonstrating racial influences in construction. Muruch spears and knives will use fractured shell edges or poisonous living coral. Papuga javelins and arrows with exquisite fletching are notable for their impressive ranges. The exception to these more primitive implements is apkallu weaponry from the seamounts constructed using magical smelting and more modern versions of traditional designs. Examples include military forks and tridents, picks, khakkhara, and Ash’s spade. Crossbows were quite unknown in the Islands and seamounts until their introduction from surface civilization. The widespread use of nonmetal materials persists into personal armor. Shark and seal skin vests and bracers protect tribal human, muruch, and beastkin warriors alike, sometimes bolstered with wooden or coral studs. Splinted suits constructed of exotic wood have been demonstrated to be as tough as steel counterparts, and will not drag their wearer straight to the bottom of the ocean. The apkallu favored lighter armor composed of many layers of water silk, and augmented by tortoiseshell shields. The Jewel Cities are the outlier in the north, with greater access to the metals trade and originating advanced techniques for smithing. Their preferences in armament are as diverse as the cities themselves, but a few trends emerge. Warfare in the Cities is largely defensive, relying on terrain and fortifications to keep the foe at bay while their economic and diplomatic efforts attempt to force a settlement. As such, weapons and armor tend to be very high-quality, the better to equip a small force to resist a more numerous enemy. The centers of learning in Moonstone, Beryl, and Amber inform cutting edge designs for implements of war, and many new developments are implemented here first before being copied throughout the known world. With the proliferation of quality armor in the Cities, weaponry is geared towards defeating it. Hammers and picks are common on the battlefield, as well as heavier crossbows. Large formations of spears are not unknown, but the nature of the broken coastal terrain, urban and siege fighting, and naval warfare mean they don’t take the forefront as in other regions. The most famous military forces of the Jewel Cities, the Beryl Marines, are outfitted in exceptional platemail. Unlike mass-produced Baltine clamshells, these suits and lesser examples are of exquisite craftsmanship, with subtle adjustments in how the cuirass is shaped to better deflect blows. This care and cutting edge design is seen throughout armor produced in the Cities, and in many ways represents the pinnacle of personal protection in the known world. All sizes of shields have found a niche in Jewel Cities armories: bucklers on the arms of duelists, heavy steel shields for soldiers afoot, and oversize pavises for crossbowmen reloading after loosing a volley. The South and West Since the Retreat, the style of arms and armament throughout the south has been set by the Baltine nation. Though none would call the humans of the region a “warrior people,” their cunning with artifice and the might of their commercial enterprises have combined to make their gear inexpensive, commonplace, and effective. The end of the Gate War and the demobilization of much of the Free States Vanguard has further flooded markets with surplus weaponry and armor. Personal weaponry throughout the Free States is surprisingly uniform, due to widespread standardized manufacture. The Baltine region favors straight, single-edged swords, though military models have become shorter and shorter as they are relegated to use as sidearms. The need to defeat reinforced soldati armor saw the adoption of maces, flanged or otherwise, along with massed use of crossbows. Spears, usually winged or barred, are quite common, though large pike formations fell out of favor due to their limited use in the sieges of the Factory Cities. Among the well-heeled magnates of Balt, thin dueling swords in the style of the Jeweled Cities are all the rage. Colichemarde swords, with stepped blades, are something of a fad in dueling circles, extending across the sea to the Jeweled Cities. The maneuverable foible and sturdy forte is thought to create a sword suited both to one-on-one and open field combat. Steel armor is almost ubiquitous throughout the standing Baltine military. Skirmishing units are outfitted with chain shirts, and line infantry in clamshell breastplates or munitions-grade plate depending on specific duties. Conscripted militia units are almost as well-equipped, with a higher prevalence of lighter chain armor. Local watch forces may wear gambesons or leather cuirasses during ordinary patrol, but their arsenals will still maintain supplies of heavier armor. Most warriors trained in Baltine styles forgo heavier shields, using only a targe or buckler. This reflects the so-called maneuver warfare practiced over the wide plains of the south, but may also be a nod to how a handheld shield is no defense against modern field artillery and sorcery. The kettle helm is iconic to the Free States of Balt, and was widespread even during the earlier kingships. It has seen a great many variants over the centuries since the Retreat; the modern version consisting of a single piece of pressed steel with a narrow brim compared to historical versions. Older models are still in service on Baltine frontiers owing to the cross-shaped riveted reinforcement on the bowl. These are believed to provide better protection against blows from above, such as might be delivered by an ozrut maul. Coastal and ship-borne units sometimes use a very deep-bowl visored model, paired with a bevor, in imitation of the famed Jeweled City marines. The Keizai Princes, long supported by Baltine interests, derive much of their wargear from that of their lowland neighbors. Their fierce independence and the tenuousness of supplies leads to improvisation, however, either by necessity or from cultural flair. The humble spear remains a staple of Keizai soldiery, supplemented by tools doubling as weapons, such as axes or ozrut mauls. Reach and range are favored in the rough terrain and narrow passes that the Princedoms fight in. A better-funded warrior will have a spear with part of the haft reinforced with steel or a purpose-built glaive. Short-bows and javelins abound, and some more famous Princedoms guard the mountain passes with longbows. Personal protection is piecemeal as a rule. Ozrut warriors may be found in carefully husbanded sets of banded armor, but most iaret, humans, and beastkin are clad in leather or layered hide. Old-style iaret scale can be found in the northern areas of the Keizai, and Baltine mail from a generation ago is more common to the south. A few sets of surplused munitions-grade plate from Balt have filtered into the region, and are highly prized among the fighting elite of the Princedoms. Fur trim and lining is a sure sign of Keizai origin or modification. Tall shields of metal and wood in a reversed teardrop shape are in use, the shape a traditional ozrut style. Retainers and men under arms are most often geared with a jingasa somewhat resembling the Baltine kettle helm. Less wealthy Princedoms may use lacquered wood in place of steel helms. All will show variation in design arising from hand-crafting in contrast to the mass-produced kettle. Princes themselves have traditionally used taller designs, to better stand out on the battlefield. Sometimes these incorporate extravagant crests identifying themselves or their Princedom. The only trend to be found in impoverished, chaos-stricken Bracken is the use of what legacy Suzerainty-style gear remains from Satrapy armories. Otherwise, all manner of gear can be found in irregular use. For a time, Satrapy forces could be distinguished from the Strong Arms by the forward inclination of the peak of their conical helms, and by the presence of fancifully molded or engraved cheek-guards. However, few examples of these are being manufactured any longer. Dovenhead presents an anomaly in that it remains one of the few areas of the known world preserving pre-Conflagration human equestrian traditions. Mounted warriors are the elite of this pastoral nation. As such, personal weaponry includes lances and spears suited to combat on horseback. Sidearms are either long, straight double-edged swords, or slender curved sabres. Armor is less standardized, with leather and hide common among the citizenry. Well-equipped retainers of the Constables will be found in chain shirts, and the Constables themselves in plate. Fighters afoot may sometimes be trained in the use of heater shields, and mounted warriors will carry concave shields designed to catch and divert oncoming lances. Arnet helms are a unique feature of this region, protecting the face of mounted fighters from upward-deflected lance strikes and flying splinters. The Assemblage of Khalq has seen rapid development of unique styles of weaponry and armor, advancing from makeshift and legacy arms to modern industrial production of very distinctive gear over the course of three centuries. Nearly all personal equipment of Khalquist fighters conforms to a few designs, as production facilities and materials are all firmly within the control of the ruling authorities of the Assemblage. Like their opponents on the other side of the Keizai, the Assemblage favors single-edged swords. Khalqist blades, however, are much heavier and broader intended for simple hacking, rather than varied bladework or linear attack. This plays to the lesser training of the average soldier of the Khalq. Blades are often serrated or feature a back-spike both to present an intimidating threat to foes unprepared for howling Khalqist hordes, and for line-breaking techniques used by more elite formations. Armor is either extremely light, or of the most modern manufacture. Khalqist conscripts are sent into the breach with padded armor at best, sometimes consisting of “engine suits.” These are heavily padded cloth meant for working in proximity to the powerful engines which propel their mobile cities. Otherwise, the scorched ash wastes do not favor weighty armor for everyday duty. For the most disciplined of Assemblage vanguard forces, something akin to Baltine munition plate has been developed. It features standardized plates covering torso and limbs, with rubber backing to save on weight. While actual formations may use large moveable barricades, individual fighters carrying a shield is rare, and such examples are usually smaller makeshift affairs. Whatever else a Khalqist might go to battle in, their morion helms are recognizable at a distance. The reinforced crest is a standard feature, and cheek guards and facemasks usually identify more well-trained or politically favored warriors. Invaders A discussion of personal armaments of the modern era would be incomplete without mention of those borne by the tylwyth and the soldati. These invaders, now permanent residents of Geb, brought their own traditions and techniques with them. Such designs and methods have seen some adoption and adaptation by armed warriors of Geb as well. Famously, the tylwyth favor long and short stabbing blades for close in fighting, and edged polearms when space allows. The swords are straight and slender, with pronounced point and sharpened on both edges, no matter their length. Spears and glaives nearly always feature wings or bars to allow less difficult recovery of an impaling weapon. While armor among the tylwyth is of fine artisanal craftsmanship, it has a somewhat antique feel owing to its simple design. Tylwyth warriors go arrayed in long coats of mail and skirmishers favor mail shirts or the most basic of leather cuirasses. Colorful surplices or tabards serve as decoration or identification. A few examples of tylwyth plate have been described, all of the most fanciful or arabesque design.This departure from the simple, well-made functionality of other tylwyth armor is of unknown purpose, but such suits are often described as “giftmake.” Tylwyth bearing lighter blades sometimes fight with a shield alongside, usually round and wooden with a metal rim and central boss. All-steel shields of a tall, narrow heater design have also been observed. Closed-face or veiled helms are integral to tylwyth gear, for obvious reasons, the most basic and common being a spangenhelm with mask. The warrior unlucky enough to face a tylwyth in battle must be prepared for the sight of blank, intimidating masks, mail drapes, and other armor designed to hide their opponent’s face. Torse or orles are common decorations for tylwyth helms. The dreaded soldati seem to have an implement for every method of killing discovered, but among them, flails and spiked morningstars are highly favored. Spears are regarded as a necessary evil, with spear formations mostly consisting of stretti. Soldati swords are straight and double-edged. While well-made, nearly all feature a flat or fan-tip, and are only suitable for slashing. Ornamentation with chains is very common. Sidearm blades might have chains for attachment to fists or armor, spears will feature hanging trophy hooks. The seemingly endless hordes of the soldati and their heavy amoring in general seem to have necessitated some compromise in fabrication. Soldati armor has a very rough, unfinished appearance, seeming as if it was not intended to last very long. A dark finish is applied to discourage rust, in practice often looking like corrosion itself. Chains and spikes decorate or augment armor. Even a stretti arrayed in humble leathers will have wrapped chain as a bandoleer for whatever questionable defense it might offer. Shields are of a universal design, a curved, rectangular scutum with a spiked lower rim for thrusting at foes or into the ground for stability. Disciplined soldati shield walls overran many defenders during the early days of the Gate War. Pot helms with lobstertail neck-guards, short brims and grill masks appear to be the standard for head protection across soldati, stretti, and galiardi. Brightly-dyed hair or feather crests, arrayed parallel to the battle line, identify leaders or decorated warriors.