In this series, I take you on a whistle-stop tour around the Feyrlands, looking at life and civilisation, seeing how the peoples of the world live, and how society looks compared to what we are familiar with.
This time, we’re looking at one of my favourite topics—weapons.
What goes BANG?
Weaponry in the Feyrlands is mainly conventional, as opposed to magical—note that I use the word ‘mainly’—but non-conventional methods have been, and are still deployed in the Age of Enlightenment at the time of Nether Light.
The first port of call, when it comes to killing your foe, is generally a piece of sharp, pointy metal, the reliable sword or dagger always the preferred companion for anyone expecting trouble. At the time of Nether Light, metalworking is a fine art, and a rapier is preferred for a gentleman, a shortsword for the common man.
As far as projectiles go, the bow and arrow has long since been superseded by the crossbow—the preferred choice for long distance attacks, its range greater than the musket.
Explosives
Gunpowder has been around for centuries, its use only limited by the fabrication techniques of the weapons that use it. Cannon have existed for almost as long, while sidearms, such as the pistol or musket are fairly recent inventions dating back only a few hundred years. The most recent gun development in the last 50 years has been the flintlock, a much more reliable weapon, though not reliable or flexible enough to replace the sword as the go-to choice for a quick defence.
The more exotic
Gunpowder additives are a science in themselves. Particularly notable is Damor Flame, a gunpowder/ tuber sap cocktail, similar in effect to what we know today as napalm. The development of such incendiary substances go hand-in-hand with advances in artillery.
But more mysterious, and unpredictable, is the use of quartz additives—harnessing the supernatural power of Faze. Such advances are cutting edge, rarely seen on the field due to the inherent unpredictability and instability of such substances. The domain of Bindcrafters, many would welcome a ban on their use, and the effectiveness of such additives has yet to be truly tested or understood.
And that is how you kill a man, woman, or horde in the Feyrlands. It pays to tread carefully.
