Carving out an existence, let alone amassing a fortune in Elanthia is difficult. It's nearly impossible to break into the merchant guild as anything but a customer, the secondary market for goods and services is little more than a swap shop conducted by screaming lunatics rubbing their amulets in a frenzy, and Iron Jack just doesn't pay what he used to for slabs. If you want to make a name for yourself these days, you've got to do it with a weapon against any number of vile creatures and things that go bump in the night in the wilds outside the town gates.

Thankfully, the town outfitters and wandering merchants have an ample selection of weapons and armor from which to equip ourselves for the inevitable combat we face. But, as we all well know, it's tough being an Elanthian at times and particularly so when you need to spend those few silvers you've saved on the right weapon, shield, and set of armor. It would be much easier if we could see what it is we're picking up or at least knew enough about the various weapons, shields, and armors to make an educated guess as to whether or not the item fits our training needs or particular styles.

Accordingly, I'll spend a bit of time here in this issue and subsequent issues discussing where our weapons and armor came from, how they function in Elanthia, and how they stand up to comparable items you might want to purchase. Given the high cost of ink, I will limit myself to one and one armor item (armor proper, shield, or helm) per week. Please, remember the weapons and armor we use were almost all designed in realms many leagues distant, so do not be confounded by such fanciful names as Europe, England, France, and the like. I still cannot prove these places ever existed, but they left such volumes about our weapons and armor behind that I tend to believe they did.

With this issue let us look at the Broadsword and the Wall Shield, two of Elanthia's most popular combative pieces and two of the most misunderstood fighting implements around. To better illustrate the broadsword discussion, I have included the longsword as well so never let anyone tell you the Elanthian Times does not give you your money's worth.

The Broadsword

The broadsword, the vultite broadsword especially, used to be the weapon each new adventurer fresh off the turnip farm aspired to own. With the recent proliferation of falchions and longswords, the broadsword has seen a dip in sales, but still remains a very popular and practical weapon. I would argue that the broadsword's popularity has always been a result of the fact most people don't really know what it is they are buying when they order a broadsword from Tykel in the Landing or from the arms dealers in other towns. Given the nature of combat in our times, most folks view bigger as better and go for the weapon that suggests it has the most blade. While for years, Elanthians have purchased the broadsword in record numbers, what they really wanted was a longsword. The accuracy of this theory seems to have been demonstrated by the recent popularity of longswords. So, what exactly is the difference between a broadsword and a longsword?

The longsword (also referred to as a warsword) was a common name used in reference to long bladed, double-edged, and straight hilted swords throughout the Middle Ages in Europe. The longsword was the weapon most commonly used by European knights during the crusades. It was designed to be wielded by those with strength and could be thrust, used to slash, and even crush armor. Larger than a common or short sword but smaller than a bastard sword, the longsword was the standard weapon of combat for knights for nearly two centuries.

While most people associate the term broadsword with the wide-bladed, cross-hilted swords carried by the likes of the crusaders and knights of medieval Europe, technically speaking, the broadsword was a 17th century sword with a straight, single-edged blade and basket hilt. The broadsword proper has its roots in the highlands of Scotland where the baskethilt first became popular (basket-hilted swords were manufactured throughout England and certain parts of Europe as well, but the basket-hilt and Scotland go hand in hand in most weapon aficionado's minds).

With a blade rarely wider than two inches, the broadsword seems rather narrow compared to the longswords and warswords carried by the knights and crusaders of earlier years. The "broad" in broadsword is a reference not to the actual width of the blade relative to swords in general, but rather specifically to the width of rapier and smallsword blades that had become popular during the late 16th century. With the rise of firearms in combat, and most of Europe deciding finesse in sword fighting was superior to brute strength, most of the sword blades narrowed. The Scots, true to their nature, placed more trust in the strength of a blade than the lightness of their feet or suppleness of their wrists and would go only so far in shrinking their swords. Thus, while the broadsword proper was significantly more narrow-bladed than the claymore or longsword, it was broad bladed compared to the rapier and was accurately described as a broad sword.

Broadswords in Elanthia are very reliable weapons and can be very lightweight depending on the weapon's material. A vultite broadsword can be made less than three pounds; obviously, materials such as mein or glaes add strength to the weapon's blade, but at considerable increase in weight as well. Broadswords tend to be slashing weapons, but by virtue of the pointed tip can also be used for thrusting. For this reason, they often fail in combat against creatures immune to punctures (golems and various undead creatures come to mind). Pound for pound, the broadsword's advantage over a given armor type is roughly that of a common axe. The longsword enjoys a significant increase in damage infliction and advantage against armor types over the broadsword but at considerably greater cost in silvers. Neither the broadsword nor the longsword seem to incur any significant advantages or disadvantages when employed from the ambush.

Broadswords can be purchased in the arms shop of any town as well as from most weapon merchants. Longswords continue to be available only from wandering merchants, unless you are fortunate enough to have one shoved in your hands as you step off the wagon from the turnip farm.

The Wall Shield

Almost a year ago, Stovel's wagon arrived one day in Wehnimer's Landing with a full stock of vultite wall shields. The first pentruply enchanted shields commonly available, they became an instant rage. The vultite wall shield is still one of the better shields around for protection against an aimed attack. By virtue of their weight (nearly 14 pounds by some estimations!) and debilitating effect on melee combat, especially the Voln style of brawling, the shield has ceded a bit of popularity to less cumbersome shields. What is it about the wall shield that allows it to be such good protection, but so difficult to manage? Let us take a look at how it developed for the answer.

The wall shield, also referred to as a pavis or pavise, was a European full-body shield used predominately by archers, especially during sieges. During battle, archers and crossbowmen were vulnerable while reloading and taking aim. For crossbowmen especially, trying to manage a shield and the involved reloading process was difficult during training, let alone when enemy arrows were flying back at them. The pavis, or wall shield, provided them a great deal of protection during the crucial reloading period. The pavis could be carried by a squire or another archer (referred to as the pavisor) and held in place, or propped-up to stand on its own by use of a kickstand-like strut at the base of the shield. Because the shield was so large and cumbersome it was rarely used in close combat.

If you need greater protection at a fairly reasonable price and cumbersome equipment will not detract from your ability to fight, then the wall shield seems to be the answer. If you would like a wall shield but need to swing a blade to fight, simply ensure you are properly trained in maneuvering during a fight and be sure to properly manage the extra weight you carry into a fight. Wall shields are available only at Stovel's wagon and the shield room of the Juggernaut, to the best of my knowledge.

Check back next issue when we examine the falchion and its development and the now-famous tower shield. Until then... keep your guard up and aim for the face.