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Welcome back to things combative! It seems like only yesterday I sat down to put together the last installment of On Arms and Armor, yet here I am again trying to beat the deadline (three cheers for the relentless new ET staff!). In the last issue we looked at the Claidhmore and Brigandine Armor, and I committed to discussing the weapon and shield most requested by the readers. True to my word, in this issue we will have a look at the Bastard Sword and Buckler, but in the giving spirit of the Elanthian Times, readers will get a bonus this month. It being Lumnae, the most popular season for weddings, I could not resist looking at the weapon most apropos to affairs of the heart: the Ball and Chain.
The Ball and Chain
The ball and
chain is a member of the mace family and, by definition, serves
to crush its target rather than cut it. In fact, the proper name
for this weapon is the ball and chain mace; morningstar is also
another popular name for the weapon. The most simple ball and
chain maces are constructed of a wooden haft, to which a chain is
attached. At the end of the chain is a heavy metal ball which may
be formed with spikes or other studs protruding from its surface.
Ball and chain maces employed with the wielder gripping the chain
itself are not unheard of, but generally a ball and chain mace
implies a haft.
The concept of a ball and chain mace parallels that of the flail: by placing the striking object (the ball) at the end of a flexible arm (the chain), the wielder could create a greater amount of momentum during a strike than with a regular haft-mounted ball mace (a metal ball attached to the end of a stick). The ball and chain mace’s center of gravity is the ball itself, and when the wielder is able to "wind up" before a strike, the force of impact of the ball with the target can be tripled over that of a plain mace. Further, by virtue of the ball being on a flexible chain, the ball and chain mace lends itself to reaching around shields to strike an opponent, yanking the shield away, pulling a horseman off his mount, and simply crushing armor. The creative notion of adding spikes to the ball serves the same combative purpose as placing them on a spiked or flanged mace: the force of the blow concentrated upon the single spike as it strikes is an amazingly effective way of piercing armor.
The ball and chain (and its various derivative names) in Elanthia holds true to the properties of the ball and chain mace in otherworldly history. Of all the one-handed blunt weapons, in the hands of a well-trained combatant the ball and chain is probably most to be feared. Unfortunately, the ball and chain spent a year or so as a novelty item. Many were toted around in backpacks to wedding ceremonies where onlookers picked idly at them (and snickered) as the bride and bridegroom exchanged vows. Others were dragged around town by errant husbands running from their wives (my personal favorite). Now that the novelty of the ball and chain has worn off, they are out in the wilds, in force, doing the bone-crushing work for which they were designed.
The Bastard Sword
For those of you who cannot bring yourselves to call something other than your Ex a bastard, this weapon is also referred to as the hand-and-a-half sword, both in and outside Elanthia. The bastard sword is European in background and dates from the 14th and 15th Centuries. Very similar in appearance to the longsword, the bastard sword has a long, straight, double-edged blade with an unremarkable, undecorated grip. Generally, the blade itself is never longer than that of a longsword, the only real difference between the two weapons being the length of the grip and hilt: while the longsword is purely one-handed, the bastard sword’s hilt has room for almost two hands on it. From this we get the term hand-and-a-half sword (there usually isn’t quite two hands’ worth of room on the hilt). With its sharpened point the bastard sword makes a passable thrusting weapon in a pinch, but is much more effective for slashing and crushing. Because the weapon can actually be wielded with one hand as effectively as two, it is a difficult weapon to classify and thus derived its name, bastard sword. There are actually some other explanations for the derivation of bastard sword as a name, but they would never get past the sharp-eyed editors here.
In Elanthia, the bastard sword was perhaps the most sought after weapon for years by those who could wield either a one or two-handed edged weapon. Truthfully speaking, the immense popularity of the bastard sword was due almost entirely to the fact it was one of the first scripted weapons in the game more so than because of its combat capabilities. Scripted bastard swords are now very commonplace, but at one point were nearly impossible to find and sold for obscene amounts of silver. With a scripted bastard sword, the wielder can switch from a one-handed to two-handed grip fairly easily. Besides the fact this is a really interesting trick to watch, it also allows the combatant to change fighting tactics from moment to moment. For the fighter trained well in both one and two handed weapons, a scripted bastard sword can be a devastating advantage.
The Buckler
The buckler is a small shield, round or rectangular in shape, designed to parry an opponent’s strike rather than absorb the blow. Most bucklers were not much larger than the fist and wrist holding them (almost never more than 12 inches in diameter), light in weight, and therefore easily employed during fast-moving swordplay. Few bucklers are referenced prior to the late 16th Century; up to that point, larger weapons were in wide use and only large shields such as the heater, kite shield, tower shield, or even pavis could absorb the blow from one. With the advent of firearms on the battlefield in the 16th Century, the requirement for large swords and other weapons diminished and swordplay with rapiers, estocs, and other small-swords became fashionable. As a result, the buckler became the ideal shield choice.
For years,
Elanthian bucklers have given the wielder a somewhat false
impression of the abilities of the shield, realistically
speaking. While less cumbersome than other shields (the heater,
wall shield, tower shield), the buckler was often just as
magically enhanced and thus provided the wielder the same
protection and defense as would a much larger shield, such as the
Wall Shield. But, with the return of breakage, specifically the
strength and durability of combat equipment, we will likely see
the buckler take a secondary role among the melee combatants in
Elanthia in favor of larger, more durable shields. Nonetheless,
the buckler will remain an ideal shield for those to whom
encumbrance is critical. Also, for those of you with a penchant
for things stylish, the buckler lends itself well to altering:
the Italians, Spanish, Germans, and French all had their own
names for the buckler (renamed bucklers have already been sold by
Elanthian merchants – I’ll leave it to the readers to
discover which shields they are).
Once again, I will leave it to the readers to vote for what combat items we will discuss here in the next installment of the Elanthian Times. Send me a scroll to the address link below with the weapon and defensive item you would like to read about and I will present the most-requested in the next issue. Until then, keep your guard up, and aim for the face.