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. Should she, lying on
her back, look back and up, she sees, on the wall, the shield, the helmet,
the spear and the ax, the sword, in its sheath, of her Master. They are
visible symbol of the force by which she is kept in bondage, by which
she is kept only a girl, whose belly is beneath His sword. 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. Spears “It had a shaft of seven foot Gorean, a head of tapered bronze, some eighteen inches in length. At close range it can pierce a southern shield, shatter its point through a seven-inch beam.” (MoG pg 210) Shields The shields were round, and of wood, variously painted, some reinforced with iron bands, others with leather, some with small bronze plates. (MoG pg 32) As for armor, the men of Torvaldsland use shields and helmets. Their shields are commonly wooden and round. a note:.... a Torvaldlander's shield is not strapped to His arm....rather it is held in the hand and is a offencive weapon as well as a shield 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. Axes “....Ivar Forkbeard, almost seven feet in height, leaped to his feet, in his right hand clutching a great, curved, single bladed ax of hardened iron.” (MoG pg 39) “The spine, of course would be immediatly severed; moreover, part of the ax will, if the blow be powerful, emerge from the abdomen. It takes, however, more than one blow to cut a body, that of a man, in two. To strike more than twice, however, is regarded as clumsiness.” (MoG pg 104) 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. 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 and Arrows “...the short bow of the Gorean north, with its short, heavy arrows, heavily headed, lacks the range and power of the peasant bow of the south, that now, too, the property of the rencers of the delta, but, at short range, within a hundred and fifty yeard, it can administer a considerable strike. It has, too the advantage that it is more manageable in close quarters than the peasant bow, resembing somewhat the Tuchuk bow of layered horn, in this respect. It is more useful in close combat on a ship, for example, than would be the peasant bow. Too, it is easier to fire it through a thole port, the oar withdawn.” (MoG pg 52) One unique characteristic of warfare in Torvaldsland is the "Frenzy of Odin." This is essentially a berserker rage. It can affect only a few individuals or an entire unit. Essentially, it places a warrior into a fury so that he battles without concern for his own injuries. He will appear to be in a trance, his eyes vacant and possibly slobbering or drooling. After a battle, the person may need others to bring him out of the trance. The Frenzy can even affect people not of Torvaldsland. For example, Tarl Cabot was affected by the Frenzy just before a battle against the Kurii. The Torvaldsland warriors stood as a group and the Frenzy seemed to pass through them like a contagion. Tarl felt the Frenzy and could not prevent it from taking control of him. This would probably only happen when an entire unit is affected by the Frenzy and not just a few individuals. The books do not describe in details the benefits received from the Frenzy. They do not state that you become stronger, faster or more accurate. You do lose any fear of battle though. There is no hesitation in your actions. You simply continue to attack, mindless of your own safety. You are more likely to strike your foe though your defenses would also be lower. Such an attack could also scare your opponents. You are also more likely to ignore your own injuries, ignoring the pain and not allowing it to slow your actions. |