East Isles - weapons Last updated: 1998-01-20 As with other aspects of East Isles life, the weapons used by Islanders show a bewildering variety. In some parts of the area, like the North Arm Islands, the material culture is very simple. Both tools and weapons are made of stone and bone on such islands. With only stone tools, the North Arm peoples cannot build larger sized sea vessels. Without the protection of a strong navy, they were an easy prey to the recent Vorumai invasion. As much variety as there is, there is also some common ground. The many seafaring cultures make for the spread of ideas and items. In this way the most typical East Isles weapon, the sailor's knife has spread among most islands which participate in trade with others. Sailor's knives vary in size from large knives to short swords, the latter often carried by warriors. A sailor's knife looks rather like a real world javanese kris. The blade flares (in varying degree) towards the handle, to provide some protection from the user's hand, preventing a parried blade from slipping down, cutting the hand. Otherwise the shape of the blade varies and can often tell where the knife was made. For example, in the Korolan Islands, the people of Mingai make knives with straight blades, where the edges are parallell up to about 5 cm from the point where the blade tapers. The Luvatans make blades with wavy edges which taper evenly. Luvata has no metal sources of its own, so the bronze is imported from metal-rich Mingai. The people of Sereneto make evenly tapered, slightly curved blade, supposedly to honour their whirlwind goddess Aoea who hates straight lines. Finally the Tamoroans have few sailors, but plenty of forest, so the few people who need weapons nowadays usually choose an axe rather than a sailor's knife. The most often seen sailor's knives are those of the ubiquitous Haragalan traders. They have straight, evenly tapered blades, where the edge only extends halfway down one side. Iron sailor's knife forged for king Rikonoki of Luvata. The most fabled weapons in the East Isles are those of the Treasury Guard on Mokato. The old treasury of the Golden Empire was found on Mokatan land. It was buried in an earthquake in the second age, but the guard force remains as the elite warriors of the Jewelled Isle. The armoury of the empire is also found on Mokato and still extant. From its well guarded vaults come shimmering weapons and armour, humming with magic, forged in the Dreamtime, before the coming of the Nightmare. Back! Send email to nilsw@ibm.net