Post by Daubee on Mar 8, 2008 17:47:24 GMT -5
The common peasant weapons are the long staff, as in the medieval quarterstaff and the “Peasant Bow,” or Longbow, which earns them respect from all castes, even the Warriors.
The common missile weapon of the Assassins is the crossbow, which can remain set indefinitely, while waiting in ambush. It is also useful in fighting from room to room, when one may have to fire on an instant’s awareness. Too, of course, it can be fired from the prone position and is easy to use behind defensive works. Crossbows are of either the hand-drawn or windlass variety.
The hand-drawn variety is most frequently used by the Assassins. Both have a stirrup like fixture before the bow. The weapon is lowered, and a foot placed in the stirrup, to hold the weapon in place, while the bow is drawn, by hand or windlass. The hand-drawn variety utilizes a wooden bow, and the windlass variety utilizes a steel bow. The windlass variety, with two handles, each turned by one hand, can draw a more powerful bow, because of the leverage involved and the ratchet-and-pawl arrangement. Both sorts can pierce most armor, the windlass variety at longer range. The hand-drawn variety, naturally, can be more quickly reloaded, but it lacks the range of the windlass variety.
The bolts or quarrels used in the crossbow are short, say, ten inches in length, and may be of metal or wood. The metal quarrels can be metal-finned. The arrows of the longbow, in contrast, are generally long, a yard or more in length, slender, of wood, and feathered. Tarnsmen, incidentally, when on tarnback, commonly use the “cavalry bow,” or “short bow.” The prime advantage of this bow is that it can clear the saddle, making it easier, for example, to fire either to the left or right. One thinks of the dagger, of course, as the prototypical weapon of the Assassin.
John Norman, Letter to the Gorean Group, Sept 20th 2000
The common missile weapon of the Assassins is the crossbow, which can remain set indefinitely, while waiting in ambush. It is also useful in fighting from room to room, when one may have to fire on an instant’s awareness. Too, of course, it can be fired from the prone position and is easy to use behind defensive works. Crossbows are of either the hand-drawn or windlass variety.
The hand-drawn variety is most frequently used by the Assassins. Both have a stirrup like fixture before the bow. The weapon is lowered, and a foot placed in the stirrup, to hold the weapon in place, while the bow is drawn, by hand or windlass. The hand-drawn variety utilizes a wooden bow, and the windlass variety utilizes a steel bow. The windlass variety, with two handles, each turned by one hand, can draw a more powerful bow, because of the leverage involved and the ratchet-and-pawl arrangement. Both sorts can pierce most armor, the windlass variety at longer range. The hand-drawn variety, naturally, can be more quickly reloaded, but it lacks the range of the windlass variety.
The bolts or quarrels used in the crossbow are short, say, ten inches in length, and may be of metal or wood. The metal quarrels can be metal-finned. The arrows of the longbow, in contrast, are generally long, a yard or more in length, slender, of wood, and feathered. Tarnsmen, incidentally, when on tarnback, commonly use the “cavalry bow,” or “short bow.” The prime advantage of this bow is that it can clear the saddle, making it easier, for example, to fire either to the left or right. One thinks of the dagger, of course, as the prototypical weapon of the Assassin.
John Norman, Letter to the Gorean Group, Sept 20th 2000