[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen

Last edited by Irishkaiser on Thu Nov 14, 2013 8:31 am; edited 30 times in total

Nihil Nocet Nobis

The Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen are being renowned for the highest quality anywhere on the land, probably due to the large concentration of valuable ore - many smiths, apprentice and master alike, can afford to practice their trade and experiment on its application in their forges. The Westerlands has a strong arms industry, from the simple utility knife, to the popular Arbreton musket all the way to the 64 pounders guns - they are all carefully forged, crafted and beautifully decorated to suit high standards.

It is not surprising, that many families have amassed fortunes from this and have imprinted their names to the Wester culture. Famous names such as Meyers of Meyers' Articles and the Storm family's Storm Ironworks LTD, have established themselves as leading enterprises in the business of making ways to wage war - though their market mostly goes to provide for hunting which is a national past time for the Westermen and replacing the army's aging weapons. The export of weapons to non-Wester entities is mainly done through the monopoly of the UNKNOWN [?] Trading Company owned by House Kaiser which serves as an outlet for export and import of goods in the Kingdom and the free Southern Nations.

We shall look into the Weapons and the Attire of the Westermen and attempt to describe their variants that have been created to overcome a shortcoming or to compensate for a situation, their meticulous smiths and their history

~Armor & Protective Clothing~

Though their plate armor is of excellent quality - extremely durable and strong - but boiled leather is the preferred choice when it comes to the question of armor. Full plate is noticeably rare, but available as Western military thinkers employ more mobile troop formations, unhindered by weight or joint movement. The most full plate the Westermen employ are three-quarters armor, usually worn by the Cavalry, also known as the Panzers. A theory as to how this came about was the longer than average distance each Wester town was from each other and as such, to reduce strain on marches and patrols - commanders reduced the amount of armor worn by the troops but the value of mobility was quickly seen and soon became standard military doctrine.

It is tradition to blacken the armor - first started as a cost-saving alternative to constant polishing as the high quality products were criminally charged to bank-breaking prices, it then became distinctly Wester fashion. It is now standard to order armor blackened and will be blackened by the smith unless specifically stated otherwise by the customer - this is good to know if you ever seek to purchase a set of quality Wester armor.

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen Trab310

Closest image to Wester design

The Westermen employ leather jerkins, dyed in national red. Gloves are reserved for the Panzers or Artillery companies as muskets require the dexterity of one's hands and dropping a musket ball or ramrod and or having trouble cocking the hammer could mean certain death.

The Musketeers who form the bulwark, wear blackened leather caps over metal headdress(which is reserved for officers and the Panzers). This means of lightness and quality ensures Western forces are always on their feet and are suited in wars of maneuver.

~Pour Mêlée~

As a family of the most basic weapons known to man, the mêlée arm was produced in the Fatherland with pride, crafted and refined to the sharpest edges and hammered to the most durable shape; metallurgy here is not a science but an art. Unlike their Eastern counterparts such as the Auroran Metro who prefer standard longer blades, the Landeskinder prefer short swords for close quarters fighting.

Western style of fighting is distinct as it relies on the élan to suit their mobility. Stabbing and thrusting are the dogma whilst hacking and slashing is seen as an inferior and barbaric way of fighting. There is not much axes or hammers in the Wester armory - though Smiths will still gladly craft them for a price.

Halberds and pikes are slowly being phased out with their increasing lack of use, though the lance still has a place amongst the cavalry. In order to simplify the arming of soldiers and equip them for close quarters - the individual short sword has been discarded in favor of the sword bayonet.

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen Qtvq

Sword Bayonet(Based off the M1871 IRL)

At 23 inches and with a sharp point, the sword bayonet is mounted on the muzzles of the muskets adding to its length which can discourage a charge. Mounting a bayonet makes the musket unbalanced in terms of weight and therefore unwieldy to aim - not to mention that the design does not allow one to fire at all keeps the sword bayonet in its scabbard until close quarters.

Cavalry sabres are generally longer and heavier than their sword bayonet cousins. The weight makes it good for attacking from the top - delivering more power for the blow. Diamond is used as a the prime material for forging it, mainly for its hardness and resistance to shattering at blows. The cavalry sabre is the Panzer's most beloved weapon as carrying muskets, even carbines on a horse were not found to be tactically worthy on the battlefield.

The cavalry sabres rely more on weight than sharpness, though still sharp they are - but the main point of cavalry has always been the shock, the point when it comes into contact with the enemy - it must retain as much power and élan up to the last moment.

~Gunpowder~

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen 1qdt

The Arbreton Musket Pattern 1507(based off the Charleville IRL)

The pride of the people and its greatest export - the Arbreton Musket, though shorter than previous muskets at 45 and 3/4 inches in length, the world famous musket whose design was so revolutionary it was copied the world over and every firearm today was influenced by the Arbreton. First manufactured in 1503 on the town of Arbreton, it was the first to use revolutionary percussion lock technology that ensures it fires reliably in any weather, pioneered by Crumbs of the Hamsta family, along with the efficient rifling methods, which makes the bullets more accurate and powerful whilst at the same time cutting down the over all length. It still uses the same caliber of ball: .70 inch shot which is standard throughout the kingdom, therefore supply is never an issue. Another variant, the Company Pattern of the Arbreton has added sights - increasing the potential accuracy of the shooter but is not adopted by virtue of their added expense and possibility of faulty alignment.

The officer corps has culturally adopted a pistol-like form of a blunderbuss that is lethal at close range against mass groups or a charging cavalryman but takes a good deal longer to load with the addition of a separate wadding in the loading process.

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen Pur8

Common blunderbuss in use by officers

No standardized weapon exists in the ranks as each officer is expected to acquire his blunderbuss individually, usually decorating it and engraving it with his family insignia making captured blunderbusses on the battlefield a prized souvenir. Many flintlock blunderbusses have been upgraded to the percussion cap system though few flintlocks are still kept, mainly for sentimental reasons.

~Artillery~

What they lack in numbers, they make up for in quality. Wester artillery pieces are known for their long service life - some cannons still in service after 60 years, well above the retirement age of most guns. The 12 pounder guns constructed from multiple contractors form the bulwark of the Westermen's arsenal - only about 60 are in active service as they are the most versatile guns that suit the mobility and firepower needs of the Wester generals. All guns are constructed with large wheels, reinforced with iron braces and tracked with petrified wood - giving them mobility and stability needed to conduct rapid operations.

The larger 68 pounders, of which 12 are in service are reserved for siege operations, which is interesting to note as some have been in active service for over 60 years. Some 3 pounder miniature guns still exist once as part of an experiment of attaching one cannon crew for every company of troops for added firepower but was dropped due to fears that it'll slow down the infantry as a result.

Mortars are heavy, difficult to transfer and not particularly liked by Wester commanders, all of them are exported for other nations.

You expecting a 6'3, 270lbs orc to wear that?

As a lover of the fatherland i thought by myself "hmm this guy dindt post the atillery yet so what will we do about the god damn people overunning our beloved city's"
So here are some atillery's that would go nice with our defences (and or attacks)

The first piece of metal im going to show you was used by the french, A 8 pound horse cannon
It is a portable cannon that can deal a fair bit of damage.
Mostly used for attack but it can be used in the defence aswell :

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen 040063

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen 040063

The next cannon i am going to show you is a good ol' fashion howitzer a 12-pounder howitzer to be exact.
A powerfull but mobile cannon that will let any enemies vanish.
It can be used as attack or as a defence cannon :

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen 12pdrhowitzervicks

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen 12pdrhowitzervicks

The Last one im going to show you today isnst really a cannon but a big great mortar a great heavy 13-inch mortar
A cannon faired amongt enemies because of its great power.
With his big calliber cannonballs he can crush any attackers within a few hours.
One of the downsides to this cannon is that it isnt very mobile and that it can only be used as a defence cannon :

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen Yorktown13Mortars

[CULTURE]Weapons and Military Attire of the Westermen Yorktown13Mortars

GLORY TO THE FATHERLAND!

rexonTK wrote:: so what will we do about the god damn people overunning our beloved city's"

Here's one: DON'T FIRE AT OUR CITY... OR OUR PEOPLE.

Kap'in, we'z boyz fink this Rexon git gots em gud eyez fo' WAGH! Wez goin' tah need some of em DAKKAS!

Though I really wanted to use an axe; it is crappy against players for its damage. Wish it could still do AoE even if it hits friendlies because it's kinda orcy. I know Irishkaiser doesn't want savagery in his company.

"Stabbin' be eazy for em bigga' targets, but if you'z da bigga one, stabbin' dem lil' antz be a pain for ye, but hackin'z an' slashin'z be teh best choize if you'z want to give a goo' ole clean sweep on them puny humies."

VerGath complaining about Irishkaiser giving him a puny sword.

Veracity wrote:: Though I really wanted to use an axe; it is crappy against players for its damage. Wish it could still do AoE even if it hits friendlies because it's kinda orcy. I know Irishkaiser doesn't want savagery in his company.

"Stabbin' be eazy for em bigga' targets, but if you'z da bigga one, stabbin' dem lil' antz be a pain for ye, but hackin'z an' slashin'z be teh best choize if you'z want to give a goo' ole clean sweep on them puny humies."

VerGath complaining about Irishkaiser giving him a puny sword.

I want my army to at least sound educated. >->

Irishkaiser wrote:: I want my army to at least sound educated. >->

There are two VerGaths in the army then.

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