[CULTURE] Weapons and Armor of the Byzantines

Subject: [CULTURE] Weapons and Armor of the Byzantines Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:36 am

The Ostland is a brutal land with history of strife, bloodshed and warfare. Once colonized by Tenland merchants and soldiers under the direction of the of the UNKNOWN [?] Trading Company to conduct trade with the premium natives, the region was unable to be pacified as the natives refused to cooperate and news was brought back about the unimaginable savagery of the Premium. The colonies were abandoned eventually, but a significant few decided to remain in the land for its abundance of natural resources and wild beauty. These expatriates eventually intermingled with the premium natives and from this union, first appeared the Byzantine race - a bastard mix of White Tenlander and Premium Savage. From the Tenner blood did the Byzantines create a society that somewhat resembles order. The technology and infrastructure left behind by the colonists served as the foundation of the Byzantine weapons industry and what roughly resembles culture.

The Byzantines had to continue from where the colonists left, innovating their own weapons and protection. The typical Byzantine weapon is crude, yet strong. No time or effort is wasted on decoration and ornaments. This way of life must be so for the Premiums are locked in brutal tribal warfare, sparing no one and still seeing the Byzantine as a foreigner in their continent, is not surprising why they always want to have an axe handy nearby. Every Byzantine boy or girl learns to smith at some point in their lives and forges are more common than wells in Byzantine cities. Quantity is the quality here and Byzantines craft all kinds of weapons from axes to hammers to muskets. Some family clans have earned a reputation for being the best Smiths in the country, some say besting those of the Westerlands. "A Tenlander cries at the sight of a forged sword from the Neon Clan!" they boast to travelers. One may wonder, how such poor infrastructure is able to support the mass production of weapons that can match the whole production of the Western continent. Byzantines only say:

"It is not in the buildings, nor the system that drives us to forge these means of protecting ourselves, but rather - it is the blood of the Premium, the warrior in us, always preparing for war that tells us by instinct what we know in our hearts to survive."

We will now look into how the Byzantines apply their practice and beliefs on the matters of battle articles, studying the history and craftsmen who forge them.

~Armor & Protective Clothing~

The Byzantines forge a great variety of weapons or armor to suit each individual warrior's needs. Any kind of weapon or armor can be found here. Needless to say, Byzantines have no standardize equipment for their army other than the blue robes which they seem to have taken as the national color. Plate armors are exceptionally rare as they are the most expensive to make piece by piece, even amongst the cavalry, chain and leather scale is the primary protective article. Only the richer citizens can afford plate mail.

[CULTURE] Weapons and Armor of the Byzantines Stormc10

You knew this was coming...

Most men wear leather and hide, with few metal pieces other than the chainmail which is what the majority wear for combat operations. The trade off is safe as since the Byzantines have mostly experienced combat where hacks and blows are the norm- therefore chain and leather is a good choice, however, their clothing cannot easily protect them from stab and thrust weapons which the Tenlanders are armed with quite well.

Overall lightness of the armor though makes them just as fast, if not more mobile than their Tenland counter-parts.

~Pour Mêlée~

The amount of Byzantine weapons are numerous, as the land is steeped in warrior tradition - however, this traditionalist point of view makes it difficult for faster technological innovation as the smiths are steeped in their proud knowledge. Byzantine weapons have done well to meet their needs in the past that they see little reason to change them. The most common Byzantine weapon from nobles to common folk is the war axe, a national favorite by virtue of its power, ease of handling and cheapness. Swords are not as popular due to the fact that they are more expensive to make and shatter more easily, but they are more prevalent in the richer members of society for their grace and versatility with the added option to stab an opponent, which chain is not particularly good in protecting against.

[CULTURE] Weapons and Armor of the Byzantines 9zt4

The War Axe, a Byzantine favorite.

Warhammers are much more common too, and so are spears and halberds. If anything, a Byzantine battle group is a rag-tag rabble that could be prepared for anything, but not do anything as effective due to their weapons not being standardized. The favored philosophy of delivering power per blow is the Byzantine doctrine - pounding the enemy with rain of shot and shell, then smashing the opponent in a series of overwhelming rushing tactics whose appearance looks like macro guerrilla tactics on a strategic level.

The cavalry, like the infantry vary with weapons but generally are more uniform. Armed with heavy lances and sabres, the Cavalry is the definition of the Byzantine fighting ideal - quick and fast power. Generally less armed with the more modern diamond forged heavy sabres of their Tenland counter-parts but the few that do exist are on par if not exceed the quality of the Westernland's best.

~Gunpowder~

Gunpowder has been available to the Byzantines since the colonial era, but they were always imported. Various musket repair shops, using their insight of the guns they've acquired, have studied the art of repairing muskets into crafting them. The Byzantine musket is dated, and like its weaponry - varies heavily by design.

[CULTURE] Weapons and Armor of the Byzantines Tmc

A Byzantine style musket with lunger bayonet attached(based off - the Brown Bess IRL)

The percussion lock system was only recently introduced into the weapons system and only about 1/8 of all muskets produced have been converted to them. Many are of the old flintlock design. The lunger bayonet comes attached and rarely are bayonets taken off, even in the heat of battle. Another particularly marked thing about the Byzantine design is that nearly all muskets - even the percussion ones aren't rifled at all. Any rifled muskets are usually captured from the enemy. A common Byzantine musket has markedly shorter range than their Western counterparts which gives them a disadvantage within ranged fights - forcing the Byzantines to always hug their enemy to be on more equal terms with their opponents. They're usually given the role similar to a pike or spear, with the added ability for shooting.

~Artillery~

Like their rifled muskets, Byzantines only used captured cannons. Most of their siege engines are roughly medieval, still employing trebuchets and catapults. Maintaining and transporting artillery, as well as their ammunition is a daunting task which the Byzantines are not quite at all accustomed to. Cannons that do get captured are immediately sent to the rear until they're found a use for in a different sector.

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