Metal Armour

From: richardc_at_sypte.co.uk
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 15:07:53 +0100


I can almost see James Turner's bottom lip quivering as he sits waiting for someone, anyone to reply to his armour question. As my geas prevents me allowing a dumb animal to suffer ... no I can't say that :-)
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Anyway, armour metal -
OK, it was necessary to consider iron as the basic metal  for RQIII because of the "Fantasy Europe" setting but the same rules work equally well (or badly) assuming the standard metal is Gloranthan bronze.
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Does it say anywhere that the plate armour worn by the mounted clanking ones of the far west is generally iron or steel? I've always assumed most western knights are in bronze armour.
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It may not always be possible to tell which metal has been used. For starters Gloranthan bronze may not always be "bronze-coloured". Remember the metal is mined from the buried bones of long-dead gods and the gods are renowned for for being as varied as the mortals who worship them. This allows those of us who use miniatures for RQ or Gloranthan battles to use historical figures with a clear conscience.
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"The Duke of Tortun keeps her inner guards in shirts cunningly worked from thousands of tiny scales of metal. They say that each scale is of a different colour and that the bronze comes from mines along the Doskior River valley. A functionary in the Duke's household told me that the bronze is the last remains of an army of a thousand godlings killed by Arkat the Hero during the Gbaji War. I politely demured from puncturing this obvious falsehood as I may be able to make further use of this talkative underling."
____Raphius Palzi writing to Balzakus Mistae,
____Lunar Governor of Kartolin, 1620 S.T.
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"The Third Eye Blue people who came to our land from Peloria in the time of King Oslap know many secrets of the working of metal. Among the enchantments is one to change the colour of bronze before it is worked into weapon or armour. To do this they need to bathe the red-hot metal in a certain fluid.
Now if Olwy Gundarsson is to have a hauberk of fine blue mail for his wedding feast at the end of Storm Season the redsmith will have to start drawing the wire in two weeks' time.
And that's why we want you to bring us the milk of a troll priestess before ten days are up. I'm sure you can see this is for the good of the clan...."
____Magnus Sothcott, carl of the Balnoring clan, Sartar.
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"Go, scout for the sky scratchers, and make them give you metal cooking pots before you come back. And make sure you get the red metal ones, they heat up quicker!"
____Uruul the Basmoli's aunt sending him off to serve the
____Sun Domers.
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Oh look, he's smiling!
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Richard Crawley
richardc_at_sypte.co.uk

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