>War equipment (spear vs. sword)
>Has any of you ever carried a spear on his back?
No, usually I use whatever spear-like object I have as a walking stick and climbing aid. I suppose a shorter spear might be carried like a rifle.
>I figure it is a very
>clumsy thing to have with you. I think it should be easier to climb a
>tree with a sword hanging from your belt that a spear fastened to your
>back!
I found long objects hanging from the belt (like a quiver full of 31" long arrows) or slung on the back (like a 72" bow) very clumsy for climbing trees, in either case. Not that I can imagine what an archer would do in a dense elf forest, let alone from a tree.
>If they are firing arrows and want to
>have their melee weapons ready for use, they must stick it into the
>ground since there is no such thing as a spear scabbard (at least
>AFAIK), and it looks like a bad idea IMO.
Where do these elves keep their arrows? For an arrow to have a good penetration, it needs some mass to go along with the alleged great speed given from the elf bow. Add a heavy tip for good flight abilities (like 300 yard shots with man-killing accuracy, as witnessed for Alakoring's death by Tobosta Greenbow).
If someone carries bow and quiver around, he will have a full hand all the time, anyway. A bow slung to the back is uncomfortable, unwieldy, and clumsy, so archers tend to have it ready in their hand. There isn't that much difference holding two long objects instead of one, as skiers will be able to tell you. So, if anybody has a bow, I see nothing to stop him from adding a spear. The bow alone is a damn nuisance in enclosed forest, tending to tangle whatever there is. A spear in the same hand might even help avoid such tangling.
>Professional Vronkali warriors are another story. Although their basic
>weapon is still the bow, they are well trained in melee combat. For the
>stated reasons of easy access to their weapons when switching mode from
>missile to melee, these warriors tend to prefer the sword as their main
>weapon when thay have access to metal weaponry.
I wonder where they get them, and how they tend them. Spears are more easily accessed, also through allied cults (like the "Yelmalio" temples in Balazar). Swords are Orlanthi weapons, i.e. enemy weapons.
Powered by hypermail