The Vargr, like any race, fight. In fact they fight quite a lot with each other, any place that comes up to their Forest’s border, and with the wild plants and animals that predate on them just as much as everything else. The Vargr do not have a full fledged military like other nations but they are by no means primitive. All vargr, from the moment they can pick up a blade and bow, are taught how to fight and hunt. Young vargr are often put in groups with adults to learn how to keep watch over their burrows, track animals, and scout the terrain until they have mastered these as well as the combat training every vargr goes through. Every vargr in a pack except the sick or disabled can be called on to hunt and fight if needed in the wild and often times deadly Eradûn, but while they have perfectly good teeth and claws, they have other tools for fighting and defending themselves.
Armor
Vargr Armor is most commonly made from bone, treated wood, Linens and padded silk cloth, and the unusually hard leather of some animals. Armor comes as the common gambeson of the era (but made of a special local silk with the same qualities as wool), and also both laminar and lamellar for practical protection (like what would go around the torso and limbs), and also decorative or intimidating, (like skull helmets and teeth or jaws attached to the armor as belts, cowls, and shoulder spikes). The later is often worn as attachments to make ceremonial armor, honor guards, and non-melee warrior such as archers and some kinds of mages. Bones, especially enchanted ones, come in many varieties and always make up some part of Vargr armor. Bone armor is surprisingly protective once it is treated and if it is maintained (with secret ancient handwavium coatings and sometimes enchantments to make bone armor a less-shatterable option). Strips of iron are also commonly added within the layers and below for added protection, though iron is not a particularly abundant resource and is mostly used for making tools.
Different clans in different regions also have their own unique styles of armor. Some make “leaf scale armor” - padded and layered leather armor dyed in the greens and browns of the forest, along with plenty of actual plant material to help them blend in with the forest. Mages contribute to the vargr armory as well; for example, dragon scale armor can be essence-enchanted to be impenetrable, though it does not magically stop bludgeoning damage any better. Dragon scale armor is often made with many adjustable parts so that it can be passed down for generations - and of course is maintained and kept from deteriorating by rot mages. This rare armor is usually reserved for great alphas and clan champions of the deeper woods.
One more kind of armor worn by the Vargr is “grown armor”. Worn mainly by mages but sometimes enchanted for nonmages is special armor made from various fungi, but most importantly, a unique species of very hard and very old “foundation mycelium” that grows in the deepest and old parts of the heart of Eradûn. These mycelium, either from age or evolution, can be grown into sheets stronger and lighter than steel, and are essentially organic mythril. With a leather armor “frame” and about a year’s steady and careful work, a full set of grown armor can be made to perfectly fit the wearer. This armor not only helps with camouflage, but, with the biomancy woven within it to enhance its natural effects, can also seal wounds. When the wearer is injured, the mycelium armor will naturally react to the blood, feed off it a bit, and grow over the wound, sealing it up and spreading healing fungi and spores over it in the process. The whole process can take several minutes depending on the severity of the injury. The major downside to this however is that some of the mycelium is now fused to the wearer. The armor will over time better “react” to the wearer and close wounds, but in the process get harder and harder to remove until there is no line between where the armor ends and the warrior begins.
Ships
These ships vary depending on their purpose and also what pack builds them. There is no uniform design, but packs in the same clans and councils tend to share knowledge they pick up as they build new models. Vargr ships are, for lack of a better word, Viking-esque, but not built for the open ocean. They are slender, flexible ships with symmetrical ends with true keel. They are able to travel along rivers and coasts, used mainly for scouting and patrolling, as well as transport and trade among the packs. Different modifications are made for these different functions, from wider bodies for carrying more trade or smaller shallower, sleeker, thicker made ships to move through mangrove choked rivers for example.
Vargr ships generally have a sail and are powered by a series of rowers. The Vargr have had boats for millennia, but have not yet really developed ships for long distance travel far beyond their shores. Ships can go to and from Aelbaion and the northern coasts just above Eradûn, but more development needs to be done to go any further. Most focus on ship design has been to navigate the forest’s many rivers and swamps, and survive attacks by local beasts, which have sunk many promising ships still and has been hampering better design for years.
General Weapons
Weapons of course come in many shapes and sizes and varieties among any group of people. But what do the Vargr prefer? Generally, the most common weapons the Vargr use are bows and arrows, so that will be its own section further down the post.
Iron is most often collected in Eradûn from open veins in caves and phytomining plants because the vargr do not actually mine much of the metal resources available in the mountains bordering Eradûn or the resources within. Because of this most weapons are primarily made of wood with stone or iron attachments. Arrows always use stone or bone arrowheads and the darts used in wood or bamboo blow guns are also made of stone. These are both often dipped in poison and Vargr may make small notches and indents in these to carry a little more poison. Many weapons are made purely out of wood, such as javelins and atlatls, and of course the spear is a staple weapon with only stone or iron at the end. One last weapon, the bola, is not often used in combat in the close quarters of the forest floor, but is commonly carried among the higher canopy dwelling and verge dwelling Vargr who may use them to knock beings off branch bridges or smack them while riding mounts.
Less common, but always using iron, are war picks and simple war hammers. These Vargr weapons often have a long thick wooden handle with a small hammer-shaped top, a blunt side on one end, and a piercing or hooking side on the other end. These are also used outside of battle, one side for hammering in nails, the other for whatever one might need more stabbing. They are favored weapons for intimidation and can commonly be found on the backs of big burly Vargr men and women. Clans that spend much of their time and skill making armor often use these instead of bladed weapons, because even with armor, the brute force of a hammer can still crush bone and cause considerable internal bleeding. There is a sort of arms race among warring clans over the development of better shock absorbing armor and bigger, more damaging war picks, warhammers, and classic clubs. These sorts of blunt weapons are also favorites of werewolves, who often lose some of their skill and finesse with bladed weapons, but gain considerable physical strength to pack into every swing.
Scimitars and machetes also exist, though considering they require the most metal of any Vargr weapon, they aren’t nearly as common as the rest and are often only commissioned by the warriors that want to wield them themselves rather than mass produced and sold. Every sword is a warrior’s prized weapon and special care is taken to protect it from the rust and decay that tends to permeate the Wild Wood. Many swords made along the southern side of Eradûn follow old Aelbic designs while northern blades are often more just like large machetes to hack through thick foliage and Vargr alike. One may think the Vargr wouldn’t want to hurt plants, but when they are actively trying to strangle Vargr or vine golems have been sent after enemy villages, as they have been for millennia, the Vargr will learn what works best against them.
Daggers are commonly carried by many Vargr as general purpose tools and personal defense against smaller predators. They are used just as often as hunting knives, dinner knives, and carving tools for the average Vargr, though specialists cringe. Vargr tend to have less of a disdain regarding hand axes and axes in general though because they are always used interchangeably. There is no difference between their uses, though Vargr get a special joy out of using their hand axes to kill loggers and woodsmen. Some hand axes are made smaller and with a greater focus on their throwing capabilities, while some are just made larger and better to fight in melee with.
Clothing may also be made with combat in mind, such as gloves with iron caps made to go over a Vargr’s claws and other such “iron claws” as well as spiked knuckles and more. Armor may also be made with hidden dagger sheaths, or hidden pockets to store extra darts, bow strings, bola cords, arrowheads, and more.
Duyôt: The Vargr Bat’leth
Tried designing an interesting unique weapon, here is the result The name of this weapon means “two fang”; it is a double sided halberd-like weapon with a “spear catching gap” in the middle (mostly made to save metal and provide more functionality), sometimes they are made more like a double sided scythe or glaive instead. Duyôts can be extended or retracted for different maneuvers in combat. When extended, the duyôt can act like a spinning double sided halberd for repeated axe strikes in a windmill-like maneuver. Retracted, the weapon is a bit more dangerous to the user, but while holding the pole in the middle, they essentially act like a hand-held axe head for strong close range slashing attacks. These weapons are uncommon because they take a considerable amount of training to master, but those who have mastered them are said to be some of the fiercest warriors in Eradûn.
The pole part is made of several pieces of hollowed out and treated wood with “locks” carved on the inside. Each piece except for the ends with the blades can snugly fit inside the other and when twisted, can lock into place as either a long or short weapon. Duyôts often range from one foot while retracted to three or five feet when extended. The hollow wood pole is more easily broken and so Vargr warriors are often trained to wield both ends as separate weapons - some even come as separate weapons. However, at some borders, where iron is more frequently traded for, some make the weapons entirely out of iron. Deeper in Eradûn some poles are made from iron root, a biometal tree species, or stone heart a species of oak with extremely strong heartwood. Whatever the material, these rare weapons are often saved for the most skilled warriors and can take many years to master.
Bows
Considering the environment the Vargr live in, and the abundance of wood and things to shoot, it should be no surprise that the bow and arrow is very well known to them. From the moment they pick up a bow the begin training to pull it back and aim straight. While many nations train people for the specific occupation of archery or make it prohibitively the sport of land owners, every Vargr is not considered an adult until archery becomes second nature (with exceptions for the disabled).
In Eradûn massive branches form walkways that people walking side by side can cross in the sun-dappled shade. Whole webs of branches at differing levels form a three dimensional landscape of canopies suspended for hundreds of feet in the air that creates a particularly challenging environment to hunt in, but bows make all the difference. Ranged weapons are perfect when your prey may be hundreds of feet up or down as the crow flies. From tall trees Vargr may see for miles around to map out paths that may take a day or more to reach on foot through the winding, maze-like terrain that this forest choked with life possesses. Ranged weapons make life in Eradûn not only a bit easier, but are essentials for any hunters. They are the only weapons worth using against the countless megafauna of Eradûn that can kill a person with a single hit and, with the Vargr’s preferred fighting style being silent and stealthy ambushes, the bow is a perfect weapon to quietly kill without the quarry ever even knowing what hit them.
Legends say that bows were a gift from the Vargr gods. As thanks for many burnt offerings, The Horned God, Hrodgær, taught the first Vargr how to make bows and arrows, and how to use them. Hrodgær is often depicted with his legendary bow, Titan Piercer, which he used long ago to hunt down the titans in the primeval world. Many vargr legends also tell of woodland spirits that shoot bows made of night-sky and sinew, and even the personification of death is often depicted wielding a bow of shadows, because death always kills without anyone seeing it there.
While stories are told of bows and their mythical archers, bows are also used to tell stories. “Story Bows” are large decorative bows with detailed artwork painstakingly carved all around them. These works of art are not functional, but show the reverence Vargr have for bows, and so use them as a medium to share their most sacred lore. Story bows often have legendary alphas, like The True Alpha, carved into them with her bow in hand and her pack of wolves behind her. Depictions of the gods and the creation of the world are often carved as well. Clan leading packs often have their own story bows made to commemorate the most important events in their clan’s history that are kept in the clan’s Great Hall for vargr and visitors alike to see. Besides just carvings, other ornaments may be added, like gold or silver caps on the ends of the bow or colorful tassels related to the event. One story bow belonging to the Wind Hawk Clan depicts their successful battle against Aelbic knights long ago and is adorned with tassels made from hair of the knights they killed. The process of making a proper story bow can take up to a year and if any flaw is made in the carving, the whole thing is scrapped and started again. Master story carvers are some of the most revered craftsmen in Eradûn.
While bows have been designed and redesigned since the day they were first made, in the far north of Eradûn there exists The Longbow. Long bows, as in simply bows that are larger than average and designed to shoot a bit farther are not new. The Vargr are in general physically stronger than humans and with the training they undergo to use bows throughout their lives, they can become quite good at using larger, stronger ones. The longbow, as it is classically known, was developed by the northern clans for hunting game in the foothills and winter landscape that dominates the north for several months in the year. Only a few clans even know about them, fewer still see the worth in using them currently because they still require more training and very good wood.
Among the packs that use them, the general culture of bow reverence has led to the development of a reverence for the longbow and increased training in it is beginning to develop as hunters tell stories about their incredible ranged shots. These bows, known as winter bows, are the most preferred bows to use when the leaves begin to fall in the northern packs and the vargr are beginning to train with them more in the warmer months. In the summer it is easier to get closer to prey and prey have more cover in the densely foliated forest so many prey can’t even be seen as far away as they can be in winter. In winter, when many of the leaves fall and the world is covered in a blanket of snow, there isn’t much cover so hunters can see prey farther away, but tend to stay farther away as well to not be caught. In the open foothills as well, it is generally more open and large longbows can give hunters better range and accuracy that can mean the difference between feeding the pack or not. One must also especially take into account the deadly ferocity of many of Eradûn’s fauna, from dragons to giant moose and more. “Winter bows” are still very much a regional weapon, but as time goes by, and word spreads as Vargr hunters learn to use the bow and learn to teach others, the bow will spread as well.
Organic Explosives
As far as the Vargr know, gunpowder simply doesn’t exist. They don’t have it or know how to make it, and their closest neighbors in Aelbaion don’t seem to tout it either. What the Vargr do have however is rot, and the gases produced from that. A Vargr “wood bomb” is an innocuous enough thing one could walk right by without noticing that is not nearly strong enough to blast through thick stone or packed earth, but is quite a nuisance against rival clans and very aggressive trees. Some are made with a reinforced back end and extra projectile load in the front end so they act more like cannons, while others have been made smaller and more compact to act like landmines.
To make a simple wood bomb one must follow a simple set of steps. First, take a tree or tree stump. Hollow it out enough so it is strong and sturdy but breakable when it’s time. Next, fire harden it and put an ignition hole in it. Next, after enlisting the help of a putremancer, gather a good amount of shrapnel (often bone shards and sharp rocks), rotting material, and other methane producing things (these are most often made in the swamps of Eradûn for a reason, and though they do not understand the chemistry behind it, certain animals produce better methane gas than others), put these in the stump, seal it with a wood top and some biomancy to grow over the gaps. Next, move it to where you want it to go off, thank the putremancer, and have them fast-rot the material with an emphasis on methane production, while making sure the wood does not rot too much itself. Once the “bomb” is adequately pressurized and ready to ignite, put some more projectiles on it as well as some sharpened branches for extra cover, and back away. When it’s ready all it needs is a little fire and a little time. Putremancers can also be employed to stay nearish the log, to speed up the waiting process and detonate this bomb when a target or group of targets is nearby.
Training in the Arms and the Arts of the Wilds
As previously stated, from their earliest years Vargr begin training with bows and the basic use of the weapons that will save their lives throughout the rest of it. Vargr are not only hunters of the wilds, they are also it’s protectors, and it’s children. As part of Vargr upbringing they are taught to identify every plant, fungi, and creature in their part of the world and know their abilities and uses. Vargr infants always sleep outside except at night, rain or shine, in summer and winter (though they do get a little umbrella in the rain) because it is believed to help them grow strong. Vargr learn to track and be wary of the steps they make once they learn to toddle, and learn to climb trees and jump from branch to branch as soon as their claws grow in. With all the dangers present in Eradûn, from carnivorous trees, conniving Seelie, and countless predators as big as houses, the Vargr treat wilderness education as the biggest necessity to their survival, and the survival of the pack.
All young Vargr, before they may start joining their elders on hunts, learn to forage, make a variety of traps, and scout through the woods they have spent their childhoods studying and exploring under parental supervision. By the age of around ten or so, competent Vargr children go on what is known as “The Godless Vigil”. In the heart of winter, with a few warriors only watching them from the trees in case of illness (they’re on their own against animals or if they hurt themselves), Vargr children must survive on their own for two weeks in the cold, to show what they have learned - from how to find squirrel’s stashes to how to make a snow blanket for insulated sleep - and to prove that they can be trusted on a hunt, as true Children of the Wilds. In other seasons southern vargr packs often request the Aelbic Wood-Wardens teach their youths as well - as part of good will between the two nations and for new ideas and perspectives on wilderness scouting.
Every living Vargr considers themselves to be the protectors of the wooded world around them and each cares deeply about this, out of respect for the world the gods blessed them to live in, and out of a sense of debt for it as well. The Vargr know that the world is dangerous and, as the ancient Aelbic showed them, can be very hostile to them and the forest specifically. As the Vargr move outward with the ever-expanding forest, they take with them this knowledge as well as an eagerness to test their training and learn more from the world around them.
Submitted November 19, 2019 at 04:29PM by TechnicolorTraveler https://ift.tt/2CZiGK6
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