Weapons

Swords
Scimitar (Tahari): A long, curved sword, used either one-handed or with two-hands, depending upon the situation. It has a wickedly curved, single-edged lade, honed to ra!or-sharpness, which will easily part silk dropped upon its edge. "ven a light stroke o# a Tahari scimitar will pass e##ortlessly through the #lesh, leaving a carved mark $%&' inch deep in the one eneath. The overall lade length is perhaps thirty or more inches, with an (' inch long '#alse-edge' across the ack o# the tip, #or ackhanded slashes. )sed one handed #rom kailla- ack it is incredi ly deadly* used two-handed upon the ground, it is e+ually terri#ying. ,ongsword (-iking Spatha): The longsword is commonly used y the deni!ens o# Torvaldsland, Asperiche, Scagnar, and other such northern cold-weather climes. It is appro.imately /0 inches in length, though longswords in e.cess o# &1 inches can also e #ound, depending upon the reach and pre#erence o# the user. It is carried in a elt-sca ard or leather support loop on the wielder2s o## side, or strapped across its user2s ack over his right shoulder. The 3ortherners employ it to great e##ect with their thicker thews and greater arm length. It is primarily used #or slashing, to atter an enemy2s shield to pieces, a#ter which the wielder #ollows through with a killing stroke. )niversally hand #orged, these swords are 'pattern lades' constructed in the 4amascus style, where y many raided rods o# oth so#t #le.i le steel and stronger, more rittle steel are heated and worked into a single piece, then hammered #lat #or shaping and tempering. In this way, the lade is im ued with oth great #le.i ility and superior strength. 5ecause o# this, when ru ed with a mild acid or o.ydi!ing compound, the #inished lade will display a twisted, snake-like pattern caused y the di##erent car on contents o# the woven steel, em edded in the polished sur#ace. "ach o# these weapons is typically named y its creator, and it is even a common elie# among some northerners that such lades are sentient eings, possessed o# souls. Short sword: The common 6orean shortsword, designed to e used in con7unction with the round attle shield so o#ten #avored y 6orean warriors, is descri ed as a lea#-shaped, dou le-edged lade with a short single-handed grip. The grip is typically either o# polished ka-la-na or temwood, either unadorned or wrapped in leather, cloth or cord. The lade o# this weapon is etween twenty and twenty-two inches in length, and it is worn either in a elt sca ard on the le#t hip or alternately in the same sca ard, slung over the le#t shoulder #or travel. In later ooks, this weapon is descri ed as a 'gladius,' which implies that, rather than a typical crossguard assem ly, it sports a simple sculpted or disk-shaped hilt, without lengthy +uillions, and either a plain disk-shaped or kno ed pommel. It is also mentioned y Tarl 8a ot that this weapon is ideal #or the kind o# swi#t, close-up in-#ighting which is so near and dear to the hearts o# the 6orean male. Typically honed to ra!or sharpness, the owner can even achieve a keen enough edge that, when a piece o# silk is dropped upon the lade, the #a ric will part e##ortlessly. The est e.ample o# such lades come #rom the smithies o# Ar and 9o-ro- a. 4uring the tempering process, such lades are commonly +uenched in wine, though it is not unknown #or the red-hot metal to e +uenched y driving it through the ody o# a male slave. Such shortswords are heavily employed in the city-states that have a standing army, since one o# its primary uses is to e wielded y a standing #ormation o# men in matched ranks, shield in one hand and sword in the other. )nlike the traditional :oman gladius, however, this small weapon is o#ten used singly, without the ene#it o# a shield, and the 6oreans seem to have developed a system #or attack and de#ense with it which is not unlike that o# traditional #encing.

;olearms and Spears

9aiila ,ance (<agon ;eoples): A long slender spear, eight to ten #eet long, designed to e used #rom the saddle o# a rider on

kailla- ack. These lances are not used couched, ut rather carried easily in the right #ist and are #le.i le and light. )sed primarily #or thrusting. They are lack in color, cut #rom the poles o# young tem trees, and so #le.i le that they may e ent almost dou le e#ore they reak. A loose loop o# oskhide, wound twice a out the right #ist, helps the user to retain the weapon in mounted com at. It is seldom, i# ever, thrown. 9ailla ,ance, =unting (:ed Savages): Similar in many respects to the kailla lance o# the <agon ;eoples, though the hunting lance o# the :ed Savages is commonly longer, heavier and thicker than the war lance. They are commonly undecorated or adorned only with a knot or tu#t o# #eathers. The point o# a hunting lance is typically longer and narrower than the war lance, designed to pierce deeply enough to strike a kailiauk2s heart. The sha#t is shaped temwood. The tip is either metal, carved one or shaped stone, lashed to the sha#t with oiled sinew or rawhide, or attached with metal trade rivets. ,eather grips, hand loops, and decorations are o#ten present also. 9ailla ,ance, war (:ed Savages): This weapon is almost identical to the kailla lance o# the <agon ;eoples, though it is more heavily carved and decorated. Tarn ,ance (:ed savages): Similar in most respects to the war lance, e.cept that it is longer and more slender, to #acilitate easier use #rom tarn ack. Tharlarion ,ance: A thick spear, normally #ashioned o# ka-la-na or needle wood, appro.imately ten to #ourteen #eet long. It tapers #rom a lanceolate metal tip (either steel, iron or ron!e) to a much thicker handguard type grip. At the thickest part it is #our inches in width and is o#ten #luted to lighten it while preserving its strength. 8arried couched eneath the right arm o# the user, the length o# the lance itsel# crossing over and a ove the neck o# the mount, to menace its target, o#ten supported y a lance-rest which is either attached to the saddle or worn strapped to the user2s chest. 8an also e thrown, though not speci#ically designed #or such use. Spear (common 6orean): The common 6orean attle spear, designed to e used oth in single com at and thrown, though it is typically depicted primarily as a missle weapon. Aided y the signi#icantly lighter gravity o# the 8ounter-"arth, it is deadly when thrown, +uite capa le o# penetrating thick shields and even passing virtually unhindered through the ody o# its victim. As descri ed y Tarl 8a ot, the typical 6orean spear is appro.imately seven #eet in length, with a #itted wooden handle up to two inches thick, capped y a lea#-shaped, tapering ron!e spear head eighteen inches in length. Alternately this spear head can e made o# steel, which is pro a ly true in many cases, ron!e eing too so#t and rittle a metal #or repeated or long-term usage. 3evertheless, perhaps as a matter o# custom, many spears in use on 6or do retain the traditional ron!e tip. The handle itsel# is usually made #rom ka-la-na wood, and can e anded with metal near the 7uncture o# the spear-head socket to prevent the handle #rom shearing when thrown. Spear (:ed =unters%Savages): Similar in most respects to the common 6orean spear, though o#ten it is #ound tipped with carved one or shaped stone, rather than metal. It is also highly carved and decorated, according to tri al custom. <ar Spear (9ur): 8onstructed similarly to the common 6orean war spear, only much larger and heavier. The 9ur war spear is some $> #eet in length, with a long, tapering ron!e head. The sha#t o# the 9ur war spear is /' in diameter and the ron!e head weighs up to twenty pounds. =arthingy: A long slender 7avelin-type spear, #itted with a ar ed head and used with an attached line #or retrieval. A similar weapon #irst appears in the rine pits o# 9lima.

Trident: The three-pronged spearing #ork used y #ishermen and sailors o# the island ) arates o# 6or. 8an e utili!ed oth as a thrusting weapon and as a missle weapon. Also used, in con7unction with a hooked net, in various gladitorial arenas throughout 6or. It is rie#ly descri ed as eing appro.imately seven #eet in overall length, with prongs o# $1' inches or more. ?#ten used with a lanyard or line attached, #or retrieval should it e thrown.

9nives
4agger (common 6orean): This is a very common weapon, a simple or ornate handle #itted with either a dou le or singleedged lade o# sharpened steel. 4aggers upon 6or take many #orms, depending upon the needs and whims o# their users, and such weapons are the most common #orm o# side-arm used on the 8ounter-"arth, randished y persons o# all ages and castes. 8ommonly disparaged y pro#essional warriors as a 'woman2s weapon,' it is easily conceala le and #airly simple to use. 6orean daggers can range #rom #our to eight inches in length, and can e #ound in every city in various #orms. It is worn openly in a elt-sheath or concealed eneath one2s clothing, o#ten strapped to the wrist eneath the owner2s sleeve, tucked into the collar ehind the neck, or hidden in a oot. )sed y many #ree women as a personal means o# sel#-de#ense. =ook 9ni#e: Though never descri ed in detail, its usage seems to suggest that it is a short weapon, consisting o# a thick, ridged #ighting handle and a wide curved lade, sharpened on oth sides. The lade is perhaps stu y and crescent shaped, like a modern "arth linoleum or grouting kni#e, though larger and sharper. Its hilt and pommel can e either #ancy or plain and unadorned. The hook kni#e is o#ten seen in duels and ritual com ats, though in displays or sport it is kept sheathed and the sheath itsel# is coated with colored powder or pigment, so that any success#ul attack scored y the user can e easily detected #or 7udging purposes. -ery popular in the larger cities such as Ar. 9illing 9ni#e: A throwing kni#e, typically used only in the larger cities such as Ar, and #avored y those o# the 8aste o# Assassins. It is much smaller than the +uiva, appro.imately si. to eight inches in length, and its lade is tapered on only one side. Such knives are o#ten inscri ed on the hilt or lade with such ritual phrases as 'I have sought him. I have #ound him.' Sometimes used in con7unction with poison kanda paste smeared upon the lade, though trained Assassins typically disdain the use o# poison. It is rarely used in hand-to-hand com at, designed primarily to e thrown at the ody o# an unsuspecting victim. Sleen 9ni#e: This is a road- laded, #lat, dou le-edged utility kni#e e+uipped with a simple stu y crossguard and unadorned pommel. @uch #avored y hunters and woodsmen, it is e+ually suited #or use as a camping and skinning kni#e, prying tool, and as a weapon in single com at. Tarn 9ni#e: This is a short- laded, single-edged utility kni#e typically used y tarnsmen and generally included among their saddle e+uipment. Some versions o# such knives are designed so that the lade #olds into the handle #or sa#ety when not in use. ?#ten e+uipped with a lanyard so that it may e lashed to the tarnsman2s saddle or elt, to prevent its loss while in #light. <hip 9ni#e: The use o# this weapon is widely regarded as a di##icult and delicate art to master. The whip kni#e consists o# a twelve #oot long raided leather whip o# the ' ullwhip' type commonly #ound on "arth, e+uipped with a lanyard to insure retention o# the weapon in com at. Set into the #inal eighteen inches o# its length are twenty thin, narrow lades, woven into the leather and arranged in sets, #our such lades to a set. "ach such weapon is tipped either with a dou le-edged kni#e lade appro.imately seven or eight inches long, or a 'stunning tip,' a lead weight which is designed to incapacitate the victim when he is struck. ;ossi ly originally intended to e e##ective against an opponent with a shield (the lade or

weight, on its leather e.tension, would conceiva ly e a le to #le. in mid-air, passing around such a protective device to strike the target, similar to a medieval #lail) or perhaps developed simply as an attempt to make the common whip more lethal. :arely used in actual war#are, this weapon is said to e uni+ue to the delta city o# ;ort 9ar and is o#ten utili!ed in the #ighting o# duels.

A.es
5attle A.e (9urii): A huge a.e wielded y the mem ers o# the 9urii race who have ecome native to 6or. It has a #our-inch-thick round handle o# green needlewood, appro.imately eight #eet in length, and is e+uipped with a #i.ed dou le- laded iron a.ehead, the lade o# which is over two #eet wide and ra!or sharp. It is typically used in con7unction with a wide, round iron shield some #our #eet in diameter. 5attle A.e (Torvaldslander): This weapon is descri ed as a single- laded a.e o# hardened iron with a lade o# anywhere #rom ( to $& inches in width. It is mounted on a thick wooden handle and usually has a wrist thong attached to the end the handle, which ena les it to e more easily retained during com at. )sed in con7unction with a round iron- ound shield o# wood and hardened leather. 6reat A.e (Torvaldslander): This weapon is similar in most respects to the Torvaldslander attle a.e, e.cept it is much larger, with a handle up to #our #eet in length. The a.e lade is also much larger, and this weapon is used two-handed, without the ene#it o# a shield o# any sort. ?ccasionally such a.es will e dou le-headed, though that adds considera ly to the weight o# the weapon. Tomahawk: This weapon consists o# a shaped wooden handle up to two #eet in length, capped with a narrow hatchet-type lade comprised either o# sharpened metal, shaped stone or o sidian glass. ?#ten carved with ceremonial inscriptions, it is a common war-arm in use y the :ed Savages o# the vast grasslands located to the northwest o# the civili!ed city-states o# 6or. 8an e used as a hand weapon, o#ten in con7unction with a shield o# dried rawhide over a wood #rame, or thrown as a missle weapon. <ar 8lu (:ed Savages): A carved, shaped clu o# wood or one, o#ten mounted with a stone or metal head o# some sort. This weapon is pro a ly appro.imately two to three #eet in length.

@issile <eapons
5ola: It consists o# three long straps o# leather, each a out #ive #eet long, each terminating in a leather sack which contains, sewn inside, a heavy round metal weight. 4eveloped #or hunting #leet#ooted and #lighted game, it is also used as a weapon o# war. Thrown low, the long straps, with their appro.imately ten-#oot sweep, strike the victim and the weighted alls, as soon as resistance is met, whip a out the victim2s legs, tangling and tightening the straps. Thrown high it can pin a man2s arms to his sides* thrown at the throat it can strangle him* thrown at the head the whipping weights can crush his skull. ?nce a victim is entangled with the ola, typically another weapon, usually a +uiva, is then utili!ed to dispatch the victim i# he or she still lives. 8ross ow: The standard in#antry missile weapon o# 6or. It consists o# a heavy, #le.i le ow o# tempered steel, perhaps $(' across (when ent), mounted on a heavy wooden stock a out two #eet long, with a trigger mechanism uilt into the shaped handle. It can #ire several types o# spiked, smooth-tipped or road- laded +uarrels with enough #orce to penetrate wooden walls, doors or human odies with relative ease. It has an e##ective range o# appro.imately $A1 meters #or aimed #ire, and can strike a target at up to >11 meters when #ired into a press o# odies. Slow to reload, it is commonly redrawn through use o# a 'goat2s-#oot' hook or a crane+uin ( ow crank). Buarrels, or ' olts,' are carried y the user in a elt-case or +uiver. 8ommon throughout all o# the 6orean city-states and the pre#erred weapon o# the 8aste o# Assassins.

8ross ow (8avalry): Similar in most respects to the larger cross ow, though instead o# possessing a heavy metal ow, it has a much lighter ow o# layered wood and horn. It is slightly smaller in overall si!e than its heavy cousin and is e+uipped with a metal stirrup at the #iring end, ena ling it to e more +uickly restrung and drawn #rom kailla or tarn- ack. ?riginally mentioned +uite early in the series as a 'light cross ow' or 'sporting cross ow,' it is more clearly de#ined later. 6reat (;easant) 5ow: A long ow typically made #rom the wood o# the ka-la-na tree or sometimes o# temwood. )nstrung it is over si. #eet in length and can re+uire a pull o# up to $>1 l s, depending upon the strength o# the user. The owstring itsel# is usually made o# hemp or sinew lashed with silk thread. Armed with such a weapon, a highly skilled archer can accurately strike a target the si!e o# a man2s head at distances o# up to $11 yards. 5y arcing his line o# #ire upward to allow #or gravity, he can #ire a sha#t into a ten #oot diameter circle at up to /11 yards. The arrows o# such a ow are temwood, metal-piled and #letched with the #eathers o# the vosk gull. "ach such arrow is appro.imately three #eet in length, and can e tipped with several di##erent types o# arrowheads* o# these, the #light tip (a long narrow three-sided metal spike designed #or e.treme penetration) and the shea# tip (a wide dou le or triple-edged lade designed to in#lict ma.imum tissue damage upon impact) are the most common. Special arrowheads, such as ones #itted with whistles or noisemakers #or signalling or reservoirs #or #lamma le li+uids, are not unknown. It is commonly carried slung or strapped over the shoulder o# the archer when not in use and is accompanied y a elt or shoulder +uiver containing #orty or more sha#ts. Its use re+uires the archer to wear a racer o# thick leather upon the #orearm o# his ow arm and to utili!e a special archer2s glove or leather #inger ta to protect his hands and arm #rom #riction caused y the motion o# the string when #ired. It is a di##icult weapon to master, though despite that #act, it is widely used y oth many mem ers o# the 8aste o# ;easants, and the rencers o# the -osk 4elta. Short (5one) 5ow: This weapon is heavily used upon 6or #or hunting, sport and war#are. Among its adherents are the warriors o# the <agon ;eoples, the panther girls (or Talunas), the :ed =unters and the :ed Savages. It is much smaller in si!e than the great ow, and is etter suited #or use #rom the ack o# a kailla, tharlarion or tarn. It is o#ten carved #rom a single, #le.i le piece o# tem wood or ka-lana wood, though such peoples as the <agon ;eoples and the :ed Savages can cra#t short ows o# layered wood and horn, which gives such ows much greater strength and dura ility. Among the :ed =unters, it is a common practice to treat such ows against inclement weather y smearing them with li+ui#ied lu er taken #rom the carcass o# the =un7er whale. The short ow can #ire as many di##erent types o# arrowheads as can its larger cousin, though with su stantially less range and penetrating power. The arrows used y the short ow are also much shorter than those employed y the great ow, due to the shorter range o# the weapon2s 'pull.' These ows come in all shapes and si!es, and are #ound throughout 6or. Buiva: A alanced saddle kni#e, usually part o# a set o# seven such weapons. It consists o# a narrow dou le-edged lade o# etween C and $> inches in length mounted on a shaped handle o# wood, one, or horn. It is honed to ra!or sharpness, and its lade tapers to a needle point. 4esigned #or use primarily as a missile weapon, the +uiva is also per#ectly #unctional as a hand weapon and general utility kni#e. It is mostly used y the nomadic <agon ;eoples o# the southern hemisphere, who will carry matched sets o# seven in special sheaths attached to their kailla saddles. The est e.amples o# these weapon are produced in the city o# Ar. ?nce made, they are shipped to the <agon ;eoples via traders, where they are sharpened and #itted with distinctive handles.

=elmets and Shields

=elmets: There are various types o# helmets in use y soldiers and warriors upon 6or. The most commonly used is the standard 6orean war helmet, populari!ed and manu#actured in the larger city-states y the thousands. It is descri ed y Tarl 8a ot as eing a close-#aced helmet which encloses the entire head, with a distinctive 'D' shaped opening in the #aceplate to admit air and to allow reathing. This style o# helmet seems to e ased on the 5ar uta-style helmets which date #rom

classical anti+uity on "arth, per#ected and much in use during the heyday o# the Athenian citystates o# 6reece. Typically mounted atop each e.ample o# this type o# helmet is a crest plate, upon which can e displayed the sym ol o# a city or organi!ation. The crests themselves adorn the top o# the helmet either crosswise, #rom one side o# the neck to the other, or lengthwise #rom the ack o# the neck to the upper #orehead like hal#-#ans, and can e #itted with any num er o# accoutrements, #rom sleen #ur to tarn #eathers and the like* in addition, the helmet itsel# can e painted or lac+uered in any color, to represent a grouping, city or caste. As descri ed in the ooks they are hammered and riveted together in several pieces, though the pierced #aceplate itsel# is depicted as 'a single piece o# iron.' 4ue to the highly developed metal-working capa ilities o# modern 6oreans, however, it is a sa#e assumption that they are actually o# tempered steel, which is lighter and stronger. It could e that 8a ot2s re#erence to them as iron is merely a #anci#ul allusion on the part o# the author. Additionally, such helmets can e hammered #rom ron!e, also an in#erior metal, though such e.amples are pro a ly sym olic o# some cultural signi#icance and not intended to e used in actual com at. According to 8a ot, each such helmet is #itted with remova le padding o# rolls o# leather, stu##ed with so#ter material and laced into the helmet to insure a superior #it. These helmets are o#ten stripped o# their crests and padding to e used as crude cooking vessels y soldiers on the march. Another e.ample o# a 6orean helmet is that o#ten worn y the desert tri esmen and deni!ens o# such southern cities as Turia and Tor, as well as y the nomadic warriors o# the <agon ;eoples. This helmet is similar in design to the @ongol%Saracen attle helmet o# "arth and is a coneshaped steel de#ense worn atop the head, o#ten #itted with a nasal guard o# narrow #lat construction. Such helmets may e adorned with a ring o# #ur or #a ric which encircles the row and area and can also e #ound mantled with either a cloth covering or a camail o# linked chain. These helmets are closely #itted to the wearer2s head, padded with a thick cloth cap which laces into it, and are o#ten #itted with a leather or cord chin strap to secure the device in place. A #inal e.ample o# 6orean helmetry is the Spangenhelm worn y northern warriors, which is in e##ect a steel or iron owl constructed #rom heavy metal strapping. A single metal row and encircles the head, with two or more curved metal straps attached to it in the pattern o# an 'E', covering much o# the wearer2s skull. 8urved plates are riveted in place to #ill the gaps etween the strapping, resulting in a layered metal cap with covers the entire head. These helmets are o#ten #itted with cheek and neck guards, chainmail camails or even metal #aceplates which conceal the #ace or portions o# it like a metal mask. The horns o# animals or metal spikes may e attached to the helmet as decoration or to add some measure o# protection to the apparatus, though this usually makes them rather ulky and di##icult to wear in com at. These helmets are padded with leather or lined with thick #ur, and can also e #itted with a leather or cord chin strap to insure a relia le #it. Shields: Several di##erent types o# shield are descri ed in the series. Typically they are round in shape, though they range in si!e #rom the huge shield used y the 6or- ound 9urii to the small ucklers wielded y gladiators in the Stadium o# 5lades in Ar. The most common shield in use upon 6or is the standard warrior2s shield o# the civili!ed cities. This is a largish round shield comprised o# many concentric overlapping layers o# dried shaped leather, pro a ly stretched over a wooden or metal #rame, and anded #or e.tra strength with rass or iron ands. It is #itted with a pair o# straps where y it can e worn upon the user2s arm, typically the le#t one, and is worn slung across the ack #or ease o# movement while its user is traveling #rom place to place. Among the civili!ed armies o# 6or, such shields are normally painted oldly and have a##i.ed on them some device #or identi#ying the earer2s city. The warriors o# the southern city o# Turia are known #or their usage o# distinctive shields which are oval, rather than circular, in shape.

:are and )nusual <eapons

9ni#e 6auntlets: A pair o# thick leather gauntlets, upon which are mounted crescent shaped kni#e lades. Sometimes used y gladiators in arena com ats.

9urii 5eam pro7ector: A handheld device o# some kind, ig enough to #it com#orta ly in the hand o# a 9ur. This missile weapon #ires a highly concussive heat last, which strikes its target #iercely, o#ten leaving a /%&' wide hole at the point o# impact and an e.it wound o# upwards o# ten inches across, where applica le. It is descri ed as having only a limited num er o# charges, similar to a revolving cartridge weapon. )sed only y the 9urii. 9urii 4art Thrower: A reech-loading missile weapon which #ires a si.-inch long, conical gas propelled dart. Its con#iguration is similar to an "arth ri#le. 9urii dart throwers have carved wooden stocks, upon which are incised eccentric designs. These tu ular weapons discharge with a hiss, which is not particularly loud. Several types o# darts may e #ired #rom such a weapon, including poison tipped, e.plosive tipped, and tran+uili!er darts. These weapons are used e.clusively y human agents o# the 9urii. The actual #iring utton is located on the #orepart o# the stock, and the weapon itsel# seems to e a one-shot weapon, re+uiring reloading a#ter every #iring. Silver Tu e: This is a charged, cylindrical weapon, perhaps two #eet in length, manually aimed and operated* it incorporates principles much like those o# the ;riest-9ing2s #lame death mechanism. <hen not in use, it is encased in a sealed plastic +uiver #or storage. <hen #ired it generates a #ierce last o# lue #lame #rom its tip, as the air within the path o# its eam ignites into #lame. It is e##ective at distances o# up to $11 meters, and its use can e aurally detected y the audi le hiss caused y the ignition o# the air in the eam2s path. Any living creature within the path o# the eam, as well as any organic matter caught therein, will instantly erupt into a all o# right lue #lame as the target consumes itsel# #rom within. A silver tu e will sputter and ecome inert once its charge is #ully e.pended, though a typical charge will last #or literally hundreds o# #irings. These weapons can only e #ound within the 3est 8omple. o# the Sardar, and none who do not dwell there can possess them. An additional e.ample o# this type o# weapon also makes an appearance in the series, and is descri ed as a narrow, cylindrical, silverish o 7ect small enough to e concealed in the palm o# a human hand. <hen used upon its lowest setting, such an o 7ect produces a small #lame suita le #or igniting rush and kindling* however, it can e reset to #ire one short urst o# high intensity lue #lame, a#ter which the weapon2s charge is e.pended. Spiked =and <raps: Similar to the "arth cestus, or heavy cloth or leather strips ound a out the hand, with pro7ecting spikes which cover the wearer2s knuckles. Spiked ,eather: A pair o# spiked leather alls which are worn upon the hands o# gladitorial #ighters* the spikes o# these devices can e very long.