Stevie

Approaching the secluded wooden walls hidden by forest and hills, the Chivay brothers stand before the hardwood gates, looking through to the long manor house they've come to know so well. With a rounding shout, so common of a Chivay, Peter calls to the manor, the peaceful serenity of the forest broken as birds and critters scamper away. For a few short moments, the world is silent. Startled and frozen the forest sits, once again broken by the throwing open of the manor door; a wide, grey-bearded figure stumbles forth, chugging from a large tankard of ale. The distinguishable Gaekrin accent and obnoxious demeanor sets this man as a fellow Chivay. Manners aside, and part of Chivay tradition, the wide man is met with stout replies from the brothers only a few feet away. "Well if it isn't our oaf of an uncle!" The older Peter shouts. "I 'ope we're not interrupting a good ploughing, uncle!" Says the snickering Thomas. "...Not that anyone would wanna plough that aging fing." Peter adds, both brothers smiling a familiar sarcastic grin. The stumbling man with the tankard moves to the gatehouse, grunting as he heaves the gate's lever, bringing the clanking wood up and allowing the brothers to enter. Stepping out to face the two, he speaks in slurred sentences, "An' now who-what's you two whoresons doin' back 'ere? I thought you nephews were off livin' in that Rhoswen keep." Thomas replies to his stammering uncle, who is all the more amusing when he is drunk, "We've come to visit a certain cousin, uncle." And just as Thomas finishes his sentence, a taller, younger, and seemingly elegant figure steps out from the doorway of the manor. Dressed in finer, cleaner clothes than his father, the man's face reveals no beard and is quite finely groomed, much to the opposite of the three other Chivays standing by the gate. The younger man now steps towards the trio, a calm smile over his face as he looks to his two long-missed and successful cousins. "Brenius? Wot did yer time in Jengar do to ye? I 'ope you 'aven't grown pointed ears in that filth of a Republic." "Of course not, cousin. I have only groomed myself a bit finer, to fit in with those Elves and others." "Jus' as long as you don't start writin' poetry and speakin' too proper like them..." Brenius flashes a smile, chuckling slyly as he places an arm around his slightly shorter cousin, looking to his father who manages to mumble an insult to his son through slurred speech. The group shared another chuckle as the uncle storms off, swaying about as he stumbles back inside, leaving the two Chivay brothers reunited with their cousin; who seemingly changed greatly during his time spent in the "free" Republic of Jengar. But for the time being, they rejoiced and celebrated, proud that another Chivay has come to join in the fortunes and wonders of Asulon. And during their celebration in the dining hall of the manor, a slightly bent figure enters, relying heavily on a cane as he stares lifelessly to the mantle of the fire at the end of the hall; a loose crown resting atop his head, just about to slip off. "...When did these two get here...? I know the concubines of Temeria didn't compare to here... but beards? This will not do..." And with that, the Chivay family was just about complete. Following up with a night of drinking and shouting, the Chivays were almost fully reunited, living much like they had in their homeland, one which was becoming a nostalgic memory to them now.

Standing in the living room of his quarters, Thomas gazes to the fire, recently fed and aired out. It is apparent someone had been here recently, and it was clearly evident when the bearded Knight looked to the table. Laying across the table, the lower end dangling a bit from the edge, lay a new tabard. Tailored to his size, the tabard was in pristine condition and had a slight modification to his normal White Rose surcoat. This tabard adorned two red crosses on either side of his arms, just reaching before the gauntlets and in clear sight. Showing a wide smile, Thomas proceeds to change into this new tabard, which fits over his chain and half-plate armor with ease and comfort. After a few ruffles of the bottom, the Knight exits his quarters as a full fledged Inquisitor of Oren, looking to thank a particular maid for her work.

Inspired by Velwyn's report on new armour for the Rose, Thomas himself devoted a considerable portion of his time to researching and documenting the weaponry the Order possesses and utilizes. With both records from the libraries of Arethor, and personal accounts of specific blades from the owners themselves, Thomas has been able to formally compose the weaponry of the White Rose. Although normally belligerent and rowdy, Thomas tunes his nature to professionally write this official document. _________________________________________________________________________ The Weaponry of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose takes great pride in their weaponry, and makes sure every Order member is equipped with their standard rank-permissive weaponry. Arming Sword The arming sword is a light, versatile weapon capable of both cut and thrust combat; and normally boasts excellent balance. They are most commonly recognized as single-handed double-edged swords that were designed more for cutting than thrusting. Every Order member is permitted this weapon. Pollaxe The basic long axe began to evolve, gaining an armour piercing spike on the back and another on the end of the haft for thrusting. The pollaxe evolved to break through plate armour and featured various combinations of an axe-blade, a back-spike and a hammer. Only Knights and above are permitted to use this weapon. Longsword The longsword is commonly held in combat with both hands, though some may be used single-handed. Longswords are used for hewing, slicing, and stabbing. The specific offensive purpose of an individual longsword is derived from its physical shape. All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the pommel and crossguard. Longbow A longbow is a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal to the height of the person who uses it). This allows its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw. The average length of arrowshafts is about the size of a man’s arm(30 inches). A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow so that they are circular or D-shaped in cross section. A typical military longbow archer would be provided with between 60 and 72 arrows at the time of battle. Crossbow A crossbow is a range weapon that shoots projectiles (called bolts or quarrels) consisting of a bow mounted on a stock. Very light crossbows can be drawn by hand, but heavier types need the help of mechanical devices. The simplest version of mechanical cocking device is a hook attached to a belt, drawing the bow by straightening the legs. Unmounted crossbowmen, often mixed with javeliners and archers, occupied a central position in battle formations. Usually they engaged the enemy in offensive skirmishes before an assault of mounted knights. Crossbowmen were also valuable in counterattacks to protect their infantry. Individual Weapons of the Order Apart from having standard weaponry issued to every Order member upon rank approval, the Order is also lenient in their acceptance of non-standard weaponry used by individuals. The individual weapons are listed here. Gaekrin Clainach The Gaekrin Clainach is a variation of the typical Asulonian Claymores. The sword had a uniquely styled hilt that sets it apart from other great swords of the land; its hilt is angled towards the blade and is considered a tedious work to complete for a blacksmith. Typically of longsword length, this versatile weapon could deliver great sweeping slashes or powerful thrusts, and can be crafted in both hand-and-a-half or two-handed designs. Thomas Chivay wears his hand-and-a-half variant on his side, in a specifically designed Chivay leather sheath, colored black and adorning the Chivay crest on either side; while Peter Chivay uses the two-handed variant, in which its scabbard lies across his back and its sheath adorning the White Rose. The creation of these Gaekrin swords are unknown to Asulonian smiths, and only the Chivay family(Or residents of the Kingdom of Lyria) have the knowledge capable of creating these unique swords. Dreryugr Dreyrugr is a massive weapon made for a massive man. As typical of Gaesgro culture, the blade is a masterwork, crafted at Toov's birth by his father in honor of his firstborn and son. Generally carried in its large, dull metal sheath across Toov's back, the hilt glints of steel, and the pommel is wrapped in mixture of black leather and shark skin strips to prevent it from slipping in his grip. The blade itself is a deep, dark maroon color like blood and glistens similarly. This is due to being repeatedly quenched in the blood of a mountain bear during it's creation. In Gaesgro culture, the blade embued with the attributes of the animal it is quenched in, and Toov's father wished his son to be a mighty force to be reckoned with. The exact composition of the metal is unknown, as Gaesgro weapons were customarily forged with a special recipe for the metal to be used. This secret was lost with the destruction of the Gaesgro people, and Toov himself is unaware. Forn Kaldr The Ancestral blade handed down to Bran promptly after his Father’s death. The blade being made of tempered metal, however something is special of this blade, no other smith has been able to recreate the blade. Cryptic symbols running across it’s fuller, the center of the pommel has a cryptic symbol engraved in it. Each symbol different to show the difference from every generation onward, because each symbol is the name of the rightful wielder of the blade. Passed down through the generations another symbol would be added along with a golden like chain impressed into the fuller, running down to the next symbol to represent the next generation. The hilt consisting of leather bound tightly around the tang, and has an arched quillon- there is nothing special about the color just a simple grey color. Taranithriel An ebony black katana that apparently achieved its color from the deaths of heretics to its fine edge. Leric, the owner of the blade, keeps the katana in a large sheath on his back. As well as this, Leric fashions two short swords on either side of his hips for a more efficient close quarter combatant. The Siege Engines of the Order The Order has been able to develop and construct siege engines common in Asulon. With these designs and the efficiency of the Order, no walls of stone stand vigilant for long. Arbalest The Arbalest is a modified crossbow, enlarged greatly for more power, and is typically regarded as a siege weapon used in the armies across Asulon. Since an arbalest was much larger than earlier crossbows, and because of the greater tensile strength of steel, it had a greater force. A skilled arbalestier (arblaster) could shoot two bolts per minute, quite the feat for the size and tension of the siege crossbow. Counterweight Trebuchets One of the largest siege engines in Asulon, the Trebuchet could fling three hundred pound (140 kg) projectiles at high speeds, at times including corpses infected with various diseases, in an attempt to infect the people under siege, as a medieval variant of biological warfare. Trebuchets were far more accurate and powerful than other forms of Asulonian siege engines, such as catapults. Ballistae The Ballista design was similar to a giant crossbow and worked by using tension. The Ballista was designed to aim huge wooden, iron clad, darts or arrows which were powered by twisted skeins of rope, hair, or sinew - the ballista design was based on a huge dart-throwing machine. The Ballista loosed heavy bolts, darts, stones and spears along a flat trajectory. The force of the missiles launched from the Ballista was designed to have great penetration and were capable of skewering several of the enemy at one time. Mangonels Mangonels shoot heavy projectiles from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of the arm. The bucket is used to launch more rocks than a sling could. In combat, mangonels hurl rocks, burning objects (or vessels filled with flammable materials which created a fireball on impact; fire pots), or anything else readily available to the attacking and defending forces. _________________________________________________________________________ Once the ink was dry and the sketches complete, Thomas takes his finished product up from his desk with great care, proceeding off from his quarters to find the esteemed Seneschal, pride blooming from the somewhat stocky Chivay as he admires the effort he put into the soon-to-be official document.

Looking over the increasing pile of parchments on his desk, Thomas comes across one addressed from the Seneschal of the Order, and one of his old friends, Velwyn Ashford. Thomas now takes an in-depth read of the parchment, knowing that anything addressed from Velwyn in writing is something important indeed. Upon careful reading and study, Thomas smiles and gives a light chuckle, always amazed at the tenacity for efficiency the Seneschal strives for so often. The parchment is compiled with several others, and rough sketches are drawn on most of them, with a description to match each. The Baron even manages to be impressed at Velwyn’s artistic nature, seeing that he took great care in properly sketching the images. _________________________________________________________________________ Armour Improvements in the Order The Order is in need of a few additions to its armament, as it seems our previous equipment and uniforms were, although stitched with love, crafted too crudely. I have been working tirelessly to remedy our situation, and have come up with a series of sketches and designs for the Order’s new equipment, particularly our armour. Here are the latest designs which I have been working on: Knight Armour This suit of armour is considered standard for all our High Command. Utilizing full plate with chainmail under-clothes, this armour is highly protective against projectiles, blunt and sharp weapons. Grazing blows are almost completely deflected with this piece, and the armour is a full set, revealing no vital points. Fitted with an armet helmet, the wearer is able to bring down his visor to further protect his face, while also keeping the visibility and peripheral vision intact. The specifics for the Knight’s armour is two white plumes, with a red in the center, to signify their rank on the battlefield. The Knight is also equipped with a pollaxe(Sketch not included) and longsword as per standard request. The Chivay’s Armour The armour of the Chivay brothers is the standard Knight armour, but coloured dark red to better differentiate their meaning to the Order. As well as this, the Earl’s armet helmet is fitted with four white plumes and three red plumes, to signify their rank as Earl and overall commander. The Earl is also permitted the standard Gaekrin Clainach, a large hand-and-a-half blade native to the Chivay’s Lyrian Kingdom. Senior Command Armour Worn by more specifically the Master and Commander, the Senior Command Armour is made of the same quality as the Earl’s and Knight’s armour. For the purpose of this sketch, I have chosen to include my Zweihander over the Gaekrin weaponry, for this is the suit I shall be fitting myself into for battle. All members of the Senior Command wear four plumes: two white and two red, to signify rank. Confanonier Armour(Toov) More specifically worn by Toov, the Confanonier Armour is the standard Knight armour, and has access to a two-handed weapon for standard use. Toov’s blade, Dreyrugr, is of course larger than the blades we commonly see due to the Gaesgro people’s size. The Confanonier Armour is also fitted with a different plume style, with the red and white plumes swept back to further differentiate their commanding role over the Enlisted. Sergeant Armour Constructed with the similar workings of the Knight Armour, the Sergeant does not have the granted privileges of a pollaxe to bear, and instead is given a standard longsword for use. The Sergeant is also fitted with two white plumes on his armet helmet, signifying his rank as a junior officer and ability to command a contingent of Order men. Enlisted Armour Worn by the Footman and Men At Arms of the Order, these suits of armour are designed to balance both mobility and protection. Outfitted with a hardened breastplate and thigh-plates under chainmail undershirt, the Enlisted Armour is able to withstand considerable amounts of damage from projectiles and glancing blows. The sallet helmet is designed with a removable visor and a neck guard to maximize head protection. As well as this, the Enlisted is also given an arming sword and choice of tower shield, kite shield or rounded shield for standard use. Crossbowman Armour Equipped with the same Enlisted Armour design, the Crossbowman Armour is designed to give more flexibility in regards to the arm, for easier use of the crossbow. The other modification made to the Crossbowman Armour is the barbute helmet design over the sallet. This modification has been made to increase the visibility of the wearer, to better range and fire on a potential target. I suggest we implement these new designs immediately. I can contact an armoursmith immediately and negotiate a contract, within reasonable pricing, of course. -Velwyn Ashford, Seneschal _________________________________________________________________________ Finishing the read, Thomas smiles once more, more than satisfied in Velwyn’s work. He rises up quickly to find Peter and Toov to show them the designs as well, and to later find Velwyn on putting these designs to actual practical purpose. [[ So I thought that with me adoring War of the Roses’ historical accurate armor, I thought I’d make a post to show everyone what the Order looks like when they’re combat ready and able. This is as close as I could get to historical accuracy, which is pretty damn close, while also giving me a customizable template to fiddle with.