For me, the best way to create a plausible story with believable
characters is to put them in a functioning world. Tolkien said the he
drew the map of Middle-Earth and went from there. For me, I'm writing the
history of the world and allowing characters to fall into place.
A parallel of our
own world and for good reason (a spoiler that I won't yet spill), the world of
Terra is one that exists in a setting just before the dawn of the early modern
era. Guns have just been invented and, while incomparable to sorcery and
the existing war machine, their usefulness is certainly noted. Beyond
food, fashion, and language, however, the way of the world is markedly
different from our own. The three primary continents are merged around a
single massive body of water, the White Sea, and their cultures show it.
Modeled after 15th
century coastal Europe (primarily Spain), Galavia is different from its
real-world counterparts by a lack of a massive navy. While sea trade is
important, the lack of a trading partner across an open ocean has turned their
focus toward light, fast ships and a military with the same focus.
Bearing in mind
the implications of deep river movement leading to a vast sea, the Galavian
navy consists of weaponized cargo ships similar to small galleons, as well as
light warships reminiscent of the Roman bireme, fitted with a ram and small
guns. With a third of their standing army staying on ships, most of the
elven (Galavian) military is outfitted in light armor- leather with mail
underneath and six quick-release straps in case one falls overboard.
Heavy units include cavalry and shield-bearers who wear solid-plate armor
that functions like gothic armor but looks similar to the centurion armor of
antiquity, including stylized galea with horse hair plume and all. The
greatest of them, the Praetorian Guard, are the royal elites in charge of
guarding the king and his household; fitted with a thicker version of the
shield-bearer armor, they play a surprisingly big role in Throne of Blood
and other books to come.
With armor down, I’m left with weapons. By this period in history, heavy armor had
made both shields and slashing weapons far less common, if not obsolete. While shield-bearers used broader weapons for
thrusting and slicing, Praetorians use a thinner version of the zweihander, with
a rapier as a secondary, a cinqueada as a sidearm, and something like a Swiss
mercenary’s pike as an alternate weapon.
Marines, fighting mostly unarmored pirates and privateers, use a
shamshir with the end modified for weight, a design that they took from their
desert enemies. Lastly, any footmen that
use swords normally hold a rapier that is either bone-handled or has a modified
crossguard, with a cinqueada or stiletto at the side.
In the end, the lot of it is inconsequential nonsense, but for me
to keep in mind what they use helps me to remember how they should fight, the
ways they react to things, and what types of enemies they should come up
against depending on what I want to happen.
For the average reader, it’ll mean nothing. For anyone as nutty about the High
Renaissance as I am, it’ll be a treat to know that I’ve done my research, at
least to a degree.
For now, that’s just a tidbit of the world I’m trying to
create. I hope you guys enjoy hearing
about it further and let me know if there’s anything you want me to
discuss.
Here’s to the future.
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