The Arms and Armour of the Ešurim

Every elf-led village maintains a levy, whether drawn from common villagers or composed of distinct warrior castes.

This levy is known as the Ešurim, “Those Summoned by Oath.”

How these levies are armed and armored varies greatly from village to village. The only common denominator is the scarcity of bronze; villages far from the trade routes of the merchant caravans must make do without.

Yet there is no lack of material from which to fashion deadly weapons in the Cursed Realm.

Clubs are made from fire-hardened wood, and maces can be crafted by fastening a stone head—just as lethal as one cast in bronze.

Bone too finds its use: it can form javelin heads, or the tooth of a sabertooth tiger may be shaped into a vicious pickaxe. Even a simple shard of sharpened bone can serve as a deadly dagger.

Stone is perhaps the most common material for weapons in Tenehu. Whether shaped into axe heads or knapped into arrow and javelin tips. As javelins and arrows are easily lost or broken, many elven lords deem it wasteful to forge them from bronze, even when they have access to it.

Because the Cursed Realm is rife with volcanoes, volcanic rock is plentiful. When knapped, it forms edges so sharp they can slice cleanly through flesh.

Though bronze—or rather, the tin needed to make it—is rare, copper is not. Those fortunate enough to have a ready source of it use it freely for weapons and armor. Yet the dream of every elf is to see his levy equipped entirely with bronze, for bronze surpasses all other materials in strength and prestige. Few, however, are so fortunate.

As bronze is so precious, armor must often be fashioned from other materials. Wood, leather, bone, and textile are common choices. Padded armor made from quilted cloth and stuffed with wool offers excellent protection against most blows. Wooden or leather armor, often adorned with copper fittings, not only provides good defense—especially against bone and stone weapons—but also grants a fearsome appearance.

Whether their shields are of wicker or their armor of wood, the warriors of the Ešurim decorate their gear with the colors and symbols of their lord. To their allies, such displays are a source of pride; to their enemies, they are a sight of dread.

Thus, while the elven lords go to war clad head to foot in gleaming bronze, their levies must rely on what materials their villages can provide. Yet this does not make them any less deadly. Even without bronze, the Ešurim remain a force to be reckoned with.