Tag: firearms

#Lore24 – Entry #241 – Helica Month #29 – To Share Forbidden Knowledge

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

If anything good could be said about the current leadership of the Church of Phyresis, it is that, with the Most High Summoner Tephysea in charge, some advances have been made, and with the aid of the Ketzeryn, no less.  The Church has actually adopted long-range communication technologies that were recovered many decades ago by the Ketzeryn, who had used them to keep their own fleets in touch since their recreation.  Of course, I’m certain that this will lead to nothing good, and likely will be used to further tighten the Church’s control within its established borders, if not encouraging them to expand their holdings even further.

A more disturbing rumor has begun to spread amongst the Ketzeryn during the latest Tranquility that the Church had begun adopting more stringent security within its capitol of Tyraguard, specifically reclaimed machines of war from before the coming of the Transgressor, the ancient malkikai that even they have been reluctant to study.  Not all Ketzeryn clans are in lockstep with one another, certainly, have never been, and the fact that some may have broken away and made deals with the Church to further their knowledge of the lost technologies is not unexpected, but is nonetheless worrying.  And of course, the average person accepts it faithfully, for the Church has simply declared these machines bonkikai, for use by those within the Church to protect the people from further actions by the Transgressor and other enemies.

Until I can confirm the nature of these machines for myself, perhaps joining a trading ship bound to Tyraguard’s ports to have a closer look, I’ll withhold further judgement, but securing more power, no matter the cost, seems to be perfectly in line with Tephysea’s ways.  Given that she’s undoubtedly allied with the Transgressor at this time, it’s honestly not that surprising.  As such, I’ve taken a few steps to help unsettle that new power structure she’s building up, tp weaken the foundations, so to speak.  Firstly, I’ve made sure that the Ketzeryn are developing countermeasures to any such malkikai that may be on the horizon, mainly in the form of more effective firearms and specific loads charged with electrical energy, which these creations are more susceptible to; more reluctantly, they are developing their own bonkikai to combat those of the Church, using what has been salvaged from across Helica.  Secondly, using the resources that I’ve accrued over the years, I’ve set up various methods of disseminating the truth of the Transgressor that I have learned from Saghirah’s scrolls to the people.  I am certain that my printed texts and burst transmissions through the communications system will be condemned as the work of heretics, but it will be enough to begin putting doubt into the minds of those who haven’t been totally brought under the sway of Phyresis.  Given the fact that several criminal groups have sprung up in the last few decades, all dealing to some extent in materials the Church has declared illegal, there is no insignificant number of those people who perhaps would be willing to listen to my message.  It will be slow and arduous, certainly, but with proper caution and my seeming timeless nature, it will be effective, I am certain.

#Lore24 – Entry #181 – Wild West Month #30 – Those who Make the Thundering Weapons

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

Though the Kerra-Kerra have long sought not to make use of Thundering Weapons, as our lands are threatened more and more by the Many People from Beyond the Great Walls, so too must we learn to use them if we wish to keep our sacred places as they should be.  Our ways of living upon the Bitter Frontier mean that we cannot make the Thundering Weapons for ourselves, and that those who seek to do us harm will try to keep them from us.  Should you ever find yourself in battle and slay one using a Thundering Weapon, if you can, take it and its bullets with you; if you do not use it for yourself, then someone in our tribe or another will.  As such, you should be aware that not all Thundering Weapons are created equal, for some are better than others, and will see you live where a poorer weapon would see you dead.

As our people have learned, through use and conversation with those who do not seek to harm us as they explore the Bitter Frontier, be aware of the revolving Thundering Weapons that bear the mark of the young Filly.  Filly pistols are amongst the finest made, and among the most common you will find for this reason.  They are reliable, accurate, and deadly.  Their ammunition is short, marked with the numbers “45” in the common tongue.  If you cannot have a Filly, then those from “Weston & Smythe” are nearly as good, though their bullets are not always of the same size, and sometimes harder to find.  There have been many gunslingers who carry those W&S weapons which break open from the top, for they are quicker to reload, and easier to do so from horseback. 

For the hunter, the long Thunder Weapons bearing the name “Winchauster” are regarded as the best.  The make the “shotgun” like no other, for it can spread many tiny bullets far and wide.  They make them with one or two barrels, some that can even hold more than one or two cartridges.  These weapons, up close, can tear a man in half.  Never ever underestimate the power of such a weapon.  Likewise, the “Winchauster” also make the best “rifles”, the kind of Thundering Weapon that shoots bigger bullets for longer range and greater power.  Their “rifles” hold many bullets and load and reload quickly, using the lever on the bottom to do so.  There are others who make such weapons, but the quality is not the same, nor are their ammunition, which is harder and harder to find.

Special “rifles” of note are those that are very long and very heavy compared to the “Winchausters” and bear the name of “Keens”.  Sometimes you will find them with a Tube of Crystal and Brass atop them, devices that will allow you to clearly see the much further than normal, but most often not.  They use the largest of the solid bullets and are loaded one at a time from the rear.  These are very powerful, best used for hunting the largest of buffalo, and can even pierce the shells of the giant scorpions in the Great Scorpion Flats at distance.  These are rare compared to others, but highly prized.

A new kind of Thundering Weapon is becoming more common upon the Bitter Frontier now, and can be found upon the Howling Steel Chariots, and are a terrible sight to behold.  These are called the “Ripley Guns”, and they can lay waste to entire war parties, for they fire many, many rounds one after the other without need to reload.  You will know them for they have many barrels, arranged in a circle around a center tube, and are fired by turning a crank on one side.  They are mounted and stationary but are often hidden behind walls of steel, firing through smaller openings.  It is best to run when one of these Thundering Weapons is brought to bear against you, unless you are able to take out the ones firing it from cover.  We do not favor such weapons, for they are heavy and hard to carry.  Destroy them if you can, but do not risk your life to do so.