Saege Knife
The saege is a somewhat unique weapon, culturally speaking. Unlike many other weapons, every man or woman who has gone through Namelessness, and therefore has come of age, carries a saege. The blade serves as a reminder of Voland’s ordeal, which the Namelessness mirrors, and the treachery of Bishal. Bishal’s blade, as described in the Libram, served as the template for the first saege knives long ago, but their design has changed and varied over time. Some in the Order think that the original pattern should be restored, but others believe that it is, in this case at least, the thought that counts.
When a nameless youth regains his or her name during the Nighsend celebrations, they are given a saege as a sign of their accomplishment. It is not uncommon, especially among poorer families, for a blade that once belonged to a deceased relative to be passed on to the new generation. Wealthier families see it as a point of pride that they can afford a new saege for each child. Among the nobility, however, sentiments often swing back the other way, and many of the leaders of the Bay carry finely crafted knives from before the Freeze.
Though a token of remembrance of a person’s faith, saeges also serve a more utilitarian purpose. Whenever someone needs a knife to cut twine, to skin an animal, or any number of other mundane tasks that arise in their daily life, their saege is the tool they turn to. This is also interpreted by some devout as redeeming Bishal’s implement of terror by turning it into a tool for the benefit of the people.
Racial Weapons
The saege, while always carried by warriors, is seen by many as the incorrect tool for combat. Instead they turn to more powerful weapons, and each race has its own favoured selection.
The alfar, who idolize instinct, are well known for their use of simple weapons that could be easily improvised in many situations. The quarterstaff is commonly used among alfar, as is the baston. The baston is, like the quarterstaff, usually just a simple length of wood, but it is much shorter than a usual staff, being about a foot and a half long. Bastons are often used in pairs, and more elaborate examples may have chains or spikes attached to them. The alfar are also associated with their use of bows for ranged combat.
An elben’s weapon, on the other hand, is nothing so easily replaced. The weapons made famous by the elben are known as klaeths. Similar in design to a real world katana, klaeths are made by skilled bladesmiths from skymetal mined from an impact crater near Tallfalls. Klaeths, like bastons, are often wielded in pairs. The most famous feature of these weapons is that they never lose their edge, and thus never need sharpening. Some klaeths are specially designed to be thrown.
Hammers are the favoured weapon among hodekin, though they are rarely used by yadekin who tend to fight with their saeges. Usually made from the heavy lead mined in Torlich, hodekin hammers are decorated with runes from the ancient tongues. Though some hammers are designed to be thrown, hodekin generally prefer to use crossbows as their ranged weapons. Some yadekin have even been admitted into the army as crossbowmen because of the shortage of soldiers.
The uruks have turned picks, used by workers in the mines, into weapons of war. War picks are vicious weapons that have been adorned with barbs and hooks so as to deal more damage to the enemy. In ranged combat, the uruks have also begun using crossbows based on hodekin designs. Wealthy uruks may fight with steel swords, or even klaeths purchased from their elben allies.
Humans are the least focused of the races in terms of weapons. Many humans have taken up the alfar arts of fighting with quarterstaves, while others have followed the example of the uruk and turned their tools into weapons; axes in the case of the humans. In the human militias spears are often used because of their scant use of metal, while human nobility, like the wealthy uruks, often own expensive steel swords. Even families that are not wealthy may still possess swords passed down from before the Freeze.
Looking at other races, varkers tend to use very simple weapons such as clubs and slings that require little in terms of industry to produce. Depending on the tribe, varkers might or might not carry saeges; Redfeather varkers mostly do, but they don’t attach the same spiritual significance to the blades as the people of the Bay. Merrow warriors nearly always carry tridents, while their vellan slaves fight with a mix of clubs, picks, and axes. Undead thralls sometimes fight with weapons, but as often as not simply strike with their bare hands; the same is true of the shaldu demons.
Weapons in Game
Within the game, assuming you are using 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, you can use the following chart to determine what weapons to use. Even if you are using a different game system, it should be simple enough to make the appropriate connections yourself.
Bay Weapon | Associated Race | 4th Edition Weapon |
Axe | Human, Vellan | Axes |
Baston | Alfar | Flails, Maces |
Club | Varker, Vellan | Maces |
Hammer | Hodekin (female) | Hammers, Maces |
Klaeth | Elben | Heavy Blade |
Pick | Uruk, Vellan | Picks |
Quarterstaff | Alfar, Human | Staves |
Saege | All | Light Blades |
Spear | Human | Spears |
Sword | Human, Uruk | Heavy Blades |
Trident | Merrow | Trident, Tratnyr |
Bow | Alfar | Bows |
Crossbow | Hodekin, Uruk | Crossbows |
Sling | Varker | Slings |
Friday: Half-Bloods
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