Tower Shield of the Order of the Fallen. Designed by Koldar Mondrakken.

Description. The Tower Shield is one of the largest shields used in combat, formed in general in rectangular or octagonal shape, about four to five fores high and two fores wide It is usually made of wood with iron plating, making it light enough to wield. Only infantry soldiers (mostly spearmen) use it, as it is too heavy for cavalry/archers.

Usage. The main point of the shield design is to protect the whole body from arrows/bolts. In fact the Tower Shield is the only shield giving extraordinary good protection from distant attacks of crossbow men. Even masses of arrows can be fended of by the shield. It is mainly used in battle to protect spearmen in the first rows of an army. Additionally, Tower Shields may also protect crossbowmen from arrows, who stand in second line: Often the first line consists of spearmen, the next line of crossbowmen. The spearmen protect the crossbowmen while they fire on infantry. Another interesting tactic is to have such shields on every man at the border lines of a division, protecting the battalion as a whole. Tower Shields can also be used to be put on top of fighters, making arrows completely useless. This defense formation is called “turtle”. However, the Tower Shield is more or less useless for a swordsman in close combat, as it is too heavy and would hinder a swordsman more than it would help to protect him.

Origin/History. Who exactly developed this shield is unknown, but it was used both in SW ÍI and III. The greatest mystery about this shield is the name, as it is never used from towers or walls. The common version is that the shield is making a man look like a wandering tower.