Iurías and the kýrass

I know what you are all thinking. "*gasp* I haven't seen this in a year." Well I bugged Argon in IRC and seeing as this entry only needed to integrate Rayne's comments to get approved and he didn't feel like doing it, so I am adding the last edits for him. The entry should get attributed to him IMHO.

Rayne's final corrections: red

The Iurías and the kýrass are both swords used primarily by Kaýrrhem guards. The Kaýrrhem have used these lightweight, curved blades since before the War of the Chosen.

Description
The Iurías, at approximately 1 Ped long, has a fine sharp blade that bows back to a point. The back of the weapon is thicker but still sharpened. At the base the sword is about five nailsbredth, and gradually comes to a point as the blade curves slightly backwards. The sword has a bit of a unique shine. The edge of the blades are polished. The edge of the blade is sharpened as it comes down to a thin edge, increasing at a steep angle, and then continues until the middle at which point it reaches a shallow point, with no edge, and then reaches down to the back of the blade gradually. The hand guard, or quillon, extends from the hilt in a half circle a nailsbreadth long and half a nailsbreadth deep. This sword weighs about three ods.

The Iurías has a twohanded version about a ped and a half long, with two notches removed, the first at three nails breadth, and the second at eight nails breadth from the hilt. This blade is called the kýrass, weighs about a heb. This sword is used with one hand, but is more unwieldy, as the hilt has been lengthened, and the blade is wider then the Iurías. Both the swords have variations of the handles, being straight to a curved handle, amongst other variations.

Usage
The Kaýrrhem use the Iurías and the kýrass for their guards, who, during times of war, can be the vast majority of their population. These are their common weapons. The Iurías is frequently used in conjunction with an oval shield and a spear. The kýrass is used without the shield, and occasionally with the spear, but not in tandem. The Kaýrrhem use the swords in defense as this tribe is not warlike, but it will defend itself, and will go to war if they feel that it is necessary to protect their realm, or to defeat a greater evil. Within the tribe, these swords are common however outside the tribe this sword is a rarity although crude variations have been found in the hands of the enemies of the Kaýrrhem.

Fighting Style
These swords are meant for slicing, not for a slashing or hacking style. The Iurías is used best with the oval shield for defense, while the kýrass, because of it's need for two-hands, is typically used without a shield, although it, like the Iuriás, is still used for slicing. The disadvantages of the kýrass and Iurías are that they are best used when cutting; anything else, and the weapons are less effective when used otherwise. These weapons are not very effective with parrying as they are far to thin to safely, and effectively turn aside a blade. These swords also tend to be less durable then the normal broadsword. While fighting with the weapons, the wielder usually appears as though he or she is dancing rather than fighting as they twirl around while the dodge and slice.

When the swords are used to parry, it is generally accomplished by ultilizing the back of the blade to deflect the blow, for this is the least fragile area of the weapon.

Origin/History
These weapons tend to be found within the Kaýrrhem on Nybelmar. These swords are used by the Kaýrrhem for defensive purposes. These blades date back to before the War of the Chosen. It is said the original smith for this blade envisioned it in a dream, and from that dream he crafted a crescent shaped shamshir. The original version of this blade was as heavy as the long sword and rather unwieldy having to be used with 2 hands, or with one only by the strongest elven warriors. This blade quickly became the favored blade of the tribe through the War of the Chosen and became to be the favored weapon of Imsadí, an elven princess, who, according to Nyblemarian History, turned the tide of the battle in the legend of Menemronn leading to the vicotry of the elven armies. During one of the final battles of the War, a chip of Imsadí's sword was broken off. After the battle the smiths saw this and began to replicate this with the blades to represent the victory Imsadí had that day. Through the centuries new smithing techniques were found and they began to try these out on the Iurías. EzCode Parsing Error: color=red] Some of them stuck; others were EzCode Parsing Error: color=red]th to be detrimental to the blade[/font]. At one point in a later war with the Coorhem, when the kyrass was first being implemented, the general of the Kayr army had received an early version that had a defect in the blade. The back of his blade was deeply chipped when he engaged in combat and that chip scared his cheek. He survived, and led his army to victory. Smiths saw this as a sign to keep the chip for before the blade was chipped they were losing, after it became chipped it. From that day forward the kyrass had 2 circles removed from the back the blade. Through out the years more changes have been made to bring you the Kyrass and iurass of the day.

When the Coorhem and the Ifer'hem both left the Kayr at their respective times, they took the iuras. These both have been changed to suit the tribes through the years and are and are not nearly as refined, and are of differing fashions of the iurass. The Coorhem have made the back of the blade more jagged. The Ifer'hem have an even less refined form designed to take extreme heats. The remaining Ifer'hem, though they only make up a small cult insider the Coorhem, maintain this form despite the overwhelming infulences of the more dominant culture.

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Edited by: Artimidor Federkiel at: 6/17/06 9:43