The Jhehellrhim Crossbow is a scared weapon to the Jhehellrhim Elves. Given to only their most gifted hunted, to receive the crossbow is a mark of the highest honour for the elven hunters. More powerful than the regular crossbow thanks to its makeup, the Jhehellrhim Crossbow takes longer to reload than its fellows, but it packs a far stronger punch.

Description. The Jhehellrhim Crossbow is a sacred crossbow to the Jhehellrhim Elves. They are approximately a ped long, larger than the average crossbow. They're much like the heavy crossbows used by numerous soldiers stationed in fortresses and castles, but its build is different than the normal crossbows. The bow piece of the crossbow, the prod, is much like a standard recurve bow, but it is made like the composite bow. It is made up of several layers of horn, wood, and sinew kept together by glue made from a variety of substances, namely, animal fat and sap.

The prod of the crossbow is made of several materials glued together via a special mixture of sap and animal fat. The materials include horn and sinew from the wild game that is hunted by the elves, and yew taken from older trees of the forest. The exact production of the prod is uncertain, as the Jhehellrhim Elves have guarded their knowledge well, and the compendiumist has no wish to anger the tribe. However, we can guess the obvious; the prod is held tightly together by the glue formed from fat and sap, which is a clever idea, considering the abundance of these materials in the Istarin Forest.

The bowstring is of a curious make, called a reverse-twisted string. Several strands are twisted independently in one direction, but are then placed in a bundle, and twisted in the opposite direction, creating a reverse twist, hence the name. The reverse-twisted string is held to the crossbow by a thick knot at each end of the string, which keeps it secure, and in no danger of coming loose from the crossbow. The bowstring is made of natural materials gathered from the forest, hemp and linen are both favourites of the Jhehellrhim Elves for construction of the bow string.

The stock of the crossbow is made of carefully carved wood from an Urban Tree growing in the forest. The back of the crossbow is specially aligned to the owner , so it can fit perfectly to his or her shoulder. The trigger is a simple lever that, when pressed, lowers the nut of the crossbow and releases the string, propelling the bolt. The bolt itself is a little less than a fore, and is made of oak gathered in the Istarin Forest. The head is made of steel and is shaped like the standard arrowhead, with one exception, at the bottom of the bolthead on both sides, instead of the steel ending in points, the metal bends slight to make a hook like area. This is made so that if shot at a target and they attempted to remove it, the hooks would catch onto the insides of the body and drag them out as well. 

Usage. The Jhehellrhim Crossbow is used solely by the Jhehellrhim Elves. It is considered a great honour and privilege for an hunter to be given a Jhehellrhim Crossbow because of the time it takes to create. The weapon is only given to a handful of great hunters and warriors who have proven themselves to be a great asset to the tribe. It is unheard of for a non Jhehellrhim to use the crossbow even in the most dire circumstance, including life or death. When a hunter is bestowed with a crossbow, a celebration is called for in his honour. If a hunter in your immediate family is given a Jhehellrhim Crossbow it is a mark of honour not only for him or her, but also for you.

The Jhehellrhim Crossbow is mainly used to hunt dangerous game. The crossbow packs a bigger punch, and this makes it an excellent weapon when going against large and hazardous animals like bear. As only experienced hunters can receive one of these crossbows, young hunters will hunt a wild beast on their own to prove their worth and gain respect enough to be considered an applicant for one. If successful this will gain much renown amongst their tribe, but such an act is not officially sanctioned because for every victor in this action, there are a dozen losers, some with injuries that are far too difficult to heal. 

Fighting Style. The Jhehellrhim Crossbow works much the same as a regular crossbow. The string is placed back behind the nut, and a bolt is place in the small groove along the stock. The back of the stock is placed against the shoulder, the crossbowman takes aim, and presses the trigger. The trigger is a lever at the bottom of the stock that lowers the nut and releases the bowstring. The string snaps forward and propels the bolt out exactly like a normal bow, but this bolt is carrying far more force than a normal arrow, and will pack a far bigger punch.

Reloading is a slow process, as it is for all crossbows. The expert hunters that wield these crossbows will often hunt with an aide, perhaps an apprentice or family member, who will carry a second crossbow for the hunter to use. Once the hunter fires his main crossbow, he will hand it to the aid to reload it, and the aide will reload the first crossbow. This practice helps reduce the time between shots. Since this crossbow is even stronger than others, one cannot string it simply by pulling back the bowstring. The crossbowman carries a tool to help him reload, made up of two hooks, strings, and a crank. The hooks are placed on the bowstring, on each side of the plank, the crank is held onto the crossbow and is turned, the hooks pull up the bowstring and the crossbowman places it behind the nut. A bolt is placed in the grooves along the plank, and the crossbow is ready to fire again.

Origin/History. The exact inventor of the Jhehellrhim Crossbow is unknown, but it is believed by many that it was not a single man, but rather a group of Jhehellrhim Elves who spent most of their lives on trying to create a new crossbow. When the use of the original crossbow became widespread, the Jhehellrhim needed a weapon and hunting tool specifically for their best hunters. An unknown elf, or elves went to work, and shortly after the Third Sarvonian War, the Jhehellrhim Crossbow emerged as one of the Jhehellrhim's most sacred weapons. Despite its age, the weapon is still only used by the Jhehellrhim, and it is highly doubtful that the weapon will ever become as widespread as the original crossbow.

14th Frozen Rivers 1670 a.S. Information provided by Agran Velion