Great Mauls are
weapons generally used by strong warriors. With
devastating power when used correctly, the Maul can break bones and cause
grievous bodily harm without even breaking the armour. One of the most effective
weapons against plate armour, the Maul can be
considered as a sort of militarised sledgehammer.
|
Image description. A well known figure of myth
in Northern Sarvonian lands wielding a Great Maul: the Taurian. Illustration drawn by
Seeker. |
Description.
Great Mauls are made up of a heavy block of metal atop a long wooden shaft. The
look of the head of the maul varies depending on the race it was made by;
human mauls almost always have a steel or iron
block on a thick wooden shaft, while dwarven
ones often have the entire maul made out of the same metal; usually iron or
steel, but some have even been known to be made of the rare mithril and
decorated with fine gold runes and patterns! Some have one or more spikes on the
back. Shafts lengths can range anywhere from one ped to two
peds, two
fores, and are mostly made
of woods. Some of the best woods are ironwood and cherry, though most hardwoods
are acceptable.
According to the few people to have seen them and lived to tell the tale, there
are also varieties that are used by the larger races such as
trolls and ogres,
as these giants can carry a massive maul with one hand.
Loch-Oc orcs are also known to use
Mauls, especially those that have spikes on them. Most varieties have a leather
thong attached to the end of the shaft to ensure warriors don’t drop their
weapon.

Usage.
Many races use a variation of the Great Maul.
Humans and dwarves most commonly use them
however. Elves rarely use this
weapon, as it is too bulky for the
nimble fighting style they are used to.
Avennorians and
Shendar are rarely seen using the
Maul. As mentioned above orcs (especially
Loch-Oc),
Trolls and ogres also use the Great Maul,
and though they are the weapon of choice for
dwarves - being Urtengor's own
favoured
weapon -, the
Kurakim are especially proficient
with them, as are many Erpheronian
warriors who are more thick set than their kinsmen.

Fighting Style.
Great Mauls are more cumbersome than most weapons,
if not the most, but they can still pack a powerful punch, especially against
multiple enemies. When facing more than one foe, the wielder swings the maul as
hard as they can from side to side, keeping them from getting close enough to
attack. The long shaft is what allows this to happen, and so we come to one of
the greatest assets of the Maul; the reach. Sometimes this tactic can be used
against a single enemy, but more often the user of the maul will lift it to head
height and bring it crashing down, before lifting it and quickly repeating the
process, until their adversary makes a mistake. They are able to do this for
long periods of time having had to train for long hours in order to be able to
access the upper body strength essential to use this
weapon.
Great Mauls are not the weapon of choice for most warriors. They are too heavy
and unwieldy, leaving only those with immense strength able to use them
efficiently.

Origin/History. The
true origins of the Great Maul are lost in the mists of time, but an
Erpheronian legend common in the
area around Voldar tells of a time, during
the Battle of Four Swords, when
a farm blacksmith, by the name of Sydus Goth, roused to the defense of his
farmstead, led the counter-attack against the orcs
wielding his sledgehammer. His awesome muscles and familiarity with the balance
and use of the tool allowed him to use it to devastating effect and the orcs
were routed. After the battle, Sydus realised just how formidable a weapon he
carried and set about enlarging the head and studding it with nails in case of
another orc attack. The legend goes that a mere three hours after the completion
of the transformation of the hammer from tool to weapon
a larger orc force attacked the farmstead, but were once again defeated by the
simple peasant folk, emboldened by the sight of Sydus' devastating hammer.
Similar legends exist across the length and breadth of the disc of
Caelereth.
One of the Compendium experts
on dwarves, Bard Judith, provided the
following explanation: The dwarves of
Northern Sarvonia, who have been using hammers as their warweapons for
literally thousands of years, claim that the Great Maul originated with their
tribe back in the dawn of their history. In the colder wastes of the North where
forge hammers and sledge hammers rang day and night under the icy rocks to carve
out their living caverns, and where axes were rarely used due to the dearth of
large trees, slowly the hammer became their symbol. The tool of choice, it would
have come readily to hand if icewolves attacked or a wandering band of
orcs encountered a work party of
dwarves... and so, simply and easily, the
dwarves hammer took on its fighting
connotations. The handle was lengthened, the striking face made more convex, and
the shaft given inset rings so that the weapon could
be slung on a strap across the back. By the time
humans encountered the northern Thergerim,
the hammer was already an omnipresent part of their aboveground attire, as
unremarkable as the eating knife or nailstudded rock boots... but a novelty to
the human tribes, who seized on this simple
but practical tool and adapted it for their own physique and fighting style.
How the use of the Great Maul spread is unknown, and there may have been many
factors, but some things are for sure: this weapon,
while primitive, can be devastating in battle and its use is still widespread.
