The pride of the former Kyranian kingdom’s arsenal is the Sengren, a double-bladed axe in which all noble youth of Kyrania were trained. Effective as a weapon against cavalry and infantry and able to pierce the strongest armour, the Sengren is known for its lightweight design. Today, the Sengren is still used, most notably amongst the famous Caelum Guard, however most of the techniques practiced and developed during the time of the ancient kingdom have been forgotten.

Picture description. The double-bladed Sengren Axe of typical Kyranian design. Image by Seeker.

Description. The Sengren is a double-bladed axe that is made completely out of steel. One of these blades is large, thick and strong. This blade looks like a triangle, with the top of the triangle cut off and the base bending outwards much like a standard working axe. The other blade is crafted in the shape of a crescent moon and is sharpened to a razor edge. Above the top of the axe is the tip of this crescent blade, hard enough to pierce the strongest armour and to cut through flesh. The handle of the Sengren is covered by two strips of leather from the Kyrattin cattle to enable the wielder to have a good strong grip on the weapon.

At one ped in length and two hebs in weight, the Sengren can be effectively wielded in either or both hands. The most noted variation of the weapon is an even smaller and lighter version for use by youths and females. This version weighs one heb and is well under one ped in length. While some weaponsmiths made variations of the Sengren that were larger and heavier, these were deemed to be too bulky to be effective against mounted enemies. Due to it being made of the one piece of metal, the Sengren can only be destroyed by melting it down.

During times of war, another version of the Sengren was produced. In this version, the handle of the Sengren was made of eur'oak this version was used by those commoners who showed some promise and appeared to be well suited to the army, that is they were broad of shoulder.

Usage. The Sengren was once the pride of the Kyranian arsenal and was used by infantry units in the Kyranian army. This axe is too small to swing effectively at ground units from horseback, however it could be used as a secondary weapon against another knight if that knight's sword had been lost. During the heyday of the Kyranian kingdom, all noble youths of the kingdom were trained in the use of the Sangren.

In addition to its use in the armies of Kyrania, the Sengren was also used in the Kyresk and the Kyranian Manhood Ceremonies. In the Kyresk, combat occurred between siblings to break ties when determining the heir of the noble Kyranian houses. During manhood ceremonies, noble youths engaged in Sengren competitions. In both the Kyresk and manhood ceremonies, the fights were to first blood. On succeeding in the manhood ceremony and the Kyresk, the successful Kyranian would etch their family mark into the pommel of their axe, signifying ownership of the axe and the continuation of the family line.

The eur'oak handled version of the Sengren was used by commoners when drafted into the armies of Kyrania. The wooden handle made it easier for the commoners to etch their family mark into the pommel of the Sengren. These commoners formed the detachments to units of swordsmen and wielders of other weapons. The specialist Sengren Infantry unit, however, was made up of nobles wielding the full steel version of the Sengren. After the wars ended, those commoners who survived took their Sengrens with them and they had pride of place in their farms, inns and other places of work. In the farms, they were often used as farm implements, and handed down through the generations, until they fell into disrepair.

Today, the Sengren is used on a much smaller scale, most notably in the well known Caelum Guard. Since the fall of the ancient kingdom of Kyrania, many of the techniques designed for the Sengren have been lost to time. Regardless of when this axe is used, it is never used in conjunction with a shield as the the use of a shield prevents the Sengren being used to its full potential.

Fighting Style. The Sengren is a weapon for warriors on foot that can be used either one handed or two handed and is effective against both cavalry and infantry units. Most of the techniques have been forgotten and died out since the fall of the Kyranian kingdom due to the difficulty in finding and employing a trainer. The following are some techniques that are still known of today.

In a field against charging cavalry, a skilled practitioner could duck low, swing, and use the large part of the Sengren to cut through a horse's leg. After this, the user would swing the axe the other way, twirling the blade and using the crescent side to cut the tendons of another horse as it passed by. These two techniques were developed against calvary.

When used in battle against infantry, the Sengren is effective at both attack and defence. For example against troops wielding broadswords, the larger and heavier blade takes the opponent's blows, while the crescent blade catches the blade and tears the weapon from the owner's grasp. The tip of the crescent extends above the main axe just long enough to pierce armour and flesh.

Unfortunately, the Sengren does not have any defences against ranged weapons and wielders of this axe would have to rely on the support of the other weapon wielders in the army when facing archers, crossbowmen or similar troop types.

Origin/History. The Sengren was designed and forged by Sengren "Ren" Thromgolin, one of the descendants of Cyroan Thromgolin. The weapon was named after its designer. His younger brother, Cyrobaltt "Cyro" Thromgolin, developed techniques when using the Sengren to make it effective against infantry and cavalry. Together with their older brother, Gilden "Gil" Thromgolin, they revolutionised offensive and defensive warfare in Kyrania and became known as the 'Scions of Cyroan'. As the Kingdom of Kyranian progressed through its history, wielders of the Sengren were used in varying roles on the battlefield, sometimes within specialised units and sometimes as detachments to units of swordsmen within the Kyranian army. The Sengren units played an important part in all of the conflicts in which the Kyranians were engaged up to the fall of the ancient kingdom.

A common belief amongst the royal family of Kyrania was that if a Sengren was placed under the bed, a male offspring was assured. Tradition has it that this belief dates back to King Cyroden Gilden who forgot that it was under his bed one night before sleeping on the bed with his wife, Queen Barutta Dawatte. In fulness of time, they produced a son and heir. Since then, most members of the Kyranian royal family supposedly sleep with a Sengren under their bed. It is also reported that some other members of the nobility have also followed this practice.

Since the fall of the kingdom, most of the secret techniques of the Sengren have been lost and the axe is not as popular as it once was. The most notable exception to this is within the famed Caelum Guard which still trains in and uses the Sengren amongst other weapons.

When Sengren "Ren" Thromgolin first created the Sengren, his weaponsmith created a version of the axe which was presented to Ren at a formal ceremony. The axe was made completely out of steel, and had carvings up and down the handle representing his family lline, a stag's head with a crown between the antlers. Both blades also had similar etchings. A jeweller attached an amethyst stone to the pommel of the axe.

On the death of Ren, the weapon found its way into the royal family, and for a while was used as the king's weapon in war. More often than not, this required the pommel stone to be replaced, with an amethyst each time. In time, the weapon became a symbol of the royal family of Kyrania, and resided above the throne in Caelum, with the king using a standard Sengren when Kyrania went off to war. Nowadays, the Sengren still holds pride of place in Caelum, a reminder to all of the weapon of choice of the ancient Kyranian kingdom.

20th Rising Sun 1669 a.S. Information provided by Deklitch Hardin