The Remusian Warsword is a powerful slashing weapon with the ability to thrust. Standing at an average of 97 nailsbreadths in length, the Warsword is perfect as an arming sword for any warrior. It is commonly used by the Remusians and nearby Ice Tribes against foes clad in mail. The Warsword came into use by the year 1100 a.S., and has seen use in combat in Northern Sarvonia ever since.

Picture description. The Remusian Warsword, a  powerful slashing weapon of the Ice Tribes. Image drawn by Faugar.

Description. Though each Remusian warrior has his own sword custom-forged (or passed from father to son), because of the limited number of individual blacksmiths in Remusiat most such blades are very similar. Most Warswords are thus hammered out to a rough total length of 97 nailsbreadths with an 80 nailsbreadths blade. The grip length is only 11 nailsbreadths, designating the weapon as clearly a one-handed design. The blade features a wide fuller, both to conserve materials and lighten the weapon, which runs about three-quarters of the blade's length. A Remusian Warsword will always have a distinct taper, which runs subtly until the end of the fuller, at which point it begins to increase the taper rate to the point. The fuller and taper allow the sword to be both quick and powerful with its cuts. While various types of cross-guards have been encountered, but one simple type is seen far more commonly than any other. The usual guard is straight with an octogonal cross-section and a waisted appearance. Pommels are almost always a slight oval with beveled faces that are strongly hollowed out, keeping it clean and attractive. The Remusian Warsword is a simple weapon, but elegant in its simplicity.

While most Warswords are more or less in the same style as any other in the Ice Lands, the officers in the Remusian military make the most striking customization. While the blade itself remains unchanged, the hilt of the Warsword is modified to indicate the increase in rank. The first difference is the change in the grip: the officer’s Warsword sports a chorded grip that is wrapped in leather dyed a deep blue. The officer’s sword also features a downswept cross-guard, contrasting against the common soldier’s straight guard and further emphasizes the fact that this is a Remusian Warsword a step above the more commonly used variant. Note that while this is the norm for officers, due to their rank, they may request customized versions for themselves – therefore, not every officer’s Warsword will look the same. And while the Warsword’s handling and functionality has not changed at all (the blades are exactly the same), the officer’s sword is designed to be instantly recognizable as belonging to a commanding officer.

The Remusian Warsword is most commonly made of iron. Iron is cheap to import and mine, and is of reliable strength. Steel is used nearly exclusively for the very top ranks of the military due to its expense, and thus is very rarely seen.

Usage. By far and away the Remusian Warsword is used most often by the Remusians themselves. Nearly every Remusian warrior, despite what weapon they may carry as their primary choice, has the Warsword as their sidearm. This allows them to be formidable even if they drop their spear in combat. Because of the Remusians military success and their fame for being the “most advanced Ice Tribe”, many of the other nearby tribes have picked up the use of the Warsword as well. The Tokarians, Aeidins and the Faerons have especially been seen carrying the Warsword into battle as well – probably due to being the ones most likely to war with the Remusians.

Fighting Style. Being a single-handed sword, the Remusian Warsword is best utilized with a shield in the “sword 'n' board” fashion. This often occurs when a Remusian soldier loses his spear, pulling out his sword to continue the fight. In this formation, the Warsword performs beautifully in both the offense and defense. It is light and agile enough to recover from a slash, enabling the warrior wielding it to block any retaliation, but strong enough to bite through light mail with both cuts and thrusts. Against heavier mail armour, the warrior would likely maneuver his opponent into an opening where the Remusian could thrust his Warsword through the heavy mail, ending the fight.

The Remusians archers are also equipped with Warswords in the case they are engaged, and thus wield the blades much more offensively than the more heavily-armoured infantry. Most often without shield or much in the way of armour, the Warsword is all that comes between an archer and any engaging foe. In this way, the Remusian Warsword takes more of the brunt of an attack, turning aside enemy blades and making powerful cuts against the foe.

Origin/History. Due to the Ice Tribes not having the advanced technology nor the resources of their southern brethren, plate armour is almost non-existent in the icy north. When going into battle, the most widely used protection is a mail haubergon, though the Remusians use the fuller-sleeved mail hauberk more and more often. In the past, the cut was the dominant method of attack, and blades designed for such were the norm. Now that the mail armour was evolving, the Ice Tribes, especially the Remusians, began to revise their sword design. The fuller on the swords became shorter and the blade began to show a noticable taper towards the tip. Though still dedicated to the cut, what would become known as the Remusian Warsword could be used for servicable thrusts as well. The Warsword had just enough point control during the thrust to defeat the improving mail.

Due to this, the Remusians adopted the Remusian Warsword almost exclusively for its sword of choice since the weapon's creation before 1100 a.S. For certain, the Remusians use other weapons as their primary tool of war, such as the spear or bow, but there is not a single Remusian warrior today who does not carry a Warsword as his sidearm. Due to the popularity of the Remusian Warsword in the north, many people may refer to swords of a similar build as a generic “warsword”, all referring back to the original Remusian blade.

1st Rising Sun 1668 a.S. Information provided by Ruil Mallister