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Palæoboreanic Armor

Copyright © 1999-2020 C.E. by D. Jon Scott

Introduction

Palæoboreanic armor...

Materials

Leather armor — was treated and hardened such that “standard” leather harvested from most ungulate mammals could be as strong as high-quality wood. This meant that even a splitting maul might not always cleave through it on the first strike; swords and battle axes could chop divets out of it, but would likely not penetrate all the way through on the first couple of strikes. This made leather armor a fairly good choice of armor for everyday use, but as metal armors were far more durable and could better and longer withstand repeated strikes, leather armor would have been a poor choice for battlefield scenarios, as a warrior clade in leather armor would be highly unlikely to last very long against opponents armored in metal.

Latten armor — armor made from bronze, brass, or copper.

Isen armor — armor made from iron or steel.

Torso Armor

The ancient Palaeoboreanic peoples were able to make a wide variety of armors for the torso. Breastplates, cuirasses, and byrnies are all represented.

Figure 1: Basic Cuirass — “standard issue” armor somewhat hastily constructed and often only roughly fitted to the individual. These were used by extremely inexperienced, often newly-inducted fighters and by individuals who only had short-term need for torso armor. Latten, isen, and leather versions of this armor are attested.

Figure 2: Professional Cuirass — slightly more expensive and well-fitted to the wearer, these were obtained at the earliest opportunity by anyone with long-term need for a cuirass.

Figure 3: Elite Cuirass — gave roughly as much coverage and protection as the more-rounded basic and professional cuirasses, but with one major disadvantage: the contouring would allow enemy weapons more places to catch on the armor before glancing off. This armor was worn mainly by fighters belonging to the elite ranks of society, who were less likely to fight on the front lines in battle. For those elites who did fight on the front lines, there may have been an intimidation factor to using this slightly-less-practical cuirass, as only a very skilled fighter would dare risk fighting in it (cf. the “handicap principle” in evolutionary biology and the concept of “costly signaling”).

Figure 4: Ceremonial Byrnie — a monastic chainmail garment worn by Trinarian Paladins for ceremonial purposes. This vest-like armor was not intended for use in battle, however Palaeoboreanic artwork often depicts heroic and/or divine individuals fighting in this armor, that is mainly a matter of artistic license.