Lore:Crafting Motif 52: Redoran Style

:Should any non-Redoran ask you why our arms and armor are inspired by the claws and chitin of gigantic arthropods, just ask them if they've seen any Emperor Crabs lately—you know, those cathedral-sized crustaceans that once roamed the ashlands of Vvardenfell. Where did those go?

:We killed them. We, the warriors of House Redoran.

:Duty, gravity, and piety: these are our watchwords. We are the wartime defenders of the House Dunmer of Morrowind. Follow the guidelines graven below for crafting in the Redoran style, and do not cut corners, for that would be unworthy of our House.

AXES
:The double-edged blades of our Redoran axes evoke the claws and mandibles of the mammoth Morrowind insects whose fierceness we embody. Though accented with bronze, the blades themselves should be of the most durable metal available, ideally carbon steel.

BELTS
:Our belts are strong but simple and relatively unadorned, though the buckles may be of ornamental chitin. If available, the leather should be tanned kagouti hide, though premium guar leather may be substituted at a pinch.

BOOTS
:House Redoran boots are made of the toughest available leather, with thick soles for protection against our land's rugged terrain. Each instep is protected by two overlapping plates of rigid, pointed chitin.

BOWS
:The classic Redoran bow is a composite of native funguswood and springy leg-chitin, faced with chitin plates on the limbs as they radiate from the grip. The quiver is of light chitin plates accented with bronze; arrows have broad, barbed heads.

CHESTS
:Our House Redoran cuirasses are of flexible leather covered in layers of medium-sized overlapping chitin (or chitin-looking) plates, embossed and filigreed with ornamentation that may include our sacred scarab symbol.

DAGGERS
:The Redoran dagger has a broad and relatively short blade that ends in two diverging prongs that can inflict savage wounds on an unarmored opponent. Our House blade-fighting style emphasizes cutting over thrusting, so the twin prongs are no liability against armor.

GLOVES
:To facilitate grasping and grappling, even in the heaviest armor sets House Redoran gauntlets eschew rigid components over the hands and fingers, mounting overlapping chitin plates only on the forearms. These gauntlet-plates are typically pointed as an enhanced danger to enemies who get too close.

HELMETS
:Inasmuch as Redoran warriors are encouraged to get close and personal with their enemies, our helmets are designed to provide maximum protection for the head, with thick cranial domes and full face visors. The helmet's crown is ornamented with tall horns that resemble the mandibles of shalk.

LEG GREAVES
:Redoran greaves are of heavy but flexible leather, with overlapping chitin (or chitin-appearing) plates fastened in front to protect the wearer's shins. These plates should match those mounted on the insteps of the outfit's boots.

MACES
:The Redoran mace has a heavy head that sprouts sharply edged flanges on all sides, curved like insect claws. Though accented with bronze, the mace head should be of heavy iron or steel—or even Dwarven metal, if available.

SHIELDS
:The large, kite-shaped Redoran shield appears to be fashioned from the overlapping chitin plates of a gigantic scarab, and indeed our House scarab symbol often adorns the shield's central boss. The shield-face is topped with an open network of spiked bug-limbs that provide protection without blocking the wielder's vision.

SHOULDERS
:A Redoran pauldron is usually a single curved, flaring chitin (or chitin-looking) plate embossed with ornamental filigree, the whole mounted on the shoulder in such a way as to enable full, free movement of the shoulder and arm joints.

STAVES
:The finial of a Redoran mage's spell staff echoes the shalk-mandible horns of our helmets. To keep these twin prongs from getting entangled with enemy armor in close combat, they are designed to easily break away without damage, and fit back onto the staff's shaft when the battle is over.

SWORDS
:The sword of a warrior of House Redoran is broad, straight, and double-edged, with a murderous flaring double prong at the tip. Crossguards are narrow, as the Redoran swordfighter is trained to parry with the blade's forte, a hand's-width above the grip.