Crafting Motif 19 : Mercenary Content . By Gaspard Esmery , Captain of Gaspard ' s Stalkers Mercenary companies got a bad reputation during Potentate Versidue - Shaie ' s War of Subjugation , when paid troops of Imperial vassals went rogue , pillaging their way across the provinces until the Legions brought them down . But with the rise of the Three Alliances and the return of general warfare across Tamriel , our services are once again in high demand . The mercenaries are back ! AXES Mercenary axes are heavy , and made with only one purpose in mind : smashing or slashing through armor . The haft below the head is sheathed in a cylindrical steel languet , to protect it from being severed and to enable parrying . The lower portion of the haft is often bone , ending in a pointed steel ferrule . BELTS A mercenary ' s waist cincture is wide , often sporting two or three parallel straps of thick leather , each with its own buckles . The boss at the front may display the sigil of the mercenary ' s company . BOOTS A mercenary ' s boots are simple and utilitarian , both durable and comfortable , as a mercenary must be able to march for leagues and then charge right into battle . BOWS Mercenary bows are powerful engines , able to drive steel - tipped arrows through all but the heaviest armor . Their limbs are of recurved horn , with small metal shield - plates bolted onto the backs , so the bow can serve as an expedient buckler in the left hand , while the archer draws her short sword with the right . CHEST PIECES A mercenary ' s chest armor is constructed of thick leather , often faced with steel scales or plates . This cuirass is crisscrossed by leather bandoliers for carrying gear or secondary weapons . DAGGERS The mercenary ' s broad - bladed dagger is nearly as long as a short sword , made for punching or hacking through the weak spots in a downed opponent ' s armor . They are not balanced for throwing , but are heavy enough to deliver a solid blow if hurled . GLOVES Most mercenary weapons lack crossguards , as mercenaries prefer an active , thrusting parry . Hand and forearm protection are provided by thick gauntlets , overlapped by articulated plates extending down from the vambraces on the forearms . HELMETS Mercenary helmets are typically crafted to resemble stylized death ' s - heads , with fangs and a central " horn " — though some insist that the forehead spike represents the single - digit salute mercenaries give their opponents just before coming to grips . LEG GREAVES Overlapping plates protect the front of a mercenary ' s legs , with flexible leather at the back . The poleyn that protects the knee often features a vertical spike that echoes the " horn " on the helmet . MACES Mercenary maces have heavy cylindrical heads studded with angular spikes for punching through armor . Like the axes , the maces ' upper hafts are sheathed in steel languets , while the lower hafts end in spiked metal ferrules . SHIELDS Mercenary ' s shields are shaped like Nords ' kite shields , and are almost as large . They are faced with steel and bronze , which few mercenaries bother to lacquer or paint — these aren ' t ornamental objects , they ' re working armor pieces , designed to take blows . Why waste paint on them ? SHOULDERS A mercenary ' s pauldrons and rerebraces are thicker on the soldier ' s main arm , where the most protection is needed . Bandoliers and baldrics are usually belted beneath the pauldrons . STAVES For a spellcasting mercenary , the staff serves as both weapon and shield , and both ends of the haft are often sheathed in cylindrical steel to enable parrying . More than just an ornament , the staff ' s finial ends in one or more sharp spikes , enabling the staff to be used as a half - pike in a pinch . SWORDS A mercenary ' s sword is broad and heavy , like a falchion , designed as much for battering as for slashing . Only the forward edge is sharpened ; the back edge is designed to take blows , or to deliver a thrusting parry .