Tsurugi (Chapter)

HistoryThe tsurugi is a relatively new weapon in terms of Verdite's history. It has always been primarily used as a shield-arm.
There have been major shifts in shield-arm usage over the history of Antioch. In the beginning, shield-arms were very short and sometimes featured exaggerated handles. Combat meta at the time was heavily focused on rushing and close range combat. With the available construction materials it wasn't feasible to make long weapons. Long weapons were brittle, and if they were made durable, they were very heavy and slow.
It wasn't until fiberglass weaponry started to become the norm that any kind of innovation was made to shield-arms. In the early periods the most effective Verdish shield-arms were 'bladestaves' (an early tech kentabo). As technology continued to advance, weapons such as the wakizashi, tsurugi, and kentabo became the norm.
Tsurugi became obsolete with the advent of gen-7 weaponry, as kodachi were thinner, longer, and better suited for the war-efforts. However, when thin-blade variants began popping up, tsurugi could be made with less foam, effectively acquiring kodachi blade profiles with the addition of a second edge.
Weapon PropertiesConsult the following image for a quick property chart. 
The tsurugi's properties are assuming usage with a viable shield.
The categories are explained as followed:
* Speed - The weapons ability to accelerate and combo.
* Range - The effective combat range of the weapon.
* Weight - The overall weight of the weapon.
* Difficulty - The learning curve of the weapon in terms of how much work will be required to be considered proficient.
* Value - The combat usefulness in a war situation.
* +/- Denote effective changes in properties with alternative variants (such as gen-7)
** "+" means that particular category is slightly increased with Gen-7 variants
** "-" means that particular category is slightly decreased with Gen-7 variants
Variants
==== Mizu ====
Mizu variants are the standard style for tsurugis. They reduce overall weight and allow for custom carved handles that fit the hand and thumb better.
==== Generation 7 ====
Generation 7 variants replace the standard core with a gen-7 core that reduces overall weight. Gen-7 versions are often made slightly longer than their standard counterparts to increase effective combat ability.
==== Thin Blade ====
Thin Blade variants are a subclass of gen-7 versions. Thin blades are a bit longer than their gen-7 versions and feature a thinner blade that can more easily attack areas that traditional blades are too wide to access. While combat ability is enhanced in this version, durability suffers.
Modern UsageTsurugis are primarily used as shield-arms. They have application as side-arms for pikemen and archers, but are not considered the norm for those applications.
Notable UsersLachlan
Artaillies
SapientiaGallery