Kelv (Chapter)

HistoryThe Kelv is one of the most iconic weapons in Antioch history. It was the first major red weapon to see standard use and is often cited as the manifestation of Verdish war philosophy. The Kelv has undergone many updates over the years to remain relevant, but they all share the same general function: a large sword intended to exert aggressive pressure onto enemy forces.
Kelvs evolved from a combination of primitive Antioch weapons known as great-swords and buster-swords. Kelvs followed the trend of the old blocky great-swords, with a blade profile resembling the buster swords (albeit much slimmer). Weapons were one sided to cut down on blade profile and image.
Kelvs held ceremonial and quasi-religious status within Verdite, often enacting deep connections between weapon and wielder. For example, If a Kelv was broken, it was consider a solemn event and was required to be ceremonially burnt. It was also common practice for warriors to take a portion of the ashes and store them inside of the warriors new Kelv, forever carrying the spirit of the broken blade through generations of weaponry.
Kelvs were initially an earned right. The following section is lifted from the 2007 version of the Law and Concept:
"Obtaining a Kelv
The masters of the Kelv have developed a guideline for training new warriors in its ways.
Trials
* The warrior must be a Verditian.
* To even begin the trial for Kelv ownership, a Kelv-master must agree to take you on as their apprentice.
* From there, the initiate is not allowed to touch a Kelv until they have become proficient in the Katana.
* No other weapon may be used during their initiation until they have been deemed worthy to train with a Kelv.
* While the right of Kelv training may be granted. The Initiate does not hold the right to own or construct a Kelv.
* Apprentices must show aptitude in the workings of a Kelvsmanship. This includes proper usage of shield breaking while exhibiting self-preservation, supportive-play, and an ability to overcoming grappling situations.
* After basic proficiency is acquired, the apprentice will be taught how to handle unfavorable match-ups using a Kelv. A heavy focus will be given on overcoming the limitations of the weapon.
* Once all previous requirements are met. The Apprentice will have earned the right to construct their own Kelv. Every Kelv must be made by a master and apprentice together. The blade will be fitted to the apprentice's style and build. This new Kelv can only be used by those deemed worthy to hold a Kelv.
* Mastery of the Kelv is a long and difficult process. The title of master is given when all current Kelv masters agree that the apprentice is now their equal.
* At the time of this writing there are only three Kelv masters: Lord Derath, Commander Demorian, and Fourth Guardian Hrazlinne."
This rigid process produced highly skilled warriors but required enormous time-commitments to train them. In the beginning, there were no public kelvs and seeing one in action almost always meant you were fighting a verditian of high class.
Over time these rigid standards were dropped and Kelvs became common use weaponry.
thumb|220x220px|Insurrection-Era Kelvs
Insurrection-era Kelvs were very heavy by design. At the time, the general foam-fighting community saw red weapons as a gimmick weapon. Early wording of the game-rules and cultural practices ensured that fighters shrugged off all but the most devastating attacks as 'too light'. Shields were considered to have to be 'rocked' in order to take damage from a red. The Kelv did exactly that, in fact the attacks were so powerful that they'd often collapse the enemy where they stood. Additionally due to construction methods of the time, Kelvs were known to snap enemy weapons in half. In Antioch, you ran a major risk attempting to stop a Kelv with your sword, it would likely break you.
This is why early Verditians were so aggressive with their shield pushes. It gave Kelv users the perfect chaos needed to unleash devastating onslaught to the enemy. Antioch's effectiveness was centered on maximizing kelv attack up-time. Eventually these war-practices gained another combat edge: invoking fear.
Kelvs remained dominant for many years until war-bound era technologies began consuming the fields. War-bound katanas were stable enough to fully block a Kelv without snapping, meaning a major asset of the kelv was now rendered useless. Additionally pike technologies game-wide began to shift from having incredibly large stabbing heads, to lower-profile slimmer heads. Pikes simply became too fast and easily slotted past the Kelv's ability to defend. Early Kelvs were slow in the hands of all but masters of their art. In many ways this was the final nail in the coffin for the insurrection era Kelvs.
Kelvs received a much needed update in the War-Bound era, featuring a standard design based off of Demorian's favored 'long handle' variant. New Kelvs were longer, slimmer, and lighter than older Kelvs, giving them a much needed speed update that allowed them to escape situations that otherwise would have meant sure defeat. In the new meta, pikes were still dominant against Kelvs, but Kelvs once again found regular adoption as the go-to shield breaker.
For many years War-Bound Kelvs existed as a powerful addition to the Verdish arsenal. With the new meta, they never quite reached the same level of effectiveness as their insurrection-era cousins, but they remained iconic.
As weapon technology advances again spread through the game, War-Bound Kelvs became obsolete against the ever-growing representation of carbon cored weaponry. Carbon weaponry may not have had as much stopping power as a Kelv, but they outraged and outmaneuvered Kelvs in every way. Kelvs were simply too short, and too slow to combat the new weaponry.
The most recent variant of the Kelv surfaced with Generation-9 weaponry/Reclamation Era, known as the Hane Kelvs (Feather Kelvs). Gen-9 Kelvs were longer, lighter, and slimmer than their war-bound variants. Gen-9 Kelvs remain a very popular option for Verditians seeking a two handed sword. Their effective range, speed, and stopping power is incredibly effective in modern combat. The weapons are so long and fast that they even lessen the disadvantage they hold against pikes.
Weapon Properties
Consult the following image for a quick property chart. 
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.
Variants
Kelv variants have shifted quite a bit over the years, they are now sorted into era categories:
==== Insurrection Kelvs: ====
Insurrection Kelvs came in more size variants than what is standard in modern Verdite. Insurrection Kelvs were crafted through 'feel' instead of schematic. This means that no two Kelvs of the era are alike.
# Short Handle - Short Handle Kelvs focused more on blade length rather than handle length. Users of these Kelv styles were often more focused on hitting their opponents as hard as they could from as far away as possible. This style of Kelv was the most common initially.
# Long Handle - Long Handle Kelvs were made popular by Demorian. Initially they did not become the norm because combat meta didn't favor speed over power. As things shifted to the War-Bound era, Long handle designs became commonplace for all modern Kelvs.
# Short Blade - Short blades were the least common Kelv variants of the time. These weapons were used by warriors who favored being close to their enemy while having a weapon that was easier to maneuver in chaotic situations. This style was preferred by Hrazlinne. This style of Kelv did not receive a modern iteration as new technologies made far more effective light reds such as the kokatana.
# Pommel Variants - Pommel designs were numerous in this era and mostly just reflected a warrior's personal taste. Some offered stable bases to grip, but most pommels of the era were not capable of handling such strain.
==== War-Bound Kelvs ====
War-Bound Kelvs (Gen-2 though Gen-6) combined characteristics of both short handle and long handle Kelvs. This resulted in a slightly longer weapon overall than the predecessors. War-Bound Kelvs were consistent in their handle and blade dimensions, but had additional internal properties that affected how they performed.
# Tsuchi - Tsuchi (Japanese for Earth) variants focus primarily on maximizing the durability, weight, or stopping power of a weapon. Early War-bound kelvs had to use this style to ensure structural soundness, but as weapons developed into Gen-6 the standard design shifted to 'Mizu'. There are some custom Kelvs that intentionally utilize this style in the modern era to maximize stopping power in trade of speed.
# Mizu - Mizu (Japanese for Water) styled weaponry are weaponry optimized for speed. Where Kelvs are concerned, Mizu variants became the norm as new cores were stiffer and no longer required the sturdiness of a 'tsuchi' handle design. As the meta evolved, the most important aspect a weapon could exhibit was speed. So standards designs did everything they could to minimize weight with given materials.
==== Reclamation Kelvs ====
Reclamation Kelvs (Gen-9) have only one standard variant due to construction technique. These modern weapons are longer, lighter, and slimmer than their War-Bound variants. These weapons were designed in response to the growing prevalence of carbon weaponry in foam-fighting games. Reclamation Kelvs retain powerful stopping power without sacrificing speed, allowing for them to still act as heavy suppression weaponry.
Modern Usage
=== In War ===
The most common war practice concerning Kelvs is to offer suppression and break enemy lines. Kelvs exhibit strong combat range and are the first non-pole weapon enemy forces will encounter. If left unchecked a Kelv will steadily break gaps into enemy lines. When Kelvs work in pairs they are often able to hault any enemy advance almost immediately.
=== In Dueling ===
Against other equipment, the Kelv has some drawbacks as they often require team support to stay protected in fights. Kelvs are highly maneuverable and can often outwit opponents advancing on them, however, experienced shields-man can rush down a Kelv and reduce this advantage.
Effective technique in dueling is attempting to use the stability and maneuverability of the weapon to outplay and out-speed your opponent or keep them at max range so you can slowly chip away at their static defenses.
When fighting pikes, a Kelv is forced to approach putting it at a distinct disadvantage.
Notable Users
Derath
Demorian
Hrazlinne
Lachlan
Ashimaru
Skull 
Malak
Gallery
10955680_10152794379054064_8988393397992830315_n.jpg|Arashi, a Kelm-Class Kelv
10644100_10152511827864064_8365117049429920470_o.jpg|Kaze, a Kelm-Class Kelv
68650224_10157564507474697_809614602449977344_o.jpg|Skull and Derath using Kelvs
100_0286.JPG|Demorian using a Kelv
100_0158.JPG|Ashimaru with a Kelv
60909342_1063845683807527_4476508949352284160_n.jpg|Rakdos with a Kelv
20200216 180730.jpg|Kelv (top) compared to a nodachi (bot)