Echowood

Echowood is a Sentinel-pattern rifle produced by Haida Gwaii gunsmiths on the Haida Islands. This specific variant was commissioned and used by Amaranth. It is one of the few rifles which use Cascadian Ratchetfire action.

## Description & Design

> *The stock of the rifle was made out of carved driftwood, there was a fixed magazine on the side and a large well on the other end. Mom took an en bloc clip and thumbed in the well, until an audible click was heard. She pulled her thumb out and the bolt snapped shut. Raelene wandered over to witness what was happening. ... As Mom fired, hitting each metal target dead center, the clip racketed out of the receiver, the spent casings still attached to the oddly designed clip. ... Mom stopped firing and slowly pulled the spent en bloc clip out of the gun and lifted it up...*
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Sentinel-pattern Rifles are one of the few semi-automatic rifles designed by Cascadians. It is loosely based on the M1 Garand, but instead loads from the right side of the rifle (There are only 3 rifles which were designed for left handed shooters). It is available in several cartridges, each option having a specific clip size available. The .50-100 Winchester which is used in Echowood has 7 cartridges.

The En-Bloc clip of the Sentinel-Pattern is case-fixed, meaning that the whole clip is meant to be reloaded as opposed to the cartridges on the clip. This allows for the user to easily reload the clip as opposed to rooting around for the casings of the rifle. Despite this economic measure, the casing hulls of the cartridges may need reforging or complete replacement after so many uses.

When the trigger is pulled, it unlocks the internal ratchet that holds the clip in place. The en bloc clip contains a series of "teeth" on the underside of the magazine, which connects to the ratchet. Each tooth corresponds to a cartridge on the clip. The propellant gasses from the fired cartridge pushes the bolt back like a standard gas-operated rifle, but the action of the bolt also triggers the ratchet to crank the cartridge one tooth forward before the bolt is locked back into place. It is one of the most complex systems designed by the Cascadians. In civilization, however, this action is rather simple to produce but otherwise rudamentary.

## History

The Sentinel-pattern rifles used by Haida Gwaii natives and Interlopers are unique, with only two people capable of producing them. The original creator is unknown, but is said to be Kaigani Haida as the pattern was first spotted in the northern region of Haida Gwaii and several areas in Alaxsxaq. While Interlopers don't commonly commission semi-automatics, the appeal of owning a rifle produced by one of the First Nations of Cascadia lured a some daring few to possess one. However, Haida leans toward the traditionalist argument, especially in the Raven moiety, so it takes a tremendous amount of effort to have such a rifle commissioned.

Echowood was commissioned by Amaranth, after the ejector spring of her Lee Ensign Mk3, the heirloom rifle of the Lovelace Family, broke. After sailing north to Haida Gwaii, She was surprised to discover that Qatiun was not enough to commission the rifle. Instead, she spent five months helping the Haida construct a new longhouse.