Tuesday 24 April 2018

Diomedean Weapons II

A volcanic-glass dagger.
Spears.
Rakes.
Tomahawks.
Burning oil pumped from a ceramic nozzle.
Catapults throwing vases of the oil.

There will be some innovations under van Rijn's direction. He is not a "hawk" but he needs to win a war to escape from Diomedes where he cannot survive indefinitely.

Necessity is the mother of invention?

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Or, in Old Nick's case, DESPERATE necessity was the mother of invention! He and his companions would only live as long as their dwindling food supplies allowed.

Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Most of the weapons the Diomedians use are from our Neolithic; the Aztecs used obsidian-edged rakes, for example, and Polynesians used ones edged with shark's teeth. Poul made modifications to allow for Diomedian physiques.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Dear Mr. Stirling,

That is one thing I hope to keep in mind the next time I read THE MAN WHO COUNTS, how Anderson modified the kind of weapons used in our Neolithic age to suit the physiques of Diomedeans.

Sean