Nagamalla Staff

The nagamalla staff is a simple and elegant solid rod of hard wood. Built for elephant-lahks , they can range from eight to ten feet long and are thick to fit into elephant-lahk hands. As with a lot of nagamalla, they are heavy and unpractical for most people to use who are not themselves giant. The weapon is ideal for controlling the space which is a key concept of nagamalla. Though very strong, elephant-lahks can also be slow. The length of the staff means that a slight movement at one end covers a lot of ground on the other. This makes up for the practitioner's lack of speed. Many techniques also hide the reach of the staff. Opponents who might think they are far enough away may not be ready for the staff to suddenly extend into them when accompanied by the practitioner's arm reach and footwork. The creativity of this simple tool by practitioners is also underestimated. Some techniques involve positioning the staff between practitioner's legs, leading to unexpected staff sweeping attacks through footwork.
Some variants of the staff include having a decorated head or blade on one or either side. Generally though blunt weapons are favored, though bladed staffs are used by some Gaja fighters who protect the nation's border.

Item type

Weapon, Melee