The Triplo

The Triplo is an ammunition used in modified longbows that has a balanced three-headed arrow tip. The tip itself has barbs, similar to those found on a fish hook, that having burrowed into the flesh of the target, are made extremely difficult to remove. The shaft and fletching are designed to create a rotation of the Triplo as it travels through the air into its target. The rotation of the shaft in flight increases the stability of the flight path and thereby its accuracy over a traditional arrow. The multi-point head combined with the rotation wreak severe havoc on its target, effectively drilling the head deeper into the intended target. Treatment of a wound from a triplo requires cutting into and widening the wound to carefully remove the head making the treatment as much or more harmful than the strike itself. Due to this increased damage to a target, Triplos are not used in traditional hunting for food or fur, but are reserved for warfare or beast hunting where target death is the objective.
Crafting a triplo is significantly more difficult than a traditional arrow and many fletchers have not yet mastered the task. Triplos are less available than traditional arrows, since their creation requires more time, detail, balance, and skill on the part of the fletchers and can therefore be four times more expensive to purchase. A longbow must also be modified, or in many cases specially designed, to handle the launching of Triplos and making them less effective for use with traditional arrows.
Innovation, often met with failure, to make Triplos more deadly include small vials in place of in incorporated into the barbs that can be used to deliver poisons or other contaminants into the target. Attempts to create a counter spinning tip (contrary to the shaft rotation) to further increase the accuracy and damage of the Triplo.