Sword and Sickle
The Sword and Sickle is a set of weapons used in the Rite of Servitude, the ceremony for becoming a member of the Order of Imperial Custodians.
Usage
The Sword and Sickle are only used in the Rite of Servitude and have not seen usage in battle for centuries. In the ceremony, the initiate knees before an Oad carrying a lethally sharpened Sword and Sickle. The Oad, sword in the right hand, sickle in the left, approaches the initiate and takes a stance, setting their chest level to the initiate's head. White the Oad glares maliciously, their left hand is positioned such that the blade of the sickle surrounds the back of the neck and touches it along the spine. The Oad turns their torso to the right and stretches their right arm to the back, so that both hands and shoulders form a straight line. In this position, the tip of the sword is placed against the throat and a safe, but unpleasant pressure is applied to both weapons. This often results in a hair-line cut where the blades meet the skin. Should the initiate make any sudden movement, they will be severely injured and have failed initiation. After remaining in this position for some time, the Oad breaks the stance and steps away, allowing the new member of the Order to move on.Symbolism
The Sword and Sickle are deeply rooted in symbolism, with both weapons seeped in meaning, but also the poetic combination of the two. The quatered circle is a very prominent part of Gladden symbolism, with the first quarter representing Bri, the God of all things intangible, and the other three quarters representing Beth, the Godess of all things material. After this matter, the sickle visually represents Beth's realm of the circle, which encompasses all of importance, and the sword represents the completion of the circle. Additionally, the weapons not only have religious connotations, but also represent the entire nation. The sickle represents the workers, who are in the great majority and support the nation with produce, and the sword represents the government, who sacrifice themselves and fend in battle to protect their people. Combined, they form the nation. The initiate being threatened by the Sword and Sickle is thus a test of trust, for they must not only trust themselves, but also in their nation.
Item type
Weapon, Melee
Current Location
Related ethnicities
Owning Organization
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