Catapults

No one really knows who designed the catapult, or how it came to be, but it is a popular defense system for almost every culture in the world of Kalste. Many countries have them lined along their borders and around their castles. Pulled far back and tied down with a very strong piece of wire, soldiers keep a rock set in the spoon-like area. When enemies come, they pull the edge of the wire off its hook, and the rock goes flying right into the ranks of the soldiers—most of the time. It has been known to land in front of a regiment or behind a regiment, giving them more of a good scare than anything.

A pile of stones is kept handy for battle, and a good-sized group of soldiers can keep a catapult running for as long as they have stones. In some areas, it has also been used against wild animals, especially in places where soldiers have figured out how to aim the stones in the direction they want them to go. The catapult is generally made out of a wood base with iron nails holding it together. Some make the wheels and the bottom out of iron as well, to make it sturdier, but it makes the whole contraption much heavier. They only do that if they don’t plan on moving it often, or at all.

The popularity of the catapult varies from country to country and continent to continent, some finding other means of defense more reliable or easier to follow through with. Some prefer to have a mixture of several different defense mechanisms, and the countries prone to attacks usually have a larger number of different defense systems. Catapults are usually used in most cases as part of the first line of defense.