Blackpowder Rifle

The weapon that changed everything.

"I was there at the first battle where rifles were used. It was like nothing we had seen before. Battlefields have always been places overwhelming to the ears and the nose but the choking smoke also obsured our vision as the battle continued.
No one was safe. While the guns were not very accurate, they were extremely deadly. Not even the metal armor could protect us. By the time we had surrendered, the other soldiers and I felt obsolete.
This rifle, this changes everything."

— Oran Iriten

Making the Boomstick

Creating a weapon that could house the explosive force of blackpowder was a difficult task - one that resulted in more than few missing fingers. The firing mechanism was created before a suitable material for the housing was found. Eventually a grade of metal capable of withstanding the force - without using too much of a scarce resource - was created and the weapons were ready for production.
The barrels are long to help increase the accuracy and usable range of the weapons. The stock of the weapon is often made of wood to help reduce the overall weight of the bulky weapon.

A Vulnerable Weapon

Despite all the advantage, when compared a sword or a bow, blackpowder weapons have many unique weaknesses. They cannot be fired while wet and can become difficult or impossible to use unless they are cleaned and maintained regularly. The metal parts of the weapon can also become warped or broken due to the heat and force.
Beyond the weapon's weaknesses, it requires the wielder to carry around a container of explosive material. This offers its own dangers and has caused a greater-than-zero number of casualties.

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Item Card

Person Holding Brown Hunting Rifle by Main: Andrik Langfield | Background: Milada Vigerova

Gunner's Ear

A common condition among wielders of blackpowder rifles is various degrees of hearing loss and even deafness, only in one ear. This is often the same side on which the shooter has their dominant hand which they use to handle the back of the weapon and pull the trigger.

Use Sparingly

Among the clouds - especially on Breharan - metal is a scarce resource and making rifles is a costly task.
Even beyond the challenges in creating the weapons, the ammunition is also expensive to create for the same reasons. Blackpowder is not as expensive but still dangerous to manufacture.

The drums of war have been replaced with the cracks of rifles and booms of cannons in the effort to create a more efficient way to kill each other.

— Anonymous Soldier, Letter to Family

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