Firearms

Contents

History

Gunpowder was used by Nomads for centuries to create explosives for mining. When the Townsfolks separated from the Nomads, they took the technology with them and looked for ways to develop it into something which could be used for protection. In the early 2600s, during the building of The Old Church, Stoneham Town, energy was put into this in earnest and the firearm was developed.

Background

Invented

2603

Related Ethnicity

Townsfolks

Related Technologies

Gunpowder

Technology

Firearms use a small amount of gunpowder and a sharp piece of flint to activate it. The activated gunpowder has a controlled explosion at one end of a long tube, forcing a projectile down the tube at high speeds. These projectiles are most often small metal ballbearings, but shards of metal and glass can also be used.
The most advanced firearm is the blunderbuss, which can fire a cache of lead balls at once, maximising the damage they are able to cause. The muzzle is deliberately slightly flared to increase the speed at which the projectile is fired, making it the most deadly form of protection available.

Use

While the technology for firearms has existed now for centuries, they are not commonly available. The blunderbuss, for example, is only used by the Arms of The Protector, an elite group of fighters who work for the Religion of The Towns and are dedicated to protecting The Protector's Cleric.
Other forms of firearm are available but all are reserved for use by the Men of Authority who are in charge of each of The Towns so that they are able to protect the women and children who live there, either from the Nomads and the beasts who live beyond the town walls or from The Forces which may possess their unsuspecting womenfolk.