Plate armour

Plate armour is one of the most advanced and sophisticated armours you can find in Yeia. It's mainly produced, quite curiously, in the northern regions of both continents, Teria and Karia. It is the most effective armour against slashing cuts and arrows.

Early plate armour

Mostly associated with knights and chivalry, plate armour was invented way before knights were even a thing, when nobles didn't fight on horseback but on war chariots!. Indeed, it was during the Bronze Age (ca.6000 BP-1000 BP) at an unknown date, but possibly around 5000 BP, when plate armour was invented in the continent of Teria, using bronze instead of iron.
This type of armour was designed to to protect the wearer from the neck to the knees. It was made of overlapping bronze plates held together by leather thongs and it included arm guards and greaves. The cuirass was usually in two pieces, one for the front and the other protecting the back.

It can be said that plate armour experienced its golden age during this period, as, after 3000 BP this technology was exported to the continent of Karia by the davidovian groups that would become the Seris. Comon soldiers also seem to have some sort of armour made of bronze but plate armour seems to be exclusively reserved for the nobility or certain regiments (usually the King's retinue or the Royal Guard, as well as soldiers fighting on chariots).
During this period there was really an international market for plate armour, as it is attested in some scrolls and clay tablets found for example, at the ancient royal palace in Tiruz in Unhelion, dated in 2351 BP that say:

In the 24th year of the reign of our great sovereign, Aymiel, the reflection of the Sun, 20 pieces or armour were bought from Kushawa (Seria) (...) and 60 swords from the lands of the Karashi (the Kallians).

Plate armour after the Bronze age

After iron gradually replaced bronze at the end of the second millennia BP the traditions of plate armour were lost in many places but some regions like northern Teria and Northern Karia retained these traditions. In areas like Liwal, many noblemen, now turned into knights continued to wear complex plate armour to the battlefields.
One advancement that occurred in this area was the invention of gauntlets with movable fingers as well as better protection for the legs in the form of cuisses and poleynes (which protect the upper leg and the knee respectively) and the sabatons (which protect the feet).
In the cold lands of Northern Karia plate armour underwent a similar revolution but here armours are even more "advanced" as most of the body is protected by armour plates, in comparison with plate armour from Northern Teria which also have some spots not protected by plate armour but by chainmail.

Knight from Northern Teria by Knyght Errant

Knights from Northern Karia by Graham Turner

This new style of plate armour is also highly demanded by the nobility of the neighbouring regions. Kings and powerful nobles want to go to battle in the shiniest of armours. These plate armours are also an element of prestige and power, they "say" to everybody that look at it: Look, my owner has the money and power, to get a full plate armour from such distant lands.

(Claire): Please, Almaric, you can buy some nice plate armour for me, chainmail can't resist the blows of the most powerful monst... .

(Almaric): It's very expensive, Claire.

(Claire): But you're the Grand Master, besides, our brothers in the north wear fancy plate armour, and they look really cool!.

(Almaric): Do you know how much it would cost to bring an artisan from these lands, and how dangerous it would be for him to travel to Telorion Castle?.

(Claire): But he doesn't need to come here, he would have to just... you know... send the armour pieces and that's all!.

— Claire, asking Almaric of Tapuy to buy her a set of plate armour

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Virtues and weaknesses

Plate armour was, during the Bronze Age, and still is very effective against most of arrow types and slashing cuts from swords. But a new weapon developed by the Blatians; Gunpowder whose devastating firepower can penetrate most if not all of the existing types of plate armour. The Crorai knights experienced it first-hand not so long ago, so, as many Liwali knights say:

Thank the Gods, the Blatians are our friends, and not our enemies