When worn by a skilled combatant, the twin chains wrapped about these otherwise simple bucklers can be used to ensnare enemy blades, providing the defender with precious moments in which to deliver unhindered counterattacks.
It is difficult for a demon to find a willing vessel, so while the hells are cluttered
with bodiless aberrations clawing to escape, rarely do they ever succeed. However,
those that do, exhibit inhuman strength and malice, and can wreak havoc on the corporeal world.
Thus, efforts are made to trap and tame the fallen souls that they might not torment
the living.
"A blind opponent is a dead one," or so the saying goes. The desert knights of old Dhalmekia took this advice to heart, making an ally of the sun by adorning thmselves with rings and armlets buffed to a mirror sheen. As the rival kingdoms warred for dominance, the iron became embellished with glass, then crystal, till at last they arrived at the final, ideal form of eye-endangering accessory: diamond-encrusted armlets.
"Only when she saw the drake no longer stirred and his eyes were grey with oblivion did she remove belt and bracelet, casting them into the wyrm's maw where they might rest for an eternity."
- Legend of the Drake
Translation by Moss the Chronicler
Blacksmiths can prove overly proud creatures. Tell one there exists a sword keener than any he has created, and he will work the grindstone day and night until his blades are as thin as a faerie's wing. Tell one there exists no metal harder than adamantite, and he will tear apart an entire mountain with his own bare hands to prove you wrong.
Fifteen centuries removed from their creation, these unassuming accessories are inexplicably warm to the touch, and when equipped, are compelled by some unseen force to cinch tightly about the wearer's flesh like a mother gripping the arm of a misbehaved child.
"And upon their wrists would the people wear bangles of opal and onyx that they might foresee the shifting of the very heavens."
- The Sins of Dzemekys
Though at first glance this modest wrist piece might appear an uncomfortable fit for those cursed with fleshy forearms, upon further inspection one would be relieved to discover the band incomplete, affording its wearer a modicum of comfort, be he swine or starveling.
The nomadic tribes of Dhalmekia can be counted amongst some of the best hunters and trackers in the Twins. As per tradition, they claim a small, seemingly insignificant fragment of each of their prey—be it fang, bone, skin, or hair—and affix it to their gear so that the spirit of the deceased may continue the hunt alongside them.
Having deemed shields too costly a resource to be wasting on mere Bearer assassins, the Sanbrequois imperial army now provides their frontline pawns with a pair of simple iron bangles that might stop an enemy blade…if the Bearer can raise his arms in time.
Though little more than crude leather straps reinforced with even cruder iron plates, boundless tales of dexterous doers-of-derring deftly deflecting dorlachs and redirecting dints with naught but these wristlets have made the equipment a popular choice for those who dream of being a hero but currently lack the monetary means.
It is a longstanding Rosarian tradition for the Archduke to bestow a gift to scions of the ducal line upon their coming of age. These bracers, dyed in the red of the star Metia, were what Elwin's father chose for him, and formed part of a set of clothes kept in Eastpool for when he and his family would summer there.
Upon their sixteenth nameday, every Mote of Water is fitted with a hand-carved wooden torque that they will keep for the rest of their lives. A vestige of their tribe's long years of wandering following the fall of Drake's Horn in which the loss of members was commonplace, the ring represents a singular bond between the Motes that transcends both physical and spiritual distance.
"Know that even should you walk Abyss, our hands will guide you home."
- Mote of Water adage
The appearance of mythril in Valisthea is a fairly recent occurrence, its history only going back as far as the fall of the first Mothercrystal and the emergence of the deadlands. This led some of the Crystalline Orthodoxy to preach that the Blight is somehow involved in its creation, therefore making it both impure and unholy.
The platinum plates which adorn these wrist guards are less for defense than they are to warn any would-be attackers that the person they are about [to] assault has amassed enough of a fortune slaughtering enemies and claiming their gear that they no longer need to worry about frivolous things like "protection."
One amongst the old kingdoms that now make up the Republic of Dhalmekia took the mural crown Or as its emblem. Though romantics choose to believe the symbol reflects a lost folden age of wealth and prosperity, historical scholars are of a different opinion: that it is naught but the representation of a stony desert citadel—of strength in collective struggle against the unforgiving elements.
These armguards are not only thought to be enhanced by the myriad tiny runes engraved about the white gold ribbing, but also by the crescent shape which in itself serves as a protective "ward of conservation."
Unlike most protective wristwear, steel crowns actually provide a fair amount of protection to their wearer. Unfortunately, the added protection is achieved through added weight, ensuring that only the most muscular might effectively wield them.
Amongst celestial bodies, the sun is known as the "Exile" for it is said that he was banished to the realm of day by the moon and stars for shining too brightly. While his strength is unmatched, he is fated to fight alone for all eternity.
Fashioned after those pictured adorning the wrists of the mythical Founder in ancient engravings, Archduke Elwin intended to gift these bands to his beloved sons upon their coming of age, that they might serve to remind them of the unbreakable bonds they share as proud scions of the ducal line, and the unwavering devotion that would be required to see their duty done.
"Two sons did the Devourer beget, and like their father would they look ever forward to the past."
Upon placing the smooth leather cuffs upon your wrists, they cinch tight to your skin in an oddly warm embrace. Removing them requires more effort than it should.
Oft gifted by a knight's paramour on the day of their beloved's first foray into the wild, traveler's bands are little more than pretty shells, broken glass, and shards of depleted crystal affixed to a leather band. But it's the thought that counts.