Blades of the Cavalier Primaries Displayed for your Appreciation
In house order from top to bottom. I’d be happy to explain the choices if anyone is interested!
I only had to be asked once—
Marta’s rapier and dagger are standard issue Second House, and Jody carries an identical one. The hilt is based on modern naval standard issue rapiers and the pommel is red anodized steel rather than a more frivolous stone or design. The entire weapon is hard metal. Two lines mark the house on the ricasso.
Naberius’s weapons are form over function, and I went out of my way to make it look painful to hold (after all, the Princesses regularly eat him) every element from the precious stones to the filigree basket come in three, but the third spike on the knuckle guard breaks off from the other two. Made of gold, enamel, and a gold-washed steel blade both weapons are meticulously engraved with even further small details that were hard to render at this scale. The dagger is based on split parrying daggers, sometimes called trident gauches of the Renaissance.
For Jeannemary, there are elements of the standard issue as the fourth is extremely militaristic like the second, but has a blue cabochon in both hilts and wrapped leather and cord hilt. The basket on the rapier and partying loop on the dagger reflect the fourths talents fkr wards and Jeannemary’s relationship to Magnus. It is the smallest rapier on the board because she is just 14 and looking at it in scale makes me sad (which makes it a good design choice). Four lines down the ricasso show the house, and including the cross guard there are four horizontal elements to the basket.
Magnus’s blade I designed as a wedding or anniversary gift from Abigail, based on old books about Celtic love knots and necromantic theory about interwoven souls. Each flat band of filigree is engraved with their vows or necromantic theorems. It has brown carved and inlaid cabochons on each pommel and brown leather wrapped hilt for comfort. The blade is white steel.
Cam’s twin blades are based on Turkish scimitars and Persian kukris, but in a sleek all metal form reflective of the Sixth’s functional vibes. The only decorative marks are the three lines on each blade totaling 6. The swords are smaller allowing for Cam’s aggressive and effective fighting style. The heavy metal pommels are super effective for bludgeoning whoever she needs to.
Protesilaus one ups Babs with form over function, with a copper washed rapier with elaborate filigree sweepings in loops, swirled, and vines. There’s a carved and inlaid jade hilt on both weapons with designs a mishmash of ocean and floral Greek, Chinese, and art deco motifs. The chain is based on Chinese weapons called kau sin ke, with the weight shaped after a flower bud.
I’m stark contrast is Colum’s straight forward rapier and sidearm based on medieval Templar weapons and simple rapiers. The small shield is between a targe and a buckler. The cruciform details repeat, I think John just reused the cross as his own symbol when rebuilding his church. Unlike the other rapiers, it is more like a short sword with a long fuller.
Finally, Gideon Nav’s mass produced two handed sword with a perfunctory leather wrapped hilt and basic machined metal pommel. The pommel is similar in shape to the pommels on the second and fourth rapiers. It is in dark steel, reflecting the Ninth house. Despite its huge function in the story, it is the most basic shaped weapon with no decoration in hard contrast to the overblown decoration of other ninth custom made weapons (I imagine Ortus’s was wild with skulls and bones!) I gave it a concave ricasso to make it more separate from the rapiers.
Let me know if there’s anything specific you want info on that I didn’t hit!
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