In the course of writing the audience scene between Feldis Trindas,
Miralee Sylarine, and Erik the Grover, I had occasion to describe
the ancestral weapon of the Wyvernesse family. It is what I call a
censer, which is essentially a mace or morningstar with a void in
the center where the use can place a sponge or vial filled with
alchemical solutions. The swinging of the weapon then pushes the
stuff out through holes in the surface of the weapon and adds
alchemical effects - poison, acid, fire, stupor - to anything it
strikes. For those of you with an Anglican or Roman Catholic
background, it's like an aspergillum, except for hurting people
rather than blessing them.
"More councilmen entered, followed by a very familiar wizard, his
very familiar apprentice and Miralir's new-found son. Teodradt was
stopped in the door and challenged for bearing a sword. Duke Erik
held up a hand to pause Feldis' recitation and came down from his
seat with Garrett by his side. Erik was now carrying a mace. It was
peculiar, for it was not flanged as all the rest he had seen, or
studded with iron knobs like Garret's war-flail. Its head was made
like a coiled serpent, like the great flying worms. It was topped
with the wyvern's open mouth. Then he noticed the holes in the
mace's surface and the size of the beast's mouth. This was a
censer, an alchemist's weapon, designed to sprinkle his foes with
the desired elixirs. Erik said: "You know the laws of this town, do
you not, Teodradt Cerfus? Why then do you bear a blade when no war
is upon us?"
James, would you mind doing some drawings of this weapon based on
the work you've already done on our insectoid dragons? I don't
think I could do it nearly so well as you could.
Thanks
ANdrew
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