defy the tyrannous stars
"Do not think of it as a weapon. Make it a part of your hand - part of your arm. Make it part of you."
= OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION =
Intent: To create a cultural melee weapon for use in battle and ceremony by the Sun Guard.
Image Source: Concept Bat'leth.
Additional Image Sources:
- Ceremonial Talwaar (x) Star Trek Database.
- Talwaar Variants (x) Into Darkness Concept Art.
- Additional Variants (x) Axanar Props.
Restricted Missions: If Required.
Primary Source: Repurposed Canon Articles.
= PRODUCTION INFORMATION =
Manufacturer: The Golden Company, The Thyrsian Hierarchy. (Select, and Contracted Foundries.)
Model: Thyrsian Talwaar.
Affiliation: The Golden Company, The Thyrsian Hierarchy, Closed-Market.
Modularity: Yes; Variable Size and Shape, Decorative Hilts, and Ceremonial Accoutrements.
Production: Limited - The Golden Company.
Material: Titanium-Reinforced Durasteel, Thyrsian Steel Edge, Japor Ivory Wood Hilt, Thyrsian Cloth Wrappings, Retractable Photovoltaic / Solar Ionization Panels, Ultrasonic Vibration Generator, Electro-Plasma Energy Filament.
= TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS =
Classification: Double-Blade.
Size: Large Rating.
Length: Variable (~4 Feet or 48 Inches)
Weight: Heavy Rating.
STANDARD FEATURES
- Ornate Carved Japor Ivory Wood Hilt, Cloth Wrapped.
- Balanced Blade with Serrated Edges.
- Electro-Plasma Energy Filament.
- Compact Ultrasonic Vibration Generator.
- Retractable Solar Ionization Panels.
- Warrior's Blade: While many talwaars are ceremonial in nature, all are eminently functional weapons of death. To forge a blunted or unbalanced talwaar is something that would be inconceivable to a Thyrsian, bordering on heretical. Most talwaars feature three distinct hand grips, although not all, which is what allows the Sun Guard to incorporate makogara, a form of Thyrsian martial arts designed to accompany bladework.
- Electro-Plasma Filament: Running parallel to the blade's outer edges is an electro-plasma filament that creates an thin energy blade capable of parrying a lightsaber. This is a more modern conceit, and makes the talwaar resistant for a time to lightsaber strikes. This is is not the same as parity, as over time enough energy strikes of sufficient force will overload and eventually short out the weapon's generator.
- Ultrasonic: A compact ultrasonic generator causes the blade to vibrate at extreme speeds in excess of three thousand microscopic vibrations per second, exponentially increasing the amount of damage caused by a single strike. At its maximum setting, a talwaar can generate enough vibratory force to rip through flesh, armor, stone, and even durasteel plating.
- Power Consumptive: Requiring an energy source potent enough to power both its ultrasonic generator and electro-plasma filament, the talwaar is not designed for perpetual operation. Although it is incredibly efficient, after extended periods of operation the blade will have to be recharged. This is not a complex process, and due to its solar ionization panels in an ideal environment the blade can continue to function more or less indefinitely. However, older talwaars especially if they are locked away in storage will not immediately function until they are sufficiently recharged.
- Conspicuous: While deadly, the talwaar is by no means a compact tool of war. Its cultural significance to the Thyrsian people causes instant association with the Sun Guard, which for a time on Thyrsus was enough to earn its wielder a death mark. The distinctive serrated edges make it difficult to conceal and its set length makes it difficult to transport en mass.
- Extensive Training Requirements: An experienced bladesman might be able to wield the talwaar in a general sense, but to a trained soldier of the Sun Guard to watch such a thing would be a laughable display. The talwaar doesn't just require some extra training sessions to master, it is essentially necessary to learn an entire form of Thyrsian martial arts before one can even begin to master how to use this blade effectively in battle. This is a blade which is highly unadvised for use by amateurs, as the slightest miscalculation can result in gruesome self-injury.
It is said on the sands of Thrysus that to separate a warrior from his talwaar, is to kill not just the man, but to kill his soul. For almost as long as there has been a recorded history of the Sun Guard, some form of the talwaar existed, although it did not rise to its place of cultural significance and prominence in the Golden Company's arsenal, until the Bengali Uprising which first sparked their heated conflict with the cluster's brutal Echani overlords.
Now it is a nearly ubiquitous aspect of the desert world's native way of life, despite attempts by those who would seek to stamp out Thyrsian warrior culture and their ruggedly individualistic way of life. Since the return of their Echani masters, the talwaar is no longer as common as the average blaster, but it is safe to assume that each clan has at least one in their possession which has been passed down from generation to generation and kept hidden from appropriation.
Most talwaars are forged so that their hilt is trisected by edges of the blade, allowing it to be used as a punching and gouging weapon in additional to traditional slashing and thrusting. There is no universal form to a talwaar's blade, but generally in order to qualify it must consist of at least two pairs of forking curved blade tips. The electro-plasma filament is a contemporary design addition, and it is not uncommon to come across older ceremonial models with only an ultrasonic generator.
The practice of wielding a talwaar effectively in battle is incredibly complex and requires many seasons of training in order to fully master. It requires proficiency in a form of Thyrsian martial arts known as makogara, an offshoot of the primary form of Sun Guard martial arts known by outsiders as the Weirding Way. It focuses on graceful, flowing movements and lightning fast strikes to overwhelm an opponent's defenses and end the fight with a few brutal killing strokes.
While use of a talwaar by a non-native is not a practice that is strictly forbidden in Thrysus' culture, if the Sun Guard were to come across such an individual it would immediately raise serious questions which they would demand answers to. Only those who have proven themselves honorable friends to the Hierarchy are bestowed talwaars out of respect, and the theft or scavenging of a clan's talwaar by those given no right to possess it is a deep cultural insult and grounds for violence.
