This is an attempt to cover the origins and usage of gunpowder weapons on Vita, with a focus upon military use and history. There are a number of unknows here which I have represented in brackets, as a good deal of history in Thorns is rather vague, especially as regarding the period between the War of the Book and the modern age. Presumably there were wars, rebellions, civil wars, border disputes and the like as the existence of militaries would seem to indicate.
The dates I am using are based off of Earth's historical development of gunpowder from its origins around 140 CE through the first use of mortars in the 15th century and so forth. I am using 1890 CE as a reference point, but also assuming slower development of firearms over time.
Given their probable use in military contexts, I am adapting the classic 17th century pike-and-shot formations to the setting, assuming small contingents of galdori military sorcerers would be used rather in the manner of artillery, but protected by the pike squares.
I also touch on the origins of pistols, their legality in Anaxas and Bastia, and so forth. And so, without further ado . . . .
On the Origins of Firearms
The precise origin of gunpowder is debated by historians. Partisans of the Bastian Hypothesis trace it to alchemists in Florne around the year 900. There is considerable evidence that such a compound was in use there as records indicate that fireworks displays had become a popular form of entertainment as well as being part of religious processionals. To counter this, the Anaxi Hypothesis considers some archaeological evidence from finds in north west Anaxas with physical residue from the manufacture of gunpowder to be definitive. A compromise school of thought is that it arose independently in several places around the same time.
The first gunpowder weapons arose during the period of the [insert long period of wars here]. At first they were little more than rockets designed not so much to damage as to distract with flashes of light, plumes of smoke, and horrific banging. All of these were particularly dangerous to casters and the resultant backlash could well disable a caster and turn the tide of battle.
The bell-shaped mortar made its first documented appearance in the Chronicles of the Later [Insert some interesting historical period with a fun name here] wherein the author, the Giovanni of Casanno, describes the use of the engine during a war in 2122. It proved to be decisive in the victory of Baccio Ottonetorre over his rivals Godfrey of Muffey and Margaret Wallingsford at the Battle of the [something] Bridge.
In the following centuries, the weapons were refined considerably and the flintlock or wheellock musket reached its apex during the [insert reacentish period of wars/possible civil wars]. These were used extensively by human infantry in the armies of Anaxas, Bastia, and Mugroba [and presumably various belligerents, rebels, warring factions, etc]. The Anaxi perfected the classic pike-shot and sorcerer formations which they used to devastating effect. Protecting galdori war casters with a forest of pikes and ringed with musketeers allowed for casting in relative security and with less chance of brail or backlash from the chaos of battle.
The true cannon, in the sense of a smooth bored field gun, rather than the cast bell-like mortars, is credited to Hessian gunsmiths during around 2320. During the [War of the League of Parhane, or whatever], the armies of the [claimant to the hereditary throne of Hesse?] deployed early cannons at the siege of Mestiga and were able to make short work of that city’s fortifications. The weapons were then adopted by most militaries, and field artillery further harmed the reliability of battlefield sorcerers.
It was the Mugrobi who adopted cannon with the greatest zeal as they proved considerably lighter than the hydraulic guns they had traditionally used, and were more devastating than the torsion engines like scorpions and onagers that had made up so much of their field and naval artillery.
The expanded use of gunpowder weapons, both muskets and cannon, have fundamentally altered the nature of warfare. Although battlefield sorcerers remain an integral part of any army, their use has changed considerably. The Anaxi, during their civil wars in [some time in the 2400s?] used their sorcerors more as highly efficient communications and logistics specialists than as artillery. Contingents of scryers would be stationed at useful vantage points and their observations and orders were transmitted to galori officers on the field by various methods. This form of arcane communication allowed for more holistic battle plans.
In more recent times, flintlock pistols have begun to make their appearance, usually as personal weapons much favored by humans. Military gunsmiths appear to have created them originally as sidearms and hold-out weapons but their comparatively small size and ease of use have made them the go-to weapon for highwaymen, toughs, enforcers, and others who feel the need for lethal force without benefit of magic.
Due to their strong associations with crime and out of fear of their capabilities against sorcerers, the Anaxi government has officially banned possession of pistols, and access to military muskets remains carefully controlled. Bastia, with its cut-throat politics, has been slower to enforce similar laws as pistols and the like are very useful equipment for bodyguards of important figures.
The first gunpowder weapons arose during the period of the [insert long period of wars here]. At first they were little more than rockets designed not so much to damage as to distract with flashes of light, plumes of smoke, and horrific banging. All of these were particularly dangerous to casters and the resultant backlash could well disable a caster and turn the tide of battle.
The bell-shaped mortar made its first documented appearance in the Chronicles of the Later [Insert some interesting historical period with a fun name here] wherein the author, the Giovanni of Casanno, describes the use of the engine during a war in 2122. It proved to be decisive in the victory of Baccio Ottonetorre over his rivals Godfrey of Muffey and Margaret Wallingsford at the Battle of the [something] Bridge.
In the following centuries, the weapons were refined considerably and the flintlock or wheellock musket reached its apex during the [insert reacentish period of wars/possible civil wars]. These were used extensively by human infantry in the armies of Anaxas, Bastia, and Mugroba [and presumably various belligerents, rebels, warring factions, etc]. The Anaxi perfected the classic pike-shot and sorcerer formations which they used to devastating effect. Protecting galdori war casters with a forest of pikes and ringed with musketeers allowed for casting in relative security and with less chance of brail or backlash from the chaos of battle.
The true cannon, in the sense of a smooth bored field gun, rather than the cast bell-like mortars, is credited to Hessian gunsmiths during around 2320. During the [War of the League of Parhane, or whatever], the armies of the [claimant to the hereditary throne of Hesse?] deployed early cannons at the siege of Mestiga and were able to make short work of that city’s fortifications. The weapons were then adopted by most militaries, and field artillery further harmed the reliability of battlefield sorcerers.
It was the Mugrobi who adopted cannon with the greatest zeal as they proved considerably lighter than the hydraulic guns they had traditionally used, and were more devastating than the torsion engines like scorpions and onagers that had made up so much of their field and naval artillery.
The expanded use of gunpowder weapons, both muskets and cannon, have fundamentally altered the nature of warfare. Although battlefield sorcerers remain an integral part of any army, their use has changed considerably. The Anaxi, during their civil wars in [some time in the 2400s?] used their sorcerors more as highly efficient communications and logistics specialists than as artillery. Contingents of scryers would be stationed at useful vantage points and their observations and orders were transmitted to galori officers on the field by various methods. This form of arcane communication allowed for more holistic battle plans.
In more recent times, flintlock pistols have begun to make their appearance, usually as personal weapons much favored by humans. Military gunsmiths appear to have created them originally as sidearms and hold-out weapons but their comparatively small size and ease of use have made them the go-to weapon for highwaymen, toughs, enforcers, and others who feel the need for lethal force without benefit of magic.
Due to their strong associations with crime and out of fear of their capabilities against sorcerers, the Anaxi government has officially banned possession of pistols, and access to military muskets remains carefully controlled. Bastia, with its cut-throat politics, has been slower to enforce similar laws as pistols and the like are very useful equipment for bodyguards of important figures.
