Jack of Irons

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Description

This useful armour is most often crafted in the form of a heavy arming jacket, usually with reinforced steel jack chains on the arms. It is popular with officers and sergeants in Marches and the League. A variant form of the jack of irons called the bloodiron hauberk is crafted in Wintermark, mixing weltsilver and mithril to provide a long leather jacket that covers the arms and upper legs and is worn over mithril chain.

In the the Marches it is also called a jack of chains; both names come from a legendary giant called variously Jack-in-chains, Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack. Wrapped in heavy chains and wielding a terrible spiked club, the massive creature is said to be twice the size of a man and impossible to kill. According to stories the creature recovers almost immediately from even mortal wounds, and limbs hacked off continue fighting. Popular tales suggest that the demonic horror was defeated by a girl variously known as Clever Jill and Wise Mary who tricks the beast into falling down a well from which it is unable to escape. The legend insists that the giant is still buried under the earth somewhere near the modern town of Wayford.

Interestingly, some scholars believe the creature spoken of in Suaq and Kallavesi legends that they call the skinned king may be the same creature, although in the stories of Wintermark the giant beast has no skin and is ultimately defeated by a clever hunter who creates a human-shaped mannikin of fresh deer meat studded with spiked hooks, and then taunts the giant into grappling the mannikin. Trapped by the hooks, the giant cannot escape and is rolled down a steep incline into the waters of Westmere where it is assumed to have drowned.

Rules

• Form: Light Armour.
• Effect: Once per day you may spend ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.
• Materials: Crafting a jack of irons requires twelve ingots of weltsilver, twelve measures of ambergelt, eight ingots of tempest jade and four measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Why would I, Rhondira Havarri, the greatest thief in all of Sarvos, choose such a martial piece of armour? Rhondira Havarri who stole the signet ring from the Prince of Tassato! Rhondira Havarri who seduced the Bishop of Vigilance and made off with his coinbox! Rhondirra Havarri who forged the signature of the head of the civil service and proclaimed a day's holiday throughout the League! Why would I choose armour? Why, precisely so that I could pull my hand through such cruelly tight handcuffs as you have used, my friend. It mends broken bones quite splendidly quickly. Ah, you have notice that your blade is in my hands now? Yes, and the coin-purse as well, if you please. You will not be collecting the sizeable bounty on my head this day, but you're a comely lad, so Rhondira Havarri will leave you with a kiss for your troubles..."