Thursday 18 June 2015

Artillery in Horn of the Kraken




Artillery bothers me. The idea of an off shore bombardment that can slaughter an entire town where the people shooting don’t even see the people they are killing seems innately wrong. Truth to tell, I feel there would be fewer wars if we didn’t have range weapons. If you had to look into the eyes of the people you were killing. If politicians actually suffered the consequences of their choices we probably wouldn’t have wars at all.
            This sentiment is why I incorporated ballista into Horn of the Kraken. With the survivors of fimbulwinter huddled along the coast, ship born ballista would be deadly, especially if they carried incendiary bolts. Farther south, where stone was used more for construction, they would have been less effective, but against people with primarily wooden structures they would have been devastating.
            The confusion felt by Fjorn and his team when they encounter a village burnt, not even looted, and its populous left to freeze without shelter is a commentary of what warfare has become, a waist where no one gains.




Author link: www.stephenpearl.com

FATE OF THE NORNS site: http://www.fateofthenorns.com

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