Angoril

"I'll be happy to help you, stranger. I'm Angoril. People are fairly friendly here in Pelagiad. We don't mind answering a few questions."

my trade "I am a master-at-arms. I am a master of all basic hand weapon types: long blades, short blades, axes, blunt weapons, and spears. I am willing to train with weapons, for a fee."

armor repair "Nothing to it. Just get yourself an armorer's hammer and start banging away. Anyone can do it. Of course, anyone can do it really badly, too. It does help to have a little skill. But if you got plenty of time, and a lot of coin for hammers, you can teach yourself. Actually, unless you're a professional armsman, you probably should pay an armorer to keep your weapons in good repair."

Orders "Things have been very quiet here. Sorry, no pressing business. Check with the Knight Protectors of the other Legion forts."

armor styles "The heavy armor styles, called 'Legion' or 'knight' style in the West and 'ebony' style in the East, require great strength and endurance. The light armor styles, called 'militia' in the West and 'Ashlander' in the East, favor speed and agility. The medium armor styles, called 'Imperial guard' in the West and 'Great House' in the East, are compromises between the heavy and light styles, balancing protection against mobility. A few less common exotic armor types are also found in Morrowind."

heavy armor styles "In the West, cheap iron, steel, and silver heavy armor is made in quantity for the Legions, and many are trained in its use. In the East, the expense of the superb ebony and daedric heavy armors limits their use to aristocratic families. Suits of ebony and daedric armor are passed down from generation to generation, and represent a sizable portion of a Great House nobles' personal wealth."

light armor styles "Both the Western 'militia' and eastern 'Ashlander' armor styles depends on light, cheap leather armors. The Eastern reinforced chitin armor, however, is distinctly superior to Western-style leather armors, and offers better protection, pound for pound and drake for drake, than any other armor. The 'glass' light armors of the noble Great Houses are in the high Altmer style, strikingly light and stylish, and comparable with the ebony and daedric in protection, but are expensive and in short supply."

medium armor styles "The chain and scale medium armors of the Western 'Imperial guard' style offer less protection than the heavy iron and steel plate armors of the Legions, but with a considerable advantage in mobility. The Dunmer bonemold medium armor is generally lighter and more durable than its Western equivalent. The most prized of medium armors, Orcish, is limited in availability and very expensive, but markedly superior, and is the medium armor of choice for nobles and mercenaries in both the West and East."

exotic armor types "Fur armor is a light armor style popular among Nord barbarians. Dreugh is a remarkably strong Dunmer medium armor, made from Dreugh hide. But the most famous exotic armor is Dwemer, or Dwarvish armor, a highly ornate heavy armor valued as much for its rarity and antique craftsmanship as for its distinctive impact-absorbing qualities in combat."

armor types "Shields and tower shields are basic armor protection, but limit you to one-handed weapons. For body armor, get a cuirass first for the chest, then greaves for the legs, helm for the head, and boots for the feet. Add left and right pauldrons for upper arms and gauntlets or bracers for lower arms. Balance protection against weight; you can't fight if you're exhausted by the weight of your armor."

body armor "First, wear as much armor as you can carry and still fight without passing out. Second, use armor that matches the style you are skilled in -- light, medium, or heavy armored style. Third, keep your armor in good shape. Worn armor is less effective; badly-worn armor is just as heavy as new armor, but provides almost no protection. Fourth, buy the best quality armor you can afford. Fifth, if you're trained in unarmored style, you may be better protected without armor than with armor."

worn armor "As it wears out, armor becomes less effective. Broken armor is completely useless until you repair it, but worn armor stops only a fraction of the damage that new or well-maintained armor does. Learn the basics of armor repair, and go over your armor, piece by piece, before every big battle. Or visit a smith regularly to keep your armor in good shape."

shields "The two basic shield styles are the standard shield and the much larger and heavier tower shield. Use the bigger shield if you have the strength and endurance. Different materials are heavier and lighter, but your actual effectiveness with the shield depends on your skill in the light, medium or heavy armored fighting styles."

weapon types "Short blades include the dagger, tanto, shortsword, and wakizashi. Long blades include the broadsword, saber, longsword, katana, claymore, and dai-katana. Blunt weapons include the club, staff, mace, morningstar, and warhammer. Axes include the war axe and battle axe. Spears include spears and halberds. Marksman weapons include short bow, long bow, crossbow, throwing star, and throwing knife. Bows shoot arrows; crossbows shoot bolts. Use of each weapon type relies on a different skill."

short blades "The dagger and short sword are Western Imperial weapons. The tanto and wakizashi are styled after Akaviri blades. These weapons are light and fast, most effective against lightly armored opponents, but a skilled user can outlast more heavily armed and armored opponents. The dagger, tanto, and short sword are thrusting weapons, the wakizashi a chopping and slashing weapon. Rank them by effectiveness as dagger, tanto, short sword, and wakizashi, with dagger least effective."

long blades "The broadsword, saber, longsword, and claymore are Western weapons. The katana and dai-katana are Akaviri-style blades. Long blades, one-handed or two-handed, and the most common weapons here. The claymore and dai-katana are two-handed weapons, and relatively heavy and slow; the rest are one-handed. Rank them by effectiveness as broadsword, saber, longsword, katana, claymore, and dai-katana, with broadsword least effective."

spears "Two styles of spear are popular here, both used two-handed for thrusting attacks: the spear and the halberd, with the halberd the most effective. Spear weapons have the longest reach of any weapon -- except, of course, marksman weapons."

blunt weapons "Clubs and staves are cheap, easy-to-master, all-purpose weapons for travelers and militias. The mace and morningstar are one-handed, the warhammer is two-handed, slow, and heavy; all three are proper weapons for professional warriors. Rank them by effectiveness as club, staff, mace, morningstar, and warhammer, with club least effective."

axes "Only two types of axe are common here -- the one-handed war axe and the two-handed battle axe. Use the war axe with a shield or use the two-handed battle axe for maximum effect."

marksman weapons "Short bows and long bows use arrows. Crossbows use bolts. Bow and crossbows are more cumbersome, two-handed weapons, but more effective. Throwing stars and throwing knives are fast, light, one-handed attacks, but less damaging than bows and crossbows."

worn weapons "Weapons become less effective with wear. Eventually they break, and are useless until you repair them, but a worn weapon does only a fraction of the damage it should do. You'll hack and stab and slash away, and suddenly realize you're doing almost nothing to your enemy. So learn the basics of weapon repair, and touch up your weapons before every big fight, or pay a smith to keep your weapons in top shape."

weapon repair "Nothing to it. Just get yourself an armorer's hammer and start banging away. Of course, you don't literally use the hammer on a blade's edge. Unless you're a barbarian. The 'armorer's hammer' is just a package deal, a complete portable kit for maintaining your armor and weapons in the field. And my advice is pay a smith to do your repairs unless you have a decent skill as an armorer."