There are many ways to kill an enemy in The Runed Age and most of these are cruel and inhumane… and here’s one more to add to that list!
This week we give you the Hatchling array.
Notation: Create a cylinder of Iron as wide as the array’s circumference and 100 times as tall if a Human is present within a distances one tenth of the circumference of the array.
Description: To understand the Hatchling, one must first understand how it is used. A Hatchling array is always carved onto a sphere and hurled at an enemy in some form or manner, whether it be thrown, catapulted or shot by cannon, pistol or musket. The array is always carved six times across the sphere for maximum effect (one on each front, rear, both sides and top and bottom of the sphere). When it reaches an enemy, that enemy must then touch it. If thrown or catapulted, this usually happens because the enemy picked up the sphere not knowing what happens. The most desirable effect, however, is if the sphere is inside the enemy.
Once the enemy touches the sphere, a cylinder of iron erupts from the sphere, skewering everything in its path, first and foremost being the enemy. If it is on a musket or pistol round, then all six iron cylinders shoot out at once in all six directions, “hatching” from inside the enemy.
This is not however where the cruelty comes in. Hopefully, for the enemy’s sake, they have died by this, but if they have not, then they have six iron cylinders sticking out them. If the array was inscribed on a musket or pistol round, these cylinders are more than a metre in length! Now that the enemy is looking like a porcupine, he will not be able to move 9 times out of 10, meaning that the next shot to kill him will be far, far easier. And that is why this array was designed: to incapacitate enemies it could not kill outright.