Waster Swords
Waster Swords are wooden swords for practicing combat manoeuvres or weapon skills. They are commonly the first kind of swords used by children during combat training, and continue to be used in training sessions by adults. Decorative Waster Swords are often crafted as souvenirs of combat tournaments. Particularly exquisite varieties can be purchased as alternatives to typical sword decorations for homes and taverns. These decorative Wasters can vary in price depending on craftsmanship.
Due to the variety in available sword types, Waster Swords can vary broadly in size, weight, and design. This is to ensure that all types of sword type and swordsmanship style can be practiced in relative safety. Some Wasters, particularly those of the Greatsword type, are weighted using denser woods or adding metal cores for the purposes of strength training. The only thing that all Wasters have in common, other than being made of wood, is that they are crafted with blunt edges and tips.
Basic Wasters are devoid of any forms of magic, but they are not considered entirely safe. While piercing and slashing injuries are eliminated through the use of Waster Swords in training, bludgeoning and crushing injuries are still fairly common due to the unyielding nature of the wood the swords are crafted from. For this reason, Noble children often practice with Abjurated Wasters, wooden swords that have been imbued with protective and reflective magics. Weighted Wasters are never given to children.
History
The use of Waster-like swords and wooden weapons dates back well into the Age of Renewal, when the first Mortals were brought to the Realm of A'arde by the Collaborative Pantheons. With little to their name but their lives, these early inhabitants of the Material Plane relied heavily on blessings from the Gods and their own ingenuity to survive, and with A'arde being recently renewed and abundant in resources, weapons for protection and hunting were a must.
Early Wasters were little more than smoothed out sticks, the bark being carefully removed to make them more comfortable for their wielders. While some variants of Waster eventually morphed into club-type weapons, knowledge of swords, daggers, and bladed spears led to the crafting of more refined Wasters.
It took decades before the first Mortals began metalworking, in part because the Fey are allergic to iron and could not assist in the mining or crafting of such metalwork, but also because infrastructure to do so had to be build from scratch. The Gods refused to "do the Mortals work for them", and while they were supportive in the early efforts, they took a hands off approach, wanting their rescued charges to find their own strength and will to survive.
It is not known where the term "Waster" actually originates, though it is thought that it refers to the relatively inexpensive nature of wooden swords and other such weapons compared to metal and steel. It is believed that the term was imported with one of the Human groups that were brought to A'arde. Previously, "waster" referred to any weapon of the sword, club or cudgel type that was made of wood, but in modern use it almost exclusively refers to wooden swords.
Common
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