Axes have been around since the beginning of human culture and, like many weapons, were used as a symbol of status during the early stages of human cultural development. This is personified no better in the double headed axe, which while extremely metal, is an impractical weapon. Why is it then pictured so often? because it was a symbol of power wielded by the king and represented his divine right to rule. To the Greeks it represented Zeus's thunder bolts, and this symbolism is also had by the Celtics.
War Axes and those meant for cutting down trees have become divorced from your average lumber axe as time went on, so don't think you can go chomping down every tree in the forest just because your character wields an axe. An axe constructed for war has a smaller, more curved blade. This is allows for a smaller striking surface so that the majority of force is delivered to one spot giving axe it's infamous ability to punch holes in armor. You see a similar design in Greek curved swords and khopeshes.
The axes main difficulty is it's center of balance, which is located in the weapon's head. This means the weapon is a little slower and can't parry as effectively as a sword. If it were weighted like the sword it would also been an extreme pain to fight with over a long period of time (like the warhammer) but battle axes tend to be built lighter to counterbalance that.
So let's talk about battle axes in my world: The first battle axes were wielded by dwarves during their war with the elves. They were more as a symbol of terror more then anything else and many dwarven families and houses adopted axes into their crests to symbolize their ability to cut down the elves' forests.
After the dwarves retreated underground, they mainly abandoned the use of axes in favor of polearms, which were much more effective in the tunnels. The battleaxe was then picked up by the humans to be used against humans, and from there they further specialized it into the two handed axe, the hand axe, and the throwing axe.
The main users of battle axes are Andals and Southern Raiders, who both use it as a symbol of landownership. The Free Cities have discarded the use, seeing it as a filthy outlander weapon, while Hirudeans use anything they can get their hands on. Sikhs train with it only if they were original Andal or Southern Raider.
The Andalish battle axe is closer to a Dane Axe, being some 3 to 4 ft in length. Andals use a heavy haft, which gives a better striking blow but slows the weapon down. They also have adapted a striking point on the back, similar to a warhammer.
It is mainly favored by men from the Giant Downs and Umbria and the poorer highland countries in the Young Kingdoms. Andals still use the battle axe as a symbol of freedom and slaves are forbidden to have them. Also, it is seen as a symbol of power of nature and some priest and radaghasts will burn or break axes in rituals to turn back the more malign forces of nature.
Southern Raiders prefer a lighter battle axe, one more adept at light skirmishes and raids. They use a slightly longer haft, 3.5 to 5.5 ft in length. As you might imagine, this caused some problems with the hafts breaking while trying to block a particularly vicious blow. To combat this, the Raiders reinforce the wood handle with iron and steel bands.
The use of these axes is wide spread among the jarls and freemen of the Rift. In any give party, about 60-75% of the Raiders will use axes instead of swords.
For the Raiders axes hold little holy power, but there's an important culture use for them: declaring war and bringing peace. As a declaration of war jarls will send axes to one another and when they make peace, they bury that axe. Often times, freemen will send axes to those they have grieves against, often times with their problem written on the axe.
Other cultures must pay double for battle axes, except elves, who will not use them, and dwarves who purchase them at 150% the base cost, which has more to do with them allotting their meager weapon resources to create spears then their aversion to use them. Surface dwarves do not have this penalty.
For the Raiders axes hold little holy power, but there's an important culture use for them: declaring war and bringing peace. As a declaration of war jarls will send axes to one another and when they make peace, they bury that axe. Often times, freemen will send axes to those they have grieves against, often times with their problem written on the axe.
Other cultures must pay double for battle axes, except elves, who will not use them, and dwarves who purchase them at 150% the base cost, which has more to do with them allotting their meager weapon resources to create spears then their aversion to use them. Surface dwarves do not have this penalty.
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