My camera is still absent my house, so the stock photo of my short sword will have to do, but I use an Iberian-Styled Gladiator sword because it 1) has a leaf-shaped blade which I love for its Tolkien-parallel as much as personal preference in styling 2) has an unadorned, matte pommel with little to no decoration. It is quite light and fast, and has a whopping 17" blade, which is a beast in enclosed areas as well as more open areas when dealing with multiple threats.Chris Russo wrote:Since a lot of the Rangers on this board were leaning toward a sword around the size of a basilard/gladius/large seax, I'm curious to find out which style they'd use for a shorter blade like that.
Its companion blade is a Kukri which I use in place of a buckler or main gauche, in my non-dominant hand. My current Kukri is dying (it's kinda in pieces...) so the one pictured below is one that I am currently discussing with a potential seller.
This combination functions similarly to the "double-knife defense" described in Flanagan's "Ranger's Apprentice" series, which is, despite being aimed at younger audiences, quite a pleasant read. The "double-knife defense" is described as using a Seax in the right hand with a throwing knife in the left, and performing the majority of one's blocks with the pair of blades together in an x, with the smaller blade supporting the larger. Incoming thrusts are deflected to the side with one of the two hands, leaving the other open for a well-timed step forward and well-placed stabs throughout the torso and neck.
The difference here is that I've replaced the Seax with a 17" blade and replaced the "throwing knife" with a Kukri, which combine to give me a somewhat better reach as well as a harder vertical chopping motion, especially with the Kukri, which as we all know, functions much like a hand axe or small machete.
In keeping with the pattern of several posts in this thread, my order of weapon preference would have to be
1) Bow
2) Short Sword and Kukri
3) Spear/Staff
I've never been a large proponent of the spear or staff. I will freely admit that the reach one gives its wielder makes sparring/fighting against one a royal pain in the behind, but every time I've tried bringing one along, I've had to sacrifice so much for mobility that I don't find it worth it. If I were on horseback or was moving with a party of warriors with the expressed purpose of engaging a group, I might consent to bring a spear along, but I would probably find myself throwing it fairly soon instead of using it to engage opponents, or opting for my bow, and then moving straight down to my favorite melee blade pair.