Choices of the Four
The Great Four Tribes, as the barbarians refer to the four dominant tribes of the wilderzone, display markedly different preferences in their selection of melee weapons. Some, such as the Blood Eagle, retain such weapons for ceremonial occasions, whereas others such as the Diamond Sword appear to invest great spiritual significance in their blades.

The Diamond Sword, unsurprisingly, favor a long hand-and-a-half sword of duracore parasteel. My suspicion is that many, if not most, of these weapons were brought from Imperial space, since nothing I have seen indicates tribal weaponsmiths are capable of producing DPS. Be that as it may, surodoi of the Diamond Sword always appear with a sword while out of tribal armor, and only surrender them in rare circumstances, such as at a parley or a tea ceremony. Many of the unit and rank names appear to connect to the tribal sword theme. Clearly, swords have great psychological weight for this tribe. The variety of swords varies greatly, with some following the styles of ancient Nippon and others drawing from a host of European and Near Asian influences. You are just as likely to see a member of the Diamond Sword carrying a claidh mor as a tachi. I am told a gathering of surodoi is an impressive display of antique martialry. Remind me to tell you sometime of the curious stories I have heard regarding the origins of this enigmatic tribe.

Displaying typical ingenuity, the Starwolf are fond of using a modified halberd that incorporates inertial enhancers to increase the effective mass-energy of the weapon's impact. Other Starwolf melee weapons focus more on hunting purposes than outright combat. Depending on the prey sought, however, certain of these items are just as effective on the battlefield. "Skytrops," for example, are small spiked balls containing a small gravitic motor that allows them to be thrown over a far greater distance than the powered armor would ordinarily permit. They can be modified to home in on an armor's shield signature so that their flight paths curve toward the target. Many skytrops are coated with drugs or toxins, while others are timed to explode on contact with a target. The latter have the force of a microgrenade, but can be geared to produce an electron flux pulse that weakens the target's shields for an instant. The Starwolf have also been known to utilize rocket-driven spears and magnetically-adhesive alloy nets.

The Children of Phoenix prefer explosive-tipped javelins and fluxtorches. Part of this choice may be traced to the tribe's thematic obsession with fire, but undeniably Phoenix warriors are considered the most effective of melee fighters, even more so than the Diamond Sword. Some Children mount sharp blades on their vambraces and greaves, so that in close combat they have the opportunity to strike at their opponents without having to draw a blade. Despite their insistence on unity and their efforts to appear cultured and regally sophisticated, there is a brutal side to this tribe that causes me much puzzlement and unease.

Many Blood Eagle use a wickedly barbed katar, or punch-dagger. Some of these weapons feature a small laser engineered to fire from the hilt down alongside the center of the blade. In duels, the Blood Eagle use taloned gloves and swords, but almost never bring them into line combat. The typical Blood Eagle blade - if it is not a katar -- is curved after the Arabic styles of Old Earth. Indeed, sharp blades hold great significance for this ex-Imperial tribe, as you might imagine from all the horrible stories. One of the enlisted ranks is even named after a knife, and one of their officer ranks literally means "Knife-Captain." Of course, the Blood Eagle talent with knives is well-known in the wilderzone, Danli, well-known and feared.

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