An Old Elf Speaks

[Malgremor]

Three blessings, sera. That is a lovely sword you have there. May I see it? Custom made, I presume...you must be doing very well for yourself. For the price of a jug of mazte, I'll tell you a few things about swords...& armours & other things one picks up with age & experience. Back on Vvardenfell I was quite the swordsmer. That I am here today to tell the tale, with all my body parts present, attests to that. However, it's a different kind of fighting & a different kind of foe that one generally faces in the wilds of Morrowind. Heavy armour, of the western types, are rarely encountered. That fine ebony sword of yours would cut an impressive swath through the native netch-leather, chitin & bonemold armours of the region, but I daresay that here in Cyrodiil, with everyone & his guar encased in a half-tonne of steel plate, that sword becomes little more than a very fancy, but poorly designed club. If you take that into combat in these parts, you'll soon reduce it to a worthless piece of junk while doing little damage to your opponents. No, save that beautiful work of art for fancy dress balls & other state occasions; & get yourself a plain, ugly old spiked mace. Ebony's best but iron or steel will do nicely. it's the weight that counts. Steel plate armour, which will easily deflect the best sword, will simply crush under the blow of a heavy mace. Ebony armour can stand up to it but the concussion effect will sorely damage the living matter within. The lighter armours have more elasticity & are therefore more resilent, but again, the concussion is what kills quickly. Sword-fighting's an entertaining sport to watch in the arena, but for serious business...carry a mace...& simply smash down whatever comes at you. Ah, well, that went down nicely. Do you think I might have another?