Twisting thunderbolt

The twisting thunderbolt was developed by the usurper king of Bashur Do-Han Ashawa with the help of Berini engineers at around 187 A.B. The twisting thunderbolt is a model of ballista that is powered by a pair of arms made from spring steel leaf springs set in spring steel torsion axles which were essentially torsion bars. This ballista shoots with such force that the arm frame is made of steel and the entire thing is reinforced so it wouldn't break from the powerful recoil. It can hit targets over 5 kilometers away and it hits with such devastating force that it can smash down the walls of mighty fortresses if allowed to bombard them for long enough. In the days of Do-Han Ashawa only 15 were made as they were expensive, bulky and difficult to make and maintain. When Yu-Mai Ashawa deposed him, she destroyed all of them except for two which were hidden from her because of her hatred towards her uncle. She burned all copies of the plans except for one which the made it's way to Berin (it took a few centuries until they had the technology to use them because they didn't have the right technology). The two hidden models were only rediscovered about 100 years after the death of Yu-Mai Ashawa by a young prince. They were in bad shape and rusted through. When he tested them with his uncle, the chief engineer, the first one broke both it's arms while being cocked for the first time in over a century while the second one broke one of it's torsion bars in it's third cocking and wasn't capable of shooting well because the moving parts didn't move smoothly at all. The two reverse engineered the two machines and made reproductions. Upon testing them, they found that they stood up to their legends. After that they showed it to the reigning king, he decided that he wanted 20 of them built. They were to be used on the walls of Bashur to destroy siege engines being built at a distance and to damage ships attempting amphibious assaults. These engines saved Bashur from being conquered by the Guntartar Sixth Khaganate.
The twisting thunderbolt is so strong that it can shoot metal balls that can damage buildings fortifications or shoot through a dragon flying above it.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The springs give it tremendous power. When being cocked, The leaf springs flex and the torsion bars twist, thus causing extreme tension to build up. The stored potential energy is immense and it allows the machine to launch projectiles for long ranges and with extreme force.

Item type

Weapon, Ranged

Subtype / Model

Torsion spring ballista

Related Technologies

• Iron and steel working

Related ethnicities

• Bashurian

Rarity

Very rare.

Raw materials & Components

Wood, rope, leather, spring steel.