House Standard No. III Musket, or 'Gambie'
"Oh my, this - this is one of the good toys. We had *few* of these last year--!" spoke the Wolf upon unboxing a No. III from a simple cloth bundle with dozen musket-rifles inside. He held it in his hands with revernce and eagerness both. The dull iron casting did not shine in the morning sun, and the bronze bits, the sealable vents as well as the equally secure muzzle and chamber seemed nothing more than overly fancy-pants moves to adorn a weapon with what belonged to a piece of parade uniform--
"It looks-- Hmm. Underwhelming for its reputation." spoke his corporal, a newer man from the line. "How come the stock is *that* thick, and the cap is as if from a puckler."
"Other way around, son--" grinned the Wolf, the one to have lasted from the start. "It's a bit of a gambler's prize, this type a musket-- Gambie, one could call it. You get either quota-produced material, or love-letters from artisans. Some made gorgeously, others not so much. Still, this is tits whence it comes to modern weapons. Three tries, you see? They made the first, and the chamber would fail 'cause powder. That was five years ago. The second one was the precursor to yon puckler, see? Too heavy to be fired with no support, they had to either arm yon biggest men they could find, or support the barrel on top of a pod-- either way, the shot would have recoil enough to eventually harm the spine. Not shitting-- not shoulder. Spine. Some of the botanists were left with damage and pains." He mused. "One way to miss the Ball, I suppose."
"Hmm. Hand me the gun." said the corporal. He inspected it. "Heavy-ish. I wonder if the actual muzzle speeds are as high. And what the fuck--" the corporal shouldered the musket, and let it down. "Oh. 'Acause I'm amongst the short tossers. Have't stuff this thing, reload it in an awkward position. Step forth? I'm no longer in the line. Have ta learn to fiddle this as if a string. But the muzzles. I do not see Taergaledians packing armor, so--"
"Trust me. These will rip through armor, just as they ruin common muskets. And-- once you get the feel for this weapon, you will want to name it."
"I heard that. Lady's name?" the corporal was aiming down the barrel. "I heard about it. You feel attached to a gun, which you will not discard, not even whilst giving ground, if you give ground. Khórr first gives us nice uniforms, and then arms us with solid weapons, little by little. I'm all for it, but-- Won't this exhaust the funds?" The wolf merely shrugged.
"Hasn't yet."
"Fair enough. Just to feed the entire country *and* arm with these. Why not outright *buy* good Mihurite muskets and refit for wood powder? Why trickle in with pieces of jewelry? I don't follow Khórr. He doesn't think anything like a military man I've read--" The Wolf lit his pipe, and took the musket, and shrugged again.
"I know not. But one thing is for certain: these muskets go through armor, men and often works as if pork loin. Aim at the knees--" And the corporal lit his pipe as well.
"No choice-- lest one shoot the tips of their bayonets. I can only imagine the recoil."
"Hrch. Aim at the ankles, then. Come now, there is a 'ladies' one, pick it up and make yon own."
"Ladies-- Carbine, sir, carbine."
"Get some shots off, and you'll see. Have a name ready, come blood and blades."
"I got a name ready, yaa."
"You'll have theirs, notches on the stock." and the alder fellow grinned, as the 'disbeliever' yet was yet fighting his distrust for the House generals.
"It looks-- Hmm. Underwhelming for its reputation." spoke his corporal, a newer man from the line. "How come the stock is *that* thick, and the cap is as if from a puckler."
"Other way around, son--" grinned the Wolf, the one to have lasted from the start. "It's a bit of a gambler's prize, this type a musket-- Gambie, one could call it. You get either quota-produced material, or love-letters from artisans. Some made gorgeously, others not so much. Still, this is tits whence it comes to modern weapons. Three tries, you see? They made the first, and the chamber would fail 'cause powder. That was five years ago. The second one was the precursor to yon puckler, see? Too heavy to be fired with no support, they had to either arm yon biggest men they could find, or support the barrel on top of a pod-- either way, the shot would have recoil enough to eventually harm the spine. Not shitting-- not shoulder. Spine. Some of the botanists were left with damage and pains." He mused. "One way to miss the Ball, I suppose."
"Hmm. Hand me the gun." said the corporal. He inspected it. "Heavy-ish. I wonder if the actual muzzle speeds are as high. And what the fuck--" the corporal shouldered the musket, and let it down. "Oh. 'Acause I'm amongst the short tossers. Have't stuff this thing, reload it in an awkward position. Step forth? I'm no longer in the line. Have ta learn to fiddle this as if a string. But the muzzles. I do not see Taergaledians packing armor, so--"
"Trust me. These will rip through armor, just as they ruin common muskets. And-- once you get the feel for this weapon, you will want to name it."
"I heard that. Lady's name?" the corporal was aiming down the barrel. "I heard about it. You feel attached to a gun, which you will not discard, not even whilst giving ground, if you give ground. Khórr first gives us nice uniforms, and then arms us with solid weapons, little by little. I'm all for it, but-- Won't this exhaust the funds?" The wolf merely shrugged.
"Hasn't yet."
"Fair enough. Just to feed the entire country *and* arm with these. Why not outright *buy* good Mihurite muskets and refit for wood powder? Why trickle in with pieces of jewelry? I don't follow Khórr. He doesn't think anything like a military man I've read--" The Wolf lit his pipe, and took the musket, and shrugged again.
"I know not. But one thing is for certain: these muskets go through armor, men and often works as if pork loin. Aim at the knees--" And the corporal lit his pipe as well.
"No choice-- lest one shoot the tips of their bayonets. I can only imagine the recoil."
"Hrch. Aim at the ankles, then. Come now, there is a 'ladies' one, pick it up and make yon own."
"Ladies-- Carbine, sir, carbine."
"Get some shots off, and you'll see. Have a name ready, come blood and blades."
"I got a name ready, yaa."
"You'll have theirs, notches on the stock." and the alder fellow grinned, as the 'disbeliever' yet was yet fighting his distrust for the House generals.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Built of some dozen parts, the musket was simple and fired on a percussion cap method, which made sudden, ferocious volleys possible - fired with the full line discharging at once, the whole company, and not by squad - with Taergaledian targets reporting falling down before hearing the shot. Percussion cap meaning a method of covering the firing mechanism, sealing it from water and dust, which also helped in hunting, as fowl would jump upon seeing the flash from the flint just before the shot- men as well. Barrel was unrifled, yet quite accurate; stock was wood, and the barrel was created using a bronze alloy, which allowed the weapon to be sealed from both ends for transport and storage with less risk for rust, as well as tied a piece of cotton onto the very well made flint-lock in ordert to keep the weapon dry. No. III had a very good track record in wet, and cold zones, and functioned well as a weapon for the Wolfpacks of Harnoth, who were indeed early special forces and light infantry.
No. III was a very good weapon for the time. Even decades later, some marksmen and infantry sought after the specially made chambers, even the flint-locks, which were deemed extremely resilient and reliable - many of them used pieces could be worn a full decade later!
No. III was a very good weapon for the time. Even decades later, some marksmen and infantry sought after the specially made chambers, even the flint-locks, which were deemed extremely resilient and reliable - many of them used pieces could be worn a full decade later!
Significance
A very important field test for the new type of powder, meaning Grey-powder, or Plant-based Gunpowder which required a very sturdy weapon to remain reliable and effective. House standard weapons were solid, rugged and very effective. They were symbols of a nation arming and creation of industry and agency on regional scale. History came to judge the Gambie as an important symbol for the Harnothi military formations, and a unifying factor of sort; most other peoples found the musket overly heavy, and poorly built and balanced for serious combat use - many Mihurite soldiers found it difficult to even reload the weapon, as they had to stand on their toes to comfortably fit the ram-rod inside-- Kiri were taller, and thus had not this problem.
Bayonets could be attached, but would be poorly maneuvred; Khórr himself went on to make sure most traditional knives could be attached with a specially made ring, which could fit around not the handle but the chappe, which could be tightened with a small vice. This meant the bayonet would always represent the company, battalion or even full regiment to field the weapons, meaning the regional, local arms would mingle with the House standard musket-- men grew very attached to the weapon this way. Many named their gun with a girl's name, or maybe as if a horse. As the guns were mainly for the men to keep for the duration of their service - or career- they would carve and customise them in different ways, with pagan symbols and nothces for confirmed kills. Before this, most Kiri had their own arms, or fetched them from the dead after their Grand Duchess' Ball, seeing with their own eyes a battle field won, in order to ease them into service, and possibly death. Khórr was an exceptional military mind in seeing to all these small details in developing arms and equipment for the armed forces, some even suspect he was full aware of likely losing the Fringian war, preparing since the Rape for a later insurrection, which required weapons too valuble for the enemy to merely discard or destroy, thus ensuring needed weapons would exist, and would only need to be procured somehow.
Bayonets could be attached, but would be poorly maneuvred; Khórr himself went on to make sure most traditional knives could be attached with a specially made ring, which could fit around not the handle but the chappe, which could be tightened with a small vice. This meant the bayonet would always represent the company, battalion or even full regiment to field the weapons, meaning the regional, local arms would mingle with the House standard musket-- men grew very attached to the weapon this way. Many named their gun with a girl's name, or maybe as if a horse. As the guns were mainly for the men to keep for the duration of their service - or career- they would carve and customise them in different ways, with pagan symbols and nothces for confirmed kills. Before this, most Kiri had their own arms, or fetched them from the dead after their Grand Duchess' Ball, seeing with their own eyes a battle field won, in order to ease them into service, and possibly death. Khórr was an exceptional military mind in seeing to all these small details in developing arms and equipment for the armed forces, some even suspect he was full aware of likely losing the Fringian war, preparing since the Rape for a later insurrection, which required weapons too valuble for the enemy to merely discard or destroy, thus ensuring needed weapons would exist, and would only need to be procured somehow.
Item type
Weapon, Ranged
Related Technologies
Related ethnicities
Owning Organization
Rarity
A common arm built by the cottage gunsmiths, as well as several larger factories, which did not house more than thousands of craftspeople. Being an arm for the formations to pack grey-powder, the gun was comewhat rarer than other muskets, but grew quite common, roughly 40 000 in number by the Khórr rebellion's end, Gambie was mainly seen in the hands of the best marksmen, or otherwise the stronger men. Wolfpacks, seasoned lines, and certain light elements used the weapons extensively.
Weight
Non-standard. Heavy, and tough to maneuvre.
Dimensions
C.a. 160 cm of which 120 cm barrel, total about 180 cm with the bayonet.
Base Price
Being non-standard, some No. IIIs were worn and fixed to the point of being trash, others furnished into the status of jewelry. Exceptional pieces remained in use for decades, and some famous guns became museum pieces of considerable worth.
Raw materials & Components
Non-standard, however the basic parts were quality iron and bronze for the barrel, which required sturdy building and engineering, as well as solid wood to handle the thousands of shots the rifle was supposed to take without adverse effects. Amounts required were quite large; Khórrian armaments were meant for the battalions to utilize the Grey Powder, which suffered a disrepancy of some note to exist between seasoned, elite units, and the regular ones, with the poorly armed penals and 'trash' being at the bottom.
Tools
Gun-smithy with hammers, anvils, smelting facilities and appropriate tools for creating tubes and fine parts were required. Factories could pump out barrels, but the percussion cap was, especially early on, made by an artisan gun-smith. House standard VII was the true, factory made, mass produced follower to the old III, with standard practices in manufacture, grooves and stock. Gambie would mainly do with what the gun-smith had on him at the time, with a fair bit of what he needed to be provided by the Khórr House or Botanists.
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