Republic of Argothenge
In the old Elvish armies, the first two lines of battle, the primes and principes, often fought with a sabre and pila, heavy javelins that were specifically designed to be thrown at an enemy to pierce and foul a target's shield. Originally the principes were armed with a short spear called the hasta, but these gradually fell out of use, eventually being replaced by the gladius. The third line, the versusis, continued to use the hasta.
Old Melistern Empire
The use of both a single thrusting spear and two throwing spears are mentioned. In the 2nd century AAA, the Melisterni evolved a new close-order infantry formation, the phalanx. The key to this formation was the hoplite, who was equipped with a large, circular, bronze-faced shield aspis and a 7–9 ft (2.1–2.7 m) spear with an iron head and bronze butt-spike. The hoplite phalanx dominated warfare in North-West-Argo from the 2th century AAA well into the 1st century AZ.
The final years of the 1st Era of the Man (AAA) saw major changes. With the growing influence of the Sand-Kings in
The Great Desert and later the
Empire of Prabai came the greater use of horse archers and peltasts, light infantry armed with spear and javelins. The other was the further development of the 18 ft (5.5 m) long two-handed pike. The pike phalanx, supported by peltasts and cavalry, became the dominant mode of warfare among the Northeners from the late 6th century AAA onward until military systems were supplanted by the Prabaiian system.
Ashari
Ashari warriors used a spear that was called an az-zaġāyah. It is a pole weapon used for throwing or hurling, usually a light spear or javelin made of hard wood and pointed with a forged iron tip.The az-zaġāyah played an important role during the defence against the Prabaiian Empire in the 2nd century AZ. A longer pole az-zaġāyah was being used as a hunting weapon from horseback. The az-zaġāyah was widely used. It existed in various forms in areas stretching from the jungle of Koshat Dér to the Eldari city's in Xulde, although these places already had their own variants of the spear.
Vexan
After the retreat of the Prabaiian Empire, the spear and shield continued to be used by nearly all Northern cultures. Since a spear requires only a small amount of steel along the sharpened edges (most of the spear-tip was wrought iron), it is an economical weapon. Quick to manufacture, and needing less smithing skill than a sword, it remaines the main weapon of the common soldier.
Spears as te first weapon of choice
Broadly speaking, spears were either designed to be used in melee, or to be thrown. Within this simple classification, there was a remarkable range of types. For example, the Vexan king Berhin I identified thirty different spearhead categories and sub-categories in the early years of the Vexan Empire.
Notable types of spears include the angon, a throwing spear with a long head similar to the pilum of the Argothengians, and the winged (or lugged) spear, which had two prominent wings at the base of the spearhead, either to prevent the spear penetrating too far into an enemy or to aid in spear fencing. The thrusting spear also has the advantage of reach, being considerably longer than other weapon types, with ranges often between the 7 and 15 feet long.
Throwing spears became rarer as the ages drew on, but survived in the hands of specialists such as the The Old Men of the Arterpjêker.
Spears began to lose fashion among the infantry during the 1st century PB, being replaced by pole weapons that combined the thrusting properties of the spear with the cutting properties of the axe, such as the halberd and the billhook.
Citystates of the East Bank
Spears were used first as hunting weapons amongst the ancients of the East Bank. They became popular as infantry weapons during the Rise of Prabai, when spearmen were used as especially highly disciplined soldiers in organized group attacks. When used in formation fighting, spearmen would line up their large rectangular or circular shields in a shieldwall manner. The men of the East Bank also employed long spears (more akin to a pike) in formations similar to the later Vexan pikemen in order to ward off cavalry. The Prabaian Empire would later copy these tactics and use them also in a smalled scale. Halberds, polearms, and dagger axes were also common weapons.
Spears were also common weaponry for cavalry units. In the era After Alessor's Arrival (AAA) the spear would develop into a longer lance-like weapon used for cavalry charges. These people may be the first user of lance tactics.
Cavalry
Cavalry spears were originally the same as infantry spears and were often used with two hands or held with one hand overhead. In the 5th century AAA, after the nomads of the Great Desert adopted stirrups and a high-cantled saddle, the spear became a decidedly more powerful weapon. A mounted warrior would secure the lance by holding it with one hand and tucking it under the armpit. This allowed all the momentum of the horse and knight to be focused on the weapon's tip, whilst still retaining accuracy and control.
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