Far to the north and east lies the city state of Spada.  The Spada, as the citizens call themselves, after their home, appear to be Men, and think of themselves as Men, but the City, and her people are older than the race of Men is generally acknowledged to be.

For what it is worth, the legends of the Spada do little to help their claim.  They claim that when the world was young and new the Goddess of Love, known to them as Elesia, set her foot upon the shore, and where she walked the land came to love her, but being only rock and soil it had no eyes to appreciate her beauty, no ears to hear her voice, no mouth to sing her praises. Yet it did not lack for a soul to yearn for these things, for Elesia is the most beautiful of the Gods (or so the Spada claim), and so the very soil mimicked her form, growing legs and arms, forming crude eyes with witch to see and ears to hear and mouths to sing her praises.

But for all the land could love, it could not create beauty itself, and these crude men of earth were pathetic creatures, hard and ugly. Yet Elesia took pity upon them, for she knew they loved her, as all things do, and they sought to become that which they were not for her, and so she lay with them, bore them children who where as strong and enduring as the earth and yet fair of form as befits the children of Elesia, and these were the first Spada, and their descendants have lived where the earth itself learned to love, as is their sacred right and duty to their Mother.  

Later, more prosaic, legends suggest schisms over such sacred duties, blasphemies and exile, and how the exiles returned generations later to destroy their kin, but how Elesia, unwilling to let brother kill brother protected the Spada, allowing their enemies to pass over them.  Some would have that the exiles must be the Titans of old, others argue that the legends speak of older peoples still, and still others say that the Spada do not recall history correctly at all, and the legends mean nothing. Only the Gods know for certain, what men can tell is that the city of Spada is very very old, and seems protected from the disasters that must occasionally visit the cities of men, but not, it appears, from other Men.

If you ask the Spada, they lived in peace for a time, ignoring the wars of lesser races to the south. They herded animals, farmed crops and fished the Sea. For thousands of years the Spada lived in peace. The hard lands they call home offer little of value to conquerers, for the soil is rocky and hard, ill suited for agriculture.  The Spada speak of a long, vast golden age, full of peace and learning, spent basking in the beauty of Elesia, for she visited frequently and would, from time to time, take a lover from the men and women of Spada, and when she left she would take that lover (but not any children borne of that union) back to the Heavens with her.

Certainly there is little evidence, archeologically, that the Spada ever fought amongst themselves.  Numerous agrarian villages have been excavated, under the suspicious, watchful eyes of the Spada, in the region.  Certainly the Spada have had to deal with slave takers from Hesh to the west, and for a time petty warlords from the south, intent on conquest and gold regardless of the scarcity of the land.

Yet it wasn't until during the time of Irem that the Spada began to experience real problems.  Hesh was an ascendant human kingdom during this time, at the peak of her power and influence, despite being politically overshadowed by distant Irem, and the Reve first began their raiding from farther up the coast around this time.  Pressured for the first time from the sea, and with marching armies squeezing them, the Spada first built great walls around their capital city.  They endured and fought, as anyone would against such predatory neighbors.  

Some suggest that the turning point was the war against Irem, when the Danu elves marched through human lands demanding that they support the Danu against the evil of Irem to justify their existence.  The Spada had no dealings with Irem, and refused to march to war in a far away land, far from Elesia's blessed earth.

Others suggest it was the aftermath of the war itself, the banality, when all the Gods were too busy to see to the needs of their mortal worshippers, when magic disappeared from the lands, leaving the Spada, for the first time (and forever after, for the Gods stopped walking among men after that, even Elesia stopped taking lovers from among the Spada).

A third theory is that it was the goblin wars, much earlier still. While the Spada would have benefitted first from the Dwarves marching from their strongholds in the northern mountains, as peaceful farmers and herdsmen they were terribly exposed to the horrific cannibalistic tastes of the Goblins.

Regardless of the cause, the Spada no longer looked to emulate their Goddess in all things, dedicating themselves to peace and harmony with the land, but to preserving that which the loved most, even if they could not enjoy it themselves.  The Spada began to develop a militant culture. At first it was simply developing weapons and armor, forming citizen militias, but as their enemies grew more aggressive, more numerous, more determined, so too the Spada became more and more dedicated to the arts of war, and so a dedicated warrior caste began to form, trained from birth to fight and kill, to show no fear nor mercy.  Eventually this warrior caste not only became the ruling caste, but in time they absorbed all other castes into themselves, to be a Spada was to be a warrior.  While an individual Spada might know a bit about farming or husbandry or even construction (particularly combat engineering and seigeworks), that was relegated to slaves taken from other nations, often brutally suppressed.  

It is said that this state of affairs dismayed Elesia, which suggests it occurred before the Banality, and she gifted the Spada with Men of Stone, meant as an army to protect her beloved children, but they proved harder and stronger than the men of stone, and so they sent the men out to farm and to quarry and to build, and the Spada remained warriors, fighting to protect the Goddess of Love.

It is known, however, that the Spada still had room in their hearts for culture and art and more. The Spada had, at that time, a strong segregation between men and women, with the men doing all the fighting and leaving the organization and administration of the city to their wives.

However, when the Tenebrian Empire swept north like a great black plague, conquering all that opposed them, laying siege to Spada for generations, this changed.

The Tenebrians were at the height of their power, militarily. They conquered the petty kingdoms of the coast in mere months, sweeping west slowly, inexorably.  It would be the Elves of the Siti, at the borders of the Hydenimoi forest that would break the back of the Horde, it is true, unleashing magics unseen since before the Banality, and war arts honed over millenia, when the Elves forswore sleep until the Horde was broken...

... but it was the Spada who first proved the Tenebrians could be beaten.   Time and time again the Spada would march out and slaughter the Horde by the thousands, and tens of thousands would return to lay siege to the White City of Spada, smashing her stone walls with terrible weapons and ancient magics scarely less fearful than those the Siti used on them a few years later.

And the Spada endured, as they always did.  Men died, and so the women joined the Armies.  Children were sent to war if they were strong enough to hold a spear and shield. Every Spada fought.

Legends could be told of their battles. The list of heroes, it is said, could not list the ordinary heroics of normal men, for they would have been filled twice over with the list of Spada who fought and died for generations. Only the most extreme heroics, Hedorus who slew five thousand men in a day alone, who fought for three hours after a Tenebrian spear plucked his heart from his chest.  Rakel, who charged a Tenebrian warlord through his army, a child of only ten, armed with only a dull knife (or so they say) who ignored all wounds, collapsing at last at his feet, all flesh stripped from her tiny bones, and yet her will to kill him was so strong that she managed to stab him (only bones, mind you!) one time, and the venom of her hate poisoned his blood and he died three days later... or so they say.

Regardless of the fanciful nature of these legends the Spada fought as no Men had ever fought, against impossible odds, for three generations they lived under constant siege.

And in time none could tell the difference between any of them.  The Spada gave up all sense of self, all identity, even gender, and fought as one people, one person, until even the Tenebrians grew sick on the slaughter, until they found a people that they could not conquer, and their armies retreated at the last, sending their weary armies south to burn the great forest down... and we all know how that turned out.

__________

Spada is a city, a people, and in some ways a way of life.

The city of Spada is beautiful, a great sprawling city of white stone buildings, beautiful statues, paved streets and great white walls (seven concentric rings of walls actually, getting progressively bigger as you work outwards, the outer walls are a staggering fifty feet tall and thick enough to house small mansions on the tops of them.   Around it lay olive groves and small farms with mean huts made of animal hide and mud, and similar villages on the banks of the Sea.

The center of the entire city is the Temple of Elesia, long since turned into an administrative building, housing the Kings of Spada. There are Two kings of Spada at a time, and rather arcane rules governing succession (by law, all Spada are equal under the eyes of Elesia, and so to suggest that any given family hold special rights and priviledges is blasphemous to them... not that the Spada set much stock in family per se.)  

Over the years since the Tenebrians the Spada have given up personal housing and live in unit barracks groups.  Spada do everything in their barracks groups. They live and train together, they dine together (one member of each Barracks 'buys' dinner for the rest in a rotation, and failing to do justice to their unit is a great shame, resulting in painful stigmatization... frequently branding or tattooing, or 'Making Different').  Units are not segregated by gender, and sexual relationships are likewise not segregated by gender (there is no concept of privacy among unit mates). All female Spada are expected to give birth several times in their lives, and all Spada males are expected to father children frequently, and pregnant Spada are offered segregated quarters (Mother Barracks, populated by similar women, so they will not feel different), but many refuse, and many a Spada has been born on the battlefield as a result. Indeed, while pregnancy is quite exceptional in Spada culture (being the only way one is encouraged to be both 'different' and also 'weak', without being stigmatized), Spada culture so ingrains both lack of difference and lack of weakness that many refuse this privilege.

All Spada look the same. Men and women have similar height and build, seperated only by the contents of their loincloths (and, very briefly, during late term pregnancy and shortly after, by smallish breasts on the women), and most people simply assume all Spada are male as a result. They have a sallow skin tone and dark hair and eyes, and as a Spada gets older their skin tends to grey while their hair 'rusts'.  They favor simple short tunics, belted with undyed leather when at home, but when outside the city they are always girt for war, with iron greaves, vambraces, helmets and shields, heavy spears and short swords, and leather kilts made of reinforced pleats.  This is the basic kit of a Spada Similar (unit), but if a unit wins enough respect and wealth in battle they may augement this with iron breastplate (note that either everyone has this, or no one does within the Similar), and will be assigned on the battlefield to places of greater honor and danger... along with equally kitted Units.  The quality of a Unit's equipment reflects their social standing in the city, but this is a subtle thing to outsiders, for there are no external markings in civilian attire, and no obvious perks. However, to the Spada the subtle callouses and the slightly more marked musculature from wearing and training in the heavier armor is distinctive as a haircut would be.

Kings and Similars: As a rule, only one king of Spada leaves the city at a time, and they alternate by holy law. The kings are the most individualistic Spada, and the only Spada who wear obvious adornments (their simple crowns). As a King is obviously not 'Similar', being king is viewed as a mixed blessing or curse. However, the Barracks from which a king comes is automatically elevated, given the finest arms and armor and made a bodyguard, even as the King is removed from them.

When a king dies (not infrequently in battle), a successor is chosen from the recently elevated cadets.

Let us step back a bit.

Children are raised in training creches, very similar to the Units they will join later in life. The younger the children the larger the creches. Training begins extremely young, and brutality is used to harden them (both externally, that is from unforgiving trainers, and internally through peer pressure to excel), and to weed out the weak (who frequently die in training. Those who are unlucky enough to be merely crippled are sent to the hills).

The only time in life that a Spada is alone is when they transition from child to 'Cadet'.  This is a test of the child's ability to survive and an object lesson in the cost of being alone.  The child is sent to the mountains north of the city  alone and unarmed for a month. Often they are given some impossible task to fulfill, as one of the lessons to be learned is that alone the Spada is weak, together they are strong.  Many prospective Cadets die, or simply fail to return. A rare few not only return, but accomplish their impossible tasks.

Those that do are prospective kings (as are Cadets who have been problematic in training, being both too individulistic/different for their own good, yet too accomplished to be weeded out for it).  Regardless the newly minted Cadet is sent to a Barracks, along with a few familiar 'faces' from his Creche days. A Cadet is not a soldier, and has no bunk in the barracks (nor a place at the table), but must sleep on the hard floor with the other Cadets and eat leftover slops. He proves himself by remaining as Similar as possible, and when casualties render bunks available, the best or luckiest Cadets are made into true Similars, with all the duties and responsibilities attendant to that.  A Cadet literally inherits the position (and name!) of the man he replaces, along with his kit.  

Note that it is from the Cadets, not the Similars, that a new king is chosen.  I

For such a violent culture, the Spada have a terrible relationship with battlefield injuries.  While quite tough, a Spada Similar is expected to recover on his own within a few days. If such a recovery is impossible he'd rather die quickly. Scars are common, of course, and one of the few reliable methods of telling two Similars apart for outsiders, but crippling injuries are viewed as worse than death.  A Spada who is crippled is 'Different', and probably 'Weak', even if it is not by his own fault. As either is terrible, both together are intolerable.

Many chose to die on the battlefield, a stubborn few survive, but they find no welcome among their fellows, and are treated as if dead (their bunk, kit and even name is given to a Cadet).

Being considered weak or Different, outside of battlefield injury is even worse.  A coward, a weakling or simply an 'Individual' has a moral failing that the casualty does not have.  While the results are commonly the same... a minor sin of cowardice (open fear that does not result in attempting to flee (the Similar will kill one of their own rather than allow that shame) for example) will result in minor stigmatizing, however it is essentially impossible to make up for it short of dying gloriously.  If a Spada starts to show signs of moral failings, but hasn't crossed a line, the Barracks will usually do something to indicate its displeasure (a haircut that doesn't look right will do it, for example, or deliberately staining a tunic, anything that makes the Similar stand out). Greater, but not mortal sins tend to result in more permanent indicators of displeasure, such as tattooing or ritual branding to mark the failing.  While it is possible to survive with a brand, most Similars so marked set themselves to the task of dying as gloriously and quickly as possible.  

The worst punishment is deliberate crippling and 'exile', and is reserved for the worst examples of the Spada moral failings.  A few Spada escape this punishment, fleeing.

Exile, it must be understood, is to the villages... the farms and fisheries or even the harsh mines.  It is to be rendered less than Spada, to be made a slave.

And make no mistake, not only do the Spada have slaves, lots of them, they have one of the most brutal systems of Slavery the world has ever seen.  To be other than Similar is to be less than human to the typical Spada. Free outsiders must tread carefully, for the Spada hate those who are different, but most of all they fear their Slaves, for they are the only outsiders upon whom the Spada must rely.  It is the slaves who make the weapons, who grow and even prepare the food, who keep the city from falling apart.

No Spada would keep a personal slave, relying instead on the Cadets of the Barracks for duties as squires and so forth (or even bed partners, if the Similar is not in a relationship, in this capacity the Cadet is very much an impersonal 'fuck', nothing more. Cadets are viewed as non-entities, barely better than the slaves, but far more trustworthy).  Similars (the units) occasionally march upon slave villages and destroy them, killing any who dare resist, Cadets are encouraged to test themselves by raiding and even killing slaves. Occasionally elaborate ploys are used to discover more aggressive or competent slaves, those who have leadership potential... so they can be killed quickly.  'Differents' who took exile have it worse than other slaves, being despised for their weakness by true Spada, and hated for their heritage by their fellow slaves.

One would think, given the brutality  of the Spada that the slaves would seek to escape or rebel. And it happens, of course.

However, no matter how cruel the Spada are to the loyal slaves, those who are openly disloyal, trying to escape or actually daring to raise arms, they reserve their most vicious and gruesome punishments for.

If you are loyal you might be killed, even for no reason, certainly. If you are disloyal your death will be remarkably painful and humiliating, sometimes lasting days.  Similars have sewn live rats into the bellies of runaways, letting the frenzied slave wander about in agony as their insides are eaten by the terrified and starving rodent.  They have tied rebels to posts and, starting from the largest to the smallest, broken each bone in the body, one per day... doing everything else necessary to keep the slave alive until the last bone has been shattered. An especially cruel version of this involves using weak healing magics to slowly allow the bones to heal during the process so that they must be broken again and again (one per day, and the Spada recognize the existence of some 150 or so bones... time enough to heal, however badly, before the cycle begins anew...), leaving the mewling wreck in the public square as an example.

there are a thousand such torments, and inventiveness in coming up with new tortures is one of the few creative outlets the Spada respect... though too much creativity results in the minor social downgrade of being sent to train the children in the creches. Yes, the most creative and cruel Spada train the children.  Its a respected position, but without the opportunity to win glory on the battlefield.   As long as enough children survive to become Cadets, the trainers have nearly unfettered freedom to abuse them during training.   However, a over the centuries a few trainers have gone overboard with their abuse, and produced ill-trained children rendered 'weak' by the abuse (physical, mental and even sexual), regardless of 'survival' rates. Such trainers find themselves subject to the same sorts of punishments they inflicted...



A little too derivative of history?  This is sort of a noodling rough draft of the idea, and I've done less than I'd like to really seat them in modern Haven.  I will probably expand this with discussions of tactics (purely infantry, but supported by terrain in this), equipment and so forth.  Elesia may get a longer post to herself, which will deal with more hard facts and less speculation (which is what I prefer for ancient history....)

The Spada will also need a deeper treatment of religion, though thankfully I'll only need one Cult for them. Also the slave culture will need its own treatment, along with the Stone Men, though those can all be part of this thread as far as I'm concerned.

Spadan Tactics:

Spada is a hilly rocky countryside with many deep river chasms and valleys, very uneven terrain.  The Spada claim this is from the Men of the Earth pulling themselves out of the ground to worship Elesia, but many naturalists believe it was caused by glacial run off from the mountains to the north flowing out to see.

Regardless, the Spada have never had to worry overly much about cavalry and chariots.  There are plains and grasslands, to be certain, but none larger than a man could cross on foot in a single day.   As a result the Spada never domesticated mounts of any sort, though they have a few beasts of burden that might be ridden if one had a mind.

But they also have never had to deal with cavalry on any real even footing. Certainly their traditional enemies, the Reve, lack a similar tradition as well, but the Tenebrian Kingdoms to the south have heavy cavalry and the Hesh to the West have their war chariots, which may explain the Spada's lack of interest in conquest.

It also explains how they could survive so long against so many armies with such a limited array of forces. The Spada fight on foot, in large blocks of men, well protected by heavy shields and well armed with long heavy spears and short stabbing swords.  This, and only this marks the Spada army on the march.

When defending ground, which is not entirely uncommon, the Spada will, occasionally, use javelins and slings to goad the enemy into attacking, but they are well protected by their heavy shields, and their skill with them, from most ranged attacks. Once the Spada have picked where they wish to stand and fight, they will not move from it unless already engaged in the slaughter.

As you can see, Spada's tactics are simple, but they are highly effective given the discipline of the Similars.  The Similars will arrange themselves in a line, with the heaviest units in the center, or Van, with lighter units to the flanks, ready to enfold or envelop the enemy.  They never rank more than one unit deep, and if there is insufficent room for all the Similars deployed, the lightest units will be sent away rather than held in reserve.  

Strategically, the Spada keep in mind one simple rule: If they lose they must do so in a way that forces the enemy to retreat rather continue the attack.  While from time to time Spada Similars have been grotesquely outmatched, they have, even then, fought to the last man to inflict as much harm as possible before dying.  

If the Spada have a tactical weakness, it is their relation to magic.  To devote oneself to magic, or to stop fighting long enough to cast, is both necessary and yet entirely against the Similar culture.  While more than a few Spada do learn magic, mostly Elesian mysteries, their magic is often of little use on the battlefield, and they rarely raise above the level of dedicated amateurs.  To make up for it, many Similars interested in battlefield magic turn to the study of enchantment or alchemy, magics that can be cast between battles and provide subtle assistance.  

Many Spada kings therefor make an effort to use their unique 'individual power' to learn battle sorceries, Elusian Mystery magics and more. Some have even forced their Bodyguard Similar to study as well, and as almost every major engagement is likely to have one of the Spada kings present, there may be a single, massively armored unit of battle sorcerers present all casting with the same furious devotion that the average Spada brings to stabbing fools in the face.

On the question of Leadership:  Similars are 148 men, twelve men fronts, twelve ranks deep. Who leads the Similar?  For any given battle it is chosen by lot.  Who leads several similars? Frequently it is the designated leader of the 'heaviest' unit of similars.  The King is the General of the Spada, and in cases of two kings (rare, unless the city itself is under siege) they will divide the defense by geography.

However.  From time to time a member of a given Similar will display a level of tactical or strategic acumen. Frequently this occurs before a battle, when the Spada plan for the next day, week and so forth.  This Similar will often find themselves deferred to in strategic discussion, and may be granted the honorific of Strategos. If this happens, he may be invited to share his insights in multi-similar battlefields, and if the other Similars recognize his honorific (giving it themselves) he may refer to himself as a Strategos publicly, and if he choses (many do not), may wear or carry an olive branch with him.  Twig, really, and he may wrap the rim of his shield with olive wood.

This does not make him a leader, however, but he may be responsible for the planning of battles, along with any other Strategoi present for that battle.

From time to time, among the Similars, one will be elected to lead by lot and will prove remarkably adept at it, though among the Similars charismatic leaders are hardly necessary or effacious.  However, if, during a battle a Similar, either chosen by lot or not, may take charge of a unit that is struggling and lead them to victory for Elesia and Spada, this Spada may then be nominated as the leader of his Similar, and may be called therafter Tyrant.  On rare occasions, a Tyrant may be given leadership of several similars, and if they find him worthy, as with the Strategoi, they may too recognize the Tyrant. Tyrants may carry a ram's horn on their belt, though again, many do not.

If one is proven both a Strategos and a Tyrant, and recognized as both, then the Spada Kings may chose to invest that Spada with the duty of General.  Generals are marked by a tuft of boar hair, often worn as a necklace.  The Similar of a General is almost always granted dispensation to acquire better equipment from the best craftsmen. It is rare, but not unheard of, for several Generals to fight in the same battle. In those cases they either follow the most senior, by acclaim, or they draw lots for overall command.

These ranks are quite rarely given, however, and many smaller battles are unlikely to see even one Spada invested with such a rank.  It is noted that the ranked Spada fights with his brethen, in his own Similar, and in whatever order he normally fights in.  Generals may be an exception, depending upon the complexity of their order of battle.  It is notworthy, however, for Strategos, and especially Generals may change the way the Spada fight significantly, for their rank is not lightly given. A general may decide, for example, that contrary to tradition, the Spada will charge their enemy from the start of the fight, or they may retreat up into the hills and fight with sling and javelin, avoiding coming to grips with an enemy.   While the Strategos must justify his unconventional plans to his brothers and sisters, the General does not, for they are favored by Elesia.


The Panoply:

the Spada have some excellent iron mines in the mountains, and while their slaves have never mastered steelwork (or, if they knew it before they were slaves, never bothered to share it), they have high quality iron weapons and armor.  They also have a breed of tough goats they have herded from time immemorial, which are noted for their hides.

The kit, or Panoply, of a Similar is a measure of the glory it has won in battle, or the shame its earned.  The standard rule is that every member of a Similar (144 men) must all be equipped the same.  Heavy losses on the battlefield may result in lost equipment, as can wear and tear, thus it is encumbent on a Similar to keep extras around.  Access to the craftsmen, who are always slaves, though perhaps slightly better treated than most, is by dispensation from commanders, those generals who are allowed to lead additional Similars in battle, though any Spada can order a slave to make them an item, they must still obey the tenants of Spada culture, to include waiting their turn (and if the list is long enough, the chance that the craftsman in question will be murdered or maimed for some slight against his betters before their lot comes up), and the necessity of the entire Similar getting the same equipment.

A newly formed Similar, or one that has suffered heavy losses over a long period of time (and thus has many newly raised Cadets in its ranks) may only have access to leather shields and greaves, and may even be reduced to using wood fired stakes for spears, though such lowly equippage is extremely rare and would only be seen in times of great duress, when every warrior is needed... even then, richer Similars would share their extra spears and shields at the very least to get the new Similars up to snuff.

Greaves and helmets are important, as the large round shield of the Spada is held so as to cover most of the body, only the lower legs are exposed for movement, and the head must be exposed to see the enemy.  Thus, even when offered a chance to equip a Similar with, say, curiasses, many would prefer to save their prestige for iron greaves, or higher quality helmets first.

The full Panoply of the Spada, worn by the best units, even the Kings, consists of a broad bladed spear, full eight feet long. A shield of thick iron, worn on the right arm (the Spada fight left handed), nearly three feet in diameter, a segmented bowl helmet with a plain face mask, leaving only narrrow eye holes and ear holes.  Greaves that cover the top of the foot and the knee, three quarter's coverage, strapped to both legs, a kilt of riveted leather straps, an iron cuirasse, front and back, with a high gorget (up to the nose), wide enough for the helmet to turn freely, and vambraces, with leather straps around the hands.  The highest quality craftsmanship curiasse and helmet are made of wide bands, segmented and articulated, allowing for a great deal of mobilty, and with well distributed weight, though they are still heavy.  For close in work, and on the chance the heavy shafts of their spears shatter, every Spada trains with and carries a short blade for stabbing.  Strangely, this is one area where the Spada is actually encouraged to go 'individual', as the short blade, or Xibas, is first given to a Cadet to mark their ascension from childhood, and taken from the creches to the barracks.  Since every Cadet in a barracks might come from a different creche, and cadets of different ages from the same creche-lineage would have different training cadre, and different craftsmen making their swords, no attempt at uniformity is expected. Thus, when a Cadet is raised to the rank of Similar (adulthood), it is traditional that they take some of their bunk inheritance and find a craftsman to make a new Xibas after the fashion of the first, but with any Similar styles unique to their barracks.  Likewise, any honorifics granted to the Similar throughout his life may be reflected in the design of his Xibas, and vast differences of quality might be noted in this singular piece of equipment within the ranks of a Similar.  A few Spada who are willing to deal with foreign merchants may even contract with them for a steel Xibas.


Many Spada consider their Xibas to be dead weight on their girdle, a weapon they would never voluntarily use unless pressed. It should be noted, however, that Spada are encouraged to have their own interests and hobbies, and if those interests or hobbies are useful to warriors, so much the better. As a result, a significant number of Spada devote no small measure of their spare time to fighting or dueling with the Xibas, just as no small number practice wrestling beyond the usual playing around common among barracks-mates.  Of course, a larger number of Spada devote themselves to spear-dancing, with or without shields, and a slightly larger number may chose to elevate 'shield fighting', or fighting with just a shield.

Meta: the Xibas is nothing more than a short, 1 handed sword (a short sword in D&D).  Many Spada carry theirs even when in the city, making it a simple way to mark an individual Spada from his fellows.  A great deal of the inner mind of these stoic peoples can be divined from the decorations they chose for their Xibas.  
Some Xibas, particularly among those who dismiss it as a weapon, and those who view their martial practices as a sacred burden, to be born quietly rather than joyfully, may have a large dagger or dirk instead of a short sword, this would still be called a xibas, but is more likely to see use as a tool than a weapon.
Among those who relish close quarters fighting or who dedicate themselves to mastery of the Xibas, it may be longer, though never so long as to require two hands.   A longer Xibas will have a larger, counterweighted pommel, and will undoubtedly be more ornate, both blade and scabbard, and many are of foreign make, without the distinctive leaf shaped blade.

The Spada believe the Goddess Elesia bore them when she lay with the Men of the Earth, thus they hold her in special esteem, as well as having reverence for the very soil of their homeland, though no god personifies this reverence.

Thus the tale of the Men of Stone is particularly curious when discussing the culture and history of Spada.

Historically, and the Spada do no dispute this, though they rarely tell the old tales anymore... at least not without bastardizing and bowlderizing them, the Spada were expected to fight to defend themselves and their families, but never to make a career out of war and killing.  Elesia favored the well rounded man, and in classic times this meant the study of art, husbandry, crafts and athletics. In modern times it means the spear, the shield, and so forth.

So when the Spada found themselves hard pressed by many enemies, and becoming more and more militarized, Elesia sought to save the Spada from becoming abhorrent to her, and to save them from their enemies. So she crafted from the rocks of the land giant men of stone, perfect warriors to defend her beloved people, and allow them to return to the idyllic life she loved them for.

That the Spada rejected this gift from their Goddess should be unthinkable. That they turned around an enslaved them as laborers and workers should be blasphemous. That not a single Spada has ever questioned why the last act their Goddess performed in the mortal realm coincides with their own rejection of that act is monsterous.  That this rejection came because the Spada believed they were better than the Men of Stone is, of course, hubris... which at one time was among the gravest of sins a Spada could commit.

Nevertheless, this is not mere myth and legend. Around a thousand years ago the Goddess Elesia gifted the Spada with a legion of these Men of Stone. Thousands of them, truth be told.  Many lie in ruins around the city walls, for their rejection did not come quickly, hundreds labor in deep, forgotten, mines, some labor even though no human has set foot within the mines for hundreds of years, and piles of forgotten ores lie abandoned.

A handful exist within the city walls. Two wait within the temple of Elesia, though to suggest they guard it is to insult the Spada who walk the streets. A third occasionally serves as a 'portable throne' for the Kings of Spada when they campaign.   Two stand forever frozen, holding up the city gates as if they had been carved from the stone for that very purpose.

The average Man of Stone stands twice the height of a man, thousands of pounds of granite. They are carved after the shape of men, after the Spada of old, if legend speaks true, each bearing the face of a long lost Lover of Elesia herself, marking each Man as a living memorial to long lost heroes.  Some were larger, leaders among the Men, or perhaps meant for tasks that the smaller Men would find difficult.  If unbroken their stone skins will mend any crack or chip within minutes, rendering the surviving Men as pristine as when they were first formed.  They are immune to Earth Magics, and can not be subverted, though they may be destroyed by magic otherwise. They are forever silent, and obey the orders of the Spada without question, but they are not entirely mindless, and have, in the past, acted in the interests of Elesia or Spada without orders, or even in contravention of standing orders.   Many find the Men of Stone beautiful, some find them Tragic.

The Spada, to their eternal shame, generally find them 'in the way'.