Havala's Composite Atlatl Manual
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Obtained by giving Havala bint Mylos one Trade Note (1,000)
Havala's Composite Atlatl Manual
A book written by Havana bint Mylos regarding composite atlatls.
All my life, both in my homeland of Gharu'n and here on Dereth, I have been a hunter. It is a calling that was passed to me by my father. Even with other plentiful sources of food and livelihood, I choose to hunt to support myself because it makes me feel connected to the rhythms of the world. And while I respect the power and precision of bows and crossbows, I feel most satisfied when I use the elegant and deadly atlatl as my hunting weapon. To that end, not long after I came to Dereth, I decided I would try to duplicate the successes Master Yuan Hanzu achieved with his creation of composite bows from animal components available on Dereth.
I spent several years stalking the length and breadth of the island, experimenting with different materials and techniques. Now I believe I have achieved a useful solution that any properly-trained adventurer can replicate. I have also developed high effective experimental handles to greatly improve the power of these composite atlatls. The techniques of crafting these handles are too complex for the average adventurer, but I will discuss that below, after detailing the creation process of the basic atlatl.
First, I have determined that of all the horn-based ingredients Master Yuan Hanzu prescribes, only the horns of the Great Mattekar will suffice for our purposes. The carving of a horn is very tricky and should not be left to amateurs. Simply bring me any Great Mattekar horns you find and I will carve it as necessary for you. Two carved horns are required to construct a proper Composite Atlatl. Each horn must be covered with a single piece of Cured Lugian Sinew, which is another ingredient common to Master Hanzu's bows.
Once the sinews have been stretched over the horns to create a pair of Composite Atlatl arms, you must lock the arms together to create a Composite Atlatl Stave. This gives the atlatl its basic shape. But a stave alone is not sufficient! It must be treated with a generous coating of oil. For our purposes, only oil squeezed from a Grievver Spike will do. I recommend using a metal press to get the oil you need. It takes three Grievver Spikes to create the necessary amount of oil.
Once the Grievver Spike Oil has been thoroughly applied to the Stave, your task is almost done. All that remains is to craft a handle for the atlatl. Without a handle, this design will be useless as a weapon of war. A basic handle can be whittled from the thighbone of a Dark Revenant, much like the technique employed by Master Hanzu's disciples. The only difference is that a Carving Knife is much more suited to this task than the Whittling Knife that Master Hanzu suggested. A skilled fletcher with a Carving Knife should be able to accomplish the task without significant trouble.
Once the handle has been carved from bone, a person skilled in the art of thrown weapons should be able to attach the handle to without much trouble. Adding the handle to the assembly results in a simple and elegant weapon. As in all things, there is always room for improvement. As I mentioned above, I have developed some experimental techniques, using more exotic bones, to create different designs of handles. These techniques are too intricate for me to share with the public at large.
Of course, with the simple expedient of a Whittling Knife, anyone can remove the handle they've already placed on their atlatl. But to fashion new and improved handles, as I said, will require expertise that I alone possess. Suffice it to say that if anyone who has assembled his or her own atlatl according to these instructions wishes to upgrade their weapon with a better handle, simply seek me out in Ayan Baqur and I shall help. It may require you to do some hunting in dangerous locations, but anything that is worthwhile comes with risk...