User blog:Raidra/Fantasy Arsenal

Some time ago I made a short guide detailing the special weapons used by one of my characters, Gerard Ripley alias Dart Tongue, The Dragon, and The Blue Terror. As those who’ve read my Houseguest series know, Ripley is an iguana man who leads a gang called Basilisk. He was originally conceived as a supervillain, but eventually I decided to make him an anti-hero who uses his skills to combat criminals and supervillains. Ripley has collected various artifacts and obtained or created various weapons, objects, and potions to help him in his battles, and I’ve decided to post the guide to the special weapons. In addition to the eight page guide, I’ve added a section below to explain the items’ inspirations. Some are originals (though they may be inspired or influenced by other sources), some come from legends, some come from real life, and some I just plain stole from Naruto (Hey, at least I’m honest). Some of these were already touched on in my paper weapons blogs ( .  I hope you enjoy!

Dart 1
 * Special chain mail armor- I’d say this is original, but numerous cultures have legends of armors, coats, etc. which provide superior protection while being fireproof, waterproof, etc. Shoot, The Secret Saturdays had a cloak which was made from the skin of a cryptid shark and protected the wearer from damage.  Now that I’ve read some more about armor I’m thinking of saying that the armor isn’t strictly chain mail, but rather a combination of chain mail and lamellate armor.  A layer of chain mail would be draped over thin metal plates, and both the chain mail and the plates would be made of the same material.  In any case, he wears breathable yet heatproof gambesons under the armor.  Sometime after creating this armor (and after making this guide) I read about mithril, the fantasy metal created by the late, great Tolkien and used in various media.  After that I started referring to his chain mail as mithril.
 * Aegis-mask- The name of this original is a double reference. On one hand, the aegis was a protective helmet or breastplate from Greek mythology.  On the other hand, a legend from a different country (I forget which, but I want to say it was Scandinavian) had something called the Aegis-helm.  It was spelled differently, using that letter combining an A and an E, and the name translated to “Fear helmet”.  The Aegis-mask thus has protective properties and fear-inducing properties.
 * Toadstone Bands- These are inspired by legends telling of stones which came from toads and could be used to detect the presence of poisons. Some stories say they can neutralize poison too, but mine only detect poison since that’s what I first read.

Dart 2
 * Basilisk ring- This was inspired by stories I’ve read about poisonous rings. It’s been said that rings have existed containing compartments for poisons or mechanisms for administering poisons.
 * Stone of Light- This is an original. I made it Italian because at one point Italy was the premier maker of glass and crystal.
 * Adamant Blade- This was inspired by various mythical swords and blades described as being sharp and hard enough to cut through rock or metal, as well as stories of the legendary substance adamant.
 * Enervation Blade- This is an original. I don’t remember why I made it an Irish weapon (I’m an American of mixed Irish and Welsh heritage, by the way), but it may have been in honor of the unique weapons from Celtic folklore.  Celtic folklore was never my favorite, but there is some interesting stuff in there.  Somehow it just feels right to make this an Irish weapon.

Dart 3
 * Teleportation stone- This is an original, and it’s portrayed not as a magical item, but a natural one. It’s like how uranium naturally has radioactive properties and amber naturally has electrical properties.
 * Uraeus Rod- This was inspired by the Egyptian myth saying that the cobra guardian Uraeus would spit poisonous fire at the enemies of the pharaoh. In my comics the flames shot by the rod are portrayed as unusually colored (scarlet and light blue violet).
 * Adamas Crescent- This is an original, though it’s influenced by stories of various mythical swords and blades described as being sharp and hard enough to cut through rock or metal, stories of the legendary substance adamant, stories of fantastic substances and weapons made from meteorites, and comic book substances like kryptonite.
 * Senbon- These double-pointed needles come from Naruto. I don’t know if these were used in real life, but they do resemble actual implements such as bo-shuriken (stick shuriken, which were sometimes pointed at each end) and sanryoshin (blood-letting needles which some ninja could purportedly spit at an opponent to distract them).

Dart 4
 * Tessen- This iron fan weapon comes from real life.  Historically tessen could be either menhari-gata (a foldable fan with iron spokes) or tenarashi-gata (an iron truncheon made to resemble an ordinary folded fan).  Modern depictions might show it as a fan made completely of iron and sporting a sharpened edge.  The most recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, the one on Nickelodeon, has April using a tessen like this as her signature weapon.
 * Chain Whip- This is another real life weapon. I came across it while doing comics research and thought it was really cool.  The ones shown in my comics are generally qijiebian, seven-section chain whips.
 * Smoking Mirror- This comes from Aztec mythology. I read a story about one Aztec god using the Smoking Mirror to unsettle another (by making him see himself as a frail old man) and thought it would make a great comic book weapon.  I could imagine the villain using it to intimidate his victims.
 * Fright Ray- This is an original which channels various science-fiction stories about mysterious rays and sinister ray guns.

Dart 5
 * Kongō- This comes from Japanese mythology.  Wikipedia describes it as “a trident-shaped staff which emits a bright light in the darkness, and grants wisdom and insight. The staff belonged originally to the Japanese mountain god Kōya-no-Myōjin. It is the equivalent of the Sanskrit Vajra, the indestructible lightning-diamond pounder of the king of the gods/rain-god Indra. There the staff represents the three flames of the sacrificial fire, part of the image of the vajra wheel.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mythological_objects) I should note that sometimes this weapon is depicted as a fist-load weapon resembling a yawara, and that weapons with this name, or a variant of the name, can be found in real life.
 * Fothad’s spear- This comes from Celtic legend. There’s not much else to say.
 * Binding Mask- This is an original, and I’ve already written a pasta about this. I was looking through the dictionary and came across the term “kef”, defined as “a dreamy, tranquil state” or “a drug, such as Indian hemp, which can induce this state”.  When I created the Binding Mask and the drug that went along with it, I named the drug “the binding kef” since it caused the victim to enter a dreamlike state.   I didn’t reveal the name of the drug in my pasta, though, since the term “kef” is used to refer to specific drugs in real life, and I didn’t want people to confuse the fictional mind-control drug with something that actually existed.  One more word about this subject and I’ll tickle you until you pee yourself.
 * Knock-out band- This is an original. It was created as an equalizer against a character who was emotionally unstable due to drug abuse and withdrawal.  It wound up being used on a different character, though he had the same problem.

Dart 6
 * Retractable Shield and Senbon Launcher- These come from Naruto. and
 * Dragon Banner- This was inspired by a story that Merlin created a banner which bore an image of a dragon that could actually breathe fire, all the better to fend off intruders. My version is a banner containing a hidden device which shoots noxious steam.  I thought poisonous steam would be more interesting and less deadly while still being dangerous.
 * Chain Wind Staff, Retractable Spear, and Retractable Sword- These come from Naruto., , and

Dart 7
 * Ballistic Dragon Dagger and Kokutō- These come from Naruto. and  This is an old drawing.  I’ve since redesigned the kokutō to give it a proper katana handle.
 * Tizona, Colada, and El Cid’s Shield- These come from the legend of El Cid. El Cid was a real historical figure, and some say these weapons really exist.  Legend describes the swords as causing fear in unworthy opponents and having power based on the strength and courage of the wielder.  In my comics the swords emit radiation that can cause fear and weakness.  If the wielder can steel his resolve enough to use them despite this, then he or she can wield them to great effect and conquer his or her foes.

Dart 8
 * Claw of Bran- Before anyone asks, “What kind of dumb name is ‘the Claw of Bran’? Are you going to have a Claw of Granola next?” let me explain that Celtic mythology has a number of characters named Bran.  One of them was the dog of a legendary hero.  Bran was a particularly large and monstrous dog with a particularly long and sharp claw.  It was said that those scratched with this claw were doomed to die- not from some mystical curse, but from infection.  The wound could not be healed and would continue to fester until the victim died.  That legend inspired this polearm.  I should note that this is not the only weapon from Celtic mythology that killed by causing infected wounds.  I think it’s an interesting commentary on the fact that for a long time getting an infected wound in battle, or even from an accident, was a death sentence.  In fact, there are rumors that ninja would sometimes kill a target by burying a shuriken in the dirt where a foe could step on it.  The rust and dirt would cause the wound to become infected, ensuring the target’s death.  Since my comics are set in modern times, victims of the Claw of Bran can recover if they get proper treatment.  It’s used to incapacitate rather than to kill.