At dawn, Ron and Erwin stood by the training ground. Sunlight streamed down from above, making the white lime lines on the field gleam faintly.
The guards were changing into new equipment. Brom's suggestion had been practical: forging full plate armor was progressing far too slowly. Even with the aid of water-powered hammers, producing over twenty sets of plate armor remained an extremely time-consuming task.
His proposed interim solution was a coat of plates. Its outer layer was made of coarse brown cloth, while curved metal plates were overlapped and riveted together within. It was lighter than full plate armor, and both its manufacturing process and assembly were far simpler than those of a full suit of plate.
They were also equipped with visored helmets fitted with mail neck guards, pauldrons, arm guards, and leg guards, with chainmail and padded gambesons worn underneath. Its defensive power was only slightly inferior to full plate armor, and it could serve as alternative equipment for the core troops in the future.
The Fionas did not change their gear. They stood beside the weapon racks, passing the new coats of plates to their companions one after another. They only accepted new T-helms for themselves, then retied their old bearskin mantles.
One Fiona said something to his companion in Calradian, his expression calm, as though he were merely remarking that the wind was a little strong today.
"Their primary weapons are bows," Carl said, standing beside Ron with her helmet tucked beneath her arm.
"Plate armor would hinder them too much. Full lamellar armor and T-helms, with the same underlayers, won't affect either their mobility or their field of vision. They refuse to replace their bearskin mantles. They are proof of their traditions and honor. Every Fiona must hunt his own bear with his own