This is how Ardashir would have dressed

[eric_hinkle]

Or something like that anyway. Though he is more of a savaran instead.

Just look at the great photo of a re-creator as a cataphract astride his horse. I can only wonder how much time and money went into that armor

Comments

[eric_hinkle]

Maybe one day I'll try and commission some Ardashir/Varkanna cataphract art from you.

I wonder how a suit of full-body mail like that would go over someone with a furry pelt...

[anonymous]

You never wear mail next to the skin; it has NO impact protection. You always wear mail over some sort of padded garment to provide the impact protection, and that under-armor garment would prevent any catching in the pelt. (And with the fur providing some padding, you might be able to get away with a thinner undergarment.)

The thing I'd worry about is how to armor a Varkanna's long muzzle; the human-style helmet doesn't provide any protection to that vulnerable area. I'd expect broken muzzles to be common among veterans.

And overheating. Humans have some of the widest temperature range of any mammal; with a Varkanna, the pelt would increase the heat buildup from the armor, and the only way to dump that heat without sweating would be by panting. I'd expect to see a lot of heatstroke casualties in heavily-armored battles.

Re: I wonder how a suit of full-body mail like that would go over someone with a furry pelt...

[eric_hinkle]

You never wear mail next to the skin; it has NO impact protection. You always wear mail over some sort of padded garment to provide the impact protection, and that under-armor garment would prevent any catching in the pelt. (And with the fur providing some padding, you might be able to get away with a thinner undergarment.)

Again, thanks for reminding me of something I should've remembered myself.

The thing I'd worry about is how to armor a Varkanna's long muzzle; the human-style helmet doesn't provide any protection to that vulnerable area. I'd expect broken muzzles to be common among veterans.Probably so about the broken or scarred muzzles; they don't have insta-heal magic, at least not commonly, but they do have small-scale magics that can make sure that wounds heal without infection or crippling

Re: I wonder how a suit of full-body mail like that would go over someone with a furry pelt...

[mount_oregano]

Overheating was a problem for humans, too, during the Middle Ages. From what I've read from back then, jousts would begin at dawn and the combatants would take a break when the sun got too hot. Of course, in a war, knights would have less control over when they would fight.

Re: I wonder how a suit of full-body mail like that would go over someone with a furry pelt...

[eric_hinkle]

I wonder how they handled it myself. The Byzantine and Iranian cataphracts fought each other in the Middle East in their full armor, and from what I've read the Arab allies of the Sassanids fought in 'cataphract' style armor when they could. That couldn't have been easy, even when you're fighting from horseback.

Maybe our ancestors were just more used to pain than we are?

[mount_oregano]

Mail would be no problem over fur. (Note that the cataphract's horse is wearing scale mail, and they're not naked-skinned.) It's no problem because the mail is worn over a tunic or other fabric to protect the skin -- and even the average human male can have a lot of body hair, which would catch.

So the furry pelt can remain beautifully furry.

[cabbitwocky]

Agreed, mail doesn't do much good if it's over bare skin since the rings will dig into the flesh if hit.

[eric_hinkle]

And thank you too.

[eric_hinkle]

Oyyyy... I should've realized as much. Thank you, mount_oregano, for pointing that out.