Students of weapon design, specifically of knife and sword blades, have long had a fascination for jorish artistry in this visual and physical medium. Unlike most orcish and other goblinoid designs, there is an almost elven beauty in the curves of these exquisite steel creations, albeit exaggerated far beyond what the fairer folk would find aesthetically pleasing. The effect is to provide a weapon that not only looks fearsome, but handles in such a way that it does exact a more lethal and gruesome form of wound in it’s target. Jorish blades are weighted differently than the swords of humans, elves, and other demihumans, keeping more weight towards the end of the blade rather than nearer the center or towards the hilt. This makes them superior for dealing out devastation, but they perform rather poorly when used to parry or deflect enemy attacks.

The curves on every jorish blade serve a purpose other than to just make the weapon look more fearsome. The backs of these weapons will almost always have an exaggerated serration, and this is put to use to tear up an enemy when the blade is driven into, and pulled out of, their bodies. The size of these curves makes it easier to tear away at leather straps on armor, saddles and barding, or even to cut through small bones with a single muscular action. Jorish knife and sword blades have always had a reputation for causing more damage on the exit wound than they do in entering, and these serrations are partly to credit for that.

Likewise, the front of a jor blade will always have an indented curve. The forward end of the blade is where the weight is, similar is some regards to the better-known ancient weapon known as a khopesh. Jorish swords are never this cumbersome, though. But the leading edge of any jorish sword will have a heavy cutting blade that curves towards the tip of the weapon. Where that curve starts, closer to the hilt, rather than run straight down to the handle of the weapon, it will have an almost hook-like curve inward, and then begin another curve, inward rather than outward, until it meets the handguard. This hook-like curve can be more or less prominent, but the goal is to allow the blade an even greater chance to shred an opponent when the blade is withdrawn. Very skilled warriors can also use this feature of the blade to disarm opponents by catching their enemies’ weapons and yanking them from their hands.

Perhaps the most alien aspect of jorish sword design is the lack of any blood grooves on them. Blood grooves are important features on human and demihuman blades, allowing the wielder to more easily withdraw the weapon from an opponent. However, jors do not want their weapons to exit smoothly and easily. They want to hear an even louder scream from their foes, and they want a certain amount of splashing overflow of vital organs and chunks of meat. Considering the strength of jors, their blade designs play rather well to this dynamic.

Alright, that was enough to make a person hungry. Who is up for some Thanksgiving leftovers? I’ll carve.