Havala's Composite Atlatl Manual

From the Composite Atlatl quest, introduced during the Corrupted Sovereigns event.

Havala's Composite Atlatl Manual
A book written by Havana bint Mylos regarding composite atlatls.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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-- Havala bint Mylos