The Occitanian Compendium; On Technological Pursuits

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The Westerwald-Leoben Model 81 Matchlock Musket

Quote :: Designed just before the fall of the Holy Occitanian Empire by the pioneer in early firearms, Franz Mechlen-Gelling, the Model 81 was the product of many years spent trying to further the firearm for Occitanian supremacy. Originating with the Model 62, designated after the age of its creator, the aim of the project was to create a weapon much more accurate than the arquebus of the time. Mechlen-Gelling, and the company bearing his name, would only succeed five months before his death, creating a smoothbore musket that could fire much more accurately than the arquebus, and reload faster to boot.

Constant research into furthering Mechlen-Gelling's progress resulted in the Model 81, an extremely reliable and sturdy musket that was easy to use by the well-trained troops of the time. Rebranded as the Westerwald-Leoben Model 81, the weapon still sees extensive use within the Confederate Army, and has done for over twenty two years.

The Vinberg-Ruetten Type 11 Matchlock Musket

Quote :: Designed in response to the Model 81 musket, the Type 11 came about from a short-lived military partnership between Vinberg and Westerwald-Leoben. The treaty between the two allowed for a sharing of technology, to further the cause of the Occitanian states as a whole, made possible by the Count of Westerwald-Leoben's unified attitude at the time (which would drastically alter course once the current Count came into power).

The initial design was the Type 10, a smoothbore matchlock prototype that matched an arquebus almost exactly. But, before further technological development could occur, the partnership between the two came to an abrupt end. Vinberg developed it using what it had learnt so far, pairing its greatest minds with the Pulver company based out of Ruetten.

What resulted was the Type 11, a much more accurate refinement of its predecessor, and a weapon advanced enough to even beat the Model 81. It was lighter, could reload faster, and bore a slightly higher calber. Its range fell short of the Model 81's standards, but it hit much harder and often found itself a little less reliable. Vinbergen craft made the weapon look different from the musket created across the border in Westerwald-Leoben, bearing the Occitanian eagle, but the inner workings remained much the same.

The Siegel Rüstungskonzerns "Karolina" Rifle

Quote :: Individually made by the Siegel Rüstungskonzerns (Arms Company), the Karolina rifle is a weapon utilising the best in Occitanian technology. Incredibly expensive, and meticulously crafted every time one is requested, it is far from standardised, firing a .48 caliber cartridge only created by Siegel themselves.

The rifle is incredibly accurate and reliable, yet slightly heavier than normal when loaded. It can be fired without a resting stick, being equipped with accurate ironsights once adjusted and calibrated. In the military, it finds very rare use in the hands of sharpshooters, soldiers on the flanks of lines of troops with a keen eye ready to pick off targets of interest. Whilst utilising a muzzle-loaded wheellock mechanism, the barrel is polygonally rifled, with the .48 Siegel projectile custom made to match. For this reason, the technology is nearly impossible to replicate - the bullet cannot be reverse engineered once warped on impact, and even then, not without the weapons that Occitanian sharpshooters are trained to destroy if they feel it will fall into enemy hands.

Most often, the weapon is bought by wealthy, non-military individuals.

Short and long barrelled variations of the widely used wheellock pistol

Quote :: Concieved as an honourable weapon for a gentleman on horseback, the Occitanian design of the pistol was created to give officers and generals in the military a weapon with which they were able to fire and reload from a mounted position. On top of that, it would also be very light and concealable, allowing for its illicit use in the general populace.

Earlier versions were cumbersome, firing the same caliber round as a musket, and bearing a long, heavy barrel. Though accurate, they weighed down on an officer and were hard to fire with just one hand.

They were refined to have much shorter barrels, whilst retaining a great deal of their accuracy. Officers could now conceal them, and defend themselves with the single shot contained within.

The Cavalry Sabre

Quote :: Easily the most common form of sword after the fall of the Empire, the long, curved blade of the sabre found its way to the hip of every respectable officer and cavalryman on the battlefield, never once finding standardised employ amongst common troops. Soldiers are allowed to purchase their own individual swords if they wish, but it would be out of their own pocket, and high quality blades are often incredibly expensive compared to a soldier's wages.

There are incredible amounts of variation, from the shorter officers' swords (pictured above), to the longer cavalry swords, and even then a wide array of metals from which the sabres are crafted.