The firebow (also called the Nail of God, comet-bow, or forge-bow) was first produced in 1224, during the Xhiklus Trade-War. The first, prototypical firebows were seen in the hands of the famously skilled and innovative 3rd Contract Rangers, a skirmishing and marauding unit of the Xhaussapus Trade Union, under the command of General Heprion Anavunculax. These early firebows were not as precise and elegant as modern ones- they were modified crossbows with jury-rigged heating-elements which were generally tacked (or in some rare cases, tied!) onto the body of the bow, and which were imprecise in their heating of the bolt, rendering shots of motley quality. They were, however, a powerful and quick weapon, one which (along with the skill of the 3rd Contract Rangers) led to many victories in the early days of the War.
By the middle of 1225, however, the soldiers of the Trade Union were discouraged to find that fighters in the opposing Xhiklus army began to enter the battlefields of the war armed with these accurate and deadly weapons (It was later revealed that a Xhiklusian war technician had purchased one from a captured Xhaussapus soldier in exchange for said soldier’s freedom). The new and improved model of firebow (made more efficient and effective by the renegade Battle Scientists, who had in that year taken refuge in Xhiklus and were being payed by the High Kommanders to develop new weapons) largely spelled the difference in the Trade-War; almost every Xhiklusian troop was issued one of the terrible weapons, and by the end of spring in 1226, the Xhaussapus Trade Union was overwhelmed, and it’s blockades on Xhiklus and it’s rail-lines were dismantled.
Evidence points to a Xhiklusian soldier-turned-mercenary named Arkhuv Kheshpoth as the one who brought examples of the firebow to production factories throughout the Hundred. The disgruntled warrior had been stripped of a sizeable inheritance by the High Kommanders of Xhiklus for acts of treason and cowardice during the war, and it has been suggested that his actions were partially motivated by this. But whatever the reason, it is apparent that by 1229, nearly every army among the cities of the Hundred had access to firebows, and the secrets of the firebow’s construction were no longer so closely guarded.
The advent of more accurate and faster-loading firearms (facilitated by the discovery of Delayed Agents and gunner’s mercury in 1376) has made the firebow less useful today than it was in those times. However, though no longer the staple weapon that it was during the era of it’s modernity, the firebow is still a powerful and versatile weapon in it’s own right, albeit one that has become more popular among today’s adventurers than among the soldiery.
The firebow is a large, heavy-stocked winching crossbow, generally constructed of metal (to better withstand the rigours of use and the wear-and-tear caused by the heating element). Most firebows have a shoulder-stock (in order that the user is not thrown back or does not drop the weapon from the kick of the firing). Functioning like a normal crossbow, a firebow utilizes long, straight, metal bolts or rods (iron nails and heavy retainer pins can be used in place of proper bolts if necessary; the bolt must be metal, due to the nature of the weapon). The bolt is placed in the normal position for a crossbow.
The user then proceeds to wind the winch; in a normal crossbow, this prepares for firing, but on a firebow, winching serves a second purpose- it activates and charges the heating element, a long battery made of copper, filled with thermic sciofluid (in slang parlance, “fire-oil”). Water is then poured into the battery. The sciofluid, excited by the movement of the winch, mixes with the water, causing a powerful alchemical reaction generating extremely intense heat along the length of the battery, and heating the bolt to an even, red-hot glow. When the shot is fired, the fluid in the battery explosively evaporates. This, along with the natural action of the bow, sends the red-hot length of metal launching at terrific speed toward the target; this has created a second name for the weapon among users, who call the thing “the Nail of God”.
A firebow has a more powerful kick and much more speed off the shot than it’s conventional cousin, the crossbow, due to the energy generated by the exposive evaporation of the battery fluid and the strong crossbow-action. In addition, the red-hot bolts used in firing (quite obviously) are far more effective than regular quarrels, and there are many cases of victims of the firebow being pinned against walls and other objects by the missile.
Firebows require water and the special thermic sciofluid to function, and those armed with these powerful weapons will generally carry supplies of both. Fire-oil (the sciofluid) can be easily synthesized from substances readily available from street chemists and alchemists, and some even use natural ingredients, though this is considerably more time-intensive.
Firebows, due to their nature, become extremely hot during use. Older varieties and battlefield models generally are simply embossed with warnings to handle with gloves and padding, while later models and custom firebows generally have shoulder padding and insulated grips.
Most firebows are relatively simple and utilitarian, and generally lack decoration. Many firebows created in the 1270s were created by the infamous Blackbird Company, and have inlays of black iron and attached sightfinders; these are highly sought-after, not only by weapon enthusiasts and adventurers (for their high quality) but by collectors and museums (for their historical value). From the 1360s, firebows began to become more ornamented and decorated; some produced in Simblios during 1390s are extraordinarily baroque in decoration, and many find it amazing that they are still fully functional under layers of embossings, carved, hinged reliefs, and interlocking puzzle-chips.