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The Bloodless Arrowcatch Could Trigger the Coming War

fringe prophecy · popularity 70 · 1 source thread

Kvothe's arrow-catching device nullifies ranged weapons, leaving walled cities defenceless as in Lanre's tale.

Also involves: Kvothe, The University, Haliax, The Creation War, Newarre, Sympathy, Bloodless

The theory§

The Bloodless, the arrow-catching device Kvothe designs at the University, intercepts incoming arrows through sygaldry-driven springs. This theory extends its battlefield logic: a force that can nullify ranged weaponry would render walled cities indefensible, since their defenders rely on bows and bolts to repel infantry from the parapets. Once those walls can be approached without consequence, cities fall to assault much as the cities fall in the story of Lanre during the Creation War. The supposed absence of bows in Newarre is read as a sign the design has spread and rendered them redundant, and the schema now circulating among artificers makes the technology a plausible spark for the coming war. The reasoning runs counter to the device's actual limits, however: a single Bloodless catches only eight arrows before a slow reload, its springs barely store enough energy to stop one shaft each, and the rotation mechanism can be overwhelmed by volleys or fire from multiple directions.

Evidence§

  • Effectively nullifying all ranged weaponry would result in the fall of all walled cities. Unable to defend themselves they would be helpless to infantry assault.
    OP's core claim: nullifying ranged weapons makes walled cities fall to infantry. — u/Puzzleheaded_Pay7428
  • I recalled the fall of the cities in the story of Lanre, and saw some parallels with cities unable to defend themselves against a large infantry force.
    OP links the mechanism to the Lanre tale's falling cities. — u/Puzzleheaded_Pay7428
  • Lastly, I do not recall the use of a bow and arrow in Newarre, indicating that indeed they have been made redundant.
    OP's evidence: absence of bows in Newarre suggests the design has spread. — u/Puzzleheaded_Pay7428
  • The short chapter following the introduction of the arrowcatch ends “I was still terribly naive in many ways”
    OP adds textual hint that Kvothe regrets the arrowcatch's consequences. — u/Puzzleheaded_Pay7428
  • The schema is out there now, and there's a lot of people at the University eager to try and improve on the hottest new design. The potential for warfare is a given, it's a huge gamechanger.
    Refines theory: the spreading schema makes it a plausible spark for war. — u/JaceMuello
  • bloodles isn't infinite it can only catch 8 arrows and needed to be reloaded (not a fast thing) and quality crossbows which used in military can do some damage to it … there isn't any fabricatory that manufacters bloodles they need university students to make them and it isn't cheap either
    CounterCounter: limited capacity, slow reload, and no mass production undercut the theory. — u/Royal_Reality
  • the springs barely have enough energy to stop a single arrow each … Even a small volley of arrows would completely overwhelm it … Fire from multiple directions at the same time would be a big a problem for it. … The thing just simple isn't viable for large scale combat.
    CounterCounter: the device's mechanics make it unviable for large-scale war. — u/Zhorangi
  • Ranged weaponry isn't the only reason cities are so difficult to take. You still have to actually get through the walls … The bloodless will do very little to stop boiling oil from being poured down on you
    CounterCounter: walls and other defences still stop assaults without arrows. — u/Starfleet-Time-Lord

Book refs: WMF

Tier reasoning§

fringe: heavily countered on the device's actual limitations

Contributors§

Source threads§