Grandbow
| Grandbow | |
|---|---|
| Fabrial type | Augmenter |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
A grandbow is an incredibly powerful bow created by attaching an augmenter fabrial to a large bow. Invented by the Alethi on Roshar, they are sometimes called Shardbows because users typically must be enhanced by the strength of Shardplate in order to fully draw them.[1]
Appearance and Functionality[edit]
Grandbows are constructed from steel and are about as tall as a man. A small gemstone attached to the bow by an artifabrian provides Stormlight and ensures that the metal does not warp under the stress of being drawn. The arrows used with a grandbow are as thick as three fingers, and are quite long.[1]
History[edit]
Grandbows were designed by Alethi artifabrians led by Navani Kholin during the War of Reckoning.[1] They were often used during chasmfiend hunts to injure the creatures before the hunters moved in for the final kill. In 1173, Highprince Torol Sadeas used a grandbow to attack the chasmfiend that surprised the Alethi during a hunt, while Highprince Dalinar Kholin as well as Adolin and King Elhokar attacked it with their Shardblades.[2] Some of the Alethi that had Plate but no Blade (including Rust Elthal and Serugiadis) sometimes practiced with grandbows as an alternative to a shardhammer or another melee weapon.[3]
Meridas Amaram used a grandbow during his fight with Kaladin at the Battle of Thaylen Field. Amaram lost the bow when Kaladin scared off his horse, and it was retrieved by Lunamor. Lunamor was able to draw the bow and kill Amaram, who had been joined with Yelig-nar, with arrows through the head and chest.[4] He is the only person to have drawn a grandbow without the aid of Shardplate, and it is not known how he did so. His daughter Cord referred to spren strengthening Lunamor's arm when he drew the Bow of Hours in the Horneater Peaks,[5] but Lunamor declined to speak about the subject.[6]
Amaram's grandbow was passed onto Cord, who was also a skilled archer. Cord used the grandbow to kill Leshwi before the assault on Hearthstone.[7] During a Skybreaker attack at the Battle of Emul, Cord used the bow to shoot an arrow directly into Nale's face, but he easily healed from the injury. Nale was also able to catch an arrow that Cord had fired from mere feet away.[8]
Living Shardbows[edit]
It is possible that a bonded Radiant spren may be manifested as a living Shardbow instead of a Shardblade, although this seems to be uncommon and has not been seen since at least the Recreance.[9]