In the hands of an experienced Rihannsu warrior, anything can be considered a weapon. Yet, a warrior does not exist by disruptors, phasers, and photon torpedoes alone. Oh, no, brave soul, a Rihannsu warrior has a tradition of martial arts, honor and perseverence that shine through very brightly. This page will detail some of the more esoteric weapons found on the Two Worlds, the majority of them swords of some time. This page is by no means exhaustive or comprehensive and will be added to as I'm able.
The Rihannsu have several weapons that we use. These can be broken down into modern and ancient. Modern weapons include disruptors and disruptor rifles. These are used by Government guards, Tal Shi'ar officers, and Military officers. Civilians do not usually carry or own weapons, at least not of this nature. Rihannsu also use several ancient weapons, but these are used in a more artistic way. On ch'Rihan and ch'Havran, ancient weapons include the Teral'n, a stick-like weapon with razor blades along the top, and the D'Delak, a small bow and arrow-like weapon. Both of these are usually found at museums and homes of archaeologists.
Shipboard weapons generally consist of disruptors similiar to the Klingon Heavy Disruptors. The D'Deridex vessel is also rumored to have some sort of seeking torpedo device as well, but the Rihannsu have carefully guarded this knowledge as we do all knowledge. Even during the Dominion war, joint sorties only involed Rihannsu disruptors.
The S'harien
Long ago, before the Journey, the beings that would become the Travelers that would leave Vulcan had a very special treat at their hands, the blades of the master swordsmith, S'harien. S'harien, which is Vulcan for "pierceblood," an odd name to most ears, if they only know of Vulcan society after the teachings of Surak's "reality-truth" (inaccurately translated as "logic" by humans and Vulcans alike, along with other species). In the distant historical days of Vulcan, thousands of years prior to his lifetime, around 2,200 years ago, making it very ancient by our standards, the Great Empires of Vulcan flourished and their blades were the finest ever crafted on Vulcan, completely unreproducable by every subsequent swordsmith after the fall of the Empires, save one, S'harien. He alone harnessed the craft of the Great Empires and reproduced work with splendid detail, capturing not only the form of the mighty blades, but also the beauty and magnificence of them.
S'hariens are rare on Vulcan these days, as S'harien, after finally listening to Surak and embracing his teachings, rounded up all his blades he could and destroyed them, destroying forever the incredible craftsmanship that even Vulcans compared to "godlike working of metal." This is unfortunate, as no finer blade has ever been forged than a S'harien. Even more unfortunate is their rarity on the Two Worlds. There exists only a handful of these remarkable and beautiful weapons now. Three of them were brought to S'task, the Father of the Journey, by his old teacher with whom he quarreled, Surak. Surak wept at the thought of their destruction, as S'harien was embracing his teachings the way he embraced everything: wholeheartedly. Rather than leave them to melt in S'harien's forge, he brought them to S'task the night before the Journey began and bade him to take them with him. S'task, also enamored of the beauty of the weapons, agreed. One of these lies across the Empty Chair in the Senate chambers to this day, put there by S'task himself, and no hand dares to lift this blade from its place. The others were entrusted to the descendants of S'harien that accompanied the Travelers on the Journey.
A handful of other S'hariens made it aboard the ships for the Journey, but only a very, very few. There are perhaps less than 50 S'hariens in existence in the galaxy now. What makes the S'harien unique is not only are the finest blades ever forged, nor are they among the rarest in existence, but S'harien himself, an accomplished warrior and general in the service of the Tribal State he served before retiring to forge blades, developed a martial arts style using the S'harien, a very devastating, and ironically logical approach to combat, combining beauty, grace, form and power in an incredible display of training and discipline. This style is only very sporadically practiced on Vulcan, yielding only a handful of experts and even fewer true masters. Much the same can be said about the style on ch'Rihan and ch'Havran. In the Rihannsu Star Republic, there are five masters of the S'harien and S'harien fighting style. The style is purported to be invincible if used properly, though anyone may make a mistake and suffer a fatality, of course, causing a S'harien master to do so is considered very, very difficult and highly unlikely, due to their intense devotion and focus. Even reaching for a S'harien master's blade without their approval is an invitation to death, more often than not.
A S'harien is typically done in a small variety of styles, each reflecting a different period or preference from the times of old, during the Great Empires of Vulcan. At one time there were series of S'hariens in different styles, but now, there are perhaps three, possibly four, of any one style, if even that. Their blades are typically in the neighborhood of approximately 32 inches in length. Some are longer, some are shorter. Their blades vary from straight to gentle curves, the width varying between an Earth katana to an Earth cern dao (Chinese broad sword). The hilt is always designed for two hands, though can be wielded one or two handed with ease. The S'harien of any style is known for the incredibly intricate network of watermarks and inborn grain of the blade, making it a true work of art. They are typically perpetually sharp, though can be sharpened occasionally. Like the Terran katana, it can cut through dense materials, such as bamboo, or even some marble, easily.
S'hariens are greatly sought after by collectors, museum curators and other aficiandos that may hold an interest in them. Many fakes abound in the galaxy today and those that peddle these beware the eyes of a Vulcan or Rihannsu, as they know their chances of deceiving them are very slim. Some unscrupulous collectors will resort to attempted theft, endangering lives, etc as the blades are worth incredible amounts of currency. However, those that hold these weapons don't see them as a hundred lifetimes' worth of worry free living due to financial imbument, but rather as a time honored and honorable tradition to be protected and maintained to the utmost.
The Kaleh
After achieving planetfall and getting used to the planets, the Rihannsu decided to once again pick up the ages old art of sword making. One of the oldest blades to be considered truly Rihannsu design is the Kaleh. In appearance, it strongly resembles a Terran katana. Long, curved blade, two handed hilt, and very sharp and well made, the Kaleh was a weapon of prestige in the early days of the Two Worlds, almost as revered as the S'harien. When T'Rehu declared herself Ruling Queen, she held aloft a Kaleh as she shouted her intention and challenge. She coveted the S'harien in the Empty Chair, but even she, as brash as she was, dared not disturb the S'harien from its place.
The Kaleh took on the role that the S'harien had left open in the society of the Rihannsu people. It was the sword of choice, of discerning and aethetically knowledgeable noble people the Worlds over. Many vows had been sworn by the Kaleh, and many heads had been taken by them, but never was the degree of devotion anywhere near equal to that of its Vulcan cousin, the S'harien. It was wielded by individual nation-state armies, and carried by the upper classes of the Rihannsu, very similar in many ways to its Terran counterpart. Made in a variety of subtly varying styles, the Kaleh was the aristocrat's blade, and considered honorable to the utmost.
The Sienov
Because of the climate and terrain, as well as other factors, the swords of those who lived near the oceans of ch'Rihan developed another type of sword, the Sienov. Shaped very much like a Terran broadword, this blade was used extensively in open warfare during the times of strife and the madness embodied by the Ruling Queen, T'Rehu. Aesthetically pleasing, well balanced, and sharp, this blade was renowned as being the blade of choice for many generals during the early conflicts. Its accompanying technique, deadly "flowering" arcs, all converging on a target and slicing it to ribbons, was a very distinct and recognizable sight on the battlefield. Considered beautiful, but not the same brand of work of art as the Kaleh or S'harien, the Sienov was the middle class warrior's blade, the blade of generals and other officers that engaged their enemies blade to blade and led from the front. The "working warrior's blade" it was heralded as and became a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, used often to shatter the blades or weapons of the warrior's opponents.
The Vrelnec
In the dense forests and jungles on ch'Havran, the need for a different type of sword was found, and implemented, during the early days of the Two Worlds' development. On a par, size wise and design wise, with a Terran cutlass or scimitar, sporting a wide, wickedly curved blade made for economy of motion while maintaining sufficient cutting surface to decimate an opponent, the Vrelnec came into being. Its sharply curved blade means to cut from strikes delivered in whirling motions in the tight confines of the ch'Havran forests, this weapon was the weapon of many shock troops and stormtroopers that were delivered into the thick growth of the smaller world. The common citizen of the Worlds also found a fondness for this weapon, as any other blade that had been thus far created and soon they found their way into the homes of the people, serving as decorations when not being used to slice apart enemies.