Telak

Telaks of various sizes.

A Telak is a type of utility and fighting knife closely related to the Tenerian and Tebu tribes of Charnea and widely used as work tool for pastoralists throughout the Ninva Desert. It is similar to the Fahrani Jambiya in its use as a signifier of adulthood, accessory demonstrating personal pride, and its use as a traditional weapon, however it differs from this and other similar fighting knives in that its origin and primary function is that of a utility knife used for work purposes by herders of goats and camels in the Ninva.

Description

The blade of a Telak is long and heavy, typically between 25 and 50 cm long. Folding knives with similar blade length and usage pattern are also called telak, however true telaks are non-folding and have a straight dagger-like double edged blade and are distinct from their locking blade, single edged, mildly curved folding cousins. The common telak blade is made of spring steel and is both strong and flexible, however examples of other types of steel with other properties can sometimes be found. On occasion, telaks have been documented with iron blades. Telaks are typically sheathed in camel leather or cow leather, although metal and even plastic sheaths can be found in the modern day. Both the hilt and sheath can be extensively decorated on many examples, especially those worn as status symbols or used in ritualistic Tebillant practices. A telak is worn at the back on waist sash or belt or on the left forearm. Both carrying methods allow the blade to be quickly drawn with the right hand, and may be mirrored in case the user is left handed.

Use

Working

Telaks were the main tool of the lower classes of nomadic society in Charnea. Often, they were the only metal implement a herder had on their person while traveling in the desert. Therefore, they were relied on as versatile tools for preparing shelter, hunting or slaughtering previously trapped game, and used extensively in cooking both by herders in remote camps and in the main kitchens of a larger tribe's camp or settlement. The flexibility of spring steel not only makes the blade less brittle and more durable, it also allows shorter telaks to be used more easily in skinning and butchering larger animals.

Fighting

Fighting styles involving the telak are incorporated as part of the Charnean martial art, Tebillant, and constitute the most visible and widespread usage of telaks in modern times. When fighting with telaks, combatants will often wrap a coat, kaftan or strap of leather around the hand and forearm of the opposite arm as a crude shield to help mitigate cuts and stabs. Custom made padded leather guards are fashioned for this purpose in the practice of Tebillant. The telaks usage as a weapon usually falls into the category of self defense, as it was always carried on the person of herders and cattle drivers and so was always available as a weapon in case of an attack. Effective use of the telak as a weapon relies on a high degree of dexterity and technique emphasized in its use in Tebillant, often closely coordinated with dodging and grappling forms of stand up martial art. The length of the blade in particular can make a telak extremely deadly, easily able to penetrate the body and fataly damage the internal organs. Because of this, the telak is considered a lethal weapon and requires a liscence to carry a deadly weapon, the same document required to carry a handgun or other firearm, to be carried and displayed in public. The rise of the telak as a weapon is rooted in Tenerian custom that only warriors, a relatively high stratum of society, were allowed to carry martial weapons such as spears and takoba swords. As a result, most people in a given tribe could only use items considered to be tools for self-defense, and so turned to the common types of working knife employed by caravanners, herders and ascetic wanderers. While the martial weapons of the warrior class became obsolete with advances in technology, use of a telak weapon is not unheard of in the modern day, although its use has declined since the introduction of repeating handguns in the 19th century.