Activity

AND SO I RETURN FROM DEEP CRYOSTASIS.

@skylarynn

So, a background in weaponry:

As @rose-colored-fancy pointed out, a longsword is not a heavy weapon. A typical arming sword, or your classic one-handed sword, about 2-3 feet in length, would weigh in around 1-1.2 kilograms, or 2-2.5 pounds. This is the definitive “sword” of the Early and High Middle Ages (600-1000 / 1000-1300 AD). These are generally double-edged, with a relatively broad blade and a tapering point, generally good for both cutting and thrusting and handy in close quarters, the sidearm of choice of both knights and well-to-do or professional foot soldiers, typically in combination with a shield.

Now a proper *longsword* is a two-handed weapon of 4-5 feet in length, around 3-5 lbs, and the definitions and characteristics of these vary immensely, but they are typical of the Late Middle Ages (1300-1500) and coincide with the emergence of plate armor as the standard for knightly protection, with cheaper piece-meal plate armor pieces eventually becoming common-place among footsoldiers as well. Longswords would come to have a more defined point to better deal with the improved armor of the period by targeting weakpoints at the joints and gaps in armor, but retain the slashing edge for use against lightly armored opponent.

Now, the injury:

Like Rose stated, this is more likely to come out as bad bruising than an actual gash – at worst, a superficial gash across the back. A thrown sword simply does not have the momentum to cause serious injury unless it lands point-first, or it hits a toddler with more fragile bones and skin. Now, if you want some serious scarring / permanent injury what you could do is change the thrown sword to, say, someone practicing with their sword trips, stumbles, or has their weapon parried and swings wildly while your MC is nearby with his back turned, and accidentally lays open his back with a tip slice. Because a human being is attached to the other end of the weapon, the sword would be less likely to bounce back; momentum carries into the swing, and your MC is on the ground writhing in pain.

Treatment:

Honey was a commonly known means of preventing wound infection, while other materials ranging from clean river clay to ground shellfish and cobwebs were used for dressings and poultices. Medieval medicine is more complex than the Hollywood / Monty Python stereotypes, and physicians were quite aware of the need to keep wounds clean and covered. As mentioned above, sutures were well known, and an individual of high status such as a knight or a higher lord could generally be assured of competent care, especially if the wound was received in a relatively safe environment as opposed to in the midst of a siege.