Berserker's Soft Wood Short Bow of Battle

Berserker's Soft Wood Short Bow of Battle gleams under the tavern’s amber lamp, its limbs pale as ash and polished to a satin that catches every flicker of flame. The wood feels warm under the fingertips, a subtle give when you cradle the grip, as if the bow itself exhales with you. The grip is wrapped in weathered leather, stitching dark and even, the thumb catch carved with a looping sigil—a quiet nod to the berserker whose name the city still whispers after dusk. The bowstring sings faintly when plucked, a bright, tense note carrying a memory of a battle cry. The limbs bend with a patient resilience, balancing spring and weight as if the wood remembers every sprint, every sharp turn, every near-miss. Runes along the riser glow faintly in moonlight, not garish but patient, telling a story in tiny glyphs about courage and the moment a hunter chose to strike rather than flee. Lore threads weave through its edges: it’s said to be carved from heartwood salvaged after the old siege of Bloodwatch, tempered in the same barracks where a famed berserker hammered out a vow to split the night with precision as well as fury. The tales say the wood remembers the roar of a thousand shields and the whisper of wind through bare branches, lending both speed and focus to its bearer. In the hands of a swift archer, the Soft Wood Short Bow becomes more than a weapon; it’s a companion for those who dance between cover and glare, a tool for striking from close range before the enemy can realign. In battle-ready life, its bite is in cadence: rapid, accurate shots that threaten armor and draw guardians out of guard, punctuated by moments when a well-timed crit seems to crack the air itself. Short bows trade height for nimbleness, and this one trades bitterness for a forgiving pull, inviting a hunter to aim for gaps rather than plates. It thrives in skirmishes, ambushes, in the measured chaos of a market street where a few perfect arrows tilt the tide. The wear on the leather grip tells you it’s been earned, not bought, and every notch along the limb hints at a story—victories, retreats, long evenings spent polishing the wood to keep its memory bright. Prices drift through the market like leaves in a breeze, and at Saddlebag Exchange the chatter rarely stays on one note. A thoughtful trader will name a baseline in gold pieces, with silver and copper dancing around the edges for wear and rune-worn inscriptions. A pristine specimen with a few emboldened sigils might fetch a touch more, while a well-loved one could land in the lower ranges, still valuable as a keepsake of a recon, an escape, or a well-timed strike. Ultimately, to hold Berserker's Soft Wood Short Bow of Battle is to hold a chapter of a legend—feeling the pulse of a berserker who would rather close with the foe than watch from afar, and wondering how many stories begin where a single arrow finds its mark.