Indigenous cultures across Atnia for thousands of years engaged in Summer Wars - traditional border conflicts where neighboring bands would agree through ritual combat on the boundaries of their hunting grounds. While sometimes these wars were truly deadly, they were mostly performed for sport. This lead to two distinct styles of weapons developing in the valley. Sharp Blades were smaller, sharper weapons designed for true warfare, and Clang Blades were large dull weapons designed for combat sports.
The object of a battle with Clang Blades is generally to strike the opponent’s blade and send them off balance. Killing an opponent with a Clang Blade is both harder than with a Sharp Blade and frowned upon, though injuries and broken bones are common, especially in duels to settle bitter rivalries. Clang Blades often better resemble large metal clubs than swords, and the great clanging cacophony that comes when two armies meet with clang blades is part of the performative theater of it all. Particularly in southern Atnia some masters of the sport would carry a thin wooden stick rather than a true clang blade as an expression of their skill and finesse in rebalancing the opponent. There is significant controversy over whether this is a true expression of skill at the sport or a dirty trick against the spirit of the duel. Still, very few have the skill to meet a Clang Blade with such a fragile weapon and emerge the victor.
After the colonization of Atnia when the indigenous tribes were driven into the mountains and Summer Wars ceased as a tradition Clang Blade duels became more common. Those in the know often relax when they see that a warrior approaching them has two blades on hand, for the presence of a Clang Blade signals that the wielder is willing to settle even a bitter violent conflict non-lethally.