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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tetsubo" data-source="post: 3024423" data-attributes="member: 1250">I assumed the Mercurial swords were inspired by Wolfe. I only read the first two books but I enjoyed them.Even as an execution tool such a sword would be silly. A sword, any sword, is designed to have the absolute minimum of everything, weight, mass, width, etc. The art of the swordsmith is taking away everthing that isn't needed to get the job done. Adding a tube down the spine of a blade is simply dumb. Just an empty tube would ruin the sword's balance and make the blade prone to snapping or bending. To hold enough mercury to be "effective" the tube would have to have a fair diameter, I'd say at least an 1" or so. Which means that the sword isn't slicing through anything. It becomes a blunt weapon with a slight edge on it. Then there is the whole "swinging a tube of toxic metal around" problem...If you want a weapon that does a lot of impact damage and is slashing... use an axe.Swords were used as execution tools as a sign of respect. Commoners would be beheaded with an axe. The nobility got there heads removed with a sword.Mercurial swords make about as much sense as using scythes as weapons... both are ideas that could only be thought up by someone that has never, ever held an actual weapon. Or ever read an actual weapon reference...</blockquote>