Dragon Grieves

The Paladin’s Protection: The Dragon Greaves (also known as “Dragomir”)

As part of a full suit of armor, the greaves serve to protect the shins of the wearer. This is important as the shinbone sits very close to the shin, which makes it very vulnerable. Anyone who has banged their shin against something can attest to the disabling effect an injury here can have.

These fantasy greaves serve to both protect the shins and to look good doing it. They are secured to the leg with two straps per greave, which allow for some size adjustment to fit them better to the leg. The greaves themselves feature a unique design of overlapping sections, each riveted to internal straps that connect them together.

This interlocking design allows for more flexibility and comfort for the wearer, making it easier to move about without being overly encumbered. The overlapping sections are each adorned with embossed curved lines which further add to the stylish and distinctive design of this armor piece.

If you’re wanting to include these as part of a full suit of plate armor, it’s recommended to use matching pieces so as to ensure that each piece connects together well. If you’re a collector who likes to display suits of armor, this will ensure the best effect as each piece will complement the other.

You have the option of either the polished steel version of this armor, or the blackened greaves for a darker look. This means that this armor can suit a warrior serving the forces of either good or evil, or perhaps represent a character with more grey morals.

The Black Armored Paladins: Good Need Not Be Light

When you’re confronted with the choice of light or dark armor, you can’t be blamed for thinking that it would be worn by either a heroic or evil character, respectively. However, in the world of fantasy, that isn’t always true.

David Eddings is an author who, among other works, penned the two fantasy trilogies of The Elenium and The Tamuli. The central character of these six books is Sir Sparhawk, a Church Knight of the Pandion Order. If we were to give him a Dungeons and Dragons class, he would be a typical Paladin.

Sparhawk was essentially heroic and bound by duty, if a little rough around the edges. He was the champion to his Queen and may or may not be “Anakha”, or “without destiny”. Like your typical Paladin, he had a lot to do with the Gods and is skilled in both martial arts and the magical arts.

Although, he technically gets his magical power from the Gods that he doesn’t worship, but let’s not dwell on that. Again, like your Paladin archetype, Sparhawk is almost always decked in full plate armor. However, his armor, and the armor of his order as a whole, is jet black.

See, this is the wonderful thing with fantasy. There are trends, sure. Elves are wise and ancient nature-lovers, dwarves love mining, and black armor means you’re a bad guy. But these aren’t rules. So, when you’re thinking up a character, whether for LARPing or whatever else, feel free to break the trend if you fancy.

Tech Specs

The technical specifications for the Dragon Greaves are as follows:

•         Materials: 18 gauge steel with leather fittings
•         Colours: Metallic polished silver or black
•         Care Instructions: Keep away from water. Clean with a metal polish and treat with oil to maintain. Treat the leather fittings with leather-care products.
•         Length: 15 inches
•         Width: 5.4 inches
•         Upper Inner Circumference: 10.3-23 inches
•         Lower Inner Circumference: 9-21 inches