Brisingr Spork Chapter 53: Greaves and Bracers

[pangolin20]

minionnumber2 wrote in antishurtugal, 2018-08-22 01:50:00

Brisingr Spork Chapter 53: Greaves and Bracers

Oops, almost forgot it was my turn again.

This entire chapter is about two pages long and continues the trend of offering no insight into anything or really offering anything at all. Most of it is dedicated to trying to make putting on armor an intimate affair followed up by a cliche pre-war conversation. I wouldn’t hold it against anyone to just skip over this, because this is a chapter that should have been cut. It doesn’t advance the plot or any subplots and it doesn’t offer any character or world development.

I’m going to try and limit this to what we know about in-universe because I don’t think my ~5 hours of research on historic armor is going to be much better than Christopher "Meticulous Research" Paolini in the credibility department. A quick shoutout to Hergrim and ggSauron for resources and advice though!

We begin with Roran and Katrina waking up before sunrise and moving to get Roran’s armor in what is supposed to be a sensual scene but comes off as kind of weird given the timing. Roran starts off putting on a padded jerkin, to give Paolini the benefit of the doubt I’m going to assume it’s gambeson. Next Katrina helps him put on his greaves and bracers and then his “shirt of mail”, which is level with his knees. He tops it off with a leather arming cap and a peaked helm.

The first thing to notice is the order he’s putting these pieces on. By putting on the bracers first then the chainmail, he’s very likely to get the shirt stuck on the bracer or the chain shirt has way too much free spaces in it. It might also be short sleeved, but that seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Given the stated length of the chain shirt, I’m inclined to believe the latter.

The second thing to notice is there is no mention of a chest piece. When you’re going into a situation where you expect people to try to kill you, you should try to protect the squishy organs in your chest before you protect your limbs. It could be argued that plate armor isn’t as common in the Inheritance universe (and is supported by a throwaway line in the first book), but the series also shows most of its commanding officers in plate and Roran is currently a commander and a political asset of the dowry he received is any indication. It could also be argued that they’re still making Roran some armor, but time has never been a factor in creating armor and getting it fit until this point. In the first book, Eragon and Saphira both got armor with in a week of joining the Varden.

The third thing I would like to address is the leather arming cap. Leather is a poor material for padding because it doesn’t have much breathing room and it’s not very good at cushioning the impact of blows. Gambeson would have been the better fit here.

Like most of the book, this section runs on RPG logic. Roran is supposed to be a Badass Normal character, therefore he’s not allowed to have anything better than an average Inheritance soldier would have despite people’s vested interest in keeping him alive.

After getting dressed for battle, Roran and Katrina start getting lovey dovey. The line, Roran slipped his arm around her thickening waist as she started back toward the cot, stopping her. makes it sound like Katrina is putting on eating weight and not baby weight.

The two take turns trying to out cliche the other. “Does it have to be you, can’t they send literally anyone else?” “But I have to go, my manliness says so.”

Katrina looked down and was silent for a span, then she removed a red kerchief from the bodice of her dress and said, “Here, carry this favor of mine, so that the whole world may know how proud I am of you.”

For such an intricate description of Roran getting dressed, they sure didn't mention him getting his sword belt on. Also can someone tell Paolini that bodices don’t have pockets? I think we just confirmed that Katrina stuffs her bra- I mean, bodice.

This would be slightly touching if I wasn’t such a bitter jerk. I never got the appeal of exhibitionist decrees of love without something attached to it like a story or a wedding announcement. It makes me think the couple is trying to compensate for something missing in their relationship, but it’s more of a personal pet peeve over any inherent flaw in the writing. I might have gotten a bit more feelsey about this if it was worded so that Katrina wanted Roran to know how proud of him she is personally instead of the whole world.

“If something does happen to me — ” he began to say.

Katrina placed a finger upon his lips. “Shh. Speak not of it, lest it should come true.”

If your husband is going out on a suicidal death march you should be have this conversation right now. Do you know awkward it’s going to be if he does die out there and you didn’t let him get out his last words? It’s like even the characters know they have plot armor.

They say their goodbyes and Roran picks up his shield and spear, heads out, and gets into formation next to an urgal. When the sun rises they all go charging the walls like a bunch of lemmings hungry for whatever tar, boulders or projectiles anyone on top of the wall is going to drop on them, but we’ll find out more about that in Chapter 56 Brisingr! with Anya.

What makes this chapter so awful is the fact it's addition can only make Paolini look worse. We didn't need to know what Roran was wearing before he went into battle, we can all assume he's not showing up in his underroos. Instead we're getting more fuel for the fire since we're showing his lack of research since we now have a stated kit to compare with contexts of both the fictional world and the real one.


Up next, Leave-taking by the Epistler.

44 comments

[1]

theepistler
August 22 2018, 18:47:11
Ooh, that was quick!

I hate the Roran/Katrina relationship so much. You never find out why they even like each other or what they have in common. In place of actual romantic chemistry we just get a bunch of painfully cliched syrupy "romantic" dialogue. You can so easily tell Paolini's never been in a relationship in his life.

Something else I'm wondering is when the hell Roran learned to fight in armour. 'Cause I've worn chainmail before (thanks, Society for Creative Anachronism!) and it's like wearing a fucking lead t-shirt.

[1A]

minionnumber2
August 22 2018, 19:51:33
It's hard to have a romance with two cardboard cutouts. Katrina is such a shallow character, we never even saw her mourn her own father's death. Katrina has nothing to her character beyond being the perfect wife. She's put on such a pedestal and spends so much time just nurturing Roran instead of showing any interest in anything, there's nothing left beyond a shell. That would be pretty freaking dark if it was from another author.

Don't you know, Roran bought Medium Armor Proficiency when he got his story exp for Important Story Reasons.

[1A1]

theepistler
August 22 2018, 20:12:23
Indeed. Katrina is a nothing character. As in we literally know NOTHING about her. You never see her do anything other than be Roran's Love Interest, and then turn into a ridiculous caricature of the model housewife. It's so incredibly sexist. Mind you, it does kind of fit with Roran's own role as a ridiculous caricature of the perfectly Manly Man who mans it up and is super manly and fights and his hairy and super aggressive and did I mention he's, like REALLY MANLY YOU GUYS?? He's just as much of a sexist stereotype as Katrina when you get right down to it. He just gets more screentime.

That would be pretty freaking dark if it was from another author.

Katrina: The Fantasy Stepford Housewife.

[2]

syntinen_laulu
August 22 2018, 20:52:42
Comment split in half for length reasons. Part 1:

I think we have to assume that Roran's mail shirt is a Roman/Saxon/Viking/Norman-style one, with sleeves to just above/below the elbow. It's reasonable for him to wear some kind of leather forearm protection with such a shirt, as Boromir does in the Peter Jackson movies (heck, it could well be that that's exactly what Paolini was referencing). Early medieval people didn't wear greaves but Greeks and Romans did, so, again. fair enough. But yes, it would certainly make more sense to put both these cumbersome items on at the last minute.

there is no mention of a chest piece.

No reason why there should be. The mail shirt without any rigid chest protection was worn for well over a millennium, even in periods (e.g. the Roman era) when solid cuirasses and strip armour were also being worn. In Middle Eastern-to-Indian armour you do see shirts with metal plates stitched on, but Europeans just don't seem to have found this necessary. (And of course, if you wear a plate cuirass, you don't need a mail shirt, just sections of mail stitched to your arming doublet to cover any gaps.)

the leather arming cap. Leather is a poor material for padding because it doesn’t have much breathing room and it’s not very good at cushioning the impact of blows. Gambeson would have been the better fit here.

Totally agree: arming caps were, AFAIK, always made of quilted fabric, for the reasons you give. (But, BTW. gambeson is the name of a defensive tunic/jacket/doublet made of quilted fabric; it isn't a generic word for such quilted fabric.)

Roran is supposed to be a Badass Normal character, therefore he’s not allowed to have anything better than an average Inheritance soldier would have despite people’s vested interest in keeping him alive.

I think it's even simpler than that. For Paolini, weapons and armour are expressions of personality, not military need or function. He sees "Roran Stronghammer" as a Viking-type hero, so he can't see him in full plate. End of.

[2A]

minionnumber2
Augst 22 2018, 21:37:40
I think it's even simpler than that. For Paolini, weapons and armour are expressions of personality, not military need or function. He sees "Roran Stronghammer" as a Viking-type hero, so he can't see him in full plate. End of.

That makes a lot of sense. Was trying to figure out the standard in these books, which is really weird when you consider canonly plate is rare but they've had the technology for a minimum of 100 years thanks to the armor Eragon and Saphira were given in Eragon. In hind slight, the standard is whatever Paolini was feeling at the time.

Kind of tempted to edit in your comments since I'm not a expert in the subject in the slightest and I think it'd be nice to be more educational than snarky on this one.

[2B]

hergrim
August 23 2018, 06:16:49
No reason why there should be. The mail shirt without any rigid chest protection was worn for well over a millennium, even in periods (e.g. the Roman era) when solid cuirasses and strip armour were also being worn. In Middle Eastern-to-Indian armour you do see shirts with metal plates stitched on, but Europeans just don't seem to have found this necessary. (And of course, if you wear a plate cuirass, you don't need a mail shirt, just sections of mail stitched to your arming doublet to cover any gaps.)

The first mention of a coat of plates being worn under mail dates to the late 1180s, while the first artistic depiction of a coat of plates dates to 1220. From then until 1400, plate armour - including limb armour - to be worn over a mail shirt. It became less common after 1400, but remained a practice into the 1420s. Leather breastplates were also worn from at least 1214, when its first attested, until the 1280s, based on artistic depictions.

[2B1]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 10:11:31
Roran must have fallen on hard times - his hammer's on eBay.

By the way, I've always wondered - what does your username mean? I keep mispronouncing it as "Spontaneous Luau"...

[2C]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 10:09:26
For Paolini, weapons and armour are expressions of personality, not military need or function.

Hah, that's extremely true. That would be why Roran hasn't turned in that ludicrously impractical hammer for something actually intended for combat.

I mean really. We're seriously supposed to buy it that he's killing people... wearing armour... ON HORSEBACK... while wielding something that looks like THIS:


[Caption: Picture of a hammer with a tag on it.]

[2C1]

vorpal_tongue
August 24 2018, 01:16:16
Maybe he has very long arms? :P Would explain why he's wearing the chain and bracers.

[2C1A]

thegharialguy
August 24 2018, 15:00:36

[Caption: Picture of Mr. Tickle, an orange creature with very long and wiggly arms.]

[2C1A1]

vorpal_tongue
August 24 2018, 18:28:02
Ladies and gents, an artist's depiction of Roran XD

[2C1A1A]

theepistler
August 30 2018, 14:31:48
...too friendly and likeable.

[3]

syntinen_laulu
August 22 2018, 20:59:19
Part 2:

…she removed a red kerchief from the bodice of her dress and said, “Here, carry this favor of mine, so that the whole world may know how proud I am of you.”

Aargh. Do they read Walter Scott novels in Carvahall? Even if there is such a thing among Alaglaesian aristocracy as knights wearing their fair lady's favours in the joust, how would Katrina even know about that, let alone see herself as a 'fair lady' and want to do it?

Also can someone tell Paolini that bodices don’t have pockets? I think we just confirmed that Katrina stuffs her bra- I mean, bodice.

Paolini seems to vaguely imagine his female characters wearing some kind of Renfaire-to-18thc outfit, with a fairly stiff laced bodice. In the 18thc a kerchief wasn't a hanky - which peasants certainly didn't use anyway- but a neck-covering: you folded the square kerchief diagonally, put it over your shoulders and tucked the ends (and sometimes the corner at the back) into your bodice to hold it in place. It's just possible that Paolini meant Katrina was wearing a kerchief that way and tugged it off to give to Roran.

But I don't really believe that Paolini knows about real historical clothing, and my bet is if he actually thought about it at all - and given the implausibility of the articles Nasuada actually keeps concealed in her "draperies" and "folds" it's quite possible he didn't - he much more likely meant that she fishes it out from between her breasts. And I'm here to tell you from personal experience that if you wear stiff laced 18thc stays that's actually a really handy place to keep small items - a purse, a ballpoint, car keys, etc. And that's what women did. (In one of Thomas Hardy's novels a village girl actually keeps a hen's egg in the front of her bodice to hatch.) It was actually safer than your pockets, fabric bags attached to a tape which you tied round your waist under your skirt, which could simply fall off if you hadn't tied the tape securely enough, or be stolen by a skilled pickpocket. (Hence the nursery rhyme "Lucy Locket lost her pocket".) So, apart from the implausibility of Katrina having a hanky (what's wrong with wiping your nose on your apron our under-petticoat, woman?) that makes sense.

“Shh. Speak not of it, lest it should come true.”

I'm not bothered by the sentiment - plenty of people believe you can bring summon up disaster by naming it - but by the awful cod-archaic language she uses. Which neither Roran nor Eragon do. Seriously, is the butcher's daughter a secret fan of Ivanhoe? Why else would she be talking in this silly affected way?

[4]

hergrim
August 23 2018, 06:59:57
I think that this is where Paolini's lack of real world experience comes into play. This should have been an extremely intimate scene, perhaps even nearly sexual if he wanted to go down the traditional route of linking sexuality and violence, but I just don't think he has enough experience in this department to make it work. It's very much like something from a Victorian novel, but without the social context of the intended audience or the experiences of the author to make it "real".

[5]

Anonymous
August 23 2018, 08:00:25
I'm quite sure those research failures will not be noticed by most readers, not only because they do know about them but also because this thing is so dense that they're masked upon. by the plot or vice-versa.

Frankly, if most of those unnecessary descriptions, etc. were removed or exchanged by simpler ones (as in: Roran put his armor and helmet, took his sword and his shield instead of all the above), leaving the minimum (also as in: Katrina wore a yellow and blue farthingale and her long golden hair was hold by a kerchief of the same color) it would be easier to spot how everything fails.

[5A]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 09:29:01
Huh, that's a very good point. I suggest a challenge: Take one of Paolini's particularly useless scenes, cut all the unnecessary description, then see what we've got left. Anybody up for that?

[5A1]

torylltales
August 23 2018, 10:59:25 Edited: August 23 2018, 10:59:46
When a scene is entirely useless description, there would be nothing left after cutting.

As, with this chapter, there shouldn't have been. Of all the useless chapters in this useless book, this is probably one of the worst.

[5A1A]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 11:18:03
Well, Anya tried it anyway. It's honestly depressing how much of an improvement it was:

A candle lit the inside of the tent.
Roran stood while Katrina laced up the sides of his jerkin. When she finished, she tugged the hem and said, "There now. Is it too tight?"
He shook his head. "No."
She retrieved his greaves from their cot, and Roran watched as she buckled them on.
Standing, she turned to the cot again and picked up his bracers. He held out his arms and they stared into each other's eyes as she fastened them.
Next, she took his shirt of mail, stood on her toes, and dropped it over his shoulders.
She put a cap on him, kissed him, then put a helmet over it.
Roran slipped his arm around her waist. "Listen to me," he said. "I'll be fine. Don't just sit here all alone. Promise me that. Go to Elain; she could use your help. She's sick, and her child is overdue."
Katrina lifted her chin. "Must you march in the front line?" she whispered.
"Someone must, and it might as well be me. Whom would you send in my stead?"
"Anyone... anyone at all." Katrina removed her kerchief and said, "Here, carry this favor of mine, so that the whole world may know how proud I am of you."
And she tied it to his belt.
They kissed, she got his weapons, and they kissed again.
"If something does happen to me-" he began to say.
She cut him off. "Shh. Speak not of it, lest it should come true."
"Very well." He hugged her. "Be safe."
"And you."
Roran raised his shield and strode out of the tent. People streamed toward the field where the Varden were assembling.
Roran took a deep breath and followed. Once he arrived, he reported to Jormundur and took his place, standing next to Yarbog.
The Urgal glanced at him, then grunted, "A good day for a battle."
"A good day."
A horn sounded. Roran hefted his spear and ran towards the wall.
The siege of Feinster had begun.

[5A1A1]

torylltales
August 23 2018, 12:05:58
That's pretty good.

[5A1A1A]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 12:23:05
More streamlined, less pretentious, and you can actually follow what the hell is supposed to be going on.

[5A1A1A1]

ultramega10
August 23 2018, 13:28:13
Actually we should try and do that for the entire novel series once we're done with this Spork. It might be interesting to see what it looks like.

[5A1A1A2]

snarkbotanya
August 23 2018, 17:00:47 Edited: August 23 2018, 17:03:03
It definitely reveals how clunky his paragraph breaks are, though, seeing as I did my best to preserve them. Every single piece of armor gets its own damned paragraph. If I really wanted to do an edit of this book, I'd just cut this chapter entirely, or at least fold it into one of the surrounding ones.

[5A1A2]

vorpal_tongue
August 24 2018, 01:51:57
...Fuck me sideways, I can't believe I enjoyed the original pages of this. This is much better.

[5A1B]

thegharialguy
August 23 2018, 13:44:53
Well it does tries to build tension for the upcoming battle, so it does have some purpose. I'm pretty sure this climax only exists because he split the final book into two, but that's a whole different topic of poor decisions. Point is, we're finally coming to the end of the book and we need to have some sort of fight. It's hackneyed and cumbersome to suddenly try to build it up this way, but the chapter is serving a purpose of some sort. I think the most useless chapter is the one where he flies from Dwarfland to Elfland, as that literally could have been skipped over without missing a beat. Skipping this chapter would make the siege of whatever this castle is (Fencesomething?) seem even more rushed than it already is.

[5A2]

Anonymous
August 23 2018, 17:36:15
It's unnecesary to say that if the four books were trimmed that way, one'd end with something that would fit in one, perhaps two of the old volumes -and would never have passed beyond the self-publishing phase-.

[5A2A]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 17:42:54
Yeah, we've been saying that for years...

[6]

snarkbotanya
August 23 2018, 08:06:34
"Roran slipped his arm around her thickening waist as she started back toward the cot, stopping her."

I'm less disturbed by the fact that it sounds like she's getting fat rather than pregnant and more concerned with the fact that, in the context of Roran and Katrina's really badly written relationship, that kind of action looks pretty rapey. Seriously, Roran, stop manhandling your wife.

[6A]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 09:55:00 Edited: August 23 2018, 09:55:31
This is something Axis does a lot too. Any time he has a conversation with the supposed love of his life, you notice he always does it while physically restraining her in some way. Sometimes it's subtle, like constantly keeping his hands on her shoulders, and other times it's... well - this:

Azhure whipped her head back, her eyes wide.
Axis seized her chin again. “If you try to leave me, I will track you down. Believe it! No-one will take you from me!”

[6A1]

thegharialguy
August 23 2018, 13:49:04
Oh wow. I know that's taken without context...but I have a hard time thinking of any context where that doesn't sound even vaguely threatening.

[6A1A]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 14:56:23
It's no better in context:

“Damn it,” Axis swore softly, and strode over to Azhure, tearing the cloak from her hands and throwing it to the ground. “What is wrong, Azhure? What has come between us these past months?” How long since he had touched her, kissed her, lain with her? Not since the night he had signed the treaty with Ysgryff and Greville at the Ancient Barrows, and how many weeks was that?
“What has come between us? She sits in her pink and gold palace across the Lake. Faraday.”
“Azhure,” Axis said, taking her chin gently in his fingers and forcing her to meet his eyes. “Azhure, I love you, you know that. You will always be a part of my life.”
She twisted away. “It is a hard thing you ask of me, Axis.”
“What? To stay with me? To be my Lover? You love me, you can do noless.”
“I wish I could have found the courage to walk away from you before this,” she said.
“Walk away from me? Who to? Belial?”
Azhure whipped her head back, her eyes wide.
Axis seized her chin again. “If you try to leave me, I will track you down. Believe it! No-one will take you from me!”

Please note that the main reason he's so pissed at her is that she's not putting out any more. So he yells and gets violent with her.

[6B]

Anonymous
August 23 2018, 18:39:42
While Paolini is a hack and terrible writer, this is a nitpick bordering on paranoia. Roran and Katarina might be cardboard, but him putting his arm around her waist isnt "rapey". Many people who are in love - and these two are supposed to be in love - like to touch each other. If a person hugs their loved one from behind, possibly causing a brief interruption in what they are doing, thats generally okay. We have zero indication that Katarina didnt enjoy this, or that she wanted to get away from him. Roran isnt "manhandling" her. In this scene he is supposed to be going away to fight and possibly die, so I think a little spontaneous intimacy is probably okay.
Criticize Paolini all you want - lord knows his writing deserves it - but why invent issues where there are none?

[6B1]

theepistler
August 23 2018, 20:34:07
Was he also trying to be "intimate" when this happened?

As Roran spoke, Katrina uttered a wail and thrust herself between him and Birgit, still holding their daughter in her arms. “I won’t let you! You can’t have him! Not now! Not after everything we’ve gone through!”
Birgit’s face remained as stone, and she made no move to retreat. Likewise, Roran showed no emotion as he grasped Katrina by the waist and, without apparent effort, lifted her off to the side. “Hold her, would you?” he said to Eragon in a cold voice.
“Roran …”
His cousin gave him a flat stare, then turned back to Birgit.
Eragon grabbed hold of Katrina’s shoulders to keep her from flinging herself after Roran, and he exchanged a helpless look with Arya. She glanced toward her sword, and he shook his head.
“Let go of me! Let go!” shouted Katrina. In her arms, the baby began to scream.

Or later on when he threatens to tie her up if she doesn't do what he says?
It's called a pattern, mate.

[6B1A]

Anonymous
August 24 2018, 01:20:46
Yeah, let the woman with the baby throw herself into a potentially dangerous situation, endangering them both. I am sure similar things are done when people try to throw themselves into a burning house - the firemen just let them go.

[6B1A1]

theepistler
August 24 2018, 06:22:08
...okay, now you're just being a troll.

[6B1A1A]

Anonymous
August 24 2018, 12:02:25
Different anon here. How was that trolling?

[6B2]

snarkbotanya
August 24 2018, 04:48:39
If this was an isolated thing, I wouldn't have a problem with it. It'd just be two people in love trying to hold onto each other, like you said. However, this is part of a larger pattern of Roran manhandling Katrina, one which becomes particularly bad in the next book (the scene in which he takes over the laundry comes to mind—it was intended to be a show of how chivalrous and progressive Roran is, but instead what we see is him ignoring Katrina's protests and overriding her at every turn). In that context, it looks less like a man wanting to hug his wife and more like a sign of bad things to come. The impression isn't helped by the fact that Paolini felt it necessary to note that the action was "stopping her". On its own, yes, that would just be a little bit of annoying hand-holding, but in context, it just adds to the "Roran controls Katrina's every move" impression.

I'm not inventing an issue. I'm pointing out how an issue that mostly comes to the fore in a later book can seriously taint actions in the previous.

[6B2A]

theepistler
August 24 2018, 06:24:24
Anon isn't listening. Apparently he or she thinks this sort of behaviour is in some way excusable, which is pretty damn sad.

[6B2A1]

Anonymous
August 24 2018, 13:02:27
You draw a lot of conclusions based on me simply disagreeing with something. And how am I trolling? Is a differing opinion or interpretation trolling now?

[6B2A1A]

theepistler
August 24 2018, 15:24:38
You are seriously trying to handwave some of the most blatant misogyny I've ever seen in a published work of fiction. The poor little wimmens is all hysterical and has to be physically restrained rather than being listened to or taken seriously by the supposed love of her life? And you think everybody should be okay with that, or that this is in any way an appropriate way to treat your partner of either gender?

Run along, troll. I'm not even going to dignify this nonsense by replying any further.

[6B2A1A1]

Anonymous
August 26 2018, 20:31:01
Different, 3rd Anon here. I'm wiling to give the 1st Anon the benefit of the doubt. This incident isolated yes, is harmless. But I don't believe Anon1 is fully aware of the greater context and history of Roran "handling" his wife? No particular need to scold someone for not being able to consistently follow up with these sporks.

[6B2A1A1A]

theepistler
August 26 2018, 20:39:12
Well thing is if you read the whole thread, both Anya and I specifically explained in our comments that it's not an isolated incident and I even quoted a good chunk of a scene in which the manhandling becomes outright abusive and horrible. Upon which Anon1 decided to double down and tried to handwave the whole thing (Roran and Eragon physically restraining Katrina while she screams and struggles) as no big deal and a justified thing to do. Honestly, I was being rather charitable when I chose to call this trolling, because the alternative is that Anon1 seriously does think this is an okay thing to do and that the scene isn't hideously misogynistic.

[7]

thegharialguy
August 23 2018, 13:35:15
" It could be argued that plate armor isn’t as common in the Inheritance universe (and is supported by a throwaway line in the first book),"

What's that throwaway line? Actually sounds like interesting world building.

[7A]

minionnumber2
August 23 2018, 16:40:39
[When describing Eragons' first impression of the Varden: Nearly all the fighters wore armor, usually chain mail and a helmet; plate armor was not as common. There were as many dwarves as humans, though the two kept mainly to themselves.

Both the Varden and the Empire are described as wearing mail in several instances, so it's safe to assume this this observation follows the general trend for both armies.

[7A1]

Anonymous
August 23 2018, 18:41:21
Ah so it literally says plate armour isn't common. Though from that context I'd say the intention was to show that the Varden isn't as well equipped as a proper military rather that plate armour being rare as a facet of the universe.