: They must carry around *some* possessions besides what
: they wear into battle--extra roots, a begging bowl,
: medical supplies, I dunno--so it would make sense if
: they lugged their armor around (but didn't actually
: wear it) too. But who knows?
I would guess that they returned their equipment to the armoury/vaults of Muirthemne. If, like the Warriors of the Legion, their equipment is provided by the government, it would make sense from a philosophical viewpoint. Why should they benefit from the Emperor's gifts when all they gave the Emperor in return was abject failure?
: GURPS says yes, though you're right that they seem rather
: short and fat to be katanas--maybe to make them easier
: to see onscreen, maybe because it seems a bit
: impractical to dual wield two katanas.
GURPS also says that the "Heron Guard sword" can be either curved like a katana, or flat-bladed- but that in either case, they count as being katanas in game terms. However, looking at in-game Herons, it doesn't seem that they use true ni-tu-kenjutsu (the simultaneous katana/wakizashi fighting style). Rather, the left-handed katana seems to be used primarily for parrying, with the offensive emphasis being placed on the right-handed katana (or vice-versa, for left handed guardsmen). My guess would be that heron guard swords are shorter than true katanas, both because of the impracticality of wielding two blades which are essentially bastard swords, and because most new Herons would already have had experience of wielding broadswords, and equipping them with similar weapons allows the Emperor to capitalise on this pre-existing skill.
