The Woodheart Shield takes its name both from the materials used in its construction (dense hardwood from the Warren Greatforest) and from the tradition of the Wartangae, the Woodsfolk, who inhabit this place and first conceived it. Built for protection against the most skilled archers in the continent, the Woodheart is unusually tall and almost as wide as the Ankeric Shield, while still allowing the weapon arm to move freely. This shape, paired with riveted iron inserts set along stress lines, give the Woodheart its characteristic protection against ranged projectiles, even blocking shots that would otherwise enter weak spots such as helmet slits.
This shield design allows its user to parry, bash, and reposition fluidly, enabling the cunning, close-quarters tactics that made Wartangae Aboriginal Bannerets infamously effective against their own kind and Ferozen archers equipped with powerful ranged weapons such as the Spearshot Warbow. Though adopted later by conventional troops such as militias and mercenaries, the Woodheart nevertheless remained emblematic of professional swordsmen. Many of these shields were carved with Dreamtime art or family sigils, symbolising the “heart of the woods”, both the source of their strength and the soul of their people.