Brief Description:  The arbalest is a heavy-duty, late-medieval European crossbow featuring a stiff steel prod (bow) mounted on a robust wooden tiller. Requiring mechanical assistance like a windlass or crank to draw, it launched heavy metal bolts with devastating force, capable of piercing steel armor at distances up to 300 meters.

Developed around the 12th century, this weapon was heavily favored in prolonged sieges and infantry combat.

Power & Mechanics: Due to the immense tensile strength of steel, the draw weight of an arbalest could reach upwards of 5000 lbf (about 22 kN).

Rate of Fire: Because of this intense tension, it took significant time to pull the string back. An experienced arbalestier could only loose about two bolts per minute.

Projectiles: Ammunition consisted of heavy, hardened steel-tipped bolts called "quarrels," which were explicitly engineered to penetrate plate armor.

Historical Impact: The arbalest was so devastatingly effective—allowing an untrained peasant to kill an elite knight with a lifetime of training—that its use against Christians was famously condemned in 1139 by Pope Innocent II at the Second Lateran Council.