Triple Crossbow

A triple crossbow is a variation on normal single-shot crossbows, which is capable of firing three bolts at once. It appears in Ultima VI and Ultima VII.

Description
Created by Gwenneth, the apprentice of the famed bowyer Iolo FitzOwen, the triple crossbow was first developed in the midst of the gargoyle wars, albeit only as an experimental weapon. A very rare sight on the battlefields of the late Age of Enlightenment, this high impact distance weapon eventually grew in popularity over the next two centuries, and it was readily available from numerous bowyers by the early Age of Armageddon.

After this point, however, the triple crossbow, along with its less bulky cousin, seemed to fade from common use, with many turning to conventional longbows during the decline following the Great Cataclysm and the various assaults by the Guardian throughout the late Age of Armageddon. By the time of Ultima IX, crossbows of all varieties appeared to have ceased being manufactured, and the technological achievement which had been the triple crossbow had long faded from memory.

Trivia

 * In reality, repeating crossbows known as Cho Ko Nu (諸葛弩) were developed by the Chinese as early as the 4th century BCE, and were capable of firing multiple bolts very rapidly from fixed magazines. Such devices had a number of variations made throughout their history, and one example from the Song Dynasty did, in fact, feature a triple-shot design, although its use was likely limited to defending besieged settlements.