Unit Name: Black Riders
Credits: Header
Consolidation Thread: NA
Unit Description: The Black Riders are units of cavaliers clad in black scale armour and flumboyant decorative feathers on their helmets or saddles. Their mounts are usually lightly armoured and well-preserved.
ATTRIBUTES
- Main Stats
- Armour: High
- Gear:
- Scaled Iron Armour
- Leather undergarment
- Chainmail Underlayer
- Gear:
- Speed: High
- Melee: Low
- Weaponry:
- Cavalry sword, scimitar or rapier.
- War-pick or flail
- Dagger
- Weaponry:
- Ranged: Average
- Weaponry:
- Cavalry flintlock or matchlock carabine or Crossbow
- Blackpowder hand grenades
- Caltrips
- Weaponry:
- Morale: Low
- Size: Average (13-25 Members)
- Number: Provincial:
- Can be recruited from the following provinces:
- Oldenn
- Wesalla
- Ponthois
- Dijaur
- Remnor
- Veneurres
- Langued
- Salara
- Malas
- Valaria
- Rios
- Recruitment & Replenishment: The Black Riders are highly trainned mercenary cavaliers who take pride in their trade. They pick squires and soldiers to be trainned in their ways and after a long and usually painful initiation, they embrace them in their ranks. Part of the trainning, of course, includes the accumulation of enough wealth to purchase the specialist and sophisticated gear being used by the Black Riders.
- Can be recruited from the following provinces:
- Armour: High
- TvM Requirement:
- Crossbow Variant: 3v1
- Matchlock Variant: 4v1
- Flintlock Variant: 5v1
Strengths
- Hit and Run experts: These riders can gallop against an enemy unit, cast a volley of fire from their carabines, crossows or pistollas, and then pull back to reload, effectivelly reducing the chances of a melee engagement.
- Fast moving. These riders have lightly geared horses, bred specifically to achieve high speeds, to allow the riders to withdraw from enemy forces.
Weaknesses
- Weak Morale. Although well-trainned and capable soldiers, the Black Riders will always choose to withdraw over a last stand, or a situation in which they have clear disadvantage.
- Insufficient Melee. The Black Riders can endure in a melee clash, yet they are not meant to remain, or pursue one.
Historical Information
The Black Riders are well-trainned professionals of war, making use of high quality weaponry and gear. Although the practice of the sellsword has been as old as civilization itself, the practice of professional cavaliers who combine the horse's speed with accuracy of ranged weaponry was a practice imported in Erova from the distant East.
Centuries later, the Erovans had developped the skirmisher cavalry to their own design, with Central Erova being the most innovative in their art. After the Iron Cult's rebellion, and the wide adoption of blackpowder weaponry as the core of their armies, the Black Riders became a major part of Erovan militaries, gradually expanding as a practice Westward. After conflicts in Tallia, and the Sparnish conflicts, the Black Riders became a symbol of modern warfare, and among the most sought out professionals across the continent.
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