Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify a Qadiri unit.
Image Credit: Obscure. Tineye and google image search have not been helpful. Found it here.
Role: Shock infantry, imperial guards.
Permission: Can use Firemane gear because I own the company. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. Permission for Taegis shield from submitter here.
Links: Firemane Industries, Angelii, Desert Winds, First Contact, Twilight of the Goddess, The Sin of Pride, Qadiri.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Anusiya.
Affiliation: Semiramis, Qadiri.
Classification: Force Infantry, bodyguards.
Description: Anusiya is the Qadiri word for 'Companions'. The name is appropriate, as it is used for the personal bodyguard force of the Shahs and Shahbânus of the Amikarese Empire. War for the Qadiri is a daily part of life and politics, and Amikaron seeks to unite all Qadiri under its banner. The Anusiya are all Force-Sensitive Qadiri, trained to use their elemental and other abilities in battle or to aid their comrades. For the Qadiri the Force, or Zari as they call it, is a gift of the goddesses. The Qadiri have higher than average Force sensitivity compared to humans. Force-Users, as soon as they manifest their abilities, are taken in by the temple or state. In the case of the Anusiya, they have been conscripted by the state to be trained as warriors who guard the royal family. These positions are well paid and prestigious, but come at the cost of breaking up families.
There are many similarities between the Anusiya and the Angelii. Both are an elite corps of Force Using warriors charged with protecting the throne. They are also the best soldiers of their respective realms and specialise in elemental Force abilities. They are organised as a military unit and stress iron discipline. However, there are also important differences. The Shahbânu claims to rule by the grace of the Goddess, but is not the religious head of the Kashari Church, whereas the Star Queen of the Eldorai is nominally the high priestess of Ashira. Moreover, while most Anusiya are Qadiri females, particularly skilled and valorous males may be allowed to join. This is in stark contrast to the all-female Angelii. Ironically, the Qadiri are more progressive than their Eldorai cousins despite being less advanced. Unlike the Angelii, the 'Companions' are celibate and may only marry after they have been released from their vows. This is supposed to prevent conflict of interests, and ensure they are devoted solely to the throne, the goddess and the corps. Until they are discharged or perish in battle, the Companions are bound to the throne. One might say they are wed to it.
Like the Angelii, the Anusiya have moved on with the times. Semiramis' alliance with Firemane has allowed the corps to equip its members with more weapons such as boltguns, blasters, energy shields and sealed body armour. They carry battle shields and Force imbued blades for melee combat. In the old days, the Qadiri saw the bow as their great weapon. It was commonly a compound recurve bow and used either mounted or on foot. It possessed an incredible range and accuracy when used by an experienced archer. Indeed, to enter the Amikarese Empress' guard a recruit had to be able to hit a coin with a single arrow at hundred paces.
They have kept their proud archery traditions alive, but used more modern variants such as energy bows and lightbows. Their volleys are as precise as ever. Before the arrival of the sky people, the most advanced ranged weapons the Qadiri possessed were muskets. Rate of fire was slow and reload times long, so precision was key. They have better weapons now, but have retained their old habits. As a result, their ranged fire is very accurate.
Their training stresses discipline and teamwork. Soldiers are expected to incorporate their preternatural powers into the overall battle plan. Those who charge off on their lonesome fare poorly and are cashiered. Being an Anusiya is prestigious, but there are also harsh punishments for cowardice and betrayal. Their parade armour glitters with gold. On ceremonial occasions they wear a special headdress, which can be considered a Qadiri tiara. It is a cloth that can be pulled over the face to protect it from dirt and dust. Their discipline and training has given their rulers a powerful weapon in their wars against rival Qadiri states or Xioquo. Unsurprisingly, the various Qadiri states have established their own Anusiya corps. The original one tends to disparage these copycats as inferior copies. Amikaron is among the richest of the Qadiri realms and the Anusiya are a prestige unit, so they get the best infantry gear the Shahbânu's treasury is able to afford.
The commander of the corps bears the title Marzban, which is commonly translated as Warden. The present Marzban is called Nazanha Jai Sadala. She is a very experienced, gruff military type and a strong believer in the tradition of the corps. She does not suffer fools or accept slights from anyone, including Qadiri nobles and Firemane officials. She also has that strange type of loyalty and honour which comes from protecting a position not the person. For an Angelii this is a bit strange to understand, as it sounds like protecting the regalia of the Queen instead of Queen Tirathana VII. She has no tolerance for corruption or political games. She is a warden of the realm in the literal sense of the word.
During the last major succession crisis, Nazanha remained neutral and ordered her Anusiya to do likewise, though some fought for Jaamini or Semiramis respectively. In her view, it was unclear who had the legal right to sit upon the throne, and it was her duty to protect it and the empire as a whole. Thus she guarded the capital, the throne and the regalia of the Shahbânu until Kashara had made her will known. Nazanha has served Semiramis faithfully since then, fighting off-worlders, Xioquo and rival Qadiri rulers. She has accepted the tech the sky people have brought, but is not very impressed by them and does not share the beliefs of those Qadiri who view them as messianic saviours.
The corps is accompanied by a supply train that carries special food reserved for the Anusiya. Should the Shahbânu lead her army into battle, the Anusiya will act as her personal guards and be deployed at the crucial moment to achieve breakthroughs. Wherever the Shahbânu goes, she will be accompanied by a detachment of her Companions, ready to put their lives on the line for her. Obviously the position of commander of the Anusiya is a crucial one. Qadiri court politics are Byzantine, and there their physical closeness to the monarch, training and Force powers can make them an asset as well as a threat. Palace revolutions, civil wars and succession crises have sometimes divided the corps.
Thus it is important for the ruler to assure herself of the loyalty of the corps and ensure that they are commanded by someone reliable. Officially the Anusiya guard the title, not the person. This has been pertinent in succession crises where the line of succession was blurred and the legitimacy of the claimants in doubt. Some claim the Anusiya are disloyal and even traitorous...though not loudly. In reality the guard would contend that they are the loyalists, for they would fight and die for their master or mistress...if they proved themselves worthy of the office they bore. There have been times when the Companions have remained aloof until Kashara has made her will known via a victor.
The Anusiya are a very tight-knit unit with a strong sense of tradition and esprit de corps. Qadiri love oral poetry and performance. Many of them start young and learn to sing the epic stories of their ancestors by heart. This is also an important factor for life in the corps. Recruits learn the tales of epic battles, victories and losses. One of the most famous of these is the Tale of the Six Hundred. Such performances remind them of the deeds of their forebears and strengthen the corps' cohesion.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Veteran
Equipment:
Armour:
Rifles:
- ACS-204 Vulcan Blaster Rifle
- MK I Boltgun
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
- ACS-202 Vanquisher Light Repeating Blaster
- BH-21 Particle Beam Rifle
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- Lightbow
- Magnetic Repeater
- DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Hold-Out Bolter
- A280-CFE Blaster
- Sonic Disruptor
- Verpine Shattergun
- Adjudicator
- Renegade Heavy Blaster Pistol
- Magnetic Revolver
- MM9 Rocket System
- Wrist Bolter
- ZX Miniature Flame Projector
- Dur-24 Wrist Laser
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
Support:
- PLX-4 Missile Launcher
- ACS-201 Executioner Slugthrower
- Pulse Cannon
- Model MGL-1
- TL-50 Heavy Repeater
Misc:
- Grenades
- Verpine Prototype Shield
- APE Boltgun Ammunition
- Force-Focusing Visor.
- AJP-400 Hush-About Personal Jet Pack
However, they can also act as a tactical reserve that is thrown into battle at the crucial moment to achieve a breakthrough or hold the line against an encroaching enemy. They are a professional corps whose presence strengthens the morale of the Qadiri forces. For the same reason, it is obviously quite devastating if their line breaks and they flee. The Companions are selected on the basis of skill, discipline, loyalty and bravery. They undergo intense conditioning to resist mental manipulation. Traditionally Qadiri armies have been fast moving and the Anusiya have retained this. The corps is motorised, utilising Yazgid Infantry Fighting Vehicles and airspeeders. This gives the soldiers mobility and extra firepower. However, these vehicles suffer in head-on engagements with tanks, as their armour cannot withstand a tank's main weapon.
They are armed with a combination of melee and ranged weapons, operating on the basis of a buddy system. When under fire, they can form a shield wall to cover themselves, though this can leave them vulnerable to flanking manoeuvres and heavy bombardment. They are a mobile infantry force and forego integrated heavy support. This makes them reliant on support forces in larger battles. When deployed into battle, they often work together with the Desert Winds, a special unit of Qadiri pyromancers and aeromancers who specialise in long distance attacks.
The Desert Winds act akin to elemental artillery, using their powers to throw enemy forces into disarray through withering bombardment or utilise their wind powers to conceal allies. Then the Anusiya close in with a decisive charge or swift flanking manoeuvre. The Anusiya are Force-Users who specialise on elemental Force powers and martial abilities. They focus the elements of air, fire and earth. The mix of these three gives them potent defensive and offensive capabilities. They are also gifted in telekinesis and its various sub-applications, including Combustion and creating telekinetic barriers to shield themselves and their allies. Their medics are trained in using the Force to heal injuries.
Strengths:
- Force soldiers. The Anusiya are composed of Force-sensitive Qadiri, who specialise in elemental powers, but have also been trained to fight as a military unit of shock infantry.
- Crack infantry unit. Their training emphasies discipline, teamwork and precision. They are very disciplined and loyal to their charge.
- While they train extensively with conventional weapons and in hand-to-hand combat, losing the Force means losing their greatest advantage. This puts them at a disadvantage against enemies who use ysalamiri or Voidstone tech.
- They have few heavy weapons and thus suffer against heavy armoured vehicles and heavy fortifications. It also has implications in protracted combat. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment. They forego integrated heavy support.
Though Tygara's isolation from the rest of the Galaxy kept the Qadiri's tech level primitive, they became highly skilled at the pursuit of warfare, viewing it as an art. Yazgid were utilised as lizard mounts to harass enemies or break through ranks of enemy infantry. Professional soldiers and mercenaries were favoured above the use of levies. Battle plans were based on a complex interplay between cavalry, infantry, archers and Force-using elite soldiers. In recent decades, primitive cannons, a secret taken from the Xioquo, were introduced. However, handheld gunpowder weapons proved unpopular. One innovation the Qadiri pioneered was the use of a type of napalm liquid firie.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy Force-based military units are the Anusiya. These warriors serve the Amikarese Empire, the most powerful Qadiri state. Given the fractious nature of the Qadiri, they have never been lacking in opportunities to demonstrate their valour on the battlefield. They are a highly prestigious unit. The loose federated empire they serve was founded about a thousand years ago by the brilliant general and warlord Amira I. She was the first to assume the title of Shahbânu, though many regions declared independence after her death. It would take many wars before the empire acquired its current form and it became clear to the petty Mirzas that it was here to stay. The Anusiya's official history claims that it was Amira who established them. They originated as a tribal bodyguard for the founder of Amikaron.
Literally their name meant those near the Empress. The Anusiya could be members of the Qadiri aristocracy or commoners of any origin who enjoyed the trust and confidence of the monarch. Some of them were Mamluks. They received the best weapons available, and the best training. During Amira's campaign of conquest, they fulfilled the dual role of an imperial guard and a standing army. Even in those days, the Qadiri were fractured and the Amikarese Empire was more of a confederation of various kingdoms and principalities than a centralised nation. Thus the Anusiya provided the professional corps of the Shahbânu. They distinguished themselves in several battles.
When the Xioquo sacked Mansura, the first capital of the Empire, the Anusiya stood their ground even as the levies broke. It is said that they fought on the side of Shahbânu Amira when she slew a Xioquo dragon, saving her people from annihilation. The Warden of the time is said to have brought down the dragon with a well-aimed ballistae shot, forcing it to land. She was consumed by ice dragon fire, sacrificing herself so that Amira could drive her blessed lance into the beast's skull.
After Zeheb became the capital of the Empire, the Anusiya were chosen to serve as the palace guard, protecting the Citadel, which contained government offices, temples and the imperial palace. They proved vital for keeping the Empire together after Amira's death. When the empress passed away, she admonished the Warden and her officers to protect the throne and the empire at all costs. So the records say at any rate. The Anusiya provided the backbone for the feudal levies which made up the bulk of the Amikarese armies.
Per Qadiri law, all Force-users had to undergo mandatory training after their powers manifested themselves. Known Force-users would be taken in by either the temple or the state to be trained. Those taken in by the temple would become priestesses, while those taken in by the state would be trained to use their abilities as warriors. This would at times lead to violent competition between both groups. Indeed, there was a period during which the Anusiya clashed with the Sistren of the Eternal Flame, a fire cult devoted to Azali, the Qadiri goddess of fire, the desert and forging.
Officially the vassals of Amikaron were forbidden from setting up their own Anusiya units. But as imperial authority waxed and waned, feudal rulers such as the Mirzas of Lakish set up their own versions. The Amikarese Anusiya disparaged them as uninspired, inferior copies. Throughout their history, the Anusiya had their share of great victories, defeats and losses. These have been immortalised in songs and ballads every member of the corps is expected to learn. One of the most famous of these is the Tale of the Six Hundred.
Also known as the March of the Six Hundred, it is widely considered to be one of the greatest adventures in Qadiri history, but also among the most tragic. Shah Artaxerxes, eager to obtain martial glory, went on a crusade against the Xioquo. At the time the drows were divided by internecine strife. Thus the Shah expected a lightning victory over the avowed foes of the Qadiri people. However, the campaign was a debacle. The crusading force was victorious in the field, but the Shah fell in combat. The Anusiya had stood firm in battle against the enemy, but were now without a sovereign. Deep in hostile territory, the army was in a state of crisis and started to disintegrate, though the Companions held firm.
The climate, lack of supplies and relentless Xioquo attacks all worked against them. Without supplies other than what they could obtain through force or diplomacy, the Qadiri warriors had to fight their way out, passing through hostile Qadiri states and Xioquo settlements along the way. Marooned on a foreign shore, the Anusiya and the levies who had joined them went on an epic journey and faced many trails on their way back home. Among other things, they faced a kraken summoned by Xioquo sorceresses to destroy their ships when they had managed to obtain transport over the sea. By the time they managed to return to friendly shores, the original six hundred had been decimated. It is said in the tale that one of the survivors tossed the Shah's sword and crown at the feet of the Shahzadi, who was now Empress, and exhorted her to be a better ruler. The tale ends with her marrying a fellow survivor. Though the passage of time has embelished the story, it is true.
The Anusiya's loyalties lay with the position of the Shahbânu or Shah, not the person that sat on the throne. They regarded loyalty to the throne as a kind of sacred trust. This was made clear when Shahbânu Qahora was assassinated. In the palace that never slept, the duty guard of the Anusiya hurried down, as a servant had managed to call for them while their liege was still alive. But when they arrived their ruler was dead. By the light of the flaming torches, they saw the head of the Shahbânu, struck from her body and held triumphantly aloft at the window by one of the assassins. At once they were still. Had she been alive, they would have defended the Shahbânu to the last breath; dead, there was no point in avenging him. They had a new master, and that was that. So they swore allegiance to the new ruler of Amikaron, Shah Hazimel. When the new ruler faced a palace coup, the Anusiya remained loyal and suppressed the attempted revolt.
Some claim the Anusiya are disloyal and even traitorous, though not loudly. In reality the guard would contend that they are loyalists, for they would fight and die for their master or mistress, if they proved themselves worthy of the office they bore. Shahbânu Mahshid learned that the loyalty of the guard to the person of the sovereign had its limits even while she was still alive. The Shahbânu used an alchemical concoction and primitive explosives to blow up the Temple of Kashara. After learning of this, the Companions decided they had had enough of her mismanagement and removed her from power. They argued that she had proved unworthy and was destroying the empire Amira I had entrusted to their protection. Of course, these noble ideals have not stopped the guard from being manipulated or used by usurpers. A number of palace coups have been less motivated by noble ideals to safeguard the empire and more by greed and a desire for influence.
For a while, Zeheb hosted the high priestess of Kashara. A Saoshyant who was unable to find acceptance in Krolis, the holy city of the Kashari, moved her court to the High Ziggurat of Kashara in Zeheb. The absence from Krolis is sometimes referred to as the Zehebian Exile or, more negatively, Captivity. Meanwhile, a group of Krolian clerics elected their own Saoshyant, who promptly excommunicated. The schism became worse when another Counter-Saoshyant was chosen in Khawjari and rwas recognised by a number of Qadiri states in that region.
Adira III tried to end the schism her favour by invading Krolis to put a puppet in power. It was her goal to centralise royal power in Amikaron and expand it. The Anusiya led the charge when her army, supplemented by mercenaries and levies, stormed Krolis. Their discipline and training allowed them to prevail in battle. However, the subsequent sack of the city was a cause of great embarrassment for her and only harmed her cause. She was met with rebellion, war and eventual assassination for her efforts.
More recently a minor civil war was fought outside the Amikarese capital. Semiramis, Shazadi of the empire had to claim the throne with fire and blood after the death of her mother Adira IV. The queen had sent her daughter to Mansura to oversee tax collection and learn about governance. However, while she was gone, the Shahbânu died. A cabal of nobles staged a coup to put Semiramis' cousin Jaamini on the throne. Assassins were dispatched to kill Semiramis. The assassins almost managed to kill the Shazadi aboard the ship she was on. However, Semiramis and her personal slave and confidante Bashriya managed to escape. Shipwrecked, they had to seek shelter with a peasant family. When the pair finally reached Mansura, Semiramis found an ally in Satrap Ardashir. With his support, as well of that of mercenaries attracted by the promise of plunder and titles, she marched on Zeheb.
The Anusiya played an ambiguous role in this conflict. Legally Semiramis was the rightful heir, but she had been declared a traitor and Jaamini held the capital. Officially the Anusiya guarded the title, not the person. As a result Anusiya fought on both sides. A good many, including the Warden, held aloof from the contest until Kashara's will was known via a victor. Semiramis' forces met Jaamini's army halfway. The battle was fought just to the south of Zeheb and on the western shore. Semiramis' bravery and a well-timed cavalry attack by Ardashir led to victory. Jaamini fled but was betrayed and murdered by her allies. Semiramis had the traitors beheaded and gave her cousin a proper burial.
When she entered Zeheb and approached to the citadel, the Marzban opened the gates and rode out to greet her, bending the knee. Upon being questioned about why she had not taken arms for her rightful queen, the Marzban referred to her oath to protect the crown, not just the person who wore it. Semiramis' victory had shown that her ascent was the will of Kashara, so she would serve her faithfully. To prove their loyalty, a force of Anusiya was dispatched to rid Amikaron of a mercenary legion that had served Jaamini and proved troublesome.
It was around this point that outsiders appeared on Tygara. Slavers from off-world had been conducting raids. Semiramis led an army to attack these corsairs. Needless to say the Anusiya were part of the attack force. However, the corsairs were blasters and spaceships, and so the Qadiri found themselves outclassed. The battle was a one-sided slaughter, and the enemy suffered no fatalities. However, the surviving warriors regrouped with their queen.
Afflicted with victory disease, the slavers let down their guard to celebrate, confident in their belief that the 'sand babies' were too primitive to be a threat. Seeing this, the Shahbânu led a force to attack at night. The Desert Winds used their aeromantic powers to help obscure their approach, while the Anusiya closed in for the kill. Catching the slavers by surprise, the Qadiri slaughtered most of them. Nazanha Jai Sadala led the attack in person, killing several of the corsairs. Proving themselves quite adept, the Anusiya knew enough about their own firearms to figure out how to use a blaster, and so they turned the turrets and weapons of the dead sentries against the slavers. The survivors were executed as punishment. Only one corsair ship escaped. Semiramis was hailed a heroine, but knew the outsiders would return.
More outsiders came. These claimed to be there to help. Semiramis negotiated with Firemane's representatives. Her vizier tried to poison the foreign diplomats, believing them to be a pernicious influence. After she was slain in a trial by combat, the Anusiya put down an uprising by her supporters. Semiramis' accord with the outsiders allowed her forces with more modern weapons. Eventually both groups launched a join campaign to bring the Xioquo to heel. The invasion of the Underealm was a bloody affair, even with the advanced technology and firepower of the outsiders. Illusionists, janissary legions, dark sorceresses, undead, kraken and war beasts were among the foes the allied forces faced. The Anusiya were part of the Qadiri attack force. The Qadiri lacked the tech of the outsiders, but supplied most of the manpower.
Advancing over land while Firemane and the Eldorai moved over sea and took the two Xioquo citadels, they faced the Xioquo's steampunk tanks. Firemane artillery destroyed several of those, but the Xioquo unleashed their flying war engines. The elementalist warriors pooled their powers to bring them down. Led by General Ardashir, the faithful Satrap of Semiramis, they advanced into the Underealm. Fierce fighting ensued in its cavernous tunnels. Centuries of enmity had defined the relations between Qadiri and Xioquo, so neither side was inclined to give quarter. To each it was a war to the knife. As a result, Xio who surrendered tended to give themselves up to the outsiders instead. There were no survivors when the Qadiri stormed a key Xioquo base in the Underealm.
The drows surrendered after Mystra, the first of their kind, was slain by Siobhan Kerrigan and a party of her allies. Rather than exterminate or enslave them, Siobhan decided to put a dissident noblewoman called Liavondra on the throne as a vassal queen and integrate the Xioquo into the community of nations. This did not make centuries of strife vanish overnight, but led to the cessation of large-scale warfare on the planet, though the period of peace was interrupted by Kraal raids, an anti-piracy campaign and the Krolis conflict.
Today the Anusiya, and Amikaron as a whole, look to the stars. The desert elves know that their is life out there and have acquired an understanding of space travel. This is quite a feat for a people that until recently mostly had a Renaissance tech level. Firemane has built worldships for the elf races, including the Qadiri, and Semiramis is an ambitious woman who wants to move into the stars. To this end she has acquired her own worldship, the Jewel of the Void, so that she can go off and colonise. Her personal guard force has established a presence on it.
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