Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Add some flavour to Qadiri forces and Firemane. This is a resubmission of this unit, which was approved under the old Codex rules.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Mechanised cavalry.
Permissions: ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here. CD-X Cryptologic Key available for Firemane per this thread. Permission to use Fire for Effect tech here. Permission for Vanir items here.
Links: Qadiri.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Clibanarii.
Affiliation: Siobhan, Firemane, House Kerrigan-Alcori.
Classification: Mechanised cavalry.
Description: The Clibanarii corps is a mechanised cavalry unit composed of Qadiri. It draws heavily on Qadiri traditions knighthood. Indeed, several of its members are Cataphracts, a caste of warriors comparable to knights. Others are former sellswords and volunteers recruited from the Firemane Auxiliary Corps. Essentially it is an attempt to transfer old Qadiri cavalry tactics into the modern battlefield. Rather than ride on predatory lizards, these riders have mechanical mounts in form of Valora class walkers.
Building on the ancient AT-ST, the Valora walker – named for the Eldorai goddess of war and honour – was built to be a fast and resilient scouting vehicle, but with enough firepower to help back it up and give it teeth in combat. Since flexibility was the name of the game, the walker is designed to be modular in both combat, and non-combat tools it could use. It can perform both roles equally, and serve a variety of combat tasks as well.
Against infantry and light vehicles, the Valora is an absolute terror. With a mix of anti-personnel, area of effect and penetrating weapons the Valora can hammer such forces. Against larger tanks it can deal damage, but lacks the resilience to stand toe-to-toe. Against air, the walker can be equipped with AA missiles, but these are only partial protection, and determined air attack remain a hazard. In battle the walker operate in groups of two with squadrons of eight being common. These pairs operate semi-independently and the pilots are encouraged to use initiative and to ambush the enemy where possible.
Qadiri are almost all extremely good navigators. They seem to have an instinctual internal compass and thus make good pilots. They have a bit of an honour code and regard it as a matter of principle to disembark and fight if their walkers are disabled. For this reason they also train extensively in personal combat. This zealous attitude has its benefits, but it can also lead to an overly stubborn refusal to quit even though the situation might warrant it. The Clibanarii still keep Yazgid lizards around as mascots. As a throwback to old traditions, taming one of them is still treated as a rite of passage for a new recruit. The Clibanarii often personalise their walkers and assign names to them. These tend to refer to Qadiri historical or mythological figures, their ancestors or locations on Tygara.
Though they no longer ride into battle on animals, many Clibanarii are still devoted to Qadiri martial traditions. Cataphracts are expected to adhere to a code of honour, venerate the Goddess, defend the innocent, be brave, loyal and steadfast. Of course, in reality the lines between knight, mercenary and brigand blur easily, depending on whether there is a war going on and against whom it is being fought. Indeed, Qadiri volunteers from the lower classes or the ranks of former Mamluks often denounce these notions as hypocritical. The persistence of old traditions can cause friction because recruits who lack the 'right' background have joined the group in increasingly significant numbers. A good number of them are Qadiri Sepoys from low class backgrounds who rose through the ranks. Firemane has been careful only to group soldiers from like nations and cultures together, sometimes transplanting whole squadrons from old to new services.
There is still a tendency to respond to slights with challenges to a duel. Many Clibanarii customise their walkers, often painting Qadiri symbols on them. It is not uncommon for the warriors to compose songs of the battles they have fought. These are recited at ceremonies and social functions. The Clibanarii are commonly organised into squadrons. Each squadron is composed of eight walkers each. Squadrons can be grouped together into platoons and assigned to Firemane infantry or armour formations.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Unit Size: Small
Unit Availability: Uncommon
Unit Experience: Elite
Equipment:
Armour:
- Kinetic Armour, Protective Vest, Arbiter Combat Helmet and Military Mobility Shield
- Commlink uses CD-X Cryptologic Key.
- DC-15S Blaster Carbine
- VT-Particle SMG
- Magnetic Repeater (usually the Carbine version)
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
- Under-Barrel Disruptor
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer
- Dur-24 Wrist Laser
Sidearms:
- Magnetic Revolver
- Shatter Pistol
- SW-12 Jack Knife
- A280-CFE Blaster
- Sonic Disruptor
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Renegade Heavy Blaster Pistol
- Grenades, Sonic Imploder, Dampener aerosol.
- Misc. equipment such as lifeform scanners, repair tools, medkits, Neural Band.
- Gar'surhbir-class Dropship (purchase request here, permission here).
- ACS-301 YVH Probe Droids
Combat Function: They are a unit of mechanised cavalry used for recon, assault and patrolling. The Valora walkers they use are fast and resilient scouting vehicles, but also have potent weapons to defend themselves and provide fire support for infantry. The Graphite Underlay and Ionization Buffers give the walker greater durability than the AT-ST, which is only to be expected considering the advancements since the Galactic Civil War. It is slightly slower though, and slightly larger.
However, they are light walkers and thus vulnerable to ordinance, such as handheld missile launchers. They also have the traditional weakness of having long, somewhat spindly legs which can be disabled and cause the walker to fall if hit. Against infantry and light vehicles, the Valora is an absolute terror. With a mix of anti-personnel, area of effect and penetrating weapons the Valora can hammer such forces. Against larger tanks it can deal damage, but lacks the resilience to stand toe-to-toe. Against air, the walker can be equipped with AA missiles, but these are only partial protection, and exposure to determined air attack is not advised. Their training and mechanical mounts make this unit good at recon, ambushes and providing fire support for infantry. The combination of speed and firepower makes them a useful asset for rapid strikes. The members of the unit are Qadiri, who have inherent navigational talents. This makes them good vehicle operators. They are particularly well-versed in desert warfare. Clibanarii squadrons are commonly assigned to Firemane infantry or armour formations. In that capacity, they employ combined arms tactics to reach a common goal. They can patrol, support an assault and screen allied forces to protect them against skirmishers and ambushes.
Outside of their mechanical mounts, the Clibanarii are very skilled in melee and close quarters combat. This enables them to defend themselves should they have to dismount or in the case of their vehicles being wrecked. However, on foot they lack heavy weapons and would thus be vulnerable if engaged from a distance. Thus they would require protection from long range bombardment and heavily armoured vehicles, among other things.
Strengths:
- Valora walkers are ideal for reconnaissance, infantry support and scouting. Against infantry and light vehicles, the Valora is an absolute terror. With a mix of anti-personnel, area of effect and penetrating weapons the Valora can hammer such forces.
- Piloted by Qadiri. These elves have impressive dexterity and inherent navigational skills. This makes them good pilots. Outside of their walkers, they are skilled marksmen.
- Against larger tanks the Valora walker can deal damage, but lacks the resilience to stand toe-to-toe. Against air, the walker can be equipped with AA missiles, but these are only partial protection, and determined air attack remains a hazard. Although immune to small arms fire the Valora is vulnerable to heavy ordnance. It also has the traditional weakness of having long legs, which can be disabled and cause the walker to fall if hit.
- Crews lack long range and heavy weapons outside of their walkers.
War for the Qadiri has always been a daily part of life and politics. While Tygara was isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, technology of war became a highly skilled art over time. The use of mercenaries and professional soldiers was common, leading to long campaigns of manoeuvre and position. Defeating an enemy without fighting a battle was seen as noble, not cowardly, and rash commanders looked down on as uncontrolled. In battle there was a complex interplay between cavalry, infantry, archers and Force users. Each was countered by another, and is in turn counters another. For instance archers were formidable at cutting down infantry, but were easily dispersed by Yazgid mounted riders, who in turn could break formed infantry. The perfect timing and co-ordination required in a general made successfully ones highly honoured.
A key component of the armies of the more powerful Qadiri states, especially the Amikarese Empire, was the heavy cavalry. Both the rider and the Yazgid mount was draped from head to toe in scale armour. Their Yazgid mounts were fearsome beasts, but required a competent rider to control them. The riders served as either the elite cavalry or assault force for most empires and nations that fielded them, primarily used for impetuous charges to break through infantry formations. This led to a proud martial tradition of chivalry, as Qadiri society created a social class akin to knights. They were known as Cataphracts or Clibanarii, which literally means mail clad riders. The best riders formed a praetorian guard for the Shahbânu of the Amikarese Empire. Eventually primitive gunpowder weapons were introduced.
The Qadiri experienced quite a culture shock when 'sky people' arrived on Tygara, for blaster weapons, faster-than-light travel and spaceflight were unknown to the elves. They realised soon that they needed to adapt if they wanted to avoid being subjugated. None of them realised this more than Shahbânu Semiramis, ruler of the Amikarese Empire, who entered into an alliance with Lady Siobhan Kerrigan. For its part, Firemane took an interest in the Qadiri, supplementing its regular forces by recruiting Sepoys in large numbers. They formed the Firemane Auxiliary Corps. The drive to catch up with the rest of the Galaxy was hastened when the four races decided to move into space and colonise other worlds.
One of the fruits of this was a new Clibanarii corps. Many of its members were recruited from the fief of Lakish after that state's Mirza led a failed assault on the Underealm. Her army was routed by the Xioquo. Siobhan and a Firemane task force came to their aid, preventing their annihilation. Siobhan removed the Mirza from power and put a more compliant relative in power. A number of Qadiri knights and sellswords swore allegiance to her. More flocked to the banner after the coalition was able to storm the Underealm and defeat the Xioquo. Myrou, the dark goddess of the drows, was slain in the process.
At first the Firemane Auxiliary Corps was treated in a rather patronising manner. Many Firemane officers regarded the natives as primitive or less capable than them. As a result, they got less advanced equipment and often unglamorous tasks. However, soon more privileged, specialised units emerged. One of them were the Clibanarii, which could be described as a mechanical cavalry corps. Siobhan took them on as her knights following established Qadiri traditions. However, while many of the members had been Cataphracts, the corps soon received recruits from less privileged backgrounds. This included Mamluks from Lakish who had been emancipated after the old Mirza's dethronement, but also veterans of Hasana Jai Anhala's rebel slave army. To give them proper mechanical 'mounts', the Clibanarii received Valora walkers. The Clibanarii saw action in several local conflicts, such as the Krolis War, where they battled the League of Krolis. They also fought in conflicts outside of Tygara, battling Kraal and Rogue Sith forces.
A contingent of the Clibanarii participated in Firemane's campaign against the Dominion of Light, fighting the Jedi fanatics and their slave armies of clone troopers at the battle of Fortress Purity. The victory was a hard fought one, despite Firemane's technological superiority and heavy firepower, as the terrain favoured the defenders and the Dominion employed Force-Users in large numbers. Firemane's Qadiri warriors made a vital contribution to the eventual victory, earning their place among the ranks and proving those who had dismissed them as 'sand babies' wrong.
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