Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Qadiri.
Image Credit: Here. Here.
Role: Cavalry.
Permission: Blanket permission for anything made by Val here. Access to Firemane gear since I'm the owner.
Links: Qadiri, Firemane.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Sipahi.
Affiliation: Semiramis, Qadiri.
Classification: Shock Cavalry.
Description: The Sipahi are a unit of Qadiri mechanised cavalry. Their name is derived from the Amikarese word for soldier. In the days of yore, they rode upon Yazgid, huge, fearsome lizards that were used as mounts. Several of them still do, but applies only to the less well-off or staunchly traditional. In modern times, many Sipahi have replaced fearsome lizards with mechanical mounts in form of combat speeders and, in rarer cases, light tanks. Many Sipahi battalions still expect new recruits to tame a Yazgid as a mount before they are allowed to use a speeder.
The Sipahi are the inheritors of a proud martial tradition among the Qadiri. They occupy a status between the ruling nobility and the ruling nobility and the commoners. They are heavily interwoven with the feudal culture of the Qadiri and possess a standing akin to that of knights. A Sipahi is expected to obey their liege, follow the teachings of the Goddess Kashara and protect the innocent. Of course, it has often been a thin line between brigand, knight and mercenary. The Sipahi adhere to a warrior's code of honour. To them, military service is not an unwelcome burden, but an honour and a mark of their status. They draw their members from landowners and the gentry. This does not mean that all Sipahi are wealthy. Indeed, many are not. Oftentimes service as a Sipahi is a tradition that has been passed down from one generation to the next. In keeping with her desire to turn her realm into a modern, centralised autocracy, the Amikarese Empire has started reforming the military to make it more professional and less feudal.
This obviously also affects the Sipahi, but they are still quite traditionalist. The Sipahi live on the land with the peasants, who still constitute the majority of the population, and collect tax revenues. However, they do not inherit anything, which makes them dependent on the crown and incentivises loyal service. Thus the Sipahis cannot let their children inherit the land they had for their service - often the son or daughter of a Sipahi became the Sipahi of that land after them, but they cannot could not be assigned more than one plot of land and thus not amass land and become a landed noble.
A Sipahi is the holder of a fief that has been granted them directly by the Shahbânu or with her assent by one of her satraps. The peasants are bound to the soil, but the Sipahi are not legally the owners of their land. The Sipahi have the duty to provide security for their people times of need and provide military service. Additionally, they supply a number of armed soldiers. The Qadiri have an enduring love of plays and performance. The deeds of famous Sipahi have been immortalised in songs, ballads and theatre plays. This is obviously also a way for their families to enhance their reputation. Outside of their regular duties, it is not uncommon for Sipahi to compete in tournaments such as speeder or Yazgid races. A game of polo featuring Yazgids is also popular. It can be as dangerous as it sounds, but it's also a great way of training for combat, and to do it well is an artform.
A special unit of the Sipahi is assigned to the household of the Shahbânu for her personal protection, serving as a royal escort when she travels across her realm or commands her troops on the battlefield. This force is separated from the regular chain of command. The honour guard is rotated on a regular basis to reduce the risk of palace coup. There is a bit of a rivalry between them and the Anusiya, the Force-Using elite corps of elemental warriors who act as bodyguards and guardians of the throne. The Sipahi like to claim that they are more loyal than the Anusiya, who have at times made a habit of dethroning Shahs and Shahbânus they disapprove of. While their primary function is to serve as cavalry, the Sipahi can also dismount and fight as light infantry. Aside from vehicle piloting, they are trained in marksmanship, melee combat, patrolling, recon and first aid. Traditionally, Qadiri armies were very fast moving. Now that they have infantry with APCs, having a good fast attack force which can double as dismounted cavalry works well.
Using speeders and light tanks evokes that cavalry feel. However, though their armaments have modernised, firm class barriers remain in place. The Sipahi regard themselves as warriors and recruit their members from the ranks of the landed gentry. They justify this on the basis of tradition, viewing themselves as a warrior caste. This is fairly antiquated, but the Amikarese Empire is classist and quite corrupt. So far the government has not carried out a serious effort to abolish the warrior caste and integrate them into the professional military. The Sipahi also retain the right to bear swords and pistols in public.
The Sipahi are expected to maintain their vehicles much like they would have cared for their Yazgids. It is not uncommon for a warrior to personalise their speeders, such as by painting their kills, house words or similar on it. The tanks are stored in a central government arsenal for their use, since they are not private property. However, the Sipahi have to pay for some of the maintenance. While they wear practical body armour in combat, they don flamboyant uniforms on parades or other ceremonial occasions. The Sipahi have a well-earned reputation for dash, daring and bravery, but are also seen as arrogant.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Trained
Equipment:
Vehicles:
Animal Mounts:
Armour:
Rifles:
- Magnetic Repeater
- DC-15S Blaster Carbine
- FWG-7 Flechette Carbine
- GLX Firelance
- Energy Bow
- T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
Misc:
Melee Weapons:
- Vibroblade
- Vibrosword
- Vibrodagger
- Force Imbued Blade/Morningstar/Axe - only available to very well-off or prestigious Sipahi.
They excel in recon, skirmishes and rapid strikes. One of their preferred tactics is to stage a surprise assault on an enemy force, then retreat in order to draw the enemy in. Should this occur, other Sipahi units stage a flanking attack. This helps break up larger enemy forces, damage their cohesion and allows allied troops to overwhelm the enemy. This form of faked retreat is a staple of Qadiri cavalry tactics.
Moreover, they fulfil the duty of screening allied forces and eliminating enemy scouts. The speed and agility of their craft can allow them to evade the heavy fire of hostile enemy. This can allow them to ambush enemy artillery forces that are not adequately protected. All Qadiri have an inherent navigational talent. They seem to possess a form of internal compass. This is obviously very helpful for piloting. The Sipahis can be deployed in significant numbers. A Sipahi unit tends to be assigned to a division. The Sipahi particularly excel at desert and manoeuvre warfare. Sometimes Sipahi tanks will also give regular infantry a ride. In such an instance, the infantry soldiers will ride to an attack on top of the tank, then dismount to fight on foot. In such a situation, the mounted infantry can offer small-arms support to suppress enemy infantry equipped with anti-tank weapons. Moreover, the soldiers on the outside can take out ambushers and provide the tank crew with additional eyes on the battlefield. However, riding on top of a tank into real combat is very risky, since the mounted infantry is very vulnerable.
While their primary role is that of cavalry, the Sipahis can dismount and fight as light infantry. They wear sealed body armour and are equipped with rifles, carbines, pistols, blades and grenades. Some also carry energy bows. Their training empathises disciplined fire over blazing away. This is because until recently, the Qadiri only had bows and arrows, muskets and, at best, bolt action rifles. Reload times were long, so accuracy was key. This has changed, but they have retained the good habit of precise fire instead of spray and paint. However, as infantry they lack heavy weapons and thus suffer against heavy armour. Their body armour is solid and provides protection against a variety of hazards, but not exceptional.
There are Sipahi who still ride Yazgids, though they will not charge entrenched enemy units armed with modern weapons. Instead they utilise their predatory lizard mounts for reconnaissance, to move into position and run down retreating or demoralised enemies. While obviously vulnerable to modern armaments, the Yazgids have the advantage that they can go places vehicles can only access with difficulty, do not require fuel and can live off the land. Moreover, they make it easy to dispose of enemy corpses since they are carnivores, and can still be useful for sudden ambushes.
Force Abilities (Force User Units Only): A select number of the Sipahi benefit from some mild Force-Sensitivity, granting them a kind of 'sixth sense' that manifests in precognitive abilities, and enhanced situational awareness. Some are also mildly telepathic, which is used to improve coordination between soldiers.
Strengths:
- Fast attack force. They are ideal for recon, defensive screening of allied forces, and rapid strikes. Their tanks are manoeuvrable, and can be used in both an anti-infantryn and anti-vehicle role.
- Can dismount and fight as light infantry. They are precise marksmen and trained in melee combat.
- Speeders trade protection for speed. Their armour is vulnerable to heavy weapons and cannot stand up to the main weapon of a tank.
- Sipahi are lightly armed outsiders of their craft. This puts them as a disadvantage against tanks and heavily armoured foes. Their sealed body armour is decent, but unexceptional.
- Though decently trained, the Sipahi are new to mechanised warfare, and thus experience is an issue, especially against a modern foe. The fact that recruitment is based on a system of feudal obligations does not help.
Unlike the Eldorai, the Qadiri were never governed by one ruler. Rather they were a hodgepodge of monarchies, theocracies, republics and oligarchies – all vying for power and influence. The greatest of these states is Amikaron, formed roughly a thousand years before the present by the brilliant general and warlord Amira I. She was the first to claim the title of Shahbânu and found an Empire, though after her death many of the frontier regions slipped away. After many years and struggles the current empire emerged.
Military might was key to holding the feudal empire together and expand its power. The Qadiri did not progress beyond a roughly Renaissance era tech level, as Tygara was isolated from the rest of the Galaxy. However, they were not primitives. Their form of warfare was based on a complex interplay of artillery, infantry and cavalry. Traditionally, their armies were very mobile. They were a people of the desert and the savannahs, which meant that cavalry was quite important for their tactics.
The Sipahis have their roots in the feudal retainers that formed Amira's cavalry. These tribal horseman swore fealty to her and rallied to her banner in return for land and booty. The warriors received fiefs and were entitled to exact income from them, though this was tied to their service to the Crown. They were responsible for the security of the fief, including the recruitment and training of warriors. As Amikaron seeks to modernise, the corps has underwent reforms to make it more fitting for a professional army, but it is still steeped in tradition.
It was tradition to recruit their members from among the Qadiri landowners. Very soon, a rivalry developed between the Sipahis and the Anusiya. Anusiya is the Qadiri word for Companions and these Force-using elite warriors regarded themselves as the companions of Amira and the custodians of her throne. To this day, an Anusiya is quick to point out that she serves the throne, and not any one person or even material reward. Her duty is to preserve the imperial throne and the empire Amira built. This has at times meant deposing an unsuitable monarch. The Sipahis are seen as lesser not only because they do not command the power of the spirits, but because they are perceived to serve material gain. Naturally the Sipahi would insist that the Anusiya's claims are self-serving and that removing an unsuitable monarch is code for toppling one they do not like.
Regardless, the Sipahi model is not limited to Amikaron, though the Amikarese mounted troops are quick to disparage their cousins in other Qadiri realms. Unlike the Cataphracts, which functioned as heavy cavalry, the Sipahis wore more lightweight armour. They wore chainmail, rode barded Yazgid, carried lances, scimitars, javelins and bows and arrows. Sipahis have had a role in virtually all of the battles fought by Amikarese troops.
Their relationship with the Xioquo, the long-time rival of the Qadiri, has been a particularly bloody one. To this day, the ill-fated charge of a light Sipahi brigade against Xioquo forces during the Battle of Balaclaevas is a well-known tale that was immortalised in a song. The Sipahi were deployed to prevent the Xioquo from removing cannons from an overrun Qadiri position. This was a mission the cavalry was perfect for.
However, unfortunately there was a miscommunication in the chain of command. As a result, the brigade was deployed to conduct a frontal assault against a different Xioquo position. This was well-prepared to withstand assault, for the janissaries had been equipped with new rifles and cannons. Nonetheless, the Sipahi rode boldly and well. They were able to reach the enemy lines and scatter some of the infantry, but suffered horrible casualties and achieved no lasting gain. The engagement is remembered in a poem, which focuses on the bravery and martial valour of the cavalry.
The Sipahi were able to avenge this bloody day during the reign of Semiramis' grandmother. Adira III's forces had been engaged by a large army of Xioquo. The drows made ample use of alchemised creatures, including huge war beasts. The Xioquo troops were well-positioned and had Force adepts on their side. Knowing that the drows were not the primitive savages many Qadiri regarded them as, Adira judiciously divided her forces.
She directed her light cavalry to surround and goad the enemy into attack, and then feign retreat. This was supposed to exhaust the Xioquo war beasts, wargs and soldiers, despite the protests of some Cataphracts who considered this dishonourable. In the hopes of causing a break in the enemy lines, her Sipahi feigned retreat. The horse archers turned their bodies in full gallop to fire arrows at the drows. Xioquo forces charged the fleeing Qadiri unit. Javelin strikes drove some of the Xioquo's war beasts into a frenzy. The Amikarese sent a fresh cavalry unit and managed to repulse the enemy advance. As the Xioquo lines became disorganised, the remaining Amikarese forces attacked and the Xioquo troops fled in panic.
The cavalry corps played an important role in Semiramis' accession to the throne. Semiramis, then the crown princess, had been dispatched by her mother to Mansura to oversee tax collection and learn about governing. However, while Semiramis was en route, her mother passed away. Semiramis was the heiress, but a faction at court seized power and proclaimed her cousin Jaamini the new ruler and dispatched assassins to eliminate the crown princess. The attempt on her life failed, but Semiramis and her loyal slave were shipwrecked.
The pair had to travel over land and hide among the common people. However, they eventually managed to reach Mansura. There, Semiramis was able to persuade Satrap Ardashir, an old favourite of her mother, to support her bid. Ardashir was able to raise an army to back her, calling upon his feudal retainers. Many mounted troops were among them. With this army, Semiramis marched on Zeheb.
Her troops were met by the forces of Jaamini, and battle began. At first things went Jaamini's way. The Desert Winds, a powerful unit of long-range elementalists, had sided with her. The Anusiya had remained neutral. However, Semiramis showed bravery, rallying her soldiers when withering elemental fire was unleashed upon them. Ardashir led the Sipahi and the Cataphracts in a well-timed flanking attack to outmanoeuvre the enemy. This sealed the fate of Jaamini. The Desert Winds continued resisting, but most of her army fled. The pretender was murdered by her allies to curry favour with Semiramis. However, the new Shahbânu was disgusted by the betrayal, had the nobles executed and gave her cousin a proper burial.
However, shortly after the start of her reign, the Qadiri had to contend with a new threat. Interestingly the desert elves had a tradition of believing there was life outside of Tygara. But the first sky people who descended upon the planet were rapacious corsairs who had come to claim slaves. The first battle with them went poorly. The Qadiri lacked an effective counter to starships and blaster weapons, so their forces were routed. Yazgid riders were mowed down by heavy blasters.
But then the corsairs made the mistake of letting down their guard and celebrating. So Semiramis staged a night assault. The Qadiri snuck up on the corsairs, slew their sentries and ambushed them. Blasters turned out to be similar enough to their own firearms for them to be able to turn them against the raiders. One unit of Sipahi fought as dismounted cavalry, using their mobility and marksmanship to take out corsairs. Another unit stayed atop their Yazgid and came in from the flank to cut off fleeing pirates. This was a victory, but the Qadiri remained vigilant, rightly suspecting that the outsiders would return.
Their next contact with them was friendlier, as Firemane offered them a pact. The arrival of the sky people was quite a culture shock and produced profound changes for the Qadiri. Semiramis quickly recognised that the sky people could be useful for her cause. One important item on the agenda was modernising her army. Conservative Sipahi officers were unhappy about the adoption of crude outsider machines, believing that they undermined their martial traditions.
But the speeders Firemane sold its ally proved useful, enhancing their tactical utility on the battlefield. A force of Sipahi trained in the new ways fought against Kraal and later against the League of Krolis. They proved their value, buth conflicts also revealed deficencies in terms of training and leadership. While brave, the notion of strict obedience to a professional chain of command was not compatible with the individual authority of the Sipahi. Moreover, one could not jump from the early modern era to modern warfare without some issues. They could use their modern vehicles in battle, but were dependent on foreign contractors for maintenance and complex technical work. Firemane did not want its Qadiri vassal to become too independent, and thus was not above sabotaging them. Furthermore, the practice of only recruiting members of an exclusive social class into the corps obviously limited the recruitment pool.
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