The Warriors of the Volknir
A fierce and hardy clan. Of the two faiths most prevalent among their people neither fear death. Rather, some seek it and revel in it. There are many kinds of warriors that serve the Volknir. Most with axes and blades. Some with magic and alchemy. Still more who fly through the skies.
The Warriors
Skjolders:
Skjolders are the bread and butter of the Volknir's forces. Garbed in mail and leather armor, a steel Gjermundbu helm, and a steel rimmed wooden shield with a shield boss. They carry into battle Carolingian swords or bearded axes and always a spear. Shield walls are a preferred tactic with these troops and can hurl their spears like javelins when called for. They have great team work and can often use advanced tactics without a commander present.
Berserkers:
Berserkers have a nasty reputation. They feel no pain, they fear nothing, they can rip men in half, they eat people's hearts, so on and so forth. Sadly most of this is mere reputation spread by fearful survivors. In truth these men and women ingest mushrooms and proceed to fight under the mushrooms narcotic affects. Its true that they feel no pain but that is where the legend ends in truth.
They go into battle with little to no armor wielding a weapon in both hands or one massive two-handed weapon. They are best used in small skirmishes and can easily be set to a singular goal in a battle. While fierce in a large fight the sear numbers of enemies can easily overwhelm them. Its best to not leave these warriors unsupervised once they get high.
Ulfhednar:
Ulfhednar are special warriors, and elite special forces. They are known to wear a wolf pelt and said to be inhabited by the spirit of wolves and they act like it too. They wear no armor and equip themselves with a large variety of weapons.
Tactically these warriors are the most devastating of the Volknir's ground forces. They can penetrate enemy lines, disrupt supply routes, infiltrate defenses and set up ambushes taking out more than five times their own number. They can operate without any leadership what so ever. They will avoid direct great forces if they can but will do anything they believe will bring their Jarl or warlord victory.
Midlandic Knights:
Midlandic Knights are a fierce force among the Volknirs. Most coming from southern Venland and swearing themselves to the Volknir in their time of need they are few in number. Luckily the few that are there have taken on squires to teach and increase their numbers. They Comparatively harder to kill than most of the other infantry they are valued and respected, even among those of a different faith.
Tactically these heavy troops are extremely valuable. Their enduring armor and discipline can hold out against attacking enemy forces. They can reinforce a shield wall, effectively holding and advancing troop positions. However, without horses they can lag behind friendly troop movements and even be late deploying to important positions in battle. Pre-planning and strategy are key to using these warriors effectively on the battlefield.
The Riders
Skjolders and Knights can mount up and become a light or heavy cavalry force respectively. They can do this whenever it is called for, and the mounts are available of course. Being a primarily amphibious force there is no dedicated ground cavalry in their army. Still there are three mounts easily available. The War Moose, the Battle Ram, and the War horse.
While there is no dedicated cavalry force in their main armies there are two fledgling orders, the Valkyries and the Guardians who have yet to be used in true combat.
The Valkries:
Currently only five in number, this group of all female warriors ride hippogryphs. Aeris, the founder and leader of the order orchestrated it's creation on an Isranian trade mission. Purely by luck she stumbled onto the expansive holdings of Elizabeth Finch, a retired leader of a similar order, and obtained hippogryphs and the training to properly ride and fight with them.
The hippogryphs are usually lightly armored with leather coated plates of a light but strong steel. Their riders wear matching armor and a Gjermundbu helm. Their helms are usually adorned with horns, feathers, spikes or whatever the rider prefers with the goal looking more intimidating. They carry a long spear, and small wooden shield, as well and Carolingian blades as a sidearm.
Tactically they are very variable. These flyers can scout great distances, carry decent loads of supplies to hard to reach locations, evacuate injured soldiers, and drop fire bombs. Silent and fast they can even drop soldiers, 2 by 2, inside enemy fortifications. With their tactical usefulness and Aeris' biased approval of them, they can only grow in number.
The Guardians (not implemented yet):
An order of the surviving pure elves in Ulvrive. These elves ride massive wolves and patrol the great forests in southern Ulvrive. With peace between the Volknir and Elves made they have taken upon themselves the guardianship of the forests agreeing to bring aid to the Sentinel Towers should a invasion ever occur. The elves can commune with the wolves as though they were human and often the riders and wolves bond for life.
Both wolves and riders don plate and leather armor of elvish craft. The riders prefer the bow but have elvish longswords as a sidearm. Tactically they are swift and agile in an environment that is normally unkind to any cavalry. The rider and wolf can operate separately if needed using their gift of communication to work together against a foe, most often the wolf is a distraction while the elf slays their foe with arrows. All in all they only fill a tactical niche but they fill it well.
The Bowmen
Bows a quite a common tool among Skjolders, almost all of whom were trained with the bow for hunting purposes. The most common bow is the Bogie, a simple but effective around 2 meters long and made of ash, yew or elm. The most common arrows used for war are broadhead and bodkin with tangs embedded into the shafts. The arrow shafts are crafted from hard woods like oak and the feather fletchings are crafted so the arrows spin in the air. These bows can fire with deadly accuracy up to around 650 feet. Inaccurately they can fire up almost 1575ft making volleys a handy long range tool, though it is rare that Skjolders would be so equipped in an offensive capacity.
Volk Rangers:
Rangers are exactly what you would expect a ranger to be. Skilled bowmen, fine bladesmen, and great hunters. Truly men and women of the land, be it mountain, forest, or plain. The Volknir seem to be the only Vennish clan to implement rangers at all. Though it seems it was a practice that came with them when they first left the Isle of Ulvrive. Often older rangers take on a young apprentice to pass on their skills and knowledge.
They wear sparse plates of steel armor wrapped in leather, leather plates, and dappled cloaks that usually match their stalking grounds in color. They are usually equipped with bows, long daggers, and woodsman axes. The daggers have been a traditional weapon of the rangers and patterns on them often reflect the ranger's personality.
They are used to police the rural lands in peacetime and during war they are used as scouts. They are very skilled at survival and stealth so it is rare that a ranger is caught on scouting missions. Sometimes they will join a Skjolder Shield wall and sneak arrows where they can.
The Ulvjord Skyters:
A group of trained bowmen that are a new addition to Volknir forces. With their pure intention at conception to be a force of civilians within the city of Ulvjord who can be called up if needed to man the massive wall between Uljord's trade and walled districts. With weekly training sessions from a massive pool of volunteers they are motivated, proud and skilled.
They are equipped with a plate cuirass, shin guards, and helm. They wield bogie bows and arrows and have a longsword to use if the enemy manages to scale the walls.
Tactically they are meant to be a specialized defensive force. However strategists will quickly appreciate the tactical value of a large archer division and their volleys.
The Magicians
Offensive magic is only now a growing factor among the Volknir forces. While the Volknir family have a latent magical ability most of their clansmen who do not share their blood do not have this natural skill. Still there are those rare few who do.
Velhor:
Those that have honed their magic into the realm of combat are called the Velhor. They have various abilities in magic. Fireballs and lightning can fly from their fingertips. barriers and walls can form with the strength to stop catapults and arrows. Injured men on the brink of death can be restored to health and sent back into battle.
Outfitted with a mail shirt, they carry little else but magical tools into battle. Tactically they are organized into groups three to five and are usually in support of other forces. Plans to dispatch them to the wall along side the Skyters in defense of the city have already been practiced and drilled.
(more to come... still)
