"That was a glorious day. The Duke of Alvazzo, just a jumped up bandit who'd stumbled on a tower full of gold, had hired a bunch of Orcs to be his army while he made himself lord of the region. Promised 'em what every Orc wants -- fresh tender Human flesh to eat, just like the meat clinging to your own bones! The locals hired us to put a stop to it, and the captain's plan was a good one. He pinned Alvazzo and his Orcs at the river, feinting like he was going to force a crossing. That gave me time to take most of the cavalry through an old forest track that came out in their rear. They never knew what hit them. Whooping and hollering, we charged into their camp like daemons from the Wastes. Just as Alvazzo started to organise a defence, the captain struck across the ford, and that was it. The Orcs panicked and ran for the hills -- those we didn't cut down first. When it was over, not one in five got away. It was years before they'd show their ugly faces again. Never did find Alvazzo, though. I heard later he'd made a fine meal for the Orc chief -- as the main course. Not that I blame the Orc. As a mercenary, you want to get paid, and a deal is a deal."
- —Late at night under the stars in a small town nestled into the Appucini foothills, a retired stradiot tells his rapt grandchildren a tale of adventure.[1a]
Tilean light cavalryman in mail coat with leather trousers.
The stradioti are lightly armed and armoured Tilean cavalrymen who avoid making head-on shock charges into the foe and prefer more indirect tactics.
With fewer heavily armed and armored knights than the Empire, the Tilean mercenary armies rely on swift, lightly-armed horsemen to provide mobile attack power. Rather than charging headlong into the teeth -- and often pikes -- of the enemy, the light Tilean horsemen, called stradioti in their language, prefer to strike from the flanks or, above all, from the rear, where the enemy's luggage train makes a tempting target.[1a]
Stradioti can come from any part of Tilea, typically the small towns and the hinterland of the big city-states. The original stradioti and those still considered the most skilled were born and raised between the mountain villages of the Apuccini chain and the small estates of the western Border Princes.[1a]
In the Empire, light cavalry units are employed mostly in the southern Grand Provinces and the Reikland, where their ability to function in both rough terrain and plains makes them useful as scouts and quick-reaction forces. Though still largely Tilean, more and more recruits are coming from Imperials looking for something more exciting than marching back and forth. Sudenland has long employed stradioti to patrol its southern reaches, and The Elector's Own Lancers is a highly regarded outfit.[1a]
Organisation[]
The basic unit of light cavalry is the "talon," which includes one of each of the following three types of cavalrymen. The main cavalryman, or "lance," drives the unit, has the best armour and fights with the spear and javelin or bow.[1a]
The squire wears only partial armour and fights to protect the unshielded side of the lance.[1a]
The page is usually a young teenager learning the trade: horseback riding, weapons, and basic first aid -- while he serves as a servant of the others and fights on foot once the talon is in combat.[1a]
A captain commands several talons and enters into contracts for his units' mercenary service.[1a]
Notable Stradioti[]
Trivia[]
The real-world stradioti were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by the states of southern and central Europe from the 15th century until the middle of the 18th century. They pioneered light cavalry tactics in European armies in the early modern era.
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Up in Arms (RPG)
- 1a: pp. 44-45