Ravenknights

Dark like ebonholt. Wild and erratic like the storm. A guardian bird above soars on ashen wings, overlooking the worlds below. An aegis and a defender that wields the powers of lightning and thunder in their veins. Woe anyone who dares spill the blood of those weak and innocent that carry on their daily struggles underneath the eyes of these black angels, as like valkyres from above they descend with the word of god.

Composition

Manpower

Each unkindness of the order has twentyfive knights ready to soar at their foes.

Equipment

The Ravenknights have some of the best armed troops of the entire Dyskhari Imperium and stand as the most powerful unit within the House of Crows, second only to a formation of Bladedancers lead by a Bladesister.
Their armour consists of a tight fit gambeson made in spidersilk. Making it impossibly light while dense and tough enough to withstand smaller firearms. With plated greaves that have a fur and rubber insulation within. On top of it all they wear a coat in the colours of their households, which is built with a steel inlayed collar to protect the neck from graces and made out of cotton to give an extra dampener to blows and protection against the elements. On their hands, the Ravenknight wears a pair of Stormpunk claws more than capable of ripping and tearing their enemies into glorious kills. Finally, a steel cap on top of a plated coif with a cotton hood, and cloak of raven feathers grant protection to the head. Covering their faces and identities, a witch doctors mask with night and heatvision googles is there mostly for the avian looks.
Their gadgets are utilized to increase effectivity and survivability, which makes their radio transmitters inbuilt to the masks critical for communication while soaring high above. Their coats also have buttoned straps attached to the sides of the cloth. In cases of emergency of falling or a wounded mount, the riders can fit their hands through the piece of hardened leather and pull to tighten the straps, thus giving them a flightsuit which they use to still soar and fight like a flying squirrel with. To prevent a lethal fall, they also have stormtech boots which can be triggered by pressing a button on a devise strapped to their belts. When activated, the heel of the boot lets out a blast of magnetism which stops their fall and can also be used to throw foes to the floor in a massive ring of pure force.

Weaponry

The knights use mainly Stormtech Weapons against their foes, with the Thunderbolter's range and utility being their usual choice of weaponry. Another main weapon of their's is the Stormlance: a large coil driven by a massive battery which unleashes real thunderbolts down unto their foes and is reloaded by soaring at high speeds among the clouds, so that the raw force of nature gets suctioned into the weapon.

Vehicles

The Stormraven is the Ravenknight's companion of choice. Though not native to the Crow's Mountains, these creatures have been bought from the jungles of Arzawak and bred within the wilds to raise some of the most intelligent and loyal companions of any bird spieces. Thanks to the demand to learn the art of Ravenspeech, the knights are able to vocally commune with their beasts through various sounds, that allow them to have the intellectual conversation of a fourteen year old with them.

Structure

For each unkindness soaring in the sky, a total of five serve as the Wing Commander while the other twenty are just called Wings. It will always be decided before a battle whom of the Wing Commanders serve as main commander to ensure there's no confusion in the chain of command happening during battle. Generally these individuals are personally chosen by their Commandatrix Magnolia Dolchenfeuer to avoid internal strife.

Tactics

The Ravenknights were made to rule the skies. Their tactics are mostly based on the behaviour of their rather intelligent great birds, where one squad will engage and aptly retreat combat. Always towards clouds or dangerously close to mountains if possible. Two more squads, or sometimes three will then strike in a wild erratic flurry once an opening is seen among their foes, before the two retreat and two more squads appear to flank. At all times, there will be one or two backup squads that do not engage, as they serve the role of a support should anything go wrong.
If a battle does go south, the support units will soar in to cause as much damage as possible while allowing their fellow flyers to get out of dodge, before they themselves escape. Either by soaring high or low, depending on the flight capability of their foe, where bad flying skills imply high and good implies taking to the ground. If they can regroup for another attack, they will re-engage with a slight change in tactics, though of the fight proves too hard, another unkindness may be sent for to aid.
Once the skies are dominated, the riders will go low to do swooping attacks on their foes like magpies. Aiming for more critical targets such as siege, large units, enemy commanders or monsters to spread distress and fear among enemy lines. After a while of fighting like this, the Ravenknights generally join the footsoldiers by dismounting mid air and slamming down on their foes wherever their allied lines most require them. They then fight without their companions through melee and ranged combat, where they mostly utilize the Stormgloves and Thunderslingers to decimate the opposition.

Training
To join the Ravenknights, one must first be born a female Dyskhari within the House of Crows or any of their sworn minor households. The training to become a knight demands them to raise a Stormraven of their own. Learn to commune with them by Ravenspeech . Survive and train with them for a full week within the Ravenswood, while surviving on nothing but what they can hunt. Then on top of that hand to hand combat with swords, spears, lances, martial arts, sharpshooting and mastering these techniques with the weapons, armour and tools given for the uniform.
Once all that is achieved, they are to practice flight, sharpshooting skills and tactics while in the air, every day, every week for a full year. Only then will they be considered a fully fledged Ravenknight, but even then they constantly practice to sharpen their prowess in battle. In total, this process tends to take from five to seven full years. Though most of the knights say you're not a proper herald of the storm, untill they've seen their thireenth year from practice and survived at least three real battles.

Type

Airborne

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Decorated/Honored

Used by

• House of Crows

Ranks & Titles

• Bladesister