The Great Bears of Paltroy

The symbol of the nation of Paltroy is a Great Bear. These bears did not come to be naturally. Over several centuries, Paltroy animal breeders and mages experimented with creating a powerful creature that could serve in the military and strike terror into their enemies. They eventually succeeded beyond their wildest expectations. A Great Bear is like a normal grizzly bear in appearance, but there are several differences. For one, a Great Bear is 3 times the size of even the largest grizzly. Their bone structure is different than a normal bear to accompany a saddle as their primary utilization to for cavalry. Their jaws can also unlock and extend to be able to grab their prey by the head and bite it off. Their claws are thick and are nearly a foot in length. They use these for combat and to climb. Special straps are built into their saddles so that they can climb while their riders stay on. To even be considered to join a Great Bear Dragoons is a great honor and shows that the commanding officers believe that the soldier has what it takes to join those elite ranks. A Dragoon must show utter fearlessness as a Great Bear will neither respect the soldier nor even let them attempt to mount it if it shows any trepidation. It will most likely try to kill the offending soldier. Bonding with their new mount is essential and has its own challenges. The bears are very independent minded and do not take orders well. It has not yet been possible to “break” the spirit on a mount, but ideally the soldier’s goal is to gain the bear’s respect instead of its obedience. They do this by demonstrating their courage and battle prowess on the field. During training, rider and mount embark on bonding exercises, where they go into the wilderness and survive together for a week. Fighting off the creatures of the wild and demonstrating their ability to carry their own weight goes far in the bonding process. Great Bear Dragoons do not function as normal Dragoon or Cavalry units. The bears do not move in formation like horses do, but they can be trained to operate in packs. The purpose of these Dragoons is to act as elite shock units and to sow terror into enemy ranks at close quarters, as very little can stand up to an enraged Great Bear in the throes of a battle fury. It is for these reasons that the Great Bears of Paltroy are seen on flags artwork all over the nation.