Sky Lancers
A great deal of mystery surrounds the formation of the Sky Lancers and more than a few scholars have advanced a number of theories to fill in the many gaps that the Lancers refuse to share. The predominately female unit of the warriors was formed in 21 YL and logistical elements aside consist of two unit types, Lancers and Farlancers. Since the unit's founding, two people enter into a mystical bond with a female Storm Cat. Few realize that the cats will bond only with those who have what the cats call the Mother's Instinct. Storm Cats claim others cannot fully understand the term. Many scholars surmise that it has to do with the capacity to care for others more than one's self, but the cats claim the term means more. Gender is irrelevant but a large percentage of Lancers identify as female. Among Storm Cat society, only mothers, natural or surrogate, are deemed level-headed enough to be the primary arbiters of life and death, but the ability to bear children does not seem to factor into who cat chose as bond partners.
Lancers excel at mounted and melee combat using a specialized spear know as a Skylance, with a long-bladed tip made from the rare teal-colored metal Vargshak, they also train with a heavily reinforced arm covering known as a Lancer's Brace, also made from Vargshak. This articulated piece covers the Lancer's entire off arm and can deflect all but the heaviest blows. Farlancers train with Farlances, potent rifles made from wood and Vargshak, which possess deadly accurracy at great distances. These rifles can fire a variety of elemental and standard rounds and include removable bayonets for close combat situations. Both Laner types train to fight while strapped to their Storm Cat mounts in specialized saddles, often with the Lancer in front and the Farlancer in the rear. Lancers regularly train for deployment from the ground and off the decks of Sky Navy vessels. The ability to deploy from Sky Navy vessels and the cat's well-known flight endurance grants the lancers an incredible rapid deployment range.
New Sky Lancers are often selected at a young age under the realization that the commitment to the Lancer Corps is for a minimum of 25 years, though many stay on far longer. New recruits endure a rigorous series of tests switching partners many times during their training until they find a compatible Bondsister (or Bondmate). Compatibility is confirmed by a Sky Navy Mind Mage and an Elder Storm Cat. Once they complete their training the Bondsisters seek a young cat willing to bond with them, some find a companion right away, while a few take years, and a handful never find a match, and usually take on support roles within the Corps. The bond confers several advantages to the triumvirate. First, the members gain the natural lifespan of the longest-lived member, usually the Storm Cat. Second, they can share life force between them, helping wounded or sick members heal by passing on some of their health or strength. Third, each member becomes immune to any harmful natural effects of their bondmates, so for example, the elemental discharges of a Storm Cat will not directly harm her bondmates in any way, though they are not immune to the discharges of other cats or other elemental effects. Finally, the bondmates can sense the emotions of the others in the bond and they can sense their general direction and rough distance. This latter ability varies between triumvirates but seems to grow stronger over time so that older bondmates can often pinpoint locations and distances with frightening accuracy, a skill the Lancers have used to their advantage on several occasions. The death of any member of the triumvirate can devastate the other members causing long-term traumas that some never recover from.
Once bonded the triumvirate, called a trident in Sky Navy parlance, continues an intense training regimen. The trident lives and works as a team, rarely being separated for long. Lancers train for rapid aerial cavalry strikes, stealth missions, rescue operations behind enemy lines, and other missions suiting their capabilities and skills. Four tridents form units known as Claws, four Claws form a Lance, five Lances a Regiment, four Regiments a Brigade, and two Brigades a Division. Currently, Arania deploys four Sky Lancer Divisions. Sky Lancers use the same ranks structure as the Arainian Marines who train to fight on and from Sky and Sea Navy vessels
Composition
Equipment
Maiden's Brace: A heavy articulated Vargshak armor piece that covers a Maiden's entire off arm. Nearly impenetrable and wared to absorb heavy impacts the Maiden's Brace act as a shield without denying the Maiden the use of their off hand.
Weaponry
Maiden's Lance: A Vargshak tipped spear with a wide leaf-shaped blade about 12-16" in length that tapers to a vicious point. The spear's handle runs about 18-24" and the weapons balance makes them easy to wield with one or two hands. Lancer Maidens also tend to carry throwing axes or knives for use while charging, though some senior Maidens wield Maiden Lances that mystically return to their hands when thrown.
Far Lances. The rifle-like weapons fire standard or elemental rounds with a range of effects, from starting fires to marking targets or creating covering smoke, or simply directly attacking a Farlancer's target. The Vargshak barrel affords these weapons great range and some Maiden deploy gnomish scopes to improve their accuracy at long range. Each Farlancer also carries a bayonet attachment for close-quarters combat.
Vehicles
See Storm Cats
Structure
Tactics
The Sky Maiden represents what may be the most feared cavalry unit on Risailya. They can deploy rapidly, in relative stealth, for a variety of missions. Most often Maidens act as special mission forces, lead boarding actions, work in enemy territory disrupting supply lines, or rapidly filling gaps and exploiting weaknesses in major battles.
Training
Maiden receive training intense initial training and only about 12% of candidates advance beyond the frost stages. Once part of trident Maiden's continue intense training for much of their careers.
I once asked a Farlancer Sergeant of the 38th Strikeforce about why most Lancers were female. I had stopped off in this small inn situated a small town south of the Backbone near the Andolian border. A force of four tridents had been routed to the area to investigate reports of Andolian incursions across the border. I found Sergeant Major Keslina Wexal, her Lancer, Banner Sergeant Gemma Vilanis, and their Storm Cat Mergun sitting on the patio of the inn. All were grizzled veterans of the Shattered Tears War. Vilanis carried herself with a sort of casual Gnomish grace, and her Hobgoblin companion, looked like she could, and maybe had, spit molten iron.
As I approached they both eyed me with that chilling look of disinterest so many battle-hardened vets all seem to have, like I was a gnat and they were trying to decide if swatting me was worth the time and effort. Despite the stare, both smiled at me and Sergeant Vilanis's look changed to one that I later learned signaled physical attraction, but I was too focused on academic matters at the time to notice. Meanwhile, their feline companion paid me little mind and rolled onto her back with a wide yawn, her coat the almost pure white of a puffy cloud, signaling her contented state. In my usual hamfisted way I introduced myself by name and inquired if I could ask them a few questions, which earned a shrug from Sergeant Wexal and a wider grin from Sergeant Vilanis who muttered something about time wasted talking, which earned her a jab in the ribs from Wexal and a (contented?) sigh from Mergun. "Sure---shoot," Wexal laughed as she absently tapped the distinctly blue barreled Farlance propped next to her, with a glee that highlighted her satisfaction at her obvious pun. Taken aback by the way her expression changed from so hardened a visage to something almost motherly I stammered out my question about the Lancer's largely female ranks and if there was any truth to the story that they all needed to be virgins when they enlisted. I had figured it best to just cut to the chase. Cursed Brightness take me if my question didn't elicit a groan from Vilanis but Wexal just grinned wider. "Well, that's not strictly true," the sergeant responded with a sharp glance at Vilanis who seemed about ready to spit out her ale like some great secret was about to be revealed, and perhaps the Hobgoblin was right, seeing as how even a scholar like myself was not sure of the answer. "I mean these cats have their hangups, you see," she went on, gesturing at Mergun. "See in a Storm Cat Tempest the feeling is that because females are the only ones who can carry a life to a term that they are better suited to handle matters of life and death, so all the defense and hunting is generally done by the females, and they think it works just as well for us two-legged types. However, they have been know to make exceptions from time to time" Oddly, at the moment I recalled how Professor Brandyberg had always noted that despite their fearsome reputation than the Sky Lancer's took more prisoners on average than other Arnainian units, tough to be fair they also had a higher kill ratio than units their size, as well. "Anyway, all these cats give a crap about when they enter the bond, and all the cats we bond with are female, is that you have what they call the "Mother's Instinct," and somehow they know.They 'smell' it deep down. Don't ask me what exactly it entails because it's part compassion, part putting others before yourself and a bunch of other stuff. So to be frank we've had male Sky Lancers, and we've had non-binary Lancers. They just have to pass the cat's muster is all. That's the way the cats see it, right or wrong, and it's sure as hell above my pay grade to figure out why. Besides this furry oaf won't tell me exactly what it all entails and to be honest I'm not sure it could be put into words, even if a cat was in the mood to tell," she griped, giving Mergun a not to gentle nudge with the tip of her boot which earned her a lazy sweep of the cat's bushy tail.
She went on, "As for that virgin nonsense you think anyone with any sense would do this if they couldn't get laid? Nope, not this crusty old Gnome! That part was probably cooked up by some PR hack I'd guess. Probably a Gnome, we do that sort of thing. Anyway, on that subject, I think you'd be better off talking to Gemma, here." Wexal shot a glance at her partner who was eyeing me over the rim of the mug she had grasped in front of her face.
I didn't pay attention at the time and I should have realized Wexal knew more than I did via the fabled bond that allows Lancers to psychically share emotions. Still, looking over her mug Vilanis's eyes bored into me as she asked, "So professor you want to get something to eat? The inn and tavern here makes a wonderful farmer's stew."
Still somewhat oblivious to the Sergeant's intentions I nodded hoping to find out more about the impact of the oft-repeated, but seemingly false, virginal aspect of the Lancer mystique, little realizing that the Sergeant had a more direct demonstration in mind as we headed toward the inn. Even as Wexal called after us to "make sure we were back before the dawn," I still hadn't quite caught on.
~Miriam Irlanis, Professor of Cultural History, Arainian University of Arts and Humanities.
Type
Airborne
Founding
21 YL
Overall training Level
Elite
Assumed Veterancy
Decorated/Honored
Parent Formation
Used by
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