Zarmudan Vennacti

The original Vennacti were the slave soldiers of the God Kings. These were the people drawn from the undesirables of society. No God King would ever risk their adoring faithful in war unless they had no choice or were desperate.
The Slave Soldiers were the backbone of the Zarmudan Armies. When Darcassia broke off from the Fatherland, the Empire strove to expel certain old traditions of the Zarmudan Slave Soldiers that clashed with the empire's new ideals.
Slave Soldiers in Zarmuda were a mix of the typical function of a slave, obedient and bound to the will of their lord. They were expendable. On the other hand, they were raised as a religious warrior cult, utterly devoted to the God Kings. The mix of desperation, religious doctrine, and the promise of a glorious afterlife created a nearly suicidal warrior. It is also their duty to protect the religious sites, pilgrims, and monks of Zarmuda.
Zarmudan Vennacti continue this tradition well into the present. While their power and mystique has waned over the centuries they remain a terrifying force rumored to be millions strong.
Vennac (warrior), Singular. Vennacti (warriors), Plural.

Composition

Manpower

It is rumored that armies are millions strong. Darcassian Public Radio insists this is a gross exaggeration and just propaganda by the old God Kings.

Equipment

At first glance, the Vennacti are primitive version of their Imperial counterparts. What is different is the makeup of their armor. The Zarmudan Vennacti wear scale plate, bear large rectangular shields adorned with images of the Gods or scripture. The most terrifying element of their gear are the masks they wear. Theses masks bear the faces of demons or monsters. Through the masks, a Vennacti's voice is amplified to sound like the howls of beasts or thunder.

Weaponry

The Vennacti are armed with swords, spears, bows, crossbows, and whatever else you can image. Compared to the Imperial Vennacti, the Zarmudan version is firmly stuck in the iron age. Only certain, more advanced weapons are permitted by the God Kings like catapults or trebuchets.

Tactics

"It makes your blood run cold. Early in the morning you would hear this droning sound. It was instantaneous too. Just this loud roar from across the battlefield where the Zarmudans drew up their battle lines."
"Some of the men ran. They thought it was a herd of Varnex Corpse Eaters. Others thought it sounded like the braying calls of demons but no one knew what a demon sounds like. Demons don't exist. Darcassian Public Radio told me so."
"Then there was the thunder. Not just of their voices in praise to their God Kings. Just... the thunder of them charging across the field. They were louder than any gun or artillery bombardment. The clang of their armor, the shields, swords and axes. I swear, lighting was flashing in the skies as they came toward us."
"They were unafraid of death. Death was a mercy to the endless toil and misery they experienced daily as the slaves of Gods."
"Agreed."
The old veterans nodded. They drank in silence afterwards.

Training

What the Zarmudan Vennacti lack in technology they make up in numbers and motivation. They are raised within a warrior cult lending an air of mysticism to their presence in battle. This also has a practical effect, as Zarmudan Vennacti will fight to the death because of their faith. The Zarmudan Vennacti are not drilled in anything except the tenets of their God Kings. Faith and fury drives them once battle is joined.

History

During the War of Zealots and Martyrs, Vennacti fought Vennacti. Blood flowed in rivers and the clamor of swords drowned out all other noise. While the Zarmudan Vennacti remain unchanged all the way to the present, their Imperial counterparts evolved, introducing more technology and sophistication.
Today it is unclear how many Zarmudan Vennacti exist. It is likely they are no longer millions strong. The God Kings keep to themselves now. The civil war was three hundred years ago. What use is a warrior if there are no wars to fight?

Historical loyalties

Their loyalty is only to the God Kings, resplendent in glory and forever crowned in Heaven.

Type

Shock

Overall training Level

Professional

Assumed Veterancy

Veteran

Used by

• Fatherland of Zarmuda