The Ilsamiren Wars

[Ilsamir Lord]

Thanks for the offer! That would be extremely useful once we get some concepts down!

The war eagles wouldn't need to be that high up, ideally they'd be animated to flap and all. I'd rather not use any really specific animals, horses are pretty wide-spread in fantasy, but leopards are a little too particular I think. Likewise I won't be using elephants and such.

Even more content! (I'm on a role today):

Units

The Seaborne
Infantry:

Slaves
These men are forced to fight, mainly out of fear for their masters, but also for the chance of winning their freedom. They are armed in the most meagre way possible, with oars, the same oars with which the row the Seaborne's ships. They are armoured very lightly, as can be seen (in the unit picture - they have no shirts.). They are not at all courageous when flanked, but when used in a direct charge they are all but fearless.

Crewmen
These are basic the crewmen of Seaborne ships. These men are more accustomed to working on the seas than fighting on land, but they are serviceable. Armed with a small buckler and cutlass, they are very vulnerable to ranged enemies but can put up a fight against other light infantry.

Boarders (expert shock troops)
Boarders are trained specifically for melee combat and are armed with cutlasses and small shields. They are perfect for making sudden attacks on lighter enemies, but when charged by cavalry they are all but helpless.

Spearmen
Armed simply for affordability, these spearmen are trained to repel enemies that might board their ships. Their spears are in fact adapted boat-hooks which are equally effective on land as from onboard a ship. These spearmen are trained rudementarily for land combat and so are best used in large numbers.

Swordsmen
These men carry lengthened cutlasses, designed to deal long, but not deep wounds. They carry round shields and wear helmets and light hauberks. These are soldiers best used against lightly armoured foes.

Crossbowmen
The crossbow is a frighteningly intuitive weapon to master, but the long time it takes to reload them can mean death for unwary archers. These weapons are powerful, able to pierce most heavy armour and are particularly effective when fired in volleys. The Seaborne are one of the only civilisations to to use the crossbow, and so they will often have the advantage over their enemy in ranged combat.

Archers
Armed with simple bows, these archers are not particularly skilled, their arrows are only capable of piercing light armour, and the archers themselves are poor in a melee.


War Machines:

Repeating Ballistae
The Seaborne are the only culture to produce this weapon, an adaptation of the crossbow on a larger scale. These weapons were originally developed for ship-to-ship combat where they were used to rain large numbers of flaming bolts on enemy craft. They are almost equally useful on land.

The Northern Kingdom
Infantry - stay tuned!

Cavalry:

Ethed Bowmen
These are expert archers mounted on the ethed, a heavy, bull-like creature. The ethed is not a particularly fast beast, though it can quite comfortably outrun a man, so these mounted archers should not be used against horsemen. If they are engaged the ethed will fight, but a few infantrymen will be able to bring one down quite easily. The bowmen themselves are armed with recurve bows of middling length and range and also with sabres. The ethed is not armoured, and the archer is armoured only lightly.

Ethed Knights
These are the most fearsome cavalry in the world. The ethed, when fully grown, is larger than a horse and has long, tough horns. These knights ride fully armoured ethed, which are strong enough to bare the extra weight virtually unhindered. The knights are armed with long, barbed lances, which they discard after the initial charge, and long sabres. They are armoured from head to toe and carry tall shields. A group of ethed knights in full charge is unstoppable.

Ethed Scouts
These scouts are armoured and armed lightly, meant for reconnaissance only. The ethed itself is of a special breed, lighter and more nimble than its heavier cousins.

Faction Colours
These colours are for borders and banners (campaign army size banners - no banners in real-time battles) only. Many units will have their faction's colours, but should not be restricted to them.

The Ilsamiri - Dark Blue and White (or steely-grey)

The Mechathenain - Tan and light Blue (?)

The Seaborne - Grey-green and dark Red

The Ocean Tribes - jade Green and reddish-Brown

The Northern Kingdom - Black and ?

The Southern Kingdom - Purple and Black?

The Western Kingdom - Dark Green and Brown