Husaria

World of Storm and Fury: Character Profiles: F-J: Husaria

Winged Horsemen of Lys, Heavy Cavalry, the Husaria


Race: mostly Humans, a few Elfs
Email: Lys@worldofstormandfury.com
Age: 18+
Gender: Male
Birthplace: noble sons of Lys

Appearance:

The uniform of the Knights consists of an ornate red and white jacket and red hose. The King provides each Knight of the Husaria only the famed 17-foot lance and a stipend, so the armour and weapons worn by each can vary. The general pattern is heavy frontal armour protecting from toes to head, and often the warhorses have some form of armour plate on their heads as well. Almost all carry a sabre, some will carry an axe or shortsword as well. The trademark wings are optional, but almost all regular Knights wear these. Knight-Officers generally wear an animal-skin cape over their plate armour.

The Squires wear a uniform of similar cut, though less ornate, and in red and black. Sometimes these teenagers might wear chainmail under their tunics.


Strengths:

An extremely proud and capable heavy cavalry, sometimes enemy lines will break merely at the sight of the Winged Horsemen preparing for a charge. It is no easy thing to stand before a Husaria charge, lance-tips growing ever closer, ground shaking under their hooves as wind whistles through the wings with their passage...For the enemy who does not break before impact, the lances will drive deep into their ranks, trained warhorses will bite and kick, and once the lance breaks or becomes fouled, each Knight will take up sword or axe and commence to hacking and slashing his way through, even as the momentum of horse and rider shove many aside...

Unlike other heavy cavalry, only wearing frontal armour tires man and beast less in a charge. Hence, these trained Men of the Chivalry can reform and make multiple charges in a single day. The Husaria are the Lys Army form of Shock and Awe.

As noble sons of Lys, most of these elite Knights are well-educated.


Limitations/Weaknesses:

Individually, these Knights are sticklers about their honour, hence they will fight duels on almost any pretext, over some imagined slight or some unintentional contact. When formed into units and in the field, this same sense of honour requires them to press home any charge once begun, regardless of the situation.

As with any heavy cavalry, despite their greater versatility they are most effective in formation charging across a level field. Any other terrian works against them, uneven ground can create gaps in the lines, while a proper charge is nearly impossible to make in a forest.

Sometimes leadership can be a bit of a problem. All of these Knights are Sons of Noble Blood, thus nearly all Knight-Officers must be of fairly powerful Houses in order to be obeyed. While many of these Lords are fantastic military leaders, there are some who would never hold their rank save for the name of their father.

Though more versatile and faster than any other heavy cavalry in the world, they still require an immense support train, and time to don armour and mount their warhorses before battle. The alternative is to ride long distances in full armour, which has been done but is extremely tiring and stressful for both horse and rider. Regardless, it takes about two thousand Squires and servants to support a Regiment of three hundred Knights in the field.


Background:

As the Kingdom of Lys grew over the centuries into a Realm of vast scope and power, the need for a national force to stiffen the household cavalry and levies of variable quality led to the creation of the Husaria. The idea of only wearing frontal armour was additionally used to equip many Knights very quickly, but it soon became evident the reduced weight of the riders greatly increased their maneuverability and stamina of the horses, while losing almost nothing in protection. And when unhorsed, the men with heavy frontal armour proved still reasonably effective at fighting, unlike his counterpart in full plate mail who was nearly immobilized once off his warhorse.

The Husaria proved effective even against the fine Elf troops of Arundel, where their ability to change formations quickly and conduct multiple charges often came as a surprise to Elf Generals who were used to Human Knights who would tend to simply charge directly at whatever they could see. Against central Oortesian Barbarians, they were devastating. There is a story that the wings were intended to block the lassos these barbarians frequently employ, but the general belief is the wings were created to increase the apparent size of the charging Knight and warhorse, particularly against the taller Elfs, and make more fearsome noise as well with the wind whistling through during a charge. Even the berserker blond warriors of Skylding Vorhooven have great respect for the Husaria, and would not want to meet them across an open field.
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