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Armies
Though the land of Ourissa is currently in a time of peace, skirmishes between tribes and cities still occur, and standing armies are maintained by all of the lands political powers, large and small. Armies and their organization and equipment are always of interest to a historian, as well as an adventurer, who might have more interaction with them than he may want.

In case the RPG ever calls for a massive battle between powers, I have made army lists for use in the Field of Glory ancient battles ruleset. The armies are listed here, though I do not expect RPG players to understand them, so descriptions of the way these rules work are listed on the forums. You do not need to actually know the FoG ruleset for the game, it is just for your own curiosity. RPG Statistics of individual soldiers one might find on their travels are also found on the forums.


Armies of the Tribes
The Tribes of Ourissa dominate the northern lands, hugging close to the Talil mountains and reaping the bounty of its foothills and its plains, living in wilder lands in nomadic ways. While their armies lack the structure and discipline of the cities, their warriors more than make up for this in personal prowess. If you cannot kill a basilisk or a marauding grasscat on your own you do not deserve a place in the Tribes warrior society, and man for man the Tribes warriors are mightier than even that of the Legion. However, in larger battles the Tribes can have difficulties at organization, as multiple different Tribes will often have to band together to defeat a single city army, and this can lead to logistical and strategical issues.

The Centaurs of the west maintain constant wars with Ayotya and the Yaksas of the East are always at war with Varans, but other than this the Tribes live in relative peace, and despite the may skirmishes between them, they have never had need to go to war en masse. Though the tribes of Harakka are small and cannot maintain very large armies themselves, they would be quick to band together if the need arose. But the centaur are another matter. The Pegasus Kings of the west weild large and vast armies, and strike down on the Ayotyans with a fury whenever their forces dare leave their fortified walls.

Every Tribe maintains a tribal Champion, who is the single greatest warrior of that tribe, and any Champion is a fearsome sight to behold, stronger and more courageous than the strongest of Varanian or Ayotyan soldiers. They will weild enchanted weaponry of exquisite craftsmanship, and perform feats of agility and strength that most men would consider inhuman.

The Tribes armies can be split into three seperate groups for organizational purposes. Those of the plains, those who live in harsher areas such as the great forest and desert or mount Keral, and the marauding Centaur of the western highlands.


The centaur of the west live and breathe warfare, and have been in constant battle with the Ayotyans since their arrival on the hill hundreds of years ago. There are many different centaur tribes in the great western highlands, each ruled by a brave and ferocious Pegasus King. Their warriors match the speed and agility of Ayotyan Cavaliers, though they lack formal discipline and training, and at times have difficulty moving as cohesive units.

But what they lack in cohesion they make up for in raw strength. Your common centauri warrior carries a double handed spear or axe, and charges home with it in a terrifying fashion. Some will be armed with bows as well, and their armor will consist of monster hides and magically imbued warpaint that seems to deflect blows before they land. Some centaur units will use stolen Ayotyan plate mail, superior to their more crude forms of protection. Their scouts will be lightly armed and armored but move faster, and are strong enough to beat Ayotyan horse archers in single combat.

The true might of any centaur army lies in the Pegasus Kings guard. Handpicked elite and veteran warriors, these men fight similarly to the standard sort, but with a fury that is unmatched in all of Ourissa. You can tell a centaur who has earned a place in this unit by his warpaint, which will be colored a bright white in comparison to the usual dull reds or blues. Only a warrior who has proven his valor in combat is given permission to don white warpaint and protect his king.


There are many tribes of the great plains, the larger Arakani, Lissiyans and Harakkans making up the majority of these peoples, but many smaller plains tribes do exist. They fight almost exclusively from horseback with bow and spear, wearing magical warpaint for armor and riding only the best of horses. Many tribal warriors will own several different horses, and learn to ride from a young age, enabling them to traverse distances that would be impossible for a city army. Some of their warriors will fight on foot as bow armed scouts, ambushing from woodlands and low hills.

The tactics of tribal cavalry differ from those of city Cavalry, who rely on their infantry to hold a line while their Cavalry breaks that of the enemies. Having no real infantry forces of their own, plains Tribes units can freely withdraw and skirmish their enemies, firing arrows into their ranks and retreating when charged. Only when the enemy is disorganized and fatigued will they charge home, and this advantage can more than make up for the tribal warriors lack of plate armor.

If worse comes to worse, even the women and children of the village have some combat training, and though they cannot stand toe to toe with formed infantry, they will put up much more of a fight than a city villager.


The Lissiyans forces are armed and armored similarly to that of the smaller plains tribes, but due to their successes and a particularly generous patch of land that they call home, the Lissiyan tribe is the largest of all, more than triple the size of some others. They are thusly able to field many more troops than other plains tribes, and their best forces have earned somewhat more prestige. The Lissiyan Shield Guard Cavalry fights with bow, spear, shield and axe, a quartet of weaponry that is difficult to manage by most.

The Lissiyans also maintain a single unit of cohesive infantry, who fight with sword, spear and shield, and are trained to defend the rather large Lissiyan camp from enemy raider and ambush. When put on offense, these warriors will find and hold a woodline, able to effectively contest terrain but unable to deal with other tribal cavalry on open ground.


The Arakani who live in the colder northeastern steppe of Ourissa fight similarly to other plains tribes, with bow and spear and almost exclusively as disorganized units of skirmishing Cavalry. However, Arakani hide armor is known to be much better than most, their skill at weaving the hides together to combat bad weather, and the abundance of thick hides from monsters such as snow basilisks and mountain trolls giving their Cavalry an edge over that of the southern plains. While a Lissiyan warrior will be nearly naked and covered in warpaint, an Arakani warrior will come to battle in a thick suit of animal hides, covering both himself and his horse.

The very best of the Arakani soldiers are the Trollguard, who wear exclusively the light blue hides of the Chillsteppe trolls. Armored with trollhides head to toe and carrying a trollhide shield, their armor is surprisingly next to equivalent to that of the Varanian Legion, and though their numbers are small, they can best any other tribes cavalry in single combat.


While the Harakkans maintain a small and well equipped cavalry contingent, their sedentary nature has focused them more into battling on foot. The Harakkans have devised a particular mixed formation of spearmen and archers that is good at resisting a mounted charge, and these warriors are called the Harakkan Shield Guard. Armed with spear, shield, axe and padded cloth armor, the spearmen will form loose ranks, with a rank of archers in front firing arrows to deter enemy mounted. When the charge finally comes the archers will run to the rear of the line, continuing to fire over the heads of the spearmen who simultaniously close ranks, preparing to defend against a horses charge. This mixed formation is effective both against other tribes, as well as marauding monsters of the northern mountains. Harakkan Cavalry are trained to dismount and fight amidst the shield guard if necessary.


The Spirnis centaur are the only centaur tribe east of the Ghat, and a member of the seven great tribes of Harakka. They fight almost identically to their western brethren, with two handed weapons and bow and armored with warpaint, the white painted Pegasus Kings Guard forming their elite division. However, their tribe is much smaller than those of the western centaur, and they do not battle the cities enough to steal Ayotyan armor, preferring the Lissiyans as their time honored opponents. The Lissiyans and the Spirnis are always at war, though this is a war of friends and equals, and can be stopped at a moments notice to enjoy a festival or defeat a mutual foe.


The Valkyrie of Mount Keral are formidable foes, reknowned for their ability at metal work and in their execution of lightning fast ambushes. Unlike the other tribes, whose warriors are armored lightly or not at all, every Kerali warrior wears expertly crafted scale armor, though they leave their heads bare, long golden and black locks flowing from their high brows. The Kerali fight with long spears, though rather than forming a picket line like the legion of Varans, they charge impetuously with their weapons, throwing them or leaping in the air and stabbing downwards, picking their spears out of slain foes and doubling back to charge again.

As they are natural denizens of the mountains, the Kerali veterans do not ride horses, but rather form into units of elite footsoldiers called the Dragoons. These warriors are rumored to know wind magic, and can throw their javelins with an eerie accuracy, and leap much higher in the air than a normal man.

The Kerali champion is a man by the name of Agyar Fireaxe, who carries an enormous double handed halbard and wears not but red warpaint, looking quite different than the rest of his tribe. However, the manufacture of his weaponry is just as excellent, and his mastery of the winds is strong, being said to be capable of jumping some thirty feet into the air, coming down with his axe in a terrible fury.


The woodland tribe of the great forest is known as the Yaksas, and they have been at war with Tanja and Varans for generations upon generations. They will raid and assault the loggers city from the woodline, and their nearly naked warriors are experts at fighting in bad terrain, preferring the woods and the brush to open ground. They fight primarily with throwing weapons, tomahawks and bolas and javelins their chief fare. Though their charge is devastating due to their skill in thrown weaponry, their ability at holding a consistant melee is similar to other tribesmen. Their units have also been known to employ dogs as tools of war, hounds yelping and leaping to improve their barbaric charge.

Yaksa warriors fight on foot, and are armored chiefly with warpaint and wooden shields, though their veterans are known to use the captured equipment of fallen Legionarres. Their commanders will ride horses for a larger battle, letting them quickly move through and rally their troops, but will often dismount when it comes to actual combat. The Yaksa champion, Gwenathor Spritemist, is a Druid of some reknown, and her abilities at earthen magic are as beautiful as they are deadly.


The Mitiyans of the desert have a lack of horses, who do not thrive well in the grassless land of Andhra Rajas, and as such their red haired soldiers fight on foot, carrying a multitude of axes and javelins in similar fashion to Yaksa warriors. They fight in tandem with their domesticated spiders, and will poison their weapons before a battle, which numb the muscles and the brain upon application, increasing the deadliness of their forces. Mitiyan warriors are tough, for they are in constant battle with the monsters of the desrt, and their units are especially ferocious in comparison with other tribes.

Mitiyan shamans and witch doctors are known to mix with their standard units, and give out potions to their braves before a battle, increasing their ferocity. It is said that the Mitiyans have learned how to enrage their pet spiders through their magics, urging them to feats of agility and tenacity that are otherwise unseen. The Mitiyans are a more magical tribe than the others save possibly the Harakkans, and have many more shamans mixed into their ranks than most.

The chieftain and champion of the Mitiyans are the same man, the Beastmaster Galresh. A very short and very stocky man, Galresh will only be seen with the gigantic spider he calls his friend, riding his back and whispering into his ear. It is a horrid sight, the drooling jaw, clashing teeth and bug eyes of the spider staring at you, while the man it sits atop quietly watches, eyeing you as if you were his prey.